It was winter time, and Teddy was back at school, full of health and spirits. Yet, through all his boyish mirth, the loss of his button was never forgotten. Daily he prayed for it to be found. His hope and faith in God never failed him.
"Perhaps God will send it to me for a Christmas surprise. Perhaps I shall find it in my stocking on Christmas morning," he used to say to his mother. She told him to pray on.
He had come in from school one cold day in the beginning of December. He was watching with keen interest the roasting of an apple suspended from a string in front of the fire, when there was a sharp knock at the door, and the footman from the Hall appeared.
"The master wants you to let the youngster come up with me now and speak to him."
"What about?" questioned Mrs. John, rather alarmed at this summons, and wondering if Teddy had been up to mischief.
"He won't keep him long." Then, as excited Teddy began pulling on his great-coat, the footman whispered something into Mrs. John's ear, which had the effect of completely reassuring her, and bringing a pleased smile about her lips. Teddy was delighted to go up to the Hall. He trotted along by the side of the tall, young footman, keeping up a brisk conversation as he went.
"I shall never be a footman," he was asserting. "I couldn't keep my legs so stiff. You are always like the soldiers when they stand at Attention. Don't you ever kick your legs out in the kitchen, or have you got stiff knees?"
"I can kick out as much as I like," responded the young man, in a rather offended tone.
"Don't you think it's nicer to be a soldier? Wouldn't you like to be one?"
"No. Their grub is something shocking. They live like cattle!"
Teddy would not allow this, and the discussion began to get somewhat heated, when their arrival at the house put an end to it.
"I say, just tell me, is the colonel angry?" asked Teddy, as looking into the large, brightly lighted hall, he suddenly felt his diminutive size.
"Not he. Wipe your feet, and take your cap off."
Teddy stepped in upon the soft rugs almost on tiptoe. The colonel himself came out into the hall to meet him. "Come in, my little man. Don't be frightened."
Teddy held his head erect as he followed the colonel into a bright, cheery room, where a group of ladies and gentlemen were around the fire enjoying their cup of five o'clock tea.
Mrs. Graham came forward and gave him a kindly greeting.
"This is our would-be soldier," said Colonel Graham-"the 'button-boy," as I hear he is called. Some of you remember his story told in our schoolroom to the regiment passing through in the summer. We were not surprised to hear of his narrow escape from death from trying to regain his button. But perhaps you have forgotten all about it, Youngster? A button isn't worth much sorrow after the first pang of its loss is over."
Teddy's face was a picture. The blood rushed up to his forehead. His eyes flashed. With clenched hands he said boldly, "Do you think I could ever forget my father's button, Sir? I would rather have it back than anything else in the world! And I'm going to get it back, too!"
"But it's at the bottom of the river, isn't it?"
"I don't know where it is, but God does. I ask Him every day to send it back to me. I'm quite sure He will. I think it will be this Christmas."
The ladies exchanged glances.
"Fact is stranger than fiction certainly," said the colonel. "Now, my boy, come here."
He was standing on the hearthrug with his back to the fire, and putting his hand into his pocket he drew out a small box and placed it in the child's hand.
"Open it, and tell me if you recognize the contents." Teddy lifted the lid, and then a gasp and a cry of ecstasy broke from him.
"Oh, my button. My own button! Oh, Sir!"
And here the tears welled up in the blue eyes. Utterly regardless of the place he was in, he flung himself down on the hearthrug and buried his head, face foremost, in his arms. He lay there so still for a moment that Mrs. Graham bent forward to touch him, fearing that the excitement might be too much for him, but he was only trying to hide his emotion from those looking on. In another minute he rose to his feet, and with a face perfectly radiant he turned to the colonel, "It's lovely, Sir, it's lovely!"
The colonel had had it set in a little gold framework with blue ribbon attached, making it look as much like a medal as possible. Mrs. Graham now came forward and pinned it to his coat.
"Now, my boy, I don't think you will ever guess how it came into our possession. The other day I brought home a few fish. In preparing one of these for table, our cook discovered your button inside it-I wonder the fish had not come to an untimely end before from such an indigestible meal! She told us of it, not recognizing what a valuable treasure she had brought to light. When we saw it, we knew it was the redoubtable button that has been the means of causing such interest in our neighborhood."
Teddy listened eagerly. "No wonder no one could find it!" he said, fingering his adornment proudly. "It's like the fish that brought Peter some money once."
Then the colonel turned to one of his friends. "Now, Major, what do you think of this youngster? Would you like to take him as a drummer boy into your regiment?"
