Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

64 MILITARY LIFE.
family life, and listen with pleasure, and sometimes with a certain
tender melancholy, because, far as they are from their own
relatives, these conversations revive in their hearts that affectionate
feeling for home which one never experiences in the
noisy rooms of the barracks. By means of these children,
they form, little by little, a friendship with the porter and
;
through the latter succeed in a short time in enlarging the
circle of their friendly relations, so that, in case of need,
they know to whom they can have recourse, and, in
with whom they can exchange a little gossip,
any case,
all the more if
among their friends there be some good woman who has a
soldier son. Thus, to the sympathy and affection in their
hearts for these children is added a feeling of gratitude ;
and
by means of them their little friends, too, form new friendships
little
; by little, in such and such a company, in such and
such a battalion, there is no unknown or indifferent face, and
their
affection, the first burst of enthusiasm past, takes deeper
and more lasting root. When the . .
regiment goes away.
.
I have experienced it, we seek our mother, go and sit down
beside her, and remain there with a serious face in order to
be asked some question that will provoke an outburst of our
grief.
" What is the matter, child ? " And we do not reply.
" Don't keep me in suspense ;
what has happened to you ?
what has occurred ? "
Then we throw ourselves into her arms
and tell her what it is ;
and our mother, quite moved, passes
her hand over our forehead, exclaiming as she does so :
" Oh,
poor boy Be comforted, others will come." Then we return
comforted to our swords and drums.
!
O mothers, let your boys come with us ;
we will love them
like brothers, like sons ;
and on leaving us they will return to