Bisbee daily review., 1903-05-22
THE BULLET THAT
 MADE II ALL THE SAME
IOriginal.I I


 fhe news in America that France had declared war against Prussia. I refer to the war of 1870. I was sitting in the garden with Aunt Margaret. was then eighteen and Aunt Margaret was tweniy-eight. She was still beautiful and was always what may be best de scribed as high bred dame, having great dignity and reserve. I had re gently visited West Point, and every thing connected with war interested me But l noticed when read the telegram in the newspaper that Aunt Margaret shuddered.
 You don't like war, Aunt Mar garet?" l said. q think it must be fine"
 If you had been old enough to real lze what we passed through from 1861 G. you wouldn't consider it SO fine. You would consider 1t horrible"
 Cant you tell me something to make me feel as you do about if. Aunt Mar garrett"
 She was silent for some time. then said:
 
 quest but you must excuse that and not consider me vain. I was at West Point during tine civil war when one Of the classes was graduated. There was a little fellow in the graduating class-his name was Hutchins-whO looked funuicr in his cadet uniform than most of them. His hair was crop ped very short, and his face was un- usually red. except when he baIshed. and then it was scarlet. He singled me out from among the girls for his special devotion. This amused some of the cadets. and I could see them laughing together when he came up to me ali in a fidget. blushing to the tips of his ears. to ask me to go down Fir tation walk CT climb to Fort Put or to dance the second or third time during a hop. It was rather amusing to me. too, for I was used to attentions from only the most courtly young men at home.
 I tried to keep the boy off without wounding his feelings, but that was impossible. He told me his classmates rallied him on what they called his as surance and poked a great deal of fun at him. 'I know" he said, "that I'm making a fool of myself, but I can't help it." I did all could to show him that he was not making a fool of him. self, but at the same time gently hint ed at the impossibility of anything se- rious between a girl with a position in society to maintain and an officer of the lowest grade in the army. He said he knew it, reiterating that he was q fool, but couldn't help being fool There was q pathetic look on his face when he bade me goodby. saying that a southern bullet would doubtless make it all the same to him. Of course it wouldn't do for me to laugh at this, though 1 fancied he would be in love again in less than year, possibly d few months.
 At first the war was quite exciting, and the young fellows who were hur- rying about in their new uniforms en- ! joyed it, and everybody was interest l ed. But it dragged on and on, and aft CT awhile an unusual number of wOm- | en began to appear in mourning. the mourners increasing every year. Then I read an account of an affair where q | number of men had done something | very wonderful, the whole thing hay | ing been planned and the men led by Lieutenant Hutchins. I believe they entered the sOutherners' camp and spiked lot of guns. though l don't know what that means. Hutchins was very badly wounded during the re treat A bullet had entered his chest so near the heart that the surgeons did not dare to probe for it. So, after all, the bullet which was to make it .'all the same for him" came and end ed his career before it had fairly be- gun.
 He died?"
 Yes; he died in a hospital" I waited for her to say something more, but she did not She took up the paper, read the war dispatch and laid ! it aside. It seemed to me that there was something incomplete about her | story. l wondered if the young mans ] death had affected her. She had such admirable control of herself that I could not tell. Indeed. so well poised was she, so used to the attentions of wealthy bachelors, men of the world, | that l could not believe that it had 1 been a matter of much moment 1 Long after she told me the story | one day went to her dressing case to l borrow an article of jewelry-for was used to apprOpriating her belongings ! 10 my own use-and, rummaging | through the drawers, came upon an ebony box curiously mounted. The ! key was in the lock. and. turning it. | lifted the lid. The first article that ar rested my attention was round leaden bullet closed the lid and hur- ried away. feeling as if I had inadver- tently stumbled upon a skeleton. Aunt Margaret" I said later, did they ever extract the bullet that killed your friend HutchinST'
 'Yes; he died under the operation" What became of it?' "A classmate of his who was with him brought me message from him. The messenger told me that he had the bullet asked for it, and he gave 1t to me"
 ! looked at Aunt Margaret to see if dar.a proSFfon bar why she sbouI1