The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1914-05-22
AN ACHIEVEMENT
WORTH WHILE.
A Lesson in Winning Against Great
Odds.

Courtesy Of Pictorial Review, June
1910
Madame Maeterlinck recently made
a second visit to Helen Keller. the IA
nous American wonder Woman"
1t was a surprise to Miss Keller. The
following impressions of the brilliant
Frenchwoman are well worth reading:
Helen was at work We had hush
ed our footsteps; there was nothing to
warn her Mr.. Macy softly opened
the study door and the three of US
stood on the threshold, happy to see
each other again, lowering our voices
instinctively as we talked and laughed
though her profound isolation protect
ed her better than our discretion. Hell
en- was at work and nothing could
reach her; she was wholly wrapped up
in her thoughts which ranged through
continents Never had seen n more
absolute picture Of intellectual activ-
ity.
Helen was using her Typewriter;
and the heavy silence around her was
hammered regularly by the little hard
taps of each letter. Her rigid atti-I
tudc was more striking than ever She
was sitting, dressed as on the last oc
casion, at her table by the window
where pots Of flowers stand on
gb,ly.g. md tho ,,,,,a 1irrbt o., La
turned the room into radiant con
servatory. Are not things, like hu-
man beings, loyal to their service to
the blind girl? Do they not come he
tween her and the world so as to dead
en- every shock? | shall often, when
| think OF Helen, be conscious of that
fond conspiracy.
was in no hurry to betray my
presence and my companions under
stood me. The picture which we were
contemplating breathed such profound
and absolute peace. Helen asserted
in our eyes the strength and security
Of one living far removed from all.
What beautiful lesson in proportion,
for my senses blinded by externalsl
What an incompatible lesson!
was about to go up to Helen, when
! saw her suddenly stop working
She sighed, passed her hand over her
forehead which was little contract
ed with the effort % thinking, and
then resumed her writing.
! waited a little while. could not
bear to interrupt her; was or the
threshold of temple and / was
afraid lest, in knocking, should do
mortal hurt to prayer that seemed
incarnatc.
The blind girl working opposite me
was both very far away, because una
ware Of my presence, and very near,
because Of that unconsciousness which
allowed me, so to speak, to see the
working Of her mind. Until that mo-
mcnt, had never realized the impen-
ctrablc armor furnished by our sens
es. was going to kiss Helen; and
my kiss would laid right upon her
naked soul.
kiss her, stoop over cheek, pass
ing my arm around her neck; but she
draws herself up, painting as though
an electric current had touched her
Her nervous hands seek mine; then
they run along my arms, my neck, my
cheeks, my hair and, for a second they
doubt; her quivering nostrils recog
nize some subtle odor, her lips move,
she is just about to speak my name.
But it is impossible She knows that
am gone; this very morning she was
glad of the fine weather and hoping
that the sea would be mcrciful to my
pangs. She rejects the sylahles that
force themselves upon her and fever
ishly continues her examination.
am wearing quite different clothes;
and that also dsconcerts her. New
ertheless, she finds the game exciting.
Her face lights up with pleasure, for
the feast of hearts has already be-
gun. She laughs, | laugh, too; and
my gaiety removes her last doubts.
Then she kisses me, hugs me, shows
me her affection with adorable smiles
and gestures; she falters words full
of happiness and | see the thousand
pure enthusiasms of that generous
nature glowing in all their radiance.