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On the Move West
Chapter 11
A year had passed since Joshua and Dave had headed for Fort Hall. Several letters were sent back and forth. Joshua was having troubles getting the Indians to accept his type of medicine. They wanted the old medicine man with the old beliefs.
Dave and Joshua moved to Pocatello, just a short distance from Fort Hall. There were several doctors already here and people were not willing to go to a Indian doctor.
They moved again. This time to a little town of Chubbuck. Dave and Joshua purchased a small farm on the edge of town. No doctor was here. Joshua was welcomed because now the people did not have to go to Pocatello for a doctor. Dave was able to establish a blacksmith shop and business started thriving.
I had more patients than I could take care of. Too much space between farms. I was able to convince another doctor on his way west to stay. This divided the area in half thus cutting the work load down to a manageable size.
I trained Peter to help me. With the new doctor in the area, we now had time to keep their farm in operation. Peter and I were able to relax a little now and had time for friends and neighbors.
One day I was quite a ways from the house mending a fence, and for some unknown reason, a maverick bull charged me. The bull hit me in the middle of the back, knocking me to the ground. I was able to draw my pistol and fire, hitting the bull in the heart. The animal ran a few yards and fell over dead.
I started to get up and to my surprise, I had no feeling from the waist down and no movement. All I could do was lay there. I decided to try to get help by firing three shots in the air, reload and fire three more.
My SOS signal worked. Some one heard me and returned a shot. We continued firing until Peter and Paul came riding up and found me. After talking with me, Peter left to get Doctor John. Paul went to my house to get a buckboard. Two of the other neighbors heard the shots and arrived at the house in time to catch Paul.
They decided not to let the bull not go to waste, the guys dressed him out and loaded him in the buckboard. It took all three of them to load me into the buckboard and latter get me into the house and in bed. Doctor John and Peter arrived.
Doctor John gave me a good examination. I had no other injuries other than the very large bruise in the center of my back where the bull hit me. Doctor John confirmed that I was paralyzed from the waist down which may or may not be permanent
Peter and the neighbors worked the rest of the day cutting the bull up and hanging the thinly sliced meant in the smoke house. We would at least have some good jerky this winter.
Doctor John and I agreed that the paralysis could be just temporary and might go away after I started to heel. He was going to send a telegram and have a wheel chair sent out from back east. Until it arrived, it looked like I was to remain in bed. He hooked up a bladder bag but Peter would have help me get on the pot, or I would just mess my pants to be cleaned up later. Dr. John rigged up a giant diaper using an old table cloth. So much for my privacy.
Peter worked night and day seeing to my every need. My wheelchair arrived. He used a block and tackle and made a host so that I could lift myself out of bed and transfer to the wheelchair. I could at least move around the house but couldn't leave it...to many steps. I started doing all the cooking and would have meals ready for Peter, when he came in from working.
The neighbors started bring their sick and hurt for me to treat. I had no problems as long as they could get them into the house. Some had to continue on to Doctor John's house. At least I had something to do and I didn't even have to learn to knit. I did make two quilts. Rather Margaret and I made two quilts. Jacob and Lisa came over daily to do the outside chores for me. This freed Peter to look after the farm.
Harvest time would soon be here and the place would become a bee hive. Neighbors helping neighbors. Even the children would be involve and would be a great help. After the harvest was complete, we could have a long rest during the winter and enjoy the fruits of our labors.
One day, Peter was giving me a bath and massage, I let out a scream that could be heard for at least a hundred miles. "Peter, what in the world did you do to me? That was the worse pain that I have ever felt. Peter, relax! I will live. That means I am getting some feeling back. Come here and hug me!" Peter and I just sat there and hugged each other with tears running down our faces.
"I am going for Doctor John! I want him to take a look at you!"
"Good idea! Hurry, before it gets dark."
Doctor John was very glad to come after Peter told him what was happening. "This is a good sign that he is getting some feeling back. Things are starting to look up. Let`s go and not waste any time. I hate traveling after dark."
Doctor John took a sharp needle and poked all of my lower spine, my buttocks, my legs and the even bottoms of my feet. I had some feeling most everywhere, however, I did have a couple of dead areas. He never did find the spot that Peter had found earlier.
"Jim, things are looking very good. As you realize, I would bet that you are walking in a month or so. The main thing is don't you fall! This could cause permanent damage. I know that you are a doctor but just wanted to ask you to be very, very careful. Your progression has been amazing, just don't have any major set backs. Peter, do you have any coffee made.? If you do, I'll have a cup and be on my way."
"Sure thing! I'll get you some."
"Better bring a cup for Jim, also. I bet he can get in a real bitchy mode, if he does get his coffee fix!" laughed Doctor John.
