The Dickinson press., 1890-02-15
II SAVED HIS LIFE.

A Little Girls Present Stops " Bullet and
Prevents a Soldiers Death.
1 was merely a child when the wal
broke out, but being a good operator on
the sewing machine l was able to do
considerable work on uniforms for the
soldiers.
heard old Dan Poynette, an elderly
man who had just enlisted, say one day
that he dreaded neuralgia in the head
more than the enemy's bullets, so l made
him a scarlet cap out of an old night
cap that had belonged to my grand
father.
There were some scraps left over, out
of which concluded to make him a pin
wheel, putting two silver dollars in the
inside that l had saved up.
He tried on the cap, declared it would
be the saving of his life, wondered that
he or his wife had not thought to make
one, and, taking up the pin holder,
asked what it was, and cried out at its
heft. "What has the child got in ity he
said, balancing it on his hand.
ooh, if you ever get hungry Just take
it to a suffers tent and-eat it," I sung
out, dancing away on a hippety-hop.
Early on the following morning the
boys marched gayly away.
Again VIC went back to picking lint
and watching the telegraph dispatches.
Then the air seemed to fill again with
recruiting officers, moro men had been
called for, and we saw bravo boys march,
ing up and enrolling their There
was news of battles, and the awful
words, "Killed," "Wounded," "Miss-
ing" flooded the land with tears.
In one of the lists we read the name of
Dan Poynette among the wounded. We
thought pityingly of the wife and chill
dren and offered them all the help pos
sible. There were many calls for help
in those days, and every hea 1T was sore
and bleeding.
"Dan has three wounds his wife told
us, "not any of them fatal. lie expects
to get entirely we'll, but he says tell the
little one he has q mimic ball lod ged lust
over his heart, flattened against a pin
wheel, if you know what that is, l
DON'T"
Iclasped my hands in ecstasy. Then
my silver dollars had saved his life. 1
had builded better than l knew. I think
the knowledge would send a thrill of
pleasure through the consciousness of
n grown staid and reserved with
years, but to me, an impulsive child, it
was simply delightful.
Dan never grew entirely well, as he
had hoped, but was given an honorable
discharge and sent home with a knee
that would never bend again.
On the evening of his first day at home
he came hobbling over to our house,
wearing his bullet riddled uniform, to
show us the dent in the outer silver dol.
lar of his pin holder.
81 don't know that I ever killed a
man." he said, looking down to me with
a smile; 81 hope not, though I shot at
them. But I'd rather be in your place,
little one, and know for sure that 1 had
saved a mans life than wear a generals
straps" He had been promoted for
bravery and given a ~colonels straps, so
1 took my compliment proudly.
"The nightcap saved me many an ache,
1 know, for have not had an attack of
neuralgia since 1 began to wear it. I'll
never be without one again, but it was
the money that saved my life. There is
nothing between me and a trench in Vir-
ginia, but that" he said, holding it out
in his hand.
Mrs. Poynette came across the room
and, STOPPING down, kissed me. I fun
bled in my small pocket for a handker-
chief, but failing to find one slipped out
when II 10 one noticed and mopped up my
eyes on the corner of my print apron.
cts an awful jolly thing to save a
mans lifc," I muttered, "but (sniff) it
(snif) sorter makes one feel kinder fun
ny."-New York Journal.