The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-02-18
DISADVANTAGES OF BEING DEAF


Some people insist" said a deaf
friend of the Star, that it is an ad-
vantage to be deaf, because it saves
one from hearing so much that one
shouldn't, but | confess it doesn't
impress me that way.
Il commenced being deaf about
twenty-five years ago and have been
working at it ever since, SO l have
had a good opportunity to become
wise to the trade. 1t is true that it
keeps me from hearing mosquitoes
and amateur tenors sing, and gives
me a good excuse not to go to church
but otherwise | would be willing to
trade off my ability to swear for one
perfectly good auricular organ.
In the course OF time and trouble,
/ have learned how to figure out
more or less accurately, by watching
peoples faces, to tell what they are
saying, and by dint of looking with
all my might at everything and ev-
erybody, and taking into considera-
ton all the circumstances, and oc-
casionally asking people what they
say, and guessing at what they should
have said, / don't have more than
four times as much trouble in find
ing out things as people who can
hear well do. | always know just
about what people ought to say, but
occasionally some eccentric individ-
ual tries to display originality and
departs from the broad and fiowery
pathway.
Il would thrive better if some Of
my friends with indistinct voices did
not insist on telling me good stories.
The leading characteristic of good
stories is that it is not proper to
print them o. tell them in the hear
ing of ladies ( So when some friend
tells me a pars cular good one on the
street, and sinks his voice below a
mild roar, l am; sometimes puzzled
to follow the thread of his discourse
unless | have heard the story before;
which, thanks to long and wide &C
Squaintance withT travelling men, l
Eenerally have.
Il Il am a very kind-hearted man, if
S"do say so myself, and having found
from my own experience that it pos
itively hurts ones feelings to tell a
good story and not have ones audi
tor laugh, | always strive to be
Johnny on the spot with wide and
vociferous smilehat the funny place
in the yarn. Sd e considerate indi.
the right time Y e nselves, .but most
of them, being modest like myself
! wait for their virtue to be rewarded
and the sun loses much of it's bright
ness if they are not.
| 1T positively distresses me to af
fiict fellow mortal in this way, 81
when some member in my lodge, o.
even a casual acquaintance, altruist
ically strives to impart to me larg,
chunk of mirth, in tones too low o
cluttered up with back teeth for m.
to make them sout, l rivet my att N
ton on his features and watE e" fer
ly for the psychological inf mentI \
turn loose an equine cachifationx
at is this strain on m$ hte1Iec
mostly that has given me the wor
ried expression that some peopl
mistake for remorse.
However, l have worried alon
for almost half a century, gladdenin
many hearts by my enthusiastic az
probation of punk stories that
haven't heard. But an accident tina
happened the other day got not onl
| my goat but all the rest of my liv
; stock.
"A friend of mine, who can hea
, an invitation to take a drink acros
/ the public square, and whose onl
! fault is thaF he cannot realize tia
some otherI can't hear as fell "a h
can, told ME g' cd story. 1t was
corking gdod story, and iho 1 onl
: knew he Vas talking by the fact tia
! his chin was wiggling, l enjoyed
greatly, and laughed at all the goo
points with great glee.
: He was happy with the joy tia
, comes from doing a good deed, an