"Actually, I am the one that needs coffee. If I don't have my coffee, I can be a regular grouch. I'll bring it all in here and we can have a little party.
"Peter, Look in the bread box. I made some sweet rolls and hid them in there."
"Don't bring any for Jim. I am putting him a special diet and sweet rolls are not on the list!" Doctor John roared with laughter.
"You had better be careful, I may be able to return all the favors someday!" I said joining in the laughter.
Three weeks went by and I was up walking. The first day I took only a few steps, Peter stopped by and told Paul, Margaret and the kids. They didn't waste any time getting over.
Jacob and Lisa hit the door on the run and both were talking full blast and at the same time.
"Hey, time out! Slow down and one at a time. Where are you parents?"
"They are coming. They are just slower than us. We ran all the way over here. Can you really walk?" asked Jacob.
"I can't believe you can walk. Thank you, God! I have been saying a prayer ever day that you would be able to walk." said Lisa.
"Thanks, Lisa. I think all the prayers together did the trick. Thank you, God! You see prayers are answered.. Now do I get a big hug, or do I have to chase you down?"
"Bet you can't catch me! I am fast. So I will just come over and give you a hug and a kiss." respond Lisa.
"I want to see you walk before I believe you can. I think you are just fooling us!" grinned Jacob.
I made a trip around the room. Jacob just started clapping and then tears came into his eyes.. "I didn't think that I would ever see you walk again. Why do you need a crutch.?"
"I have to use a crutch because my left leg is a little gimpy. I won't complain. I remember thinking that I would never walk again and would have a lifetime of people waiting on me hand and foot. Thank God none of that is happening. I can live with a gimpy leg if that is all that I end up with. Doctor John and I both think, that this could go away in time. With a lot of good exercise and Peter's talented hand massaging every inch of my body, I see normal returning."
Paul and Margaret came rushing through the door, all out of breath. "If you are going to run foot races, you had better go into training! I think that I could beat both of you now especially that you are both out of breath."
Paul and Margaret gave me a big hug and Margaret started crying because she was so happy.
"Do you really need to use that Crutch?" asked Margaret.
"My left leg is being a little stubborn and has a mind of its own. Doctor John and I don't want to take a chance of me falling and re-injuring myself. The next time I could be a cripple the rest of my life."
"We are going to have a celebration party Saturday night. It will be a covered dish supper and afterward some singing and dancing. Jacob wants to play his banjo and Lisa the piano. We are telling everyone to bring their instruments."
"I guess I will just bang two sticks together, since I can't play anything."
"I have an extra tambourine , I'll loan you!" offered Margaret.
"No, thanks. I'll just play my sticks!"
That night at the party, I was amazed how well Jacob could play the banjo. I was equally amazed with how well Margaret and Lisa could sing and play the piano. They sang several solos and a couple of duets. Paul got his violin out and started playing. This family is very talented and were the hit of the party.
I had to just sit but I really enjoyed the party. I could just sit and visit with all my friends and neighbors. Peter did enough dancing for the both of us. Man, he is a dancer and loved every minute of it. It was around midnight, when the party broke up. Almost everyone went to the barn with a quilt or blanket, found a corner and went to sleep. They would go home in the morning light. So there was no night riding which could be very dangerous..
This party and get together was to be the last one before the harvest season started. Once the harvest started every man, woman and child would be become very busy from daylight to dark. There would be no time for relaxation. When one farmer had something that needed to be harvested, the whole community would move in and help. Everything had to be canned, put in a root cellar, sun dried, smoked, salted or pickled . When the group finished with one place, they would move on to the next. Even the smallest child was given a chore to do, peeling a piece of fruit, washing a vegetable or snapping peas. There never was an end as to what they could do.
My job was to supervise and help in the smoke house. This job fell on my shoulders and some of the middle aged child became my helpers. We had to slice meat into thin strips and hang on smoking racks, rub hams with sugar cure and smoke other meats and game for jerky and trimming all the fat from the meat to make lard, or soap. If it wasn't cut off, it would become rancid and the meat ruined. I think I had the best crew. Children of this age would make any work fun and were always laughing, singing and enjoying themselves. The small children that could not help were given to an elderly woman to care for them. So in a sense, every able-body person had a job to do.
We lost Larry Brown two days before the first crop had to be gathered. He had a heart attack and died while his wife Mary saddled a horse and came to my house to get me. We never made it back in time. It is very doubtful that I could have done anything. Mary moved in with her daughter Joan and her husband, Stanley. The neighbors all told her not to worry because her crops would be harvested. Her job was to be nanny for her grandchildren and other small children while their parents helped with the harvest.TBCoecollins7420@yahoo.com