Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-09-05

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 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 etruolt the fs-snnd upon her
hood With FAINT gasp, ana WIN
semi but dazed cry, she said:
"Don't you ever speak,"
"Hushl' said the scared man; "for
Gods sake, Mary, don't talk that way
nowm
In another moment she lay unconscious
in his trembling arms, pale and still as
death.
"Oh!" exclaimed the unhappy man,
eff l had only screamed to her to sit
down instead of trusting to that con-
founded pantomime, perhaps it would
not have happened"
Taking 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 l not give now
to hear her talk to me again 1t would
be bliss to hear her scold even Perhaps
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 tragical manner, were
obnoxious to him by their very presence.
He saw in them only the go-betweens
thai served to keep up this odious silence.
"If 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 doctor, when he felt 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 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.
In the latter she saw only intense misery
and unfeigned contrition, but she could
not resist the impulse, in spite of the ac
cident, in spite of the surroundings, in
spite of Johns sufferings of mind, to test
him still farther She slowly raised her
limp hands. and with the forehnger of the
right she began to trace upon the palm of
the left, at the same time directing a
questioning look of her husband. 'Good
heavensm thought he, "can it be posi-
BILE that she has been paralyzed by her
fall, and is now truly and in earnest
dumb2" But glance at her face dis
PEELED that horrible thought. She was
smiling, but she still continued to write
with her finger. Simple, honest John
Benton caught her meaning then, and
exclaimed, almost petulently, "The
slate, Mary? Confound the slate! No
more deaf and dumb language for me,
One word from you now is worth more
to me than years chatter Of these
young ones; beside, it will do you
good, my dear"
"John, really believe you are speak
ing to me-" said his wife, while tears
of Joy came to her eyes.
John Benton bent close to her face,
and kissing her again and again, said,
eyes, Mary, l am going to keep it up,
too, from this time on, for" And
: here he put his lips to her ear, and whis-
pered few words that, in spite of her
tears and pain, made her laugh outright.
He had whispered, 'No beggers, ped
dlers or book agents allowed in the Ben
ton Cottage hereafter. "-E. A. Boyden,
IN the BtGsar.