The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-11-20
HER DEAFNESS.


Christina Phillipson arose one May
morning with keen sense Of disaster up
on her.
She drew the blind back. The spring
sunshine flooded the little suburban street
in which she lived. Quiet and peaceful it
looked, so much SO that a passing milk
disturbing 1t with his yells and clatter--
at least Christina did not hear him.
Slowly she proceeded to dress, and still
present with her was sense of apprchon
sion and anxiety She did not feel very
well either, and there was faint buzzin9
at tho back of her head. Her movements
she fancied were singularly noiseless that
morning, or else she was very much alb.
straotcd. She did not even remember tC
have heard the plash of the water as 1t fell
from tho jug into the basin. She wondered
for second or two with an idle half
formed wonder, and then passed down in
softly falling felt slippers to her little sit.
ting room. There was conspiracy Of
silence abroad, it seemed, for even the
stairs Of the i'll built house forgot once to
creak
Christina rang tho bell for breakfast,
and rang twice, for she did not catch the
first faint tinkle The servant who brought
in tho tray looked cross, and Christina no.
ticed that she did not respond to her GOOD
mornirgp'
With faint sigh over tho capricious-
ness Of servants, Christina poured herself
out some tea. There was queer feeling
upon her, such n feeling as might we'll BIO
experienced by ono under spell or suffer
Ing from that Impairment of consciousness
which attends tho bewildered, and ever at
the very back of hor head there went on n
busy, ceascless buzzing "What depressed
fool l am, sho thought to herself and
laughed aloud. And her laugh seemed to
her to sound as If it came from her brain.
"Rcally," reflected Christina again, ~
never remember to have felt so odd In my
life before. l will play II little to set my
nerves in order ~
She moved toward the pretty little piano
that stood In the corner of the room, but
stopped with her hand on the lid seized
by a sudden and unaccountablo fear.
With quick, resolute movement she
flung the lid back and struck a full chord
with both hands on the keyboard. There
was no sound, and although she struck
again and again the dreadful silence of the
room remained unbroken.
Then Christina recoonizcd that she had
become stone deaf and sat down with
scared face ia try and realize whnt IT meant
for her.
II meant oood dea,-,n fact ca mucb
that she considered seriously whether nm
dor the altered conditions il would be
worth while to continue living,
Music had been to her tho central fact of
life around which everything else in her
world revolyed. Now the center had been
torn AWAY. cbeos was come amin.
Never TO hear music more HARMONY.
melody rbvthm the cxouisito cadence of
the human voice, tho witohery of tho Or
cbestro. the divine solomnity of the orson.
even the sounds of nature-the whisper of
the wind. the waves beatinp on the shore
all to be benceforward but n fantastic
mockery She could not hear to think of
it. Her very soul seemed to be sti1ed
Then came II plimmer of hone. The sem
tence might not be final Sho would con-
suit spccialist at once BY chance she
had heard of such n one. Gathering to-
petber her small stuck of ready money she
dressed bastilv and eet forth
The streets ss sbo nossed througb them
were n nightmare Carts carriages. cnbs
passod without n eound n horribIo noise-
iessposs Ind fallen unon thc noisy thor
ouphfores The failure Of one slipbt link
in tho mechanism Of sense Ind in n mo-
mont reduced tLe world to "A dumb show
Some one in thu omnibus spoke to Chris
tino and che nushed noinfujlv and touch.
ed her orr
Sho rot very little consolation from the
oypert who examined her in exchange for
the two on;nens size Maid him He oove
her 70 understand that there was some af-
fiction of tho auditory nerve Tho trouble
might nerhans he localized MS n result of
an operation' whether Tho oporotlon would
he successful was uncertain but il was
bound to be dangerous and extensive
Christina nossessed the nrofourd horror
of physical pain which so often and not
nuito worthilv distinguishes the artistic
femrornment She shronk from having !
this doubtful exneriment nracticed mon
herself and loft the gloomv house in Iiar-
lev street ns dcsnoirinq n damscl MS could
he found ut that porticular moment in
tbe county of Jopdon which ia saving
mucb
Duripg tho noyt favy dave of bono,oss
misery Christina suffered incredibIv The
piono seemed to mock her The few