The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-09-24

HUH ~ 4 NcpItAl W w 49,
But she ANONYMOUSLY failed. Her face
grew hot and excited. She was not on
speaking terms with her husband, and
vet she loved him well enough to refuse
to purchase or wear a dress the color of
which he might not approve. She shrank
from the humiliation of the slate, but
finding there was no alternative but a
violation of her VOW, she produced it,
ana asked nm the simple question
upon which her heart was set. For
answer he simply put his hand on
the piece of her choice, and she smiled
pleasantly as she turned to the spruce
and accommodating salesman. The lat
ter, taking in the situation at a glance
with the keen eye of an expert in
humanity, and supposing it was of
course q question of dollars AID cents
she was propounding to her unfortunate
deaf and dumb husband, rapidly wrote
upon a bit of paper: 'Splendid goods;
wear like iron; never fade; very cheap;
fifty per cent. below cost price; never
| get another chance like it," which paper
| he placed in the hands of the astonished
| MIR. John Benton.
"What's this2" he exclaimed, looking
alternately from the clerk to his wife.
Pears to me- you're in a hurry with
your bill, young man."
Never was there a more astounded
salesman behind a counter than this.
And his chagrin equaled his surprise.
With a confused apology, which seemed
| to include something about deaf mute. y
| ne tried to make amends by renewed
| courtesies and attentions to Mrs. Benton,
| who was plunged in misery. 1t is hard
! to conceive Of a woman so wretched who
| had just come into possession of a new
| and handsome outfit.
John Benton's special business in town
was to pay an insurance premium, and he
and his wife called together at the
~palatial official office of the company.
While waiting their turn to be accom-
| modated, John and his wife stood near
the door. AS he was looking over q
| CITY directory to pass away the time,
| his wife, being seized with a new idea,
| wrote it out, and handed him the fatal
slate. John, for convenience in reading
the sentence on the slate, put the direc-
tory under his arm, whereupon, just at
| this moment, the pompous secretary OF
the insurance office came in from the
street, and taking in the situation with
the keenness of sight and a%stuteness that
characterizes the discerning city man,
from a dry.goods salesman up to a high
official of an insurance company, he
touched the fated John upon the arm,
and pointed to a card upon the wall on
which the legend ran thus, "No beggers,
peddlers or book agents allowed to pur-
sue their %avocations here" 1t was
some time before John or his wife could
comprehend the connecting link between
themselves and that card: but when,
with the mild assistance of the official
dignitary, it dawned upon them that
John was taken for a book agent, Mrs.
Benton turned purple with rage, and in
explaining their business there did not
spare the feelings of the wretch who
had given another sting to her wounded
pride. But John was disposed to laugh
it off, and still further add to the con-
fusion of those present by transacting
his business in good audible English.
1t remains to this day a mystery to the
unfortunate drygoods clerk as we'll as to
the n%on-plussed secretary what could In
duce a couple to converse together on a
slate who could use such forcible and in
telligible language to Others.
After their unfortunate experience in
the city the unhappy pair began to
weaken a little in their resolution. Not
only were their mutual interests suffering
in various ways by reason of this very
imperfect means o: communication, but
as their love for one another was so
strong and genuine, in spite of the fool
ish embargo they had put upon their
speech, they chafed under the irksome
restraint of a protracted silence. While
they were both revolving in their minds
plans that might lead to a way out of the
difficulty, fate came to their rescue, and
saved them from themselves, though in
an unexpected and painful way.
Upon the anniversary of their silence
John Benton and Teddy were busy in
the hay field, and as a storm was threat
ening, Mrs. Benton and Maggie came to
the rescue with their rakes. A large load
was on the wagon, and Mrs. Benton and
Maggie volunteered to arrange the hay
upon the cart as John threw it up to
them. John had just started to lead the
horses to another part of the field, when,
on looking up at the load, he saw his
wife still standing. He motioned to her
to sit down, but she failed to notice his
signal, and the horses started; at the
same time John saw her lunge backward
and slide, head foremost, from the load.
Before he could stop the team and get to
her she had struck the ground upon her
head. With a faint gasp, and with a
s~emi-conscious but dazed cry, she said:
"Don't you ever speak"
"Hush!' said the scared man; "for
Gods sake, Mary, don't talk that way
now!."
In another moment she lay unconscious
in his trembling arms, pale end still as
death.
"Ohm exclaimed the unhappy man,
"if l had only screamed to her to sit
down irstead OF trusting to that con-
founded pantomime, perhaps it would
not have happened"
Taxing her up tenderly in his strong
arms, he carried her to the house, and all
the way into her now deaf ears he poured
out his love and lamentations; his tongue
was loosened, and seemed to be trying to
make up for lost time. And as he
bathed her head, and chafed her hands,
and tried to kiss back her color and to
coax into action that long-silent voice,
he moaned: ''What would | not give now
to hear her talk to me again! 1t would
be bliss to hear her scold even. Perhaps
and he shuddered as he said
it, ''she may never speak again"
The new-mown hay threatened by the
coming storm was nothing to him now.
He neither knew nor cared whether the
sky was black or blue. All was black
about him, and there was only one object
that he could see. Even Teddy, who
had shared his confidence, and Maggie,
who had been the solace of his poor wife
during the dull, blank year that had just
closed in such a tragicsl manner, were
obnoxious to him by their very presence.
1lo SaW III lHCHI Why tAO So-Uot"SSho
tina: served to keep up this odious silence.
IF l had not brought Teddy here, per-
haps we should have spoken long ago."
he muttered: for it was getting to be
pretty hard to keep still any longer about
that time"
He was just thinking seriously about
sending for a doctor, when he felt a pres
sure upon the hand that had all this time
clasped one of his wife's, and looking
into her face, he saw with delight that
her eyes were wide open and bent upon
him.
My dear Mary! thank God" he said,
as he bent down and kissed her pale face
while the tears dropped from his cheeks
upon hers, "Speak to me, Mary
She gazed around her upon the scene
Of masculine havoc for a few moments;
the wet cloths, the blankets. the camphor
and arnica bottles, the flooded floor, and
then at the face Of the man beside her.
I'm the lottnr che Saw only intensa miSnry