National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-02-24

gundy, venison, whitebait, turtle, tax,
years to effect, My dear sir, you have got
the-gout
Gout! !" feebly gasped
Decided, But never mind; | will
soon bring II out of you when we get t.
Dusseldorf You may thank your stars
that you have not fallen into the hands Of
the faculty. l am hydropathical, and
your complaint is just the one to which
the cold water treatment is best adapted"
Gout The fatal word meant pain,
sickness, doctors, lameness, and. worse
still, temperance and sobriety; this was
what l was condemned to, then for the
term of my natural life.
Under more favorable circumstances,
indeed, should have recoiled from the
idea Of trusting my precious person to
the tender mercies of any man who had
not great many capital letters after his
name, or who wore rings on his foretingers;
out now ! was demoralized and trusting.
Besides, had really heard of some public
character who had been treated for gout
GEOGRAPHICALLY, and with great success, -
q statesman, or novelist, or something.
We arrived at Dusseldorf, and my com
panion took me to second-class hotel
near the station, where, he said, the at
tendance, &c was just as good as at the
expensive one to which the English trav-
elers usually went, while the charges were
about half The fact that no one con-
nected with the establishment spoke a
word Of English or French did not matter,
since the young man was to manage every
thing, and attend upon me himself till
had thrown off the attack, which he prom
ised should be in two days time at farthest
lie certainly commenced my treatment
promptly. That evening drank gallon
OF water, and had my foot, which was now
very much swollen and very tender
swathed in wet bandages surrounded by
dry ones; and on the following morning,
servants having brought many sheets and
pals into my bedroom, the young man
then commenced his serious operations.
One Of the sheets was set to soak in one Of
the pals | was invited to rise and attire
myself n the costume Of Gibson's "Ve.
nus" Then | was suddenly { ped in the
saturated sheet, and really thought that l
should never get my breath again, the
shock was so great. Then commenced Il
swaddling process, dry sheets being wound
round and round me over the wet one, till
| was like a sweet onion with damp
heart and in this state lay on my back
Oh the bed, live mummy, unable to stir
hand or foot.
"Do you glow now ?" said the young
man. did. THAT is right, it will draw
the eout out Of you; now open your
mouth; So"
When l complied, he put handker-
chief, tightly rolled up, into it, keeping it
into its place with another inserted like a
bit, and tied tightly at the back Of the
head.
"Don't try to speak, for it will be use
less exertion," said the young man. eff
you want to know what have gagged you
for | will tell YOU it is to prevent you
from calling for help. You cannot move
hand or foot, you cannot make yourself
heard, so now | am going to rob you"
And the william positively proceeded, delib- .
erately, under my very nose, to ransack all
my luggage, appropriating to himself every
note, every coin he could find and he found
all l possessed.
Il leave you your watch, your chain
and your ring" he said at last land now
| must bid you goodbye. l will tell the
people to come and look after you in a
couple Of hours, by which time shall be |
beyond the reach of pursuit. Sorry l can
not stay to see the success of my expert
ment upon the gout-ta ia !"
lay there gagged, bound, equity, rob-
bed, tricked for two mortal hours, and l
did not choke-which proves to my com
plete satisfaction that | am an angel no
merely human temper could have warded
off sutiocation.
Relief came, and an interpreter, and a
doctor, and what foreigners consider po-
liceman, nd--eventually -remittances |
got rid of that fit of gout (which alas
was but : very mild prelude) very soon,
and continued my travels; but l never
saw or heard any more Of my lost money,
Or of that very dishonorable and vulgar
young man.