Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

The Little Colonel by Annie Fellows Johnston
page 6 of 81 (07%)
their shoes when he frowned. They had learned from experience that "ole
Marse Lloyd had a tigah of a tempah in him."

As he passed down the walk there were two mute witnesses to his old
soldier life. A spur gleamed on his boot heel, for he had just returned
from his morning ride, and his right sleeve hung empty.

He had won his title bravely. He had given his only son and his strong
right arm to the Southern cause. That had been nearly thirty years ago.

He did not charge down on the enemy with his usual force this time. The
little head, gleaming like sunshine in the strawberry patch,
reminded him so strongly of a little fellow who used to follow him
everywhere,--Tom, the sturdiest, handsomest boy in the county,--Tom,
whom he had been so proud of, whom he had so nearly worshipped.

Looking at this fair head bent over the vines, he could almost forget
that Tom had ever outgrown his babyhood, that he had shouldered a rifle
and followed him to camp, a mere boy, to be shot down by a Yankee bullet
in his first battle.

The old Colonel could almost believe he had him back again, and that he
stood in the midst of those old days the locusts sometimes whispered
about.

He could not hear the happiest of little voices that was just then
saying, "Oh, Fritz, isn't you glad we came? An' isn't you glad we've got
a gran'fathah with such good 'trawberries?"

It was hard for her to put the "s" before her consonants.
DigitalOcean Referral Badge