The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-24


with its character.
So took her hand in mine, and went
with her one day to the deaf and dumb
establishment in London, and when the
gentleman csme to speak to us I says to
him: Now I'll tell you what I'll do with
you, sir. | am nothing but a Cheap
Jack, but of late years have laid by for
rainy day notwithstanding. This is
my only daughter (adopted), and you
can't produce a deafer nor a dumber.
Teach her the most that can be taught
her III the shortest separation that can
be named, state the figure for it and I
am game to put the money down. I
wont bate you a single farthing sir, but
I'll put down the money here and now,
and III thankfully throw you in pound
to take il. There The gentleman
smiled and then: well, well, = rays he,
81 must first know what she has learned
already. How do you communicate with
her" Then ! showed him, and she wrote
III printed writing many names of things
and 50 forth, and we held some sprightly
conversation, SOphy and Inc, about (.
Fttle story iii IL book which the gentle
Ian showed her, and which she was able
- read. t'Ihis is most extraordinary, :"
says the gentleman; sis it possible that
you have been her only teacher Il
have been her only teacher, sir l says,
besides herself" ''Then," says the
gentleman, and more acceptable words
was never spoke to me, you're clever
fellow and a good fellow" This he
makes known to Sophy, who kisses his
hands, claps her own and laughs and
cries upon it.
We saw the gentleman four times in
all, and when he took down my name
and asked how in the world it ever
CHANGED to be doctor. it come out that
he was my own nephew by the sisters
side, if you'll believe me, to the very
doctor that l was called after. This
made our footing still easier and he says
to Inc:
Now, Marigold, tell me what more
do you want your adopted daughter to
know
II want her, sir, TO be cut off from the
world us little Us can be, considering her
deprivatiOns, and therefore to be able to
read whatever is wrote with perfect ease
and pleasure"
My good fellow" urges the gentle
man, opening his eyes wide, ''why, |
| cant do that myself
! took his joke and gave him a laugh
knowing by experience how fiat you fall
without it, and | nended my words &C
3ordingly.
What do yOu mean to do with her
afterwards" asks the gentleman with Il
sort of doubtful eye "To take her about
the country
In the cart, sir, but only in the cart.
She. will live private life, you under
stand, in the cart | should never think
of bringing her infirnities before the
public. wouldn't make show for any
money"
The gentleman nodded and seemed to
approve.
Well says he, 'can you part with
her for two years."
ITO do her that good? Yes, sir"
''There's another question" says the
gentleman, looking toward her-''can she
part with you for two years."
l don't know that it was a harder mat
ter of itself for the other was hard
enough to me), but it was harder to gel
over. However, she was pacifed to il
at last, and the separation 'twixt us was
settled. How it cut up both of us wheI
it took place, and when 1 left her at the
door in the dark of an evening, DOM
tell. But / know this, remembering
that night, shall never pass that same
establishment without q heartache an6
swelling in the throat; and couldn'
put you up the best of lots in sight Of i
with my usual spirit-no, not even thu
gun nor the pair Of specialization fvs
hundred pound reward from the secre
tary of state for the home department
and throw in the honor of putting my
legs under his mahogany afterward.
Still the loneliness that followed il
the cart was not the old loneliness, be
cause there was term put to it, how
ever long to look forward to; and be
cause | could think, when [ was any
ways down, that she belonged to me an(
belonged to her. Always planning fo
her coming back, | bought III a few
months time another cart, and what dt
you think | planned to do with it? II
tell You. | planned to fit it up will
shelves and books for her reading. an(
to have seat in it where could sit ant
size her read, aud think that | had beef
her first teacher. Not hurrying over tn,
job, | had the fittings knocked togethe
in COntriving ways under my own in
spection, and here was her bed in
berth with curtains, and there was he
reading table, and here was her writin:
desk. and elsewhere was her books il
rows upon rows, picters and no picters
bindings and no bindings, gilt edget
and plain, just as l could pick 'em III
for her in lots up and down the country
North and south and west and east
Winds liked best and winds liked least
Here and there and gone astray, Owe
hills and far away. And when I hat
got together pretty well as many book
as the cart would neatly hold, new
scheme came into my head, which, as
turned out. kept my time and attention
q good deal employed and helped M
over the two years stile.
Without being of an awaricious TEN
per, / like to be the owner of things.
shouldn't wish, for instance, to go part
ners with myself in the Cheap Jack cart
It's not that mistrust you, but that II
rather know 1t was mine. Similarly
very likely you'd rather know it wa
Yours. Well A kind of jealousy be
gan TO creep into my mind when l TT
hected that all those books would hav
been read by other people long befor
they was read by her. 1t seemed to tax
away from her being the owner of eI
like. In this way the question got int
my head. Couldn't | have Il book ne,
made expressly for her, which she shoul
be the first to read:
1t pleased ult. that thought did: an
AS | never WAS Il man to let Il though
sleep you must wake up the whole fam
~ of thoughts you've got and burn thei
nightcaps or you won't do i'll the Chea
Jack line} [ set to work at 1t. Consider
ing that l was III the habit OF changin
50 much about the country, and that
should have to find out literary cha
acter here to make deal with and al