The Newtown bee., 1878-02-14

taken by his mother to an asylum for the deaf and dumb, where an aunt had been placed to acquire their peculiar lam guage of signs. He had taken great pains to learn It at the time, and could carry on quite conversation with his afflicted relative, and made himself 60 dear to her by his willingness to devote time 10 her entertainment, which child ren generally bestow upon their play, that she chose to make her home with his mother after leaving the asylum ,aad upon her death it was found that Emmet had been lief. heir to her large fortune.
 This knowledge served him in good stead of speech now. It was beautiful to watch the change which passed over the sensitive face, as he talked with her in dumb shaw. He even learned her simple history. The only child of widowed mother, who earned their liv. ing by her needle. She was not born deaf, and had only lost her speech from forgetting, through deafness, the sound of words, and from disliking to give ut terance to even the shortest sentence because os feeling that it would be a shock to sensitive ear to listen to \ voice which could no longer be modn- lated to the proper pitch by the speaker All had been caused by scarlet fever. Strange to say, this discovery, instead of destroying the girls attractions for the impressible young man, forged an- other link in his fancy for her, and 1t grew at last to be subject of remark in the place, and at last islander, with it's venomous tongue, asaailed poor Flora, and people began to look askance al her.
 The pretty crea ture had never exper- fenced cold looks and sights before, and, though unconscious of the cause, it oc- l casioned cloud upon her newborn happiness. At last it became 80 marked that she called her mothers attention to if Once that was aroused, it wss not many hours before the patient hard working woman had still another pang added to her life's sorrows in the know. ledge that while she had been SC fatally obliyious to FlorS's dawning woman. hood the child had been suffered to drift in her unsuspecting innocence into sn acquaintance which she feared would cast.a blight over her young life to which her bodily affiiction would be nothing.
 Burning with indignation, she sought Emmet al his boarding house, and asked for an interview. He came into the room, looking so free from anything evil in his brigh! young manhood, and withal so handsome and debonnair, with that indescribable air of high breeding which characterizes his class, that the poor woman who had risen to meet him and overwhelm with reproaches, sank down into a chair and cried bitterly.
 Emmet went to her kindly.
 Did you send for me, my good woman Can be of any service to your invol- untarily his purse was in his hand and opened. He evidently thought she need ed help.
 With gesture of dignity the sorrow ing mother rose and put aside the prof fered sum.
 'It is not money. It is my child Oh sir, how could you step down out of your happy, noble sphere and blight my already afflicted girl. Until she saw you she had heart as light ss air, and the glance of her eye had music of its own to me. Now" She could say no more.
 Emmett stood for moment haughtily erect. A clear conscience flashing its record out of his fiery eyes. But his in dignaton died away a he heard the mothers anguished sobs, aud hs said gen. tly:
 If you will tell me in what way have done harm to poor little Flora will do my best to atone. Dry your tears, my good woman, and tell me an intslli- gible story. At present 1 am at . loss to understand you"
 Truth spoke in the gentle but firm tones of his voice, and the bewildered mother did her best to obey him, She dried her eyes and told him of the malic ious scandals which had been set afosi, and that even unsuspicious Flora had mo- ticed the changed department of people who had ever before been studioualy kind to her-adding:
 My poor girls infirmity, sir, has sl- ways made strangers take notice of her, seeing, too, that she was 90 pretty like. So you must not think she has been brought up in light way because she makes friends with stranger"
 "Heaven forbid that I should think anything of Flora, but that she is as pretty as flower and ss pure as a dew drop" was ,he young mans fervent answer
 After few momeEis of desp thought, he continued, "l had no idea tiat Mrs. Grundy would make scandal out of my pleasant walks with ss interesting child | e considersd her. But MrA 0rundy