Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1889 — Cool. [ARTICLE]

Cool.

There are men who, after a battle, die of imaginary bullet wounds, and there are others who seem incapable of realizing actual danger. Of the latu>r class wm a brave fellow, whose courage is thus described in Regis de ‘l'robrland’s “tour Years With the Army of the Potomac.” He was a strapping Irishman whom I found, smoking his pipe, at the door of the hall where lay the wounded. “Well,” said Ito him, “how do you find yourself?” “Perfectly, Colonel. Never better In my life.” “Why have you got your face half •overed with bandages then! 1 ” “Oh, a mere nothing, a scratch. I’ll show it to you, ” “No, I thank you.” “Yes, yes, you will see what it is.” Raising compresses and bandages, he showed me a gaping wound in the place of the eyebrows, which had been carried away. ‘‘l see, ” said I, 1 ‘that your wound has not been dressed this morning.” “No, the doctor put this on yesterday; but to-day he’s so busy with the others, who need his help more than I, that I didn’t want to bother him." “And your eye?” “Gone. But you see, Colonel, it’s only the left eye, and that will save me the trouble of closing it while I take aim, which always did bother me. In a fortnight I’ll be back with my regiment.” But the brave fellow never did rejoin his regiment. Before the fortnight was over, he had died of this “mere nothing” of which he had made so light.