The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-03
The Power
Of a Smile
LOriginal.i

war;"
My stunt, as YOU call it. was dis
nal failure. though success was with
| in my grasp. | was southern Girl on
nv fathers plantation i'll Tennessee.
One morning 4 Federal general and
! his staff rode UP to our house and ask
| cd for breakfast. | was 50 bitter
| against them that | would have given
them nothing. but mother had better
{ sense. She gave them all they asked
| They didn't leave us for Il week
| Where the generals troops were we
| didn't know. and since he wouldn't
permit any of lis to leave the planta-
ton we naturally inferred that he
| wished to keep the Federal move
| ments secret. One young fellow, an
aid-de-camp, seeing me scowling all
| the while at him and his fellows, kept
constantly Joking me, trying to make
| me laugh He had the sweetest smile
in the world, and. although the more
he persisted, the more l scowled, still
from the first t WIS mddfy iii love with
him. | had never seen much of city
people, and his refinement, his manly
beauty and his military dress readily
overcame my country girls heart.
'.The general established an Office in
the next room to mine, with nothing
| between but Il board partition. one
day | heard him debating q dispatch
which | knew to be Of great impOr-
lance. It occurred 10 me to take The
information to our southern command
or of the district but | couldn't re
member enough of it to make the jour
ney worth the while. That afternoon
[ saw the aid coming ont of the gen
erals Office, putting an envelope in
his pocket call for his horse and ride
away. l mounted my Madge and
rode after him.
In time l caught up with him and
called to him. He turned and. seeing
me. gave me one of those smiles that
had won my heart. But l was deter
mined nothing should interfere with
my purpose, which was to get his dis
patch from him and deliver it to our
general. He asked me what 1 wished.
and l said l had something TO tell him.
, | nc IOuc up btSitC Iut littti I'i iiiNNt
no plan and didn't know what to say
or do. Seeing water trucking across
the road, l told him | was thirsty. We
. left the road for little distance to so
to a spring. where we both dismoHnt-
, ed. He plucked a large leaf and, fold
, ing it into cup. stopped to get ne
, some water Quick as fash | snatch
ed his revolver from its holster at his
hip He turned to see me standing
with it pointed at him.
He thought it bit of pleasantly and
laughed at me: but, assuming all the
steadiness Of which I was capable, |
demanded his dispatch. He only
laughed the more. If he had made Il
. move for resistance or talked harshly
to me l might have had the heart to
kill him. for I realized the Importance
to my people of securing the paper.
;. But he stood there looking at me with
that amused imperturbable smile. and
it was the worst thing for my object
he could have done Then l brace'i
= myself for q desperate move and fired
. a bullet within a few inches of his ear.
> "'Try again.. he laughed. Aim for
!, the center OF my forehead
u Il put another ball so near the other
ear that was frightened for fear !
: had hit him.
7 .'That's better he said, still unruf.
II fed. The next shot viii do the job
Il Then We both heard the tread OF
borses' hoofs up the road. We stood
Il still listening, and soon knew that
horsemen We're coming Our way. Ny
Il enemy for the first time looked scri-
Gus.
S eff they're Confederates you've SO;
) me- he said. for once without smile
IS MY heart was beating wildly. Sup
L pose they were Confederatcs. They
IS would secure my getting the disratch
e but they would capture the messenger
Re If they were Confederate citizens OF
e guerrillas perhaps they would shoot
II him. Notwithstanding the Importance
Il of the information to be secured
t. felt that | could not turn him ove-
lie with the frightful risk that course i'll
g volved. 1t was only one life among
d the many to be sacrificed in the strt!S
r gle, but I couldn't sacrifice if. even
1t for southern independence. But | re
Al solved that if the coming horseIner
lie proved to be Confederate soldiers
would call to them. If they wee Fed
+ erals my stunt. as you call it. was 8
'e failure.
G, MY enemy and | We're so far hid
ID den by trees that we were not likely
ct to be noticed, but we could see the
he road through openings. We stool
I'd waiting silently for the result. Near
TO er came the horsemen, and we coult
hear a clanking of sabers that told u:
Of they We're cavalry. Only one alterna
d. tive remained They We're either Fed
III eral or Confederate. Then suddenly
~ the stars and bars emerged into view
le [ had won.
"a Il turned to my enemy. re smile:
n. ut me. Not a bit of reproaCh. simply
le Il smile I turned TO the Confederate
!. and tried to call. | couldn't Don