Page 277 - The Story of My Lif

sentences by single words. “Milk,”

with a gesture means, “Give me more milk.” “Mother,” accompanied by an
inquiring look, means, “Were is mother?” “Go” means, “I want to go out.” But
when I spell into her hand, “Give me some bread,” she hands me the bread, or if

I say, “Get your hat and we will go to walk,” she obeys instantly. The two words,
“hat” and “walk” would have the same effect; BUT THE WHOLE SENTENCE,
REPEATED MANY TIMES DURING THE DAY, MUST IN TIME IMPRESS
ITSELF

UPON THE BRAIN, AND BY AND BY SHE WILL USE IT HERSELF.

We play a little game which I find most useful in developing the intellect, and
which incidentally answers the purpose of a language lesson. It is an adaptation
of hide-the-thimble. I hide something, a ball or a spool, and we hunt for it. When

we first played this game two or three days ago, she showed no ingenuity at all
in finding the object. She looked in places where it would have been impossible
to put the ball or the spool. For instance, when I hid the ball, she looked under
her writing-board. Again, when I hid the spool, she looked for it in a little box
not more than an inch long; and she very soon gave up the search. Now I can
keep up her interest in the game for an hour or longer, and she shows much more
intelligence, and often great ingenuity in the search. This morning I hid a
cracker. She looked everywhere she could think of without success, and was
evidently in despair when suddenly a thought struck her, and she came running
to me and made me open my mouth very wide, while she gave it a thorough
investigation. Finding no trace of the cracker there, she pointed to my stomach
and spelled “eat,” meaning, “Did you eat it?”

Friday we went down town and met a gentleman who gave Helen some candy,
which she ate, except one small piece which she put in her apron pocket. When
we reached home, she found her mother, and of her own accord said, “Give baby
candy.” Mrs. Keller spelled, “No—baby eat—no.” Helen went to the cradle and
felt of Mildred’s mouth and pointed to her own teeth. Mrs. Keller spelled
“teeth.” Helen shook her head and spelled “Baby teeth—no, baby eat—no,”
meaning of course, “Baby cannot eat because she has no teeth.”