If You Give Me Three Days of Light: The Best Collection of Helen Keller

Chapter 24 The Teacher's Story (1)
leave hometown
In a few minutes, Anne Sullivan would leave this house, take a carriage, then take a train, and go away.This made her very excited!

"I'm going, I'm going. I don't care where my home is..." Annie thought.

Annie knew that riding a carriage or train was commonplace for others, but for her, a little girl who had only ridden in a carriage once, it was an extraordinary thing.Although that carriage ride left her with painful memories, when the rolling axles trembled under her feet, the horses galloped forward, and the direction of galloping was the cemetery where her mother would rest.

But today's situation is very different, and although she doesn't know where she is going, she doesn't mind at all.A long time ago, her father took her to Xixiang, a neighboring town 5 miles away from here. She only knew that she was going to a place farther and farther than Xixiang, and she would never come back.But where you live isn't that important, is it?Because the world is bright, there should be more hope in the future. This is a one-way street. There is no turning back, only going forward bravely.Work hard!She hid the infinite feelings at this moment deep in her heart.

Annie looked around.Quiet and serene villages, peaceful and simple houses, empty green fields, milky white farms and red barns form an interesting contrast, and the smell of roasted tobacco leaves drifts with the wind.But it wasn't her home after all.

She's just a dependent, unwelcome person.His father was an alcoholic, his mother had passed away, and his relatives didn't really want her, but for the sake of face and what little sense of responsibility they had, they took her in.Today she will get rid of the shadow of life that has been oppressing her.

What if the carriage doesn't come?She cannot go without a carriage.Why don't you come?Anne gazed at the road so intently that her eyes ached and she saw no sign of the carriage.She rubbed her left eye first, then her right eye.Hope that can be seen clearly.But the road was still empty, not even a shadow of a carriage.

Annie decided to close her eyes and make a wish for herself: the carriage would definitely appear when the count reached 100.She started counting carefully, for fear of missing the number, but within a few seconds of counting, Su Daxi's cousin, the person who adopted Anne, appeared, knocked heavily on the door, and shouted loudly: "So you hide Here, I've been looking for you since breakfast."

Annie ignored it and continued to count "32, 33, 34..." Su Daxi's cousin started nagging and making meaningless remarks, interrupting her counting, but Annie ignored it and forced herself to concentrate Get up and keep counting.

"Be good today! This request is not too much, Anne!"

Annie didn't answer, and Su Daxi's cousin didn't expect her answer, because Annie always kept silent.

"I have to tell you, be quiet, be obedient, and don't act wild. Do you hear me? Your brother Jimmy is still young. According to Ellen, the sore on his buttocks has not healed. You have to carry him on your back when you carry him, and help him He takes things, so take good care of him..." Su Daxi's cousin hesitated for a while, and then said: "There is one more thing, we are a family, and we can always tolerate you. But that kind Mr. Thomas, you Treat him well, he is not related to us, he doesn't owe us anything, but he came all the way to take you to the train, behave decently in front of him, don't embarrass us, and... ..." Su Daxi's sister-in-law chattered non-stop, but Annie was still counting silently.They had their own thoughts, and they didn't even notice the sound of horseshoes in the distance.

"98, 99, 100!" Annie opened her eyes hastily.The carriage stopped just at the gate.

"It worked." Annie was very happy.

"Anne, Anne, here I am!" she cried eagerly, noticing the head of a little boy poking out of the carriage.It's Jimmy.

"An-ne-" Jimmy yelled again.Family affection filled her heart and choked her throat.Since the family broke up and separated, the siblings hadn't seen each other for several months.

Then Anne's cousin John Sullivan strode up the front steps,

"Mr. Thomas, hello."

"Mr. Sullivan, hello."

After the two shook hands and greeted, John handed Anne's small bundle to Toms.That was the only little property Anne had.

At this time, Su Daxi's cousin and sister-in-law suddenly supported Annie's chin with a strong hand, and turned Annie's face upwards. Annie couldn't escape, so she had to look directly at her. Su Daxi's cousin was tearful, and Annie wondered why She will have this kind of performance.Su Daxi's sister-in-law put her other hand around Annie's waist, pulled her in, and wanted to kiss her. Annie quickly shook her head away. She didn't like the sudden intimacy. She was guessing that Su Daxi's sister-in-law Why does she want to kiss me?Want to shed tears for me?What exactly is going on?

