The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-07-12

Singular Aniiction Tor which Medical Sci
enCe Has Found NO Remedy.

Singular Amiction For Which Medical Sci
ence Has Found NO Remedy.
An old man came into the restaurant
slowly, felt his way TO the chair opposite
me and sat down wearily He did not
take off his faded hat, probably for fear
he could not find IL again He was n bent
old gentleman, with long gray mustache
and beard, and his clothes were anything
but clean. There was a weak look about
his eyes, which were watcry.
He made several hcsitating passes with
his hand toward the bill Of fare in the cas-
ter but gave it up and told the girl that
he would take roast beef.
When the dishes with the food were be-
fore him, he looked at them silently for
some time and then reached his hand
across the table, passing it TO and fro in
the air as if he were feeling for something
he could not find. The weak hand nov
cred over the saltcollar and then he asked
Where is the salt mistery'
Fright under your hand, " l replied.
and he dived down and seized it.
As he sprinkled the salt over the dishe.
and scattered a goodly portion of it on the
cloth, he said
Il don't see very well. My sight is
nearly gone 1t is "A great affliction."
l asked him why he did not wea
glasses. He said: II have tried all kind
of glasses, but they do not help me Their.
is no fault in the formation Of the eye
My eyes are all right. 1t is failure of tho
optic nerve. 1t is nearly gone 1t lis a
trouble that no doctor can reach. / have
spent my money ON the best OF eye spu
cialsts, but they can't do anything ion
me. 1 must simply bear my adlictiun ir
patience. soon / viii bg entirely blind
know it lis coming and coming rapidly"
He ate awhile In silence, picking eau
tiously at his food, feeling his way with
his knife and fork about his dishes ]
helped him to- the pepper and told him
where he could find his butter. After
some minutes of munching in a discop.
ccrtud sort of manner the old man said;
THE most peculiar thing about my
blindness is that my food does not taste as
good as when l could see it.
Il used to be very fond of cabbage, but
it has no more taste now than SO much
straw. Since l began TO get blind have
learned that sight is a great assistance to
the sense Of taste. It's so in my case, at
any rate. think those two senses must
be very nearly related, What worries me
greatly is the fear that when become en-
tirely blind my taste will go back on me
altogether Then there will be no pleas
ure in eating.
"Our food does us little good IL It does
not taste we'll. 1t must tickle the palate
to have a proper effect in the stomach,
There is no more tickle to my palate
"Now, when l am at home, my wife
helps me out little. Is this potato in
this dish? Thank you. / can eat pota-
toes with some comfort They have no
particular taste to me- but comfort my
self with the reflection that they do not
have much taste anyway.
But, as l was saying, when l am at
home my wife helps me out a good deal in
eating. She always sets the different
dishes around my plate in the same order,
the meat here, the potatoes there and SO
on. Then when l am eating she talks to
me about how the different things look
"'That roast beef is very tender and
brown, she win say. 1T looks as if it
were very sweet. Then she win say,
Here are some fresh radishes, as red and
plump as they can be-
"Now, that helps my appetite wonder
fully, and the things really taste better
than when am away from home trying
to eat at one Of these confounded restau-
| rants. "-Pittsburg Dispatch.