The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-02-25
The Power
OF a Smile.
IOriginal.l

Grandma" said boy Of six,
whats that stunt you did in the
war;
MY stunt, as YOU call it, was q dis
NAL failure. though success was with
in my grasp. / was southern girl on
my fathers plantation in Tennessee.
One morning a Federal general and
bis staff rode up to our house and ask
ed for breakfast. was so 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 week
Where the generals troops were we
didn't know. and since he wouldn't
permit any OF us to leave the pIanta-
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 | scowled, still
from the first was madly in love with
him. had never seen much Of city
people, and his refinement. his manly
beauty and his military dress readily
! ovcrcame my country girls beart
THE general esta blished an office in
the next room to mine, with nothing
between but board partition. One
day l heard him debating Il dispatch
which | knew to be of great impor-
lance. 1t occurred to me to take the
information to our southern command
er Of the district, but l couldn't re-
member enough Of it to make the jour
ney worth the while. That afternoon
I saw tie aid coming out Of the gen
! erals Office, putting an envelope in
his pocket, call for his horse and ride
away mounted my Madga 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 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 l wished.
! and l said had something to tell him.
| He rode up beside me. l had formed
no plan and didn't know what to say
or do. Seeing water trickling across
| the road. told him l vas thirsty. We
left the road for little distance to go
| to a spring, where we both dismount-
ed. He plucked large leaf and, fold
ing 1t into cup, stopped to get me
some water. Quick as fash l snatch
ed his revolver from It's holster at bis
hip. He turned to see me standing
with 1T pointed at him.
| He thought it a bit of pleasantly and
laughed ut me; but, assuming all the
steadiness Of which I was capable.
demanded his dispatch. He only
laughed the more. II he had made a
move for resistance or talked harshly
to me I might have had the heart to
kill him. for 1 realized the importance
to my people Of securing the paper
But he stood there looking at ME with
that amused imperturbable smile, and
1t was the worst thing for my object
he could have done. Then 1 braced
myself for a desperate move and fired
bullet within few inches Of his enr
"Try again. he laughed. Aim To-
, the center of my forehead
II put another ball so near the othel
ear that l was frightened for fear
had hit him.
"'That's bettcr.' he said, still unruf
fed. The next shot will do the job
Then Ye both heard the tread o.
borses' hbofs up the road. We stood
Still. listening. and soon knew thai
horsemen were coming our way. NJ
enemy for the first time looked seri
GUS.
IF they're Confederates you've 60
me- he said, for once without smile
! my heart was beating wildly. Sup
pose they were Confederates. They
would secure my getting the dispatch
'. but they would capture the messenger
If they wereN Confederate citizens Of
, guerrillas perhaps they would shoe
him. Notwithstanding the importance
, Of the information to be secured
felt that ! could not turn him over
with the frightful risk that course in
= volved. 1t was only one life among
. the many to be sacrificed in the strug
gle. but 1 couldn't sacrifice it. ever
for southern independence. But I re
solved that If the coming horseme1
proved to be Confederate soldiers
would call to them. If they were Fed
| orals my stunt aS yOu call IT. was