"Still here, little guardsman?" He reached slowly into his pocket and brought out the bracelet. He kissed it feebly. The dog kissed it also when he held it up. "You must take it back to her," said the soldier. "I will write in a minute." Again he rested. Once more he opened his eyes and smiled at the dog. The dog wagged his tail.
The Colonel reached in his pocket painfully and brought out a pencil and paper. He wrote a little, then rested, then wrote again. Once he slept, and the watching dog thought he would not wake. The doctor might have thought so, too, if he had seen. But life is strong when love calls, and he again resumed the letter. When it was done, he read it slowly to his companion. He barely whispered these words, and often stopped to rest:
