Page 97 - Among the camps, or, Young people's stories of the war

Nancy Pansy, feeling that she had an interest in the
matter, suddenly took up the narrative.
"Yesr, lie jus' knocked him down," she said, with the
most charming confidence, to her admiring audience, her

pink cheeks glowing and her great eyes lighting u j j at the
recital, as she illustrated Tom's act with a most expressive
gesture of her by no means clean little fist.
The soldiers about her burst into a roar of delighted
laughter, and made her tel! them again and again how it
was done, each time renewing their applause over the 'cute

way in which she imitated Tom's act. Then they all insisted
on being formally introduced, so Nancy Pansy was stood
upon the table, and the men came by in line, one by one,
and were presented to her. It was a regular levee.

Presently she said she must go home, so she was taken
down ; but before she was allowed to leave, she was invited
to go through the camp, each man insisting that she should
visit his tent, She made, therefore, a complete tour, and in
every tent some souvenir was pressed upon her, or she was
begged to take her choice of its contents. Thus, before she

had gone far, she had her arms full of things, and a string
of men were following her bearing the articles she had hon­
ored them by accepting. There were little looking-glasses,
pin cushions, pairs of scissors, pictures, razors, bits of gold-

lace, cigar-holders, scarf-pins, and many other things.
When she left camp she was quite piled up with things,
whilst Tom Adams, who acted as her escort, marched behind