e now. But the object of my visit was to see if I could
not collect some of my old bills in that neighborhood, amounting in the
aggregate to several hundred dollars. They were indeed old bills of five
or six years' standing, and I had very little hope of collecting much
money. I went first to Lake Village, and called on Mr. John Blaisdell,
the husband of the woman whom I had cured of the dropsy, in accordance,
as she believed at the time, with her prophetic dream. Blaisdell didn't
know me at first; then he wanted to know what my bill was; I told him
one hundred dollars, to say nothing of six years' interest; he said he
had no money, though he was regarded as a rich man, and in fact was.

"But sir," said I, "you see me and how poor I am. Give me something on
account. I am so poor that I even borrowed this overcoat from the
tailor in the village, that I might present a little more respectable
appearance when I called on my old patients to try to collect some of my
old bills. Please to give me something."

But he had no money. He would pay for the overcoat; I might tell the
tailor so; and afterwards he gave me a pair of boots and an old shirt.
This was the fruit which my "blossom" of years before brought at last.
I saw Mrs. Blaisdell, but she said she could do nothing for me. She had
forgotten what I had done for her.

Of all my bills in that vicinity, with a week's dunning, I collected
only three dollars; but a good friend of mine, Sheriff Hill, went around
and succeeded in making up a purse of twenty dollars which he put into
my hands just as I was going away. My old landlord wanted nothing for my
week's board; all he wanted was to know "if I ever cured anybody;" and
when I told him I did, "sometimes" he insisted upon my taking more of
his medicine, and he put up a good bottle of it for me to carry with me
on my journey.

With my twenty dollars I went to Portsmouth, where I speedily felt that
I was among old and true friends. I had not been there a day before I
was called upon to take care of a young man who was sick, and after a
few weeks charge of him I received in addition to my board and expenses,
three hundred dollars. I was now enabled to clothe myself handsomely,
and I did so and went to Newburyport, where I remained several weeks and
made a great deal of money.

In the spring I went to White River Junction, and while I was in
the hotel taking a drink with some friends, who should come into the
bar-room but t