THE PEBBLE-STONE CURE.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1837, 21 November 1874, Page 3

THE PEBBLE-STONE CURE.

The Danbury News says :—There are people who are credulous in the matter of new remedies, and hasten at the first op?ortunity to testify their condolence. Mr 'ilaster, a resident of Nelson-street, is such a man. He recently road a statement in his agricultural paper that a pebble-stono held in the mouth would very much modify the craving of thirst, and, as ho was afraid to drink large quantities of ice-water, he was glad he heard of the plan, and determined to give it a trial.flpHe' did so that afternoon, selecting a ,nice smooth stone, rubbing it clean on. the leg of his breeches. Pretty soou after he got in the house, and while holding the pebble in his mouth, and thinking with tears of gratitude in his eyes of the man who made the discovery, three gentlemen and a lady called, and entered into conversation. Mr. Pilaster was sitting on a mohair-cushioned chair, sitting on the very edge, so as not to injure it, and was staring in a mild and forgiving manner at the lady, when he suddenly experienced a tickling sensation within his. nostril, and wrinkling his nose to prevent it he broke out in a gurgling noise, and in the next instant his eyes protruded, he bounded from the chair, threw his arms up in the air, and dropped down on the floor, and iirmediately went rolling and kicking under the centre table, upsetting that article, aud strewing the floor with bound books, visiting cards, and wax flowers. Then he rolled over and reared up, and pounded his heels, and turned black in the face, and worked his Innds and threw his arms. The people wer» terribly frightened. Mrs. Pilaster and the lady visitor screamed and wrung their hands, and tried to get out of the door. One of the gentlemen got behind the stove, and another, who had no doubt it was ft case of hydrophobia, shrieked above" the din, "Don't be frightened, ladies • heaven will protect us," and immediately crawled under the sofa. The other was the only one who retained his presence of mind. He thought it was a fit, and catching the unfortunate Pilaster by the slack of the nether garment as he evoluted about, held him down and rubbed the back of his head with afa album. Then he called the other gentleman to help him, and both of them fell to rubbing the miserable man, and pounding his breast, and shaking his head; andin themeantime Mrs Pilaster got a pail of water and poured it on his head and down his back. And. in the midst of these extraordinary exertions the pebble came Tip and rolled out on the carpet without being perceived, but Mr. Pilaster was too weak to tell them. Then the two gentlemen picked him up and carried him' to his bed, and took off his clothes, , and the third started after all the doctors he knew the names of. Mrs. Pilaster headed water, and the female spread mustard plasters and prepared onion draughts, and ten minutes later the wretched patient was steaming in. a blanket and smarting under the combined effects of the mustard and onions. Then the doctors began to arrive, and pretty soon there were seven of them in the room, and what they didn't know about the case would have been a wicked ■waste of time hunting up. '1 he first doctor said it was something with a name an inch and a half long and nine joints. Then the next man fetched up something with a name still longer, and he was followed by a doctor who had to sit down to pronounce his. At this Mrs. Pilaster fainted dead away, and when she came to,' the seven doctors were calling each other names of twelve syllables, and the poor lady went off again. By this time Mr Pilaster had so far recovered as to regain his consciousness and some of his strength, and.bounding out of bed with no clothes to speak of, other than three mustard plasters and a couple of onion draughts, he at once put an entirely different aspect an the condition of affairs; and when Mrs. Pilaster recovered, and when the visitor recovered (which both of them did when they discovered there was no one to assist them), they found the room emptied, and saw Mr. Pilaster scraping mustanTfrom his legs, and howliDg the most dismal language describable. He is better to-day, we understand, so that he can get round street a little; but he gays ninety-five tons of rock' cannot quefieh his thirst for the blood of the man wlio first suggested that pebble-stone.