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Last chapter on the courageous Nellie Stanton
Part 3 of 3
Stanton3
This image is unusual because the young lady is accompanied by a dog on her right and we have Miss Eliza Cardi of Potosi as the photographer. effective as of July 1, 2019.
Part 3
Last time we heard of Nellie Stanton’s tragic accident.  Now we hear how courageous she and her family were in dealing with the aftermath.
“My Life Story: Nellie Stanton” CONT.
“When the doctor came he could do very little to relieve my suffering.  When the feeling began to return to my paralyzed body I suffered the agonies of death day and night.  My dear mother was my constant nurse watching over me night and day and many times holding me in her arms half the night.  God surely gave her strength to endure the terrible strain and loss of sleep, for she could not have done it alone.  It was her constant prayer that I should live, but as I hovered between life and death for many weeks before there was any hope of my recovery, she became resigned to God’s will.
\“But I was to live, though I was to be a cripple for life, my lower limbs being paralyzed.  I regained my strength in body and arms and could use my lower limbs enough to crawl about the house and yard on my hands and knees and we had great hope for my complete recovery, when I met with another accident.  Just one year from the day I was shot, I broke my right leg above the knee, having twisted it while playing in the yard.  So that meant I must return to my bed for some time.  The doctor had not much hopes that it would heal owing to the paralyzed condition of the limb, but it knitted in the proper time, but was very crooked.  I was afraid to move about much for fear of breaking it again so I sat in a rocking chair and amused myself by playing with little Virgil.  He was a very congenial little fellow, always ready to play any game I would suggest.
\“Just another year later, on the last Monday in August, I awoke in the morning and found my limb was again broken in the same place.  My misfortunes have all happened on Monday.  My sorrow was great to know I must be confined to my bed again for a long time but I am thankful to say my limb grew together straight and strong this time. Then I got a wheel chair and life became more enjoyable as I could move about the house and could do little things to help mother, such as mending, wiping dishes and preparing vegetables for the meals.  I was too nervous to study much for some time.  Mother was very anxious about my education, my cousin who was teaching the Center school, came to board at our home to teach me, but study made me so nervous they gave it up, and left me to my own pleasure.
“So I have just depended on God’s help to learn what I wish to know.  I had a great desire to become an artist and by practice and God’s help I have accomplished my desire and He has given me the ability to learn many other things by which I can make myself useful to myself and others.  I can now repay my dear mother in part for her patient, watchful care.  I can do all kinds of housework, baking, sewing and fancy doilies and also play several musical instruments.  I think my misfortune should be a lesson to parents not to allow children to carry a gun before they are old and wise enough to understand the danger in careless handling of a gun and I also think it is a very good policy to keep children busy with home useful tasks.  They can learn to carry small burdens when they are quite young thus teaching them the habits of industry and responsibility, for hands were made to be useful if we teach them the way.  Therefore I make my hands useful every day for myself or neighbors and find much pleasure in so doing.  I never shirk the tasks which I think God wishes me to perform and they often look impossible for me to do but God always helps me to accomplish the tasks which I undertake.  I think nothing is impossible when God is with us.  I was asked to write my life story but I have only given a brief outline.  It is no story for I have omitted love and romance which is necessary in a story but I think my romance is too sacred for the public to read so I will wait for the ending, then someone else may take it up and finish it if they wish.                     
Nellie May Stanton,
Potosi, Wis.”
The End.