Year: 1866

saved my life entirely through hav-
ing learned the deaf and dumb al lpha-
bet


There were two little boys who
used TO come and stay with Frank
and me when we were first married;
and they could neither hear or speak.


They were deaf and dumb; they
could not speak except with their
iingers-so--only ever so much
quicker.


Frank aud | learned this foreign
alphabet On purpose that we might
understand What these poor lads had
to say They were quick and clever;
they could read and write, aye, and
draw and sew, and do many other
things which most boys would make
a poor hand ut.


They could play at drsughts and
backgammon, and chess, and fox
and geese, as well as any boys.
They could almost see what we SAID
though they could not hear, with
such quick, esger eyes did they watch
every movement of our lips. We
soon, however, got to talk as easily
with our fingers as tongues, and
sometimes, when the lads were not
with us, Frank aud l used to con-
verse in that manner when we were
alone for practice.


1t happened upon one occasion
that he had to go to London on i'm
pertant business; he was to have gone
by an afternoon train, but something
delayed him so that he was not able
to leave before night express. j was
not in very good health and retired
to my bed room about two hours be
fore his departure; he promised,
however, to come up and bid me
good bye, before he started, which
would be between II and ] O'Clock
in the morning. The matter which
called him away was connected with
the bank here, which had just been
burned down and my husband, it
seems thought 1 did not know it at
the time-so great a secret, and he
endeavored to keep it-had many
thousand pounds belonging to the
firm, in his temporary possession,
locked up in the iren safe in our bed
room, where the plate was kept. He
was bank manager and responsible
for the whole Of it. It was winter
time, and there was fire in the room
so bright and comfortable that / was
in no hurry to leave 1t and get into
bed and sat up looking into the fiery
Goals, and thinking about all sorts of
things; upon the long journey Frank
had to take that night, and how drea
ry the days would seem until he re-
turned, and, in particular, how lonely
/ should feel in that great room all
by myself, when he would be far
away-for was q dreadful coward.
1t was q littlRafter II O'Clock when
I got int be1 but did not feel the
least inclined to sleep even then. l
knew Frank would be coming to bid
me good bye presently, and besides,
there seemed to be sll sorts OF noises
about the bed room, which my fool
ish ears always used to hear when
ever i was alone at night time.


If a little SCOT fell down the chin
ney, it was, / thought, q great black
crow, at least, which would soon be
flying about the room, and settling
upon my pillow; if mouse squeaked
in the wainscot, it was the creaking
of some dreadful persons shoes,
coming up stairs to kill me with the
carving knife, and if the wind blew
at the easement, it was somebody else
trying to get in at the window, al
though it was two stories high. You
may imagine then, my horror when l
heard tremendous sneeze within a
quarter of an inch of me, just behind
the headboard of the bed, and be-
tween that and the wall where there
was considerable space. / had, as
usual, taken the precaution, before i
put the candle out, of locking every
where in the room where it was quite
possible any person could be hid,
but into the little alcove into which
the bed was pushed, / had never so
much as thought Of looking, although
that was a capital hiding place for
any body. Eyer since l had slept
in that room, in short, l had been
like the ostrich, who puts his head
in the sand, and then imagines him.
self in perfect security. l had piqued
myself upon precautionary measures
that after all, might just as well have
been omitted. The only thing, be-
lieve, which saved my reason from
departing altogether when l first
heard that terrible sound, was that
my nind chung to the hope, that il
might be, after all, only the sneeze
Of cat. Fifty cats together could
not have made half the disturbance,


it is true, for it was the sneeze of 8


man who sneezed in spite of himself


and almost shook the house, but the
idea sustained me over the first


shock. The next instant the wretch


had sneezed again, and pushing aside


the bed, which rolled on casters,


felt that he was standing beside m,


pillow looking 1t me. II he hat


only given one sneeze, he might per


haps have believed me. IS / lay quit,