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Fanomena, March 1948
Page 21
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NONE SO BLIND DAVID H. KELLER The dog growled. John Wright spoke quietly but firmly to her and she looked up at him, licked his hand and then sat down at his feet. "You must not mind her, Mother," explained the man. "You see, for nearly five months she has felt that I am her special property, something alive that belongs to no one but her, and I suppose she is a little jealous of you. I noticed it when we were on the ship. She did not want anyone to take her place in any way; but when she learns to understand that you are blind also I think her attitude will change. They explained it all to me at the school. "These dogs are rather wonderful that way. It takes some months to develop the harmony between the blind man and seeing dog, but once the dog understands that the man belongs to her and that she has to take care of him, the relation between them becomes something rather wonderful. The dog feels absolutely responsible for the man; and not only that, but it seems that she learns to love him. She becomes positively sick if she is separated from him. And there was one dog who simply died when the man recovered his sight and did not need her any longer." The mother laughed nervously. "It all seems so strange to me," she replied. "For years I have been trying to induce you to come and live with me; and for years you had some reason for not doing so. Even when your father died, you refused to come. You would not let me help you financially or in any other way. Of course you were kind to me and wrote regularly, but your visits were short and sometimes years apart. Then I wrote to you that I was blind and needed you. Perhaps it was wrong for me to tell you. The result was an immediate answer that you would come and stay with me just as soon as you could arrange your affairs in New York. The days passed and the weeks and months and I thought you never would come, but today you came. And you are blind also, and tell about some hunting accident with your beautiful blue eyes and a black silk bandage so people will not see the horror of it. And a dog to take care of you, when for years I wanted to, just like I did when you were a baby. "You were a pretty baby, and I loved you more than you will ever know. But you grew hard. I tried to make you understand about your father and his neglect of me and my need for you, but you simply went further away form me. And I needed you. There were years when we could have been so much to each other, but you simply would not understand my love and need of you. I had money enough for both of us but you felt you had to be independent of me. The more I offered you help, the more you refused that help. Your father died and all you did was to write that you were sorry, but you would not come back to me. And then when I had the letter written to you that I was hopelessly blind, you came----and you were blind also. A few years ago I could have taken care of you, been your eyes. Now you have a dog, and when I take you in my arms and kiss you, the dog growls. Jealous of me; what a pity! A mother waiting for years for a son to return her love, and then a dog comes between them." The man leaned over and patted the dog on her head. "She will understand in a few days, Mother, and till then you will have to be patient. I will talk to her, try to explain that you are blind also. I never heard it before but perhaps we can arrange life so Freda will want to take care of both of us. Of course she will never love you the way that she loves me because I am her special property, but she will learn to be kind to you because you are going to be a very important part of my life just as she is. Perhaps in a few months the three of us will be great pals. You be kind and gentle to her, and allow her to adjust herself to her new home. Everything will be all right. She really is a wonderful dog; almost human in her keen understanding of life and its problems. But tell me about yourself and your companion and your home. It must be very beautiful. I can hear the waves break on the rocks, and I can smell the roses here in the garden." 21
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NONE SO BLIND DAVID H. KELLER The dog growled. John Wright spoke quietly but firmly to her and she looked up at him, licked his hand and then sat down at his feet. "You must not mind her, Mother," explained the man. "You see, for nearly five months she has felt that I am her special property, something alive that belongs to no one but her, and I suppose she is a little jealous of you. I noticed it when we were on the ship. She did not want anyone to take her place in any way; but when she learns to understand that you are blind also I think her attitude will change. They explained it all to me at the school. "These dogs are rather wonderful that way. It takes some months to develop the harmony between the blind man and seeing dog, but once the dog understands that the man belongs to her and that she has to take care of him, the relation between them becomes something rather wonderful. The dog feels absolutely responsible for the man; and not only that, but it seems that she learns to love him. She becomes positively sick if she is separated from him. And there was one dog who simply died when the man recovered his sight and did not need her any longer." The mother laughed nervously. "It all seems so strange to me," she replied. "For years I have been trying to induce you to come and live with me; and for years you had some reason for not doing so. Even when your father died, you refused to come. You would not let me help you financially or in any other way. Of course you were kind to me and wrote regularly, but your visits were short and sometimes years apart. Then I wrote to you that I was blind and needed you. Perhaps it was wrong for me to tell you. The result was an immediate answer that you would come and stay with me just as soon as you could arrange your affairs in New York. The days passed and the weeks and months and I thought you never would come, but today you came. And you are blind also, and tell about some hunting accident with your beautiful blue eyes and a black silk bandage so people will not see the horror of it. And a dog to take care of you, when for years I wanted to, just like I did when you were a baby. "You were a pretty baby, and I loved you more than you will ever know. But you grew hard. I tried to make you understand about your father and his neglect of me and my need for you, but you simply went further away form me. And I needed you. There were years when we could have been so much to each other, but you simply would not understand my love and need of you. I had money enough for both of us but you felt you had to be independent of me. The more I offered you help, the more you refused that help. Your father died and all you did was to write that you were sorry, but you would not come back to me. And then when I had the letter written to you that I was hopelessly blind, you came----and you were blind also. A few years ago I could have taken care of you, been your eyes. Now you have a dog, and when I take you in my arms and kiss you, the dog growls. Jealous of me; what a pity! A mother waiting for years for a son to return her love, and then a dog comes between them." The man leaned over and patted the dog on her head. "She will understand in a few days, Mother, and till then you will have to be patient. I will talk to her, try to explain that you are blind also. I never heard it before but perhaps we can arrange life so Freda will want to take care of both of us. Of course she will never love you the way that she loves me because I am her special property, but she will learn to be kind to you because you are going to be a very important part of my life just as she is. Perhaps in a few months the three of us will be great pals. You be kind and gentle to her, and allow her to adjust herself to her new home. Everything will be all right. She really is a wonderful dog; almost human in her keen understanding of life and its problems. But tell me about yourself and your companion and your home. It must be very beautiful. I can hear the waves break on the rocks, and I can smell the roses here in the garden." 21
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