San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-01-09
SHE SAVED HIS LIFE.
A Little Girls Present stops Bullet and
Prevents n Soldiers Death.

Prevepts n Soldiers Death.
Twas merely child when the war
broke out, bat being good operator on
the sewing machine was able to do
considerable work on uniforms for tho
soldiers.
Iheard old Dan Poynette, an elderly
man who had just enlisted, say ono day
that he dreaded neuralgia In tho head
more than the enemy's bullets, so Imade
him 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 mako him a pin
wheel, putting two silver dollars in the
inside that had saved up.
He tried on the cap, declared 1t 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.
"Oh, If you ever get hungry just take
it to a suffers tent and-eat it," / sung
out, dancing away on q hippety-hop.
Early on the following morning the
boys marched gayly away.
Again we went back to picking lint
and watching the telegraph dispatches
Then the air seemed to fill again with
recruiting officers, more men had been
called for, and we saw brave boys march
ing up and enrolling their names. There
was news of battles, and the awful
words, "Killed," "Woundod," "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 tho wife and chill
dren and offered them all the help pos
sible. There were many calls for help
in those days, and every hea rt was sore
and bleeding.
"Dan has three wounds" his wife told
us, mot any of them fatal He expects
to get entirely well, but he says tell the
little one he has mimic bail lod ged tts.
over his heart, fiattened against pin
wheel, il you know what that is, /
dent"
I clasped my hands in ecstasy. Then
my silver dollars had saved his life. !
l.:d builded better than knew. think
tho knowledge would send thrill of
pleasure through the consciousness of
one grown staid and reserved with
years, but to me, an impulsive child, 1t
was simply delightful.
Dan never grew entirely well, as he
had hoped, but was given an honorable
discharge and sent home with knee
that would never bend again.
On the evening Of his first day of home
he came hobbling over to our house,
wearing his bullet riddled uniform, to
show us the dent in tho outer silver dol
lar of his pin holder.
II don't know that I ever killed O
man." he said, looking down to me with
u smile; 81 hope not, though shot at
them. But I'd rnther be in your place,
little one, end know For sure that / had
saved man's life than wear generals
straps" He had been promoted for
bravery and given colonol's straps, 80
I took my compliment proudly.
"The nightcap saved me many an ache,
/ know, for have not had an attack of
neuralgia since began to wear it. I'll
never be without one again, but it was
the money that saved my life. There is
nothing between mo and trench In Vir-
ginia, but that" he said, holding it out
in his hand.
Mrs. Poynette came across the room
md, STOPPING down, kissed me. / fun
bled in my small pocket for handker-
chief, but failing to find one slipped out
when no one noticed and mopped up my
eyes on the corner of my print apron.
''It's an awful jolly thing to save
mans life,". I muttered, "but (snifD ii
sniff sorter makes one feel kinder fun
~. New York journal.