St Nicholas [serial] . picion that he aswell as Ariovistus had dealt heart of Valerius thrilled at the withheldorder; and he thought, as he had thought times before, that there never was acommander in the world half so splendid asCaesar. Marching back on foot, with arms heldready for action, he was given a position closeto the great general; and there was never aprouder boy drew breath. But still he longed todo some more special thing for his general. The next day Ariovistus, with amazing au-dacity, requested a second conference. As a mat-ter of course, the request
St Nicholas [serial] . picion that he aswell as Ariovistus had dealt heart of Valerius thrilled at the withheldorder; and he thought, as he had thought times before, that there never was acommander in the world half so splendid asCaesar. Marching back on foot, with arms heldready for action, he was given a position closeto the great general; and there was never aprouder boy drew breath. But still he longed todo some more special thing for his general. The next day Ariovistus, with amazing au-dacity, requested a second conference. As a mat-ter of course, the request was refused, but whoshould bear the message of refusal into the Ger-man camp ? Well they knew the probable fateof the messenger. Before the words had lefthis lips, he would be cut down. The brow of the great commander was knit in pain. It was ordering one of his soldiers to death, and he loved his soldiers. He had not yet decided whom to send when he started from his Chevalier came originally from a word meaning HOLD! CRIED CAESAR. SPARE THAT CAPTIVE. 312 FOR CAESAR tent; but as he lifted the curtain flap, a slim,boyish figure darted forward and knelt at hisfeet. From the moment the first word wasbrought, young Valerius had lingered around thecommanders tent, waiting to beg to be the mes-senger to carry the dangerous word. The keen black eyes of Caesar looked straightinto the boys clear blue ones. Why do youask for this? he said, in his cool, even boy flushed and stammered. The tonguethat had been so ready in every retort before,could find no words to express his great Caesar understood. Go, he said. Like an arrow shot from a bow, the boy wasoff to prepare, his face aflame with joy. Tell my mother I died for Caesar, he saidto the two who were his closest comrades in Manlius and Aurelius, though they lovedhim better than their lives, said no word todetain him. He carried the message to the German com-mander, and looked up unflinching to re
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidstnicholasserial371dodg
