Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-01-16
A Sudden Cure of a Paralytic.

In letter received few days ago from
II person in New Hampshire occurs this
sentence: Old Simon Love stopped here
Yesterday on his way home. He is almost
90 and is hale and hearty
And that brought to mind an incident
which occurred five and twenty years ago
yes twenty-nine years ago-it was the
autumn of 1913 The same Simon Love,
then sixty-three years of age and living
with II sonin-law on the Great Interval
road under Mote mountain, had been laid
up for more than year with what the
doctors called II species of lumbago He
could not arise from his chair without
assistance, nor could he move from chair
to bed without the help of II strong man for
he was himself very heavy. There seemed
to be sort of paralysis of all the muscles
Of the lumbar regions, and when the pain
came it came luriouSly. | don't know bow
many kinds of linimcnt and patent un-
guents had been rnbdel upon the outside,
or how many barrels or swash he had
poured down his throat. lie seemed to
g~ow worse instead Of better, and with the
prospect of another hard, long winter be
fore him, he didn't think he should survive
it.
Well one day in early October, while
the pigeons were very plenty, Mr. Ham
mond, Loves son-n-law, was fixing his
double barrel gun for shot ut them. lie
had just cut piece of India wheat, not far
away, and there pigeons would be sure to
gather, and he meant 10 be ready for them.
He had loaded both barrels heavily, and
put on the percussion caps; but rs the caps
were slightly small for the tubes he had
to press them on, which he was wont to
do by easing the hammer down upon
them.
Old Simon sat by the fire place, bolster
ed up in his great easy chair, with padding
Of pillows and blanket for his back, and
cushions for his feeL.
Look out, Nathann he cried, as he saw
the double muzzIe pointed uncomfortably
near him.
Poohl ther' ain't no danger, dad, re-
turned Nathan, pressing the hammer
down upon the cap.
But the cap was very sensitive one,
and he pressed little too hard, and
Mercy! what Il crash! and what Il howl!
The right barrel Of the gun was di>charg-
ed with report that shook the house from
ridge pole to foundation. and Il few of the
shot glazed Simon Loves leg. lie, poor
man, believed that he was shot dead. He
sent forth howl. loud and long, and
leaped to his feet.
Murder! Murder! Murder! I'm dead!
-killed-shot all to pieces. o. o! o.
Murderr
And away he leaped out of doors out
into the yard-where he danced up and
down, yelling like mad all the while, until
Nathan, his wife, and hired man, came
to his assistance. They got him into the
house, and got him down into his chair,
and after critical examination they found
two or three livid lines upon the calf of
his right leg, where u stray Shot had just
grazed the skin.
Amt shot?'
No. Get up and see,'
He was up in Il moment, standing first
upon one leg and then upon the other, and
presently the thought occurred to him that
he had really risen alone. He started off
upon brisk walk, without pain ard with
out hindrancc lie could hardly credit
the evidence of his own senses. lie leap
ed and danced he ran to the well and
back again.
Glory, haleluiah Nathan I'm IL well
man'
And he spoke truly The terrific shock,
convulsing every nerve and straining every
muscle, had healed him, and from that
time he had not an other touch of the old
trouble.