"Hmph, on the last day, you should be more obedient!" After seeing Annie's reaction, the sister-in-law scolded her disdainfully.Hearing this familiar tone, Annie felt a little more settled in her heart, and her guard against self-protection gradually relaxed.It was like acting just now, which made her feel uncomfortable.

John told Annie: "This Mr. Thomas is here to pick you up and Jimmy." Annie glanced at him, and the man was smiling at her.

"Hello, Annie." The stranger greeted her very well, and reached out to shake hands with her.But Annie lowered her eyes, walked over nonchalantly, climbed into the carriage, and sat next to Jimmy. "Hmph, who cares! I don't shake hands with strangers!" Anne thought to herself.

The cousin said: "Annie, please greet this gentleman!" Su Daxi's cousin began to chatter again, saying some meaningless words.

Annie ignored it, turned to her brother and said, "Jimmy, Jimmy, this is wonderful." She was so excited that she was never coming back!Sensitive Jimmy understands how his sister feels.He smiled and patted her on the shoulder lightly. Annie puffed up her chest without looking back, and ran towards the new journey of life without turning her face.

The carriage drove past the grazing mountain and walked on an unfamiliar country road.Jimmy was so excited that he asked Annie to look around from time to time. "Annie, look at that house! That red brick house, with four chimneys! Annie, see? There is a chimney at every corner. Look at the swans in the lake over there, aren't they cold in the water?"

Most of the time Annie would shout anxiously: "Where is it? Tell me quickly." Her eyesight was not good, and her eyesight was sometimes normal, with clear images and sometimes blurred.What a disappointment in vision today.Looking at a layer of clouds and mist from a distance, it is hazy and I can't see things clearly.There was something badly wrong with her eyes and she was almost blind.

It's a pity that the carriage ran too fast, and before they had time to enjoy the scenery along the road, they arrived at Springfield Railway Station.

"Come down, boys." Mr. Thomas urged them happily to get out of the car.The tall Thomas smiled and easily took Jimmy down with one hand, while Annie jumped out of the carriage by herself.

Thomas then went to buy a long list of tickets.

Jimmy asked curiously, "Are they all our tickets?"

"Yeah, because we're going far, far away. Do you want to keep the train tickets?" Thomas asked with a smile.

"Wow!" Jimmy happily stretched out his small hand to grab the hand of the burly man beside him.

Such a big man led a little boy down the platform of the station holding hands, and Annie followed closely behind.

The train ride was really fun at the beginning, but over time, the interest slowly dissipated, and the surrounding scenes became dull and boring.

Annie looked out the window, gradually getting sleepy, and she closed her eyes.

Jimmy began to moan in a low voice: "Sister, it hurts, it hurts!"

"What's going on?" Thomas asked.

Annie, who had just been nearly asleep, woke up and said to Toms: "You should see his ass, there's a tumor the size of a bowl. They say it's 'tuberculosis'. You know what? My mother had it Died of illness." After speaking, he closed his eyes again.

Thomston felt sympathy for a moment.Poor little boy, almost paralyzed with fatal tumors.The skinny little girl was almost blind.It is even more pitiful to think of the place they are going to.well!

God knows what a place it is.

He unconsciously looked at Anne full of sympathy, but Anne didn't care at all, her heart had already been covered with thick armor, who wanted people to pretend to be affectionate and sympathetic to her, Anne Sullivan.

At sunset, the train conductor called out: "Dexburg is here, please get ready to get off." The three of them staggered off the train with tired steps.There was almost no one at the station, only to see a carriage parked there in the distance.Thomas walked forward with two extremely tired children.

It was an old, dilapidated carriage, its black carriage dangling precariously over tall, rusty wheels.What is suspiciously disturbing is that it has no windows.And Anne noticed that there were some air holes in the roof of the carriage, and a chain lock was firmly fastened to a window at the rear of the carriage.Although Anne didn't understand it, she deeply felt that this carriage was unusual and the atmosphere was eerie.

