"I likes tents mighty well, I does!" said G. W.
"Well, old man, don't lose heart; you're not going to live in a house right away."
"I spect de uniform wasn't nebber found up on de hill-top, Colonel?"
"No, my boy. There was no time to hunt up lost uniforms; it was all the boys could do to hunt up lost men."
"Colonel, what is I goin' ter do when dat transport comes in? No cloes, no nothin'!"
Colonel Austin laughed, and many a sick man's face relaxed at the sound.
"The Colonel is laughing—G. W.'s better," murmured a weak voice, and the good news travelled around the hospital tent.
"The Boy and his Mother are having a new suit made for you, G. W.," the Colonel said. "The Boy thought of it the first thing."
When the transport came that was to carry the Colonel, G. W., and several hundred others home, it had among its stores the new suit of blue for the destitute little soldier. If anything, it was more splendid than the first one, but it was wofully large for the poor little body-guard. When he first appeared in it the men were about to laugh, then grew suddenly silent as they saw the gray little dusky face, and remembered why G. W. had so shrunk. But even G. W. smiled after a moment.
He stood up by his cot, and put his hands in the pockets and spread wide the almost empty trouser-legs of the fine uniform.