Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-28
TAsIE FAILS WITH SIGHT.
Singular AfTliction For Which Medical Sci-
 ence Has Found No Remedy.

Singular Af1liction For Which Medical Sci-
 ence Has Found No Remedy.
 An old man came into tho restaurant slowly, felt his way to the chair opposite me and sat down wearily. Hc did not take off his faded hat, probably for fear he could not find it again. He was n bent old gentleman. with long gray mustache and beard. and his clothes were anything but clean. There was weak look about his eyes, which were watcry.
 lie made several hesitating 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 fer some time and then reached his hand across the table, passing it to and fro in tho air as if he were feeling for something he could not find The weak hand hoy cred over the saltcellar, and then he asked:
 Where is the salt, mistorY"
 "Right under your hand,' replied, and he dived down and seized it.
 As he sprnkled the salt over the dishes and scattered goodly portion of it on the cloth, he said:
 II don't sec very we'll My sight is nearly gone. It is a great aff1iction.'
 I asked him why he did not wear glasses He said: II havo tried all kinds of glasses, but they do not help mo. Thero is no fault in tho formation of the eye. My eyes arc all right. It is a failure of the optic nerve It is nearly gone. t is a trouble that no doctor can reach. have spent my money on tho best of eye spo cialists, but they can't do anything for me 1 must simply bear my afliction in patience. Soon I will be entirely blind. I know it is 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 I helped him to the pepper and told him where he could find his butter. After some minutes of munching in Il discon certcd sort of manner tho old man said:
 'The most peculiar thing about my blindness is that my food does not taste as good as when could sec it.
 "I used to be very fond of cabbage but 1t has no moro taste now than so much straw. Since began to get blind have learned that sight Is great assistance to tho senso 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. It must tickle tho palate to have proper effect in the stomach. There is TO more tickle to my palate.
 "Now, when I am at home, my wifo helps mo out little. Is this potato in this dish2 Thank you. I can eat pota- toes with somc comfort. They have no particular taste to me, but 1 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 mo 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 am eating she talks to me about how the different things look.
 That roast beef is very tender and brown, she will say. It looks as if it were very sweet. Then she will say, Here arc 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 rostau- rants. "-Pittsourg Dispatch.