Page 94 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

Suddenly, as he turned a comer, he saw a small figure
walking slowly along before him ; the great straw hat on the

back of her head almost concealed the little body, but her
sunny hair was peeping down below the broad brim, and
Adams knew the child.
She carried under her arm an old cigar-box, out of one
end of which peeped the head and shoulders of an old doll,
the feet of which stuck out of the other end. A string hung

from the box, and trailed behind her on the pathway. She
appeared to be very busy about something; and to be per­
fectly happy, for as she walked along she was singing out of
her content a wordless little song of her heart, 11 Tra-la-la,

tra-la-la.”
The young officer fell Into the same gait with the child,
and instinctively trod softly to keep from disturbing her,
just then, however, a burly fellow named Griff O'Meara, who
had belonged to one of the companies which preceded them,

and had been transferred to Adams's company, came down a
side street, and turned into the walkway just behind the little
maid. He seemed to be tipsy. The trailing string caught
his eye, and he tipped forward and tried to step on it.
Adams did not take in what the fellow was trying to do until

he attempted it the sccond time. Then he called to him, but
it was too late ; he had stepped on the cord, and jerked the
box, doll and all, from the child's arm. The doll fell, face
down, on a stone and broke to pieces, The man gave a
great laugh, as the little gtrl turned, with a cry of anguish,