NECESSARILY DEAF. 20g 
“ Humph ! She must be awful deaf, or else 
she hasn’t any manners not to answer a civil 
question,” he mutters, as he disappears in the 
crowd. 
Those immediately behind him have been too 
much occupied to profit by his failure, and with 
curiosity all aroused by the strange creatures in 
frames or out of them, that she was at work with, 
at once begin : 
“ Mrs., will you tell me the frame of the animal 
you have your hands on, and what you are 
making here ?” 
Another change in the beast’s position, but no 
answer. The man behind him, inspired with the 
same zeal for knowledge, calls out: 
“ Hallo, there ! Ain’t this ’ere a buf ’lo ? ” 
And the woman by his side pipes up : 
“ If you please, miss, air these all Kansas 
critters ? ” 
And a man behind them, provoked by her 
utter absorption in her work, exclaims : 
“ I say, ma’am ! Can’t you hear a civil ques- 
tion ? I paid my money to come into this show, 
and I want to know about this here.” 
So the hours went by. Of course numberless 
questions were answered. When possible, with- 
out a waste of time, it was a pleasure to give all 
the information in her power, but she felt that 
her duty was first to the eyes of the public rather 
14 
