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Show WAS ONCE A HERO. i VETERAN IN REMINISCENT MOOD TELLS GOOD STORY. Owes His Life to Gentle Hearted Southern Lady Who Used Heroic Methods to Cure Him of Pneumonia. "1'vo been In tight places In battle," said the O. A. It. mnn In reminiscent mood, "and generally acquitted myself honorably. Hut once I was yes, a heio! "Meveial youngsters of us, wild with enthusiasm, hud gone Into tho army from college. Such a trillo as consulting consult-ing our families couldn't stop us. After soino rough experiences In camp, thero was a skirmish In which seeral wcro wounded. These and others of us, sick from exposure, were deposited In nn Improvised hospital In ii small village. "Medical supplies weio few. thero .was only one doctor, and some officers' wives, lett at the place, did what they could In nursing. The dangerously wounded got tho attention, tlio rest of us fared anyhow. The doctor had given me nbout two mln l'cs and rushed away, muttering something about pneumonia. "As I lay on my hard couch, forgotten, forgot-ten, despairing, my thoughts wero not accoidlng to romantic ideals 'soldierly.' 'sol-dierly.' I had enlisted without con suiting mother! Hoy as I was, my fear of death was not so much tho fear of actual dying as It wa3 that of the naughty child como to grief in his naughtiness and now about to bo found out. "A slip of n lrl who I learned later wat a colonel's wife was giving mo n drink of water when tho doctor dashed by. 'My dear child,' he expostulated, 'you shouldn't ho here what will tho colonel say?' 'I don't care,' sho retorted, retort-ed, spiritedly. 'I've got to help those poo' sick boys you can go along, doc-tub, doc-tub, an' the colonel, too!' "So here was another young thing, out of place, threatened with rightful authority! I opened my heart to her I wns going to have pueumonln, no ono wns doing anything for me, nnd If I died, what would my mother say! " 'Poo' boy,' she cooed. 'I reckon tho doctnh hasn't a mlnuto fob yob. Hut I'll cure yob, If you'll Jus, do what I say.' "'I'll do anything,' 1 rashly promised, prom-ised, and off she went, all Important with her charge, leturning presently with something In a cloth. " 'Yob mus' keep It on two houahs,' sho said. Impressively. 'It'll hu't awful but yob promised.' "She shed tears of pity, as with tho holp of an old negro, sho wrapped me, front nnd back, In a mustard plaster the llko of which never was. 'Poo' boy, I Jus' feel how It hu'ts, hut re-membnh re-membnh how mad youah motbah would bo If yob didn't get well!' "Did I keep It on I did, for two 'houahs,' manfully remembering mother moth-er and hearing my llttlo nurso's 'You promised!' "And," concluded tho veteran, "I'd glvo a great deal to seo my nurse again. Sho not only saved my life, but made me a hero for onco perforcol Besides, l'vo always wanted to find out If the colonel wns as mild with her as mother was with me when sho found mo." |