Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-09-25
his trembling arms, pale and still as

in his trembling arms, pale and still as
death.
"Ohp exclaimed the unhappy man. eli
I had only screamed to her to sit down In
stead of trusting to that confounded panto
mime, perhaps it would nothave happened.'
Taking her up tenderly in his strong arms
and carried her to the house, and all the way
into her now deaf ears he poured out his
love and lamentations; his tonuge was loos
ened, and seemed to be trying to make ur
for lost time. And as he bathed her head
he tried to kiss back her color and to coax
into action the long silent voice, hemoaned
"What would I not give now to hear hel
talk to me again. Itwould be bliss to heal
her scold even. Perhaps-perhaps," and ne
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 ne
could see. Even Teddy, who had shared ms
confidence, and Maggie, who had been the
solace of his poor wife during the dull blank
year that had just closed in such traglca
manner, were obnoxious to him by theil
very presence. He saw in them only the
go-betweens that served to keep up this
odious silence.
eff had never brought Teddy here, per
haps we should have spoken long ago.
he muttered; "for it was getting to be pret.
ty hard to keep still any longer about that
time"
He was thinking seriously about sending
for doctor, when he felta pressure 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 cheek
upon hers. "Speak to me, Mary"
She gazed around her upon the scene OF
masculine havoc for a few moments; the
wet clothes, the blankets, the camphor, the
arnica bottles, the flooded floor, and then al
the face of the man beside her. In the lat
ter she saw only intense misery and un,
feigned contrition, but she could not resist
the impulse, in spite of the accident, in spite
of the surroundings, in spite of Johns suf'
ferings of mind, to test him still farther
She slowly raised her limp hands, and with
the forefnger of the right she began tc
trace upon the palm of the left, at the same
time directing q questioning look at he1
husband. "Good heavens!" thought he
"can it be possible that she has been para
lyZed by her 1all, ana IS now truly anu III
earnest dumb?" But a glance at her face
dispelled that horrible thought. She was
smiling, but she still continued to write
with her finger. Simple, honest, John Ben
ton caught her meaning then, and exclaim
ed, almost petulantly, "The slate, Mary
Confound the slate! No more deaf ano
dumb language for me. One word from
you now is worth more to me than a year;
chatter of these young ones; besides, it vii
do you good, my dear"
"John, really believe you are speaking
to me-" said his wife, while tears of JOY
came to her eyes.
John Benton bent close to her face, anC
kissing her again and again, said, "4es
Mary, I am going to keep it up, too, from
this time on, for" And here he put MI
mouth to her ear, and whispered few words
that, in spite of her tears and pain, made
her laugh outright. He had whispered
"No beggars, peddlers, or book agents al
lowed in the Benton Cottage hereafter"