The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-08
Taste Fails With Sight.

An old man came into the restaurant
slowly, felt his way to the chair opposite
me and sat down YEARLY. He did not
take off his faded hat, probably for fear
he could not find it again. He was 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 watery.
He made several hesitating passes with
his hand toward the bill of fare in the cas-
ter, but gave il 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 how
cred over the saltcellar, and then he asked:
Where is the salt, misterS"
Fright under your hand" 1 replied,
and he dived down and seized it.
AS he sprinkled the salt over the dishes
and scattered goodly portion of it on tho
cloth, he said:
II don't sec very well. My sight is
nearly gone. 1t is great affection"
l asked him why he did not wear
glasses. He said: II have tried all kinds
of glasses but they do not help me. There
is no fault in the formation of the eye.
My eyes are all right 1t is failure of the
optic nerve. 1t is nearly gone 1t is a
trouble that no doctor can reach. l have
spent M money on the best of eye spe-
cialists, but they can't do anything for
me. | must simply bear my at1liction in
patience. Soon will be entirely blind. l
know il is coming and coming rapidly"
Ia ofa in siI nil i'm
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 discon-
certed sort of manner the old man said:
THE most peculiar thing about my
blindness is that my food does not taste rs
good as when could see it.
~ used to be very fond Of cabbage, but
1t 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 if it does
not taste well. 1t must tickle the palate
to have 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 dishg Thank you. l can eat pota-
toes with some comfort. They have no
particular taste to me, but l comfort my
self with the reflection that they do not
have much taste anyway.
but, rs | was saying when l am at
home my wife helps me out 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 1 am eating she talks To
me about how the different things look.
THAT roast beef is very tender and
brown, she will say, 1t looks as if it
were very sweet. Then she will sa.
Here are some fresh radishes, as red and
plump as they can be.
Nov, that helps my appetite wonder
fully, and the things really taste better
than when am away from homo trying
to eat at one of these confounded restau-
rants. PHtSburg Dispatch.