The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-11-20
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Shrls'il'a fhllilpsoh arose oie MAY
morning with Keen sense OF olsaster 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 passing milk
man, wonderful to relate, refrained from
disturbing it with his yClls and clatter-
ut least Christina did not hear him.
Slowly she proceeded to dress, and still
present with her was Il sense of apprchcn-
sion and anxiety. She did not feel very
well either, and there was Il faint buzzing
at the back Of her head. Her movements
she fancied were singularly noiseless that
morning, or else she was very much alb
stracted. She did not even remember to
have heard the plash Of the water as it fell
from the jug into tine 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 tic
stairs of the i'll built house forgot once tC
crcak
Christina rang the bell for breakfast,
and rang twice, for she did not catch the
first faint tinkle The servant who brought
in the tray looked cross. and Christina no.
ticcd that She did not respond to her Good
morningm
With Il faint sigh over the capricious-
ness of servants, Christina poured herself
out some tea. There was queer feeling
upon her such feeling as might we'll he
experienced by one under spell or suffer
ing from that impairment Of consciousness
which attends the bewilGcrcd, and ever at
the very back of Ter head there went on II
busy, coasclcss buZzing. What Il depressed
fool | am, she thought 10 herself and
laughed aloud. And her laugh seemed to
her 10 sound as If it came from her brain.
''Raaliy. - reelected Christina again, Il
never remember to have felt so odd in my
life before / viii play Il little to set my
nerves in order -
She moved toward tho pretty little piano
that stood in the corner Of the room, but
stopped with her hand on the lid, seized
by a sudden and unaccountaDlc fear.
With Il quick, resoluto movement she
flung the lid back and struck Il 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 unbrokcn.
Then Christina recognized that she had
become stone deaf and sat down with Il
scared face to try and realize what it meant
for her
1t meant good dCal-in fact, so much
that she considered seriously whether un-
der tho altered conditions it would be
worth while to continue living
Music had been tn l:cr the central fact OF
life around which everything else in her
world rryu!vell Now the center had been
torn away, chaos was come again.
Never 10 hear music more! Harmony,
melody. rhythm. the exquisite cadence OF
the human voice, the vitcherv Of the Or
chestra, the divine sulemnity of the organ,
even the sounds Of naturc-the whisper Of
the wind, the waves heating on the shore
all to be Lcuccfcrward but Il fantastic
lnCckcry. She could not hear TO think OF
it. Her very soul seemed to be stiied.
Then came IL glimmero of hope. The sen
tenCe might not hc final. She would con-
suit specialist at once. BY chance she
had heard of such orc. Gathering to-
gethcr her small stock of ready money she
dressed hastily and set forth.
The streets as she passed through them
were n nightmare Carts, carriages, cabs
uassCd without u sound; Il horrible noise
lessness had fallen upon the noisy thor
ourhfarcs. The failure Of one slight link
in the mechanism of sense had in mo-
mcnt reduced tho world to dumb show.
Some one i'll the omnibus spoke to Chris
finn. ard she flushed PAINFULLY and touch
ed her ear.
She cot very little consolation from the
expcrt who examined her in exchange fo1
thc two nuipcas size paid him. He gave
her 10 understand that there was some al
lection of the auditory nerve. The trouble
,ninkt rcrhars he localized us IL result OF
an o;cration. Whether tho operation would
ho successful was uncertain. but it was
bourd to be dangerous and extensive.
Christina rossesscd the profound horror
nf rbvsical Dain which so often ard not
o,,itc worthy DISTINGUISHES the artistic
tcmrcro,ncnt. She sbrank from having
tl,;s do,,l+f,rI cvrcrimcnt nractircd upou
herself and left the Gloomy house in Har.
Ion, street ne fas,,airjrp 4 damscI as could
he fnnnd at that particular moment in
tho conn1v of I o,,tioD. which is sayiDa
rucb
Durircr t,,a next few tlays of homeless
-,iscry, Christina suffered incredibly. The
ninno sccrr;l t. mock her. Tie few
friends who called tortured Lcr almost tc
distroction IN. shaking their heads and
writing condolences on scraps of paper Of
bv rising tie deaf and dumb alphabet t.
convey I,,Id nIatitudes concerning rcsigna
tion.
In the extremity Of her despair pool
Christina determined to isolate her life
from all the ties that had grown VI
aronnd it. She felt that she would bt
more comfortable in a country cottage thar
in London.
There at least she need not be Knocked
and distressed hv having her calamity
broupht home to hey at every turn.
IT was not difficult fer her to SO order
her affairs as 10 attain the solitude she de
sired. A small annuity sutficcd for thC
life she intended 10 lead, and death haC
freed her from all obligations Of relation
shin But there was one tie which it hurt