Teddys Button | Page 5

their way. I couldn't say, I'm
sure.'
'Mother, wouldn't you say the soldier was the bravest?'
'Perhaps I might, sonny; but a sailor can be quite as brave.'
Teddy's face fell. 'I never thought a sailor could fight at all,' he said, in
a disappointed tone; 'I thought they just took care of our ships, and now
and then fired a big gun off.'
'Who's been bringing up the sailors to you?' asked his grandmother.
'That little girl I told you of--Nancy her name is.'
'Where have you seen her?'
'Down by the brook; we fell into the water together, because we both
wanted to cross at once.'
'But, my boy, that was naughty for you not to give place to her,' and
Mrs. John spoke reprovingly.
'I know it was, mother, but I wasn't going to turn back. That would be
running away from the enemy. You see, we met in the middle, and
she's not at all a nice girl, and she's so proud and stuck up about the
sailors!'
'As proud as you are of the redcoats, I guess!' old Mrs. Platt said.
'Do sailors and soldiers like each other?' questioned Teddy, ignoring
the thrust.
'I am sure I don't know,' his mother answered, smiling. 'I have never
seen them together that I remember, but I should think they did. They
both fight for their queen and country.'

'Well, I'm a soldier's son, and I don't like a sailor's daughter, I know
that! I think she is a kind of enemy.'
'Oh, hush! sonny. You must have no enemies. It is wrong to talk so.'
'That's what he was a-sayin' to me t'other day,' put in his uncle slowly;
'he says he wants one.'
'Yes, I do,' and Teddy gave a fervent nod as he spoke; 'and, mother, I
believe most good people have enemies, so it must be right to have
one.'
'They never make one, as you're trying to do.'
Teddy looked puzzled.
'Well,' he said presently, 'I expect it's because she's a stranger. She
doesn't belong to our village. I don't like strangers.'
'She's no more a stranger than you were when you first came here,' his
mother said; 'and the fact of her being a stranger ought to make you
kind to her.'
'I'm thinking of calling on her mother,' old Mrs. Platt said, looking at
her little grandson with her keen grey eyes; 'shall I take you with me to
see the little girl?'
'I've seen her enough, granny. Please, I think I'd rather not.'
The subject was dropped, but Teddy's thoughts were busy. He ran
down to the village green after tea, and there met one or two of his
special chums, to whom he confided the events of the afternoon. They
highly applauded the scene at the bridge, but Teddy shook his curly
head a little doubtfully.
'Men ought always to give way to women, I've heard mother say; but I
couldn't turn back, you see--it would have disgraced my button.'
'Tell you what,' cried Harry Brown, commonly known as 'Carrots' from

his fiery hair, 'you could 'a done what the goats did in the primer at
school--you ought ter have laid flat down and let her walk across you.'
'She would have hurt dreadful,' Teddy observed thoughtfully. 'Besides,
she's so proud, I don't think I would have liked to do that.'
'No,' put in Sam Waters; 'you did fine. I say, let's come up to the
turnpike and see if she's about there. I'll give her a word, if she begins
to sauce me.'
Teddy agreed to this, and the trio trotted off along a flat, dusty road,
Teddy beguiling the way by some of his wonderful stories till they
came in sight of the low thatched cottage, covered with roses, that
guarded the turnpike.
They soon saw the young damsel, for she was swinging on the gate, her
dark hair flying in the wind, and her eyes and cheeks bright with the
exercise. She looked at the boys, then laughed.
'Poor little button-boy!' she said; 'you have to be taken care of by two
bigger ones.'
'We've come to see you,' said Sam valiantly, 'because we ain't going to
stand any cheek from you; so you had better look out.'
Nancy stopped swinging, and resting her fat little elbows on the
topmost bar, asked saucily, 'Did the button-boy tell you to come and
help him fight me? Are you all three going to try?'
'We don't fight girls,' said Teddy.
'You push them into the water.'
'I didn't.'
'I told mother about it. She thought you was a very rude boy not to wait
till I crossed over.'
There was silence, then Carrots started forward.

'Look here, you'll have to learn your manners, and we won't have a
strange girl like