Mr. Thomas picked up a key and opened the door, and said, "Go in." Annie saw two rows of wooden benches inside.

Annie and Jimmy thought it was creepy, and the two little kids were hesitant to go in.

Thomas yelled: "Go up! Do you want me to go up?" He walked towards Jimmy.The little boy was so frightened that he hid behind Annie, clutching Annie's skirt tightly, trembling.

"Come here, all of you." Mr. Thomas began to get a little impatient when he thought that the dinner waiting for him on the table at home was going to be cold. "Listen! I have to go, I handed you over to Lao Ding. Don't be afraid, he will take you there." He pointed to the coachman and said.The ugly old man with wrinkles on his face smiled with his big steel teeth that were yellow and sparse.Nod to Anne and Jimmy.

Seeing the simple and kind smile, Annie's uneasy heart settled down.She climbed into the buggy and Toms took Jimmy to her side. "Goodbye." Thomas slammed the car door shut.

Thomas frowned deeply, watching the carriage drive away.As a government official, he performs tasks according to the law, but he can't bear to watch two innocent children sit on the "Black Mary".

"Black Mary" is a prison car for drunks, thieves, murderers, etc.It's just that the government has no funds!They had no choice but to let them ride in such a carriage. Fortunately, these two children did not know the origin of the carriage.Thinking of this, Thomas felt a little comforted, turned around and left.

Although it was difficult for the light to penetrate into the air holes of the carriage, the cold air hit.But Annie and Jimmy didn't want to think about it now, because they had to concentrate on making themselves sit on the slippery bench.The carriage bumped on the rough road in Desburg, and they would fall off the stool if they were not careful.

Soon, the carriage drove to a gate.The door creaked open, the car drove in and parked in a courtyard inside.

Lao Ding jumped off the seat and opened the door, and the two children stumbled out of the carriage.The surroundings were dark and dim, and the yellow door was slowly closed, shutting Anne and Jimmy inside, isolated from the world.

Lao Ding put Jimmy's little hand in Annie's.Annie looked at Lao Ding blankly.

Lao Ding said: "Take him into the house together, which is the one closest to us. I'll put the horses back into the stable first, and I'll be right back."

February 1876, 2, is Washington's birthday.It was also the day when Anne Sullivan came to a transit station in her life after a journey.

Where will Annie and Jimmy go up the stone steps?
This place is the town of Desburgh, Massachusetts.The official name of the institution that housed them was Massachusetts poorhouse, but it was commonly called: poorhouse.

Good memories

Annie and Jimmy came to a dimly lit hall.A man sitting across the room, busy writing notes, saw them and exclaimed happily, "Come here a little bit, let me see you." His voice and small stature were that of an English cricket.

"You are the Sullivan siblings, right?" Annie and Jimmy nodded, when the footsteps of the coachman Lao Ding came from behind, they turned their heads in unison.At this time, life is sparse and there is no one to rely on. Lao Ding, whom they met only a moment ago, seems to be their confidant for a hundred years.

"Old Ding, it's just in time." The man greeted cheerfully from behind the desk, and then kept flipping through the book until there was a blank page.

"My name is Guo Lanjie. Let me ask a few questions first, and then arrange your rooms and beds, starting with you. Your name is Anne Sullivan, right?"

"Yes." Anne replied.

"how old are you?"

Guo Lanjie waited for a long time, but did not answer.

"How old?" Still the same question.

The room was still silent.

"When is your birthday, you should know that, right?"

Annie replied: "July 7th." She spread the lies she wove without any red heart. The 4th of July is the founding day of the United States. This day is always full of excitement, with firecrackers and fireworks celebrating, children laughing tenderly, and ice cream slowly melting in their mouths, revealing a rich and sweet aroma.This is a festival that symbolizes happiness and hope.In fact, her birthday is April 7th, but no one knows it anyway, so why not assume that July 4th is a happy day?
Guo Lanjie wrote it down.

“可是安妮，你到底几岁呢？8岁、9岁、10岁？我想8岁吧！”郭兰杰猜错了。虽然安妮又瘦又小，但其实她马上就满10岁了。

"Okay, your information is complete. After we ask the little brother a few questions, everything is complete."

