n enemy; Mr. Upton told me about him. You see, I belong to
God's army. He takes very little soldiers. I've been enlisted for months
and months, and Ipse is just another part of me--the bad part!'
There was silence on the little company for a minute, then Major Tracy
said with a laugh, 'What an original little oddity it is!--quite a
character!'
And then Teddy was dismissed. He flew down the avenue home as fast as he
could go. Snow was falling, but he heeded it not, and burst into the
kitchen a little later in a breathless state of excitement.
His mother knew already, so was prepared for his news, but she was not
prepared for the handsome adornment now on her boy's coat, and his
grandmother and uncle were equally pleased and gratified at the
colonel's kindness.
Teddy's prayer of thanksgiving that night touched his mother greatly.
'O God, I do thank You. I knew You would answer me, for You knew how
dreadful it was to live without my button, and You knew how unhappy
my heart was about it, though I tried to be brave, and not talk about
it. Please, do help me to take great care of it, and never let me
lose it again!'
The next morning before breakfast, Teddy ran off to tell Nancy, and to
show her the long-lost treasure. She was quite as delighted as he was,
but said, a few minutes after, 'Button-boy, do you remember telling me
you couldn't live without your-button? You said you'd pine away and die.'
'Yes, I thought I should; but as soon as I began to pray about it I knew
it was coming back, and so I got better.'
'Well,' said Nancy with a sigh, 'I won't ever try to get your button
again; but if you were to die before me, I wonder if you would let me
have it then? I would take great care of it.'
'I meant it to be buried with me,' said Teddy, considering, 'but I don't
mind altering my mind about it, and if you promise not to give it to any
one else, I will let you have it.'
'I promise truly,' vowed Nancy, 'and I told you I wouldn't love you till
you gave it to me, but I will now, because I'm trying to be good!'
'And we'll always remember that soldiers and sailors are just as good as
each other--they're quite even!'
'Yes,' nodded Nancy; 'sailors and soldiers are quite even, and my father
is just as good as your father was!'
Teddy looked a little bit doubtful at this, but wisely refrained from
making any objection to the assertion; and then they parted, Nancy
calling out after him,--
'And when you die
|