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THE GOLDEN TREASURE |
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the carved angels with the gilded hair, and her own dear boy, the golden treasure of her heart, who was standing among the angels in white robes, singing so sweetly, as surely only the angels can sing ; and that he had soared up with them into the sunshine, and nodded so kindly at his mother.
' My golden treasure ! ' she cried out ; and she awoke. ' Now the good God has taken him to Himself ! ' She folded her hands, and hid her face in the cotton curtains of the bed, and wept. ' Where does he rest now ? among the many in the big grave that they have dug for the dead ? Perhaps he 's in the water in the marsh ! Nobody knows his grave ; no holy words have been read over it! ' And the Lord's Prayer went inaudibly over her lips ; she bowed her head, and was so weary that she went to sleep.
And the days went by, in life and in dreams !
It was evening : over the battle-field a rainbow spread, which touched the forest and the deep marsh.
It has been said, and is preserved in popular belief, that where the rainbow touches the earth a treasure lies buried, a golden treasure ; and here there was one. No one but his mother thought of the little drummer, and therefore she dreamt of him.
And the days went by, in life and in dreams !
Not a hair of his head had been hurt, not a golden hair.
1 Drum-ma-rum ! drum-ma-rum ! there he is ! ' the Drum might have said, and his mother might have sung, if she had seen or dreamt it.
With hurrah and song, adorned with green wreaths of victory, they came home, as the war was at an end, and peace had been signed. The dog of the regiment sprang on in front with large bounds, and made the way three times as long for himself as it really was.
And days and weeks went by, and Peter came into his parents' room : he was as brown as a wild man, and his eyes were bright, and his face beamed like sunshine. And his mother held him in her arms ; she kissed his lips, his eyes, his red hair. She had her boy back again ; he had not a silver cross on his breast, as his father had dreamt, |
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