St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-09-08
Mrs. Whitaker's Deaf Ear.



deaf Mrs. Whitaker had acquired a
habit of sleeping upon her left side,
with her deaf ear up, and this had of
ten been source of annoyance to her
husband, who was nervous and irrita-
BILE. while she was woman whose
calmness and serenity of disposition
were remarkable. Sleeping with her
deaf ear up Mrs. Whitaker ut night
was rarely disturbed by noises which
robbed her husband of his rest. The
hum of the mosquitoes which mad
dened him was not heard by her. A
passing thunder storm which reused him
in summer night and sent him flying
about to close the windows would
leave her in perfect unconsciOusness of
its existence The noises in the street
and the rattling of window Sashes up
on windy nights frequently filled Mr..
Whitaker with veXation as they de-
prived him of sleep; but his wife slum
bered on and heard them not. In
deed, it rarely happened that she heard
the crying of the baby until Mr.. Whit
aker, indignant at its refusal to go to
sleep, would rouse her by shaking her,
and would ask her to try to sOOthe the
little one. Mr.. Whitaker had often re-
monstrated with his wife about this
habit of sleeping with his deaf ear up,
and she had often replied good-humor
edly with promise to try to Iemem-
Der to break herself of it, but somehow
or other it continued to cling to her.
One night in winter time Mr.. Whita-
ker sat up in his library till late hour
reading a book in which he was very
much interested. His wife retired ear
| ly. Mr. Whitaker finally closed his
book, and after locking the front door
went down in the cellar, in accordance
with his custom, to see if the furnace
fire had been fixed properly for the
night. While he was poking it gust
of wind came through the screen upon
one of the cellar windows and slammed
the door leading into the back hallway
above, through which he had come.
For moment Mr.. Whitaker did not
think of the matter particularly, but
suddenly he remembered that he had
put spring lock on the other side of
that door, and the thought struck him
that the catch might possibly be down.
He ascended the stairs and tried the
door. The catch was down and he
had no key. He was locked in the
cellar, for the key of the Out-cellar he
knew was in the kitchen.
He could hardly think what he had
better do about the matter, but finally
he concluded to make his wife hear
him and come to his rescue. He seized
the long and heavy furnace poker, and
inserting the crook of it above the bell
wire that ran along the iOist of the eel
lar ceiling he pulled. The bell tangled
loudly, but it was i'll the kitchen and
Mrs. Whitaker was in the front room
in the second story. Would she hear
it? He pulled the wire again, twice
then he sat down on the steps and
waited. There was no response. 1t
then flashed upon the mind of the i'm
prisOned man that Mrs. Whitaker was
probably sleeping with the deaf ear up
This increased his growing irritation
and he pulled the bell-wire with the
poker fifteen or twenty times. 81
could hear that mile from here if
were deaf as IA pOstm he exclaimed IL,
he threw the poker on the floor anC
took his seat again, with the bell still
vibrating. But Mrs. Whitaker did moi
hear the noise, for no sound of hel
! coming reached the ears of her impa
tient and indignant husband. H,
: grew angrier every moment. He felt ;
sense of injustice. 1t seemed unkind
inhuman for his wife to be sleepin!
. away calmly up stairs while he wa
locked up in the dismal recesses of tn,
cellar. "Ill make her hear me or II
break something" he exclaimed, seiz
ing the poker and hooking it upon TIN
bell-wire. Then he pulled the wir
n with such furious energy that he brok
5. it, and the jangling of the bell die,
!, away into silence.
5. at is little short of scandalOus," sal,
y Mr.. Whitaker in Il rage. 81 have spO
l. ken so often to Ellen about sleeping
with her deaf ear up, that it looks lik
:, malice, deliberate, tendish malice
when she persists in doing it."
d. What should he do next? He cOul,
n not stay in the cellar all night, and h
f. did not like to batter down the doc
I" with the poker. A happy thought
He went to the furnace and with til
u help of the Ratchet from the kindling
ID wood pile he cut the tin tlue whic
s conveyed the heat up to Mrs. Whita
u ker's room. Certainly he could com
in pei her to hear him now. He put In
mouth to the broken tlue and called
ELLEN Ellen :" Then he stoppe
o. and listened. He thought he cOul
E hear Ellen breathing softly in he
sleep, but he was not certain. ii
called again more loudly, and then pu
his fingers in his mouth and whistlc(
''Probably | can wake the baby any
how, and the baby will wake her." Ii
ID said but no response came down tn
y tlue. The baby seemed to be sleepin
If with almost supernatural sOundness
and, manifestly, Mrs. Whitaker ha
her deaf ear up.
Mr.. Whitaker was almost besd
himself with rage. "a woman,n Ii
said, "whO would treat her husband i
such Il manner as this is capable {
}. anything. Either Ellen will sto
sleeping with her deaf ear up or W
4 will separate" A third time he ap
~ piled his lips to the tin pipe an
.. bawled into it until he was hOarse. II
thought he heard his spouse wal
- across the floor, but when he calle
again there was no response, and h
knew that he was mistaken. The sou
of Mr.. Whitaker was filed with gloon
G In his anger he INDUCED in sardoni
humor. 81 suppose she rather relisht
having me down in the cellar here a
night; it is good joke! But let Ia,
take care She may laugh upon I'll
other side of her mouth before we al
done with this business :" And j
laughed "A wild and bitter laugh. Po,
Mrs. Whitaker, sleeping sweetly u
stairs, i'll perfect unconsciOusnes
would have been deeply panied
learn how gravely her husband wron;
is ed her.
Il must get out of here somehow
= other" said Mr.. Whitaker "Tl
] window is small, but | can cray
through it, reckon, if l try" He IL
hooked the frame containing the wi
n screen which nrnfected the Mindn