The major scanned the boy from head to foot, then answered emphatically, "I wouldn't take a boy with a face like that for a good deal!"
"Why not?" asked Mrs. Graham.
"Because it's the ruination of them. I shall never forget a pretty boy we had once; he was called the `cherub.' He had been a chorister—sang divinely. He was only four years in the regiment, and his case was brought to me before he was discharged. He came to us an angel, and departed a finished young blackguard. He drank, stole, and lied to any extent, and was as well versed in vicious sins as any old drunkard in the regiment. When I see a fresh drummer brought in, I wonder how long he will keep his innocence. Sometimes I wish his friends could see the life he is subjected to. I give them a month generally, and then away flies their bloom and all their home training."
"But, Major Tracy, you are giving us a shocking idea of the morals in the service," said one lady.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I grant you, on the whole, they are better than they were. But the service is no place for highly strung boys like this one. The rougher, harder natures get on best. When they get older, and have sense and strength enough to stick to their principles, then let them enlist."
"But I have always heard," said Mrs. Graham, "that the drummer boys are well looked after now. They have a room to themselves. The chaplains have classes for them."
"That may be. I would only ask you to watch a boy, as I have, from the start, and see what kind of a man he grows into after having spent most of his early youth in the service. There are exceptions, I know, but precious few, as far as my experience goes."
Teddy did not understand this conversation, but he gathered from the major's tone that he did not approve of him.
"Do you think I'm too small to be a soldier?" he asked.
The major laughed. "Don't bother your head about your size," he said. "You'll grow. There's plenty of time before you."
"I don't want to be a drummer," said Teddy earnestly. "I would rather wait and be a proper soldier-a soldier who fights."
"A capital decision-stick to it, little chap. You have my hearty approval."
"You have your father's blood in your veins," said the colonel, laughing. "Meanwhile, I suppose you try your hand on the village boys, to content your fighting propensities."
"No," said Teddy, a grave look coming into his sunny blue eyes. "I don't fight with anybody but Ipse now. He always keeps me busy."
"Who is Ipse?" asked Mrs. Graham.
"He's my own 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. 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 he is! -Quite a character!"
And then Teddy was dismissed. He flew down the avenue home as fast as he could. Snow was falling, but he heeded it not. He burst into the kitchen a little later in a breathless state of excitement.
His mother knew already, so was prepared for his news. However, she was not prepared for the handsome adornment now on her boy's coat. 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. You knew how dreadful it was to live without my button. 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 later, "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 would. But as soon as I began to pray about it I knew it was coming back. 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. If you promise not to give it to anyone else, I will let you have it."
"I promise truly," vowed Nancy, "I told you I wouldn't love you until 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 are quite even!"
"Yes," nodded Nancy. "Sailors and soldiers are quite even. My father is just as good as your father was!"
Teddy looked a little doubtful at this, but wisely refrained from making any objection to the assertion. They parted, Nancy calling out after him, "And when you die, and I get the button, I shall wear it as a brooch!"
"Mother," said Teddy, a few days after this, as she was paying him her usual "goodnight" visit, "It's a very funny thing. I used to wish for an enemy so much, to fight and carry on with. Now I've got one, and have Ipse to fight with. I'm getting rather tired of him. Is that wicked? I asked Mr. Upton today if I couldn't ever get rid of Ipse—I mean when I am grown up, but he said I never should altogether, but that I could keep him well under, so that he wouldn't trouble me so. He does trouble me a lot now."
"Soldiers must never get tired of fighting, Sonny. You have your Captain to help you."
"Yes. I suppose when I get bigger and stronger it will be much easier, won't it? Mother, do you have any fighting? Have you got an enemy like me?"
"Yes, indeed I have, my boy."
"But you are never beaten, are you? You never do anything wrong!"
"I don't get into mischief, and disobey orders, perhaps," Mrs. John said, smiling, "but I have lots of difficulties and temptations that you know little about, Sonny. I am afraid I very often get beaten by the enemy."
Teddy pondered over this. "When I get to heaven I shan't have to fight with Ipse, shall I?"
"No, Darling; there will be no fighting with sin there."
Teddy smiled. "Perhaps my Captain will think I've been nearly as brave as Father if I fight Ipse hard until. I die."
"There is a verse in the Bible that says, 'He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.' Mother would rather have her little son fight God's battles than be the bravest soldier in the Queen's army."
"But," said Teddy, "I mean to do both. Now, Mother, just before I go to sleep, give me Father's button to kiss!"
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