Guo Lanjie turned to Lao Ding and said with great emotion: "It's really distressing to come to Desburgh at such a young age. Apart from the abandoned babies here, the two of them are the youngest, how pitiful!" He finally Look at the page with Anne and Jimmy.Name, place of origin, date of birth.Everything that needs to be written is written.Guo Lanjie thought silently in his heart, besides fate, who arranged for these two children to come here all the way? "

All this was before Anne was born.Her parents were Irish. At that time, there was a famine in Ireland. There was no grain harvest for more than 20 years, and the land was barren.Poor small tenant farmers had no choice but to sell everything in the house, and finally sold it to the ground where they had no food.The second is to stay away from home and find another way of life.

In 1860, deserters flooded into the American New World like surging waves.Thomas and Alice of the Sullivan family are also one of them.Thomas took his wife to a small village called Shilugang in Massachusetts.Because he heard people say that there are more job opportunities in this place and it is easy to make a living.

Sure enough, Thomas quickly found a part-time job on a nearby farm.At the beginning, the Sullivans felt lonely and lonely, but it didn't take long for Irish people to immigrate to the place one after another.Seeing so many fellow countrymen, the sense of loneliness also dissipated.

On April 1866, 4, their first child was born.When the pastor asked the baby what name to name when he baptized the child, Alice smiled weakly and whispered, "Jane." But "Jane" was the baptismal name, and everyone called her "Anne" from then on.

The Sullivan family is happy. Although they are still poor, they are no longer hungry.

When Anne was learning to talk, Thomas would tell her stories every day.Usually after dinner, he would pull out the chair, hold Anne on his lap, and say, "What stories do you want to hear today?" In fact, there was no need to ask, she liked to listen to every story my father told, and "Little Red Riding Hood" was the most important one. most.Other Irish fairy tales, ballads, poems...she loved them too.

When the story was over, Thomas would hold Annie high above his head, swinging on a swing, and trot around the house, making his daughter giggle.At this time, he would always say loudly: "My little Anne is so cute, how lucky our Sullivan family is! We have the good luck of Ireland, who dares to bully us!"

family accident
But one day, bad luck came, and the god of luck of Sullivan's family also stayed away and no longer favored them.

Before she was 3 years old, Annie's eyes began to itch, and her eyelids were covered with fine sand-like particles.These small particles changed from soft to hard, from small to large, making Annie's eyes itchy and painful. Annie had to rub and rub, but who knew, because of these rubbing, she hurt her eyes.Annie's eye disease is getting worse day by day.

The Sullivans tried many remedies and folk remedies.Hearing from neighbors that soaking geranium in water can cure her eyes, Alice picked the leaves of geranium with red flowers growing in front of the window and boiled them in a large pot.She washed her daughter's eyes with these bitter juices. As a result, Annie cried desperately in pain, and her eye disease was still not cured.

Sullivan's family was not rich, and they had no money to see a private doctor, so they had to wait for the itinerary doctor from the welfare agency to take Anne to treatment.The doctor came, rolled over Anne's eyelids, took out a small scraper, and scraped off the small particles on the eyelids.Annie screamed and scratched in pain, the doctor stopped her roughly: "Hold her tight, don't move."

Thomas was very respectful, stepped forward and said, "Doctor, please help me, please cure my daughter's eyes."

"I'll give you some eye ointment, apply it twice a day, it's very effective." The doctor's words seemed quite authoritative.

The Sullivans had great confidence in the doctor, so they left with peace of mind.

Watching them walking towards the background of the street, the doctor shook his head and sighed.He knew that the little girl's eyes had no hope of healing.Granular conjunctivitis, also known as trachoma, he couldn't bear to tell the Sullivans the name of the disease. "Trachoma" is a disease of wealth that those rich people can afford.It needs sunlight, fresh air, and a clean environment. It needs nourishment such as meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits to take care of it. It takes a lot of money to cure it.And if the girl's parents were rich, it would be impossible for her to suffer from such dirty things. "Trachoma" is partial to slums and likes to scatter in squalid areas.

The doctor couldn't help shaking his head, don't think about these unsolvable problems!
Misfortunes never come singly.After Anne contracted trachoma, Alice also fell ill.

(End of this chapter)