TREATMENT OF A FALL, SPRAIN, BLOW, OR BURN. 475 



accident — in fact, so long as it feels tender and weak — otherwise, 

 the cure will be retarded to an indefinite period. Sprains, 

 apparently of the most trifling character, are sometimes attended 

 with the most serious consequences, perhaps laming the party 

 for several months. Those affecting the ankle are the most 

 troublesome, and require great attention. 



On one occasion, some time daring our college life, we rather 

 officiously proffered to hand a country lassie from her carriage, 

 which feat, by the by, she could have performed with far more 

 ease, grace, and elegance without our assistance, and perhaps 

 have jumped clean over our head besides, if we had desired 

 her so to do, or rather had bantered her upon her want of 

 agility. The ground was slippery, with a high pile of snow on 

 the side-walk directly in front of the vehicle. In her over- 

 anxiety to grasp our extended hand, or rather in our great 

 desire to support her delicate frame^ she neglected freeing her 

 garments from the projecting step, and the consequence was a 

 trijj iqj, and down she came on top of us with a j^srfect rush, 

 knocking us over and burying our head and face almost a foot 

 under the snow. In an instant, she sprang to her feet, shouting 

 and laughing at the top of her voice, at the same time plying 

 us with handfuls of snow, as a reward, we presume, for our 

 awkwardness. Without any complaint whatever, she walked 

 or rather ran into the house, standing a few rods from the street. 

 In the course of half an hour or so, she felt a slight pain in her 

 ankle-joint, and discovered that the parts around were swollen. 

 Little attention, however, was given to the matter that day. 



On the following morning, the ankle and foot were enor- 

 mously swollen and painful ; on the next day, the swelling 

 increased, and the inflammation was very great, and so it con- 

 tinued for days, and weeks, and months, and the upshot of the 

 occurrence was a rigid confinement to the house for about nine 

 months, with the dread at one time of losing the whole foot; 

 and after the lapse of two years she had not entirely recovered 

 the use of her limb, so she informed me, although we can vouch 

 for her being now able to cross over, hack to hach, ladyh chain, 

 right and left, during a whole winter's evening, without ever 

 refusing a single proposition to dance from the country beaux. 



After the application of the water, and the limb being at 



