FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55  
56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   >>  
l you come to tea with us?' he asked breathlessly, as he came up to him. The corporal looked up. He was a fine-looking young man with a frank, bright face, and he was reading a well-worn Bible, which he put carefully in his pocket before he rose to his feet. 'That's very kind of your granny,' he said; 'and I'll come with pleasure. I'm out of it at the Hare and Hounds.' Teddy's quick eyes had spied the Bible. 'Do you like the Bible?' he asked gravely. 'It's my order book,' the corporal said with a smile, 'and my best friend in the world.' 'What's an order book?' 'It gives you your daily commands--just what you are to do and where you're to go. My Captain writes my orders down in His Word for me.' 'He's my Captain too,' said Teddy with glistening eyes. 'You mean Jesus, don't you? I've enlisted in His army, and I'm one of His soldiers.' 'Shake hands, little brother, then; we're comrades after all.' 'Are all soldiers in Jesus Christ's army?' asked Teddy as they walked away together. The corporal shook his head sadly. 'Hardly any of them in my regiment,' he said. 'We're nearly seven hundred strong, and only six men besides myself, as far as I can tell, belong to the Lord. A year ago I was an awful blackguard myself: I drank dreadfully, and couldn't give the drink up; but that's all a thing of the past. Since I have belonged to the Lord He keeps me from it, and many other bad habits. I'll own I fairly dreaded coming to this bit of duty. The sight and smell of the beer is very strong to a man that has been such a slave to it, and I must be quartered in public-houses the whole way along.' 'You'll have to fight like Mr. Upton told me to, won't you?' said Teddy. 'But if our Captain is with us, Mr. Upton says we shan't be beaten.' 'No,' said the corporal, a light coming into his eyes. 'We shall be more than conquerors.' Then, after a pause, he said, 'It's very considerate of your granny to ask me to tea; I was just wishing that something could be done in this village for the men coming after me, like we had last year when we marched through the country for the manoeuvres. They gave us a free tea at several of the places we went through, and it kept so many from drinking. There's a man coming along here who I'm terrible anxious about. He's been an awful drunkard, and is quite an old soldier; but last New Year's Day he signed the pledge, and he's kept it ever since: he's just on the point of being conv
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55  
56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   >>  



Top keywords:

coming

 

corporal

 

Captain

 

soldiers

 

strong

 

granny

 
habits
 

belonged

 

quartered

 

fairly


houses

 

public

 
dreaded
 

village

 

anxious

 

terrible

 

drunkard

 
places
 
drinking
 

soldier


pledge

 
signed
 

conquerors

 
beaten
 
considerate
 

country

 

marched

 

manoeuvres

 
wishing
 

gravely


friend

 

Hounds

 

writes

 

commands

 

pleasure

 

bright

 

looked

 

breathlessly

 

reading

 
pocket

carefully

 
orders
 

hundred

 

regiment

 
couldn
 

dreadfully

 

belong

 

blackguard

 
Hardly
 

enlisted