the look
upon the thin, drawn countenance.

"Take a brace, G. W.!" he said, while he laid his fingers upon the weak
pulse in the tiny wrist.

Sea-sickness had reduced the child to a mere skeleton. It had been worse
than the fever. Not even the thought that "up North" was within sight
could arouse him now.

"I see a long stretch of land, my boy," Colonel Austin went on, "and a
fine white light-house on the farthest point. G. W., I'll bet you don't
know what this light-house looks like!"

"I bet I doesn't!" G. W. spoke in a whisper, his eyes shut.

"In a few hours, G. W., we will swing into the bay." G. W. shuddered.
The idea of _swinging_ into anything made him ill afresh. "And then they
will put you on a litter, old man, and I will walk beside you up to--up
to--are you listening, G. W.?"

"Yes, sah!" Then a quiver passed over G. W.'s face. "I thought," he
whispered, "I done thought I smelled land!"

"And so you do, old fellow," said the Colonel, cheerily. "Here, let me
lift you up. Now, G. W., open your eyes! See the light-house shining
like a slim white finger? That's Montauk Point, comrade, stretching
along in the sea. They are going to land us here to rest a bit before we
go home. Are you understanding, my child?"

G. W. lay staring at the scene with his great, round, soft eyes. The
smell of the land was in his nostrils and presently he smiled a
beautiful, satisfied smile, and Colonel Austin whispered, "Thank God!"
under breath.

"Colonel," G. W. said, low, "you jes' fetch my clo'es! I'se goin' ter
land wid my soldier-clo'es all on. Dat smell done cure me for sure!
Dat's a mighty fine smell, Colonel, dat is!"

Some hours later the transport cast anchor in the lovely bay. In the
early morning, when the sunlight danced upon the shining waves, never
was there a fairer sight to greet sick, home-longing eyes.

At last it was G. W.'s turn to be carried up the gang-plank. Very gently
they placed him upon the litter, and his Colonel walked beside it and
held the small, weak hand. G. W. closed his eyes, for the excitement
made him tremble, and lately he had had trouble with growing tearful on
every possible occasion, and had had to squeeze his eyelids together
hard.

They were carrying him along up somewhere--G. W. felt the upward motion.
And now they were walking on even ground. Presently the shouting he had
noticed before began again. It came nearer and words became distinct.
Comrade was greeting comrade. Th