His intentions were good. With this happening 47 years ago, I'm not sure he's even alive.
We've pretty well established that springs can be diabolical in nature. It seems that they not only store energy, but also store resentment against humanity in general and gunsmiths in particular. Springs are not the only inanimate objects which seems to have a mind of their own; there are others. One which comes to my mind is barbed wire. I'll explain.
It was just last weekend that I was headed up to the campground to help one of the tenants with a deck. I was carrying a couple of bars and a box of screws. The gate was locked and I didn't want to set the load down, so I elected to step over the fence. There is a place right next to the gate, where the elk have stretched out the top wire and I haven't gotten around to fixing it yet. With just a little effort, I figured I could step across easily. My lead leg (the left) cleared easily and in one smooth motion I brought right leg up to follow. What happened next can be explained in one of two ways, and I'll get to that in a minute.
I guess the easy way to say it is that my right leg didn't make it. In fact, looking back, it didn't even come close. My foot hit the top wire, and I lost my balance. I tried to stand on one foot, but it wasn't working. My right foot went down on the outside of the top (4th) wire, and on the inside of the third. I managed to get my foot on top of the second wire. but my balance was precarious. I jammed the heavier bar into the ground and managed to stay upright, thereby protecting those portions of my anatomy which seemed, for a moment, to be in serious jeopardy. I finally had to drop the screws and use the second wrecking bar as a prop, and there I was. I couldn't let go of either bar, so I had to try and just lift my leg up and get free of the fence. The barbed wire had snagged my jeans pretty well. To make matters worse, I could hear someone coming up the driveway. I had to get loose before anyone saw the predicament I was in. It was a struggle, but I did get loose just before the car came around the corner.
Now, regarding the reason for the whole problem. I mentioned there were two possible explanations. One explanation might be that I'm just getting older and can't do the things I used to do easily. The second explanation is that wire sensed an opportunity and thrust upward, just in time to catch my foot. I think it's pretty obvious which scenario is most likely. Think about it, diabolical wire, or man in the prime of life, only 76 years old, turning into a klutz and tripping? I blame the wire! WH