Our Soldier Boy Part 8

Poor Mrs Corporal's anger melted at this, and she caught Mrs Trevor's hand in hers and kissed it again and again.

"Oh, my dear lady," she sobbed; "I'm a wicked, selfish woman, and he is your own flesh and blood. Come with you to be where I could always see the dear, brave, darling boy? Oh, I'd go down on my knees and be thankful, but I can't leave my poor man. I wouldn't if he was strong and well, and now he's wounded and broken and got to leave the regiment--no, not if we had to beg our bread from door to door. Kiss me, my darling boy, once more, and then--oh Joe, my man, I can't bear it! Take me away, take me away."

Joe, who had stood back stiffly in the background near where d.i.c.k's father was whispering with Colonel Lavis, took two steps to the front with a painful limp, saluted the company, and caught his half-blind wife in his arms.

"It's quite right, my la.s.s," he said huskily, "and--from my heart, my lady, I say thank G.o.d the dear lad's coming to his own. Don't mind what the missus said--she--she, you see, loved him, and--good-bye, Master d.i.c.k, my lad--good--"

"Stop," said Mr Trevor, stepping towards him with his eyes moist, and clapping the invalided soldier on the shoulder. "Corporal, your Colonel says that you are as brave and true a man as ever stepped. I feel that it must be so. While I live the wounded soldier to whom we owe so much shall never want a home. d.i.c.k, as they call you--Frank, my boy, what do you say to this?"

"Say?" faltered the boy, as he stood trembling, and then he could not speak. The next moment he had rushed to his mother to kiss her pa.s.sionately, giving her a look that seemed to say, "Don't think I shall not love you more than ever;" and then he ran and caught Joe's hand, holding it fast for a moment, before flinging his arms about poor Mrs Corporal's neck, to whisper something in her ear which made the poor woman wipe away her tears.

"Hah!" cried the Colonel huskily, "this is peace indeed."

That night mother and father stole hand in hand into the room next their own, where their son lay sleeping peacefully. They did not bend down to kiss him lest he should start awake, but they knelt by his side in thankfulness for the great joy which filled their hearts, before thinking sadly of those to whom they owed so much.

Strangely enough, just about the same time Mrs Corporal rose from her knees and said:--

"There, Joe, old man, I won't cry another drop, for I feel now that it's right and what should be. But just in here somewhere there's a little place where he'll always seem to be--our soldier boy to the very end."