The New York herald., 1920-01-04
"The M0n06rammed Bullet"-a Cuban War Recollection

rode down the man who had grabbed at his
bride crouched low across the pommel Of his
saddle and tried to escape OF course he had
no chance in the world. His heavily laden ami
NAL had not gone twenty yards before man and
beast were riddled with rifle fire. The last
words of the SCARED veteran of Nal TEMPO
were hearty Cuban upon Spain and all
her army. Several OF his lieutenants who
sought to break through the ambush met the
same fate as their leader
In the meantime our main force had sur
prised Villanueva camp in the early morning
and had attacked it vigorously from three sides.
1t was lively scrap for half an hour or more.
in the course which both sides sustained cas-
ualtes but considerable part OF Nilanueva's
escaped and later managed to join
larger body of Cubaus. The troublesome out
post however was anniniated. II never was
established. far as ! aware and the
systematzed traffic in condensed milk cart
ridges out of Havana. so far as | know. never
resumed.
Poor old Carlos was one Of the first patients
brought to me after had opened my field hos
pital in old sugar mill. He had been shot
through the left lung by rifle ball at close
range. The shot had well-ngh penetrated his
body from front to back In fact. the ball was
lodged close TO the surface under the shoulder
blade that removed it with the merest touch
OF the scalpel. 1t was dangerous injury. bat
with his youth and strong constitution [ hoped
for his recovery.
the bullet after my scalpel had so easily re-
moved it. But looked at it, rubbed il with a
piece of lint. and there, scrawled upon its hard
surface with Carlos diamond was the outlined
heart and the monogram. 'C-G.' And that was
how my young scapegrace friends love token
was returned to him by way of the muzzle OF
q Mauser.
Or. Alvarez paused. His panatella had
gone out and he had not relighted II. He looked
up at his listeners with deprecatory wave of
the hand. as though 10 say. After all. what
does II all matter?"
Pretty good yarn Doc" said the inper-
turba bic Patton. Almost thou persuadest me
that virtue may be what General Hancock said
the protective tariff was-'a local issue But
lei me offer you fresh smoke, and this one
is Carolina perfecto.'
The Spanish surgeon accepted the proffered
weed shifted its aroma delicatey lighted II
carefully in steady flame. irhaled and then
blew alof great blush white cloud Of in
ccnse Fair" was his comment. Thanks.
old chap. but even the Carolina perfectos are
not what they used TO be-.
But. Doc" asked Patton. did your friend
Carlos live to that monocrammed bulletf"
"Oh. yes: he had a bit OF a temperature and
Al times delirious. but in one OF his lucid
moments he wanted to know IL had found the
bullet Then. with the morbid curiosity COM
mon among wounded men. he insisted upon see
ing the piece OF metal that had stricken him
down. ! had to show it TO him. u would have
made him worse IL ! had not humored the
whm"
And what did our merry young Lothsric
say?
"Oh. Galvez recognized his handicraft on tho
metal readily enough He glanced up n
though for corroboration OF what his vision told
him Then he furrowed his brows, smiled a
sickly sort of smile and said feebly. Angela,
you little devilr "
"And Tor the preservation OF the dramatic
proprctes." interpoated Patton. "one must
assume that he thereupon turned over and
'cashed in
Not on your life he didn't" retorted Doc
we pulled him through and he's down in the
Argentine today running cattle ranch"
"And did he and the cute little Angela ever
meet again2'
did they, Why, man. Carlos married her as
soon the was over and she's down there
in the Argentine with him and with several
grown childrer now-and happy enough as such
things go, TO Judge from his semiocca sional let
ters. You see, as Carlos said to me when he
was convalescent No other woman ever hit
me quite so hard, Don Felipe none other ever
got quite SO close to my heart