The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-01-25
SHOT AL TO PIECES.


A letter received a few days slice from
persun in New Hampshire, occurs this
sentence ''Old Simon Love stopped here
Yesterday on his way hume, He is almost
81, and is hale aud hearty"
And that brought to mind an incident
which happened twenty i've years ago
yes twenty-nne years ago-it was in au-
tumn of lS4S The same Simon Love.
then 63 years of age, and:living with a son
In-law on the Grand In.ervale. aud, under
Mote Mountain, had been laid ND for more
than year with what the doctors called
!umbago. lie could not arise from his
chair without assistance, nor could lie
move from chair to bed without the helm
OF a strong man, for he was himself very
heavy. There seemed to be a sort of par-
alysis of all the muscles of the lunb bar re-
gions, anC when che pain came it came
furIously l don't know how many bottles
of linim' ut and patent ungents had been
rubbed upon the outside or how many
barrels of swash he poured down his
throat. He seemed to grow worse instead
OF better, and with the prospect of another
| hard. long winter before him, he didn't
think lie should survive it.
Well, one day early in October, while
the pigeons were very plenty Mr. Hammond,
Love son in-law, was fixing his double
barrel gun for shot at them. He had
lar
away, and there the pigeons would be sure
to gather, aud he meant to be ready for
Them. lie had loaded both barrels heavily
aud put oil the percussion caps; but as the
caps were slightly small for the tubes he
had % press them on, which he was wont
TO do by easing the hammer down upon
them.
Old Simon sat by the fireplace, bolstereh
up i'll the great easy chair with padding of
pillows aud blankets for his back and
cushions for his feet.
Look out, Nathan - he cried, as he
saw the double muzzle pointed nncomfort.
ably near to him.
Pooh, ther' amt no danger, dad" re-
turned Nathan, pressing the hammer dow 4
upnn the cap.
But the cap was a very sensitive one,
and lie pressed a. little too hard, and
Mercy ! what a crash and what how l.
The right barrel of the gun was discharged
with a report that shook the house from
ridge pole to foundations, and few of the
shot grazed Simon Loves leg. lie, poor
man, believed lie was shot dead He sent
forth howl, loud and long, and leaped t.
his feet.
Murder murder murder! I'm dead
-killed-shot to pieces. o. y! Q !! Muir
der -
I And away lie leaped oat of doors-out
INTO tile yaId-wheTe lie danced uD aud
down, yelling like mad all the while, unti
Nathan and his wife aud hired man came
to his assistance. They gut him into the
house and got him down in:o his char and
after critical examination they found TIVE
on three livid lines upon the calf of his
right leg, where a stray shot had just
grazed the skin.
''Ain't | shol %
mo. Get up and see.H
He was.up in a moment, standing first
upon one leg aud :hen upon the other, aud
presently the thought occurred To him thai
lie had really risen and uaaided. lie
started off upon brisk walk, without pait
and without hiudrance. He could hardly
credit the evidence of his own senses. lie
leaped aud l,e danced he ran To the vel
and back again.
"Gloty, halielujsh Nathan, Tn wei
mau ~
Aud he spoke truly. The terrific shock
conyuising -sery nerve and strdiuiug every
muscle, had healed him, aud from thar
time lie had not another touch OF the old
trouble.