ng her head,
"but it is not so. The true soldier does not think of his life; he
thinks of his country, for which he will gladly shed his blood--of his
king, to whom he has sworn to be true--and of the glory which he will
gain for himself!"

Charles Henry looked in amazement upon Anna Sophia's agitated
countenance.

"How do you know all this?" said he. "Who has told you that these are
soldiers' thoughts?"

"I have read of it in my books, Charles Henry; in one of them there is
the history of a man whose name was Leonidas. He defended, with three
hundred of his soldiers, against many thousands of his enemy, a narrow
passway. He well knew that he could not conquer; his soldiers also knew
it, but they preferred death rather than the humiliation of laying
down their weapons and praying for mercy. And every man of them died
joyfully, giving up his life for his country."

"Well, I must say they were fools!" cried Charles Henry, excitedly;
"if I had been there, I would not have done so--I would have sued for
pardon."

"Yes," said Anna Sophia thoughtfully--"yes, I think you would have done
as you say; and I have been wondering all through the past night whether
you would willingly and joyfully go to battle?"

"I? God forefend; I will not go joyfully--I will not go at all! This
morning I intend going to our pastor to receive from him a certificate,
showing that I cannot join the army, as I have a decrepit old father to
support, who would die without me."

"Charles Henry, your father is not decrepit, nor very old, nor would he
starve if you were not here, for he can support himself."

"But he may, at any moment, become unable to help himself, and then
he would need me; I would have no rest day or night when far away, but
would be thinking if my poor old father, lying sick and helpless in his
hut, with no one near to give him a piece of bread or a cup of water."

"Let not this trouble you, Charles Henry," said Anna, solemnly. "I swear
to you that I will love him and care for him as a daughter. He shall
want for nothing; and when he can work no longer, I am strong and
healthy enough to work for both of us. Go with a peaceful mind, I will
be here in your place."

"No, no!" cried Charles Henry, turning pale; "I will not join the army.
I cannot, I will not be separated from you, Anna. You have sworn to
be my wife, and I will beseech the pastor to join us to-day; then they
cannot take me away from here, for I will have a fat