The Arizona sentinel., 1886-01-30
NUMBER 9.

little, ESQ I brought one of my pict- ure books to read to you" and he set tied himself on one of the high wooden chairs, and opened the book.
 ''All right, little Colonel, fire away. the man said cheerily, and as soon as the clear childish voice commenced not a sound was heard in the room, the great burly fellows following with al- most childish interest and respect the varied fortunes of "Jack the Giant Killer.
 At the conclusion the child said, a little timidly: Lieutenant Fearing al- ways reads little prayer when he gets through. I haven't any book to read it out of, but we can say one."
 Then kneeling down on the stone floor, to the utter astonishment of the men, he reverently repeated the Lords Prayer.
 One by one they joined in, and when the little fellow rose from his knees with radiant countenance and trotted of with Nilus, there were many re- quests for him to ''come again" and sgive us another reading. The fever waxed and waned, but | kept pretty full.
 Day after day, no matter how hot or windy, Jerome would climb up the steep hill leading to the hospital and there read his little simple stories and repeat his daily prayer. He wanted so | much to do something for them, these rough nurses and playfellows of his, | whom he loved, and this was all he could think of. The rough men knew and appreciated the feeling, and well comed their ''little Colonel'' with ready love and sympathy.
 | But, dear me! How warm the days were beginning to grow. A hot si-' rocco blew constantly from the south ern seas, making all the foliage but the | Pride of India trees look dead and dropping. Even the ocean beat on the cliffs below the barracks at Prospect | with dull, suIlen sound. Each morn ing it seemed to be harder than the last for Jerome to climb up that sunny in- | cline towards the hospital, and at length one morning he was too tired to | go at all.
 When the doctor saw him he shook | his head.
 "He has got slight attack of fever, " he said, ''but am afraid there is not much strength to carry it off,"
 A week passed, but he did not seem | to get much better, until one night when the stars were shining gloriously and the sea was very still, the angels came down from the Throne of God and carried Jerome back with them, | leaving only his little tired body sleep ing on his white bed.
 But his father had not seen the angels, neither had the soldiers. So, when they came to lay him to rest in the sol diers' cemetery, and fire parting sa- lute over the tiny mound, there was not | dry eye in all that regiment.
 Poor Nilus! He could not tell what it all meant. And when they went away and left his little master with only the sea to talk to him all the long day and night, he lay down beside the grave and no one could get him away. But the next morning at the same hour that Jerome always went to the hos pital, Nilus was seen gravely vending his way up there, and walking into the common room took his usual place. The men gathered around him with many expressions of endearment. but he seemed to take all their advances quietly. In about an hours time he got up and went away, but each day the same thing was repeated. It al- most seemed that, unseen to them, the spirit of the boy still fingered among them. And old Nilus did much to- ward keeping warm and bright in their hearts the recollection of his little mas ter's gentle, loving ways. As often as they saw the faithful dog approaching. their usual avocations were put aside, and that hour for many long months was kept sacred to the memory of their little Colonel. Never an oath or an unkind word did Nilus ever hear in his presence, and the men were bet ter and purer for the memory of the child-life that had gone out from their midst.
 ''Tell us the story about the little Colonel and Nilus," the soldiers chil- dren would say in after years as they climbed on their fathers knees.
 So the oft-told tale was repeated with faltering lips, to be treasured up in the hearts of many who had never known l him.-M r ObSerUer.