The story of my life by Helen Keller (chp#5)

 Story of my life by Helen Keller Chapter Five 

       I recall many incidents of the summer of 1887 that followed my soul's sudden awakening I did nothing but explore with my hands and learn the name of every object that I touched and the more I handled things and learned their names and uses the more joyous

and confident grew my sense of kinship with the rest of the world when the time of daisies and buttercups came miss sullivan took me by the hand across the fields where men were preparing the earth for the seed to the banks of the river tennessee and there sitting on the warm grass I had my first lessons in the beneficence of nature Ilearned how the sun and the rain make to grow out of the ground every tree that is pleasant to the site and good for food how birds build their nests and live and thrive from land to land how the squirrel the deer the lion and every other creature finds food and shelter as my knowledge of things grew I felt more and more the delight of the world I was in long before I learned to do a summer in arithmetic or describe the shape of the earth ms sullivan had taught me to find beauty in the fragrant woods in every blade of grass and in the curves and dimples of my baby sister's hand she linked my earliest thoughts with nature and made me feel that birds and flowers and I were happy peers but about this time I had an experience which taught me that nature is not always kind one day my teacher and I were returning from a long ramble the morning had been fine but it was growing warm and sultry when at last we turned our faces home wood two or three times we stopped to rest under a tree by the wayside our last halt was under a wild cherry tree a short distance from the house the shade was grateful and the tree was so easy to climb that with my teacher's assistance I was able to scramble to a seat in the branches it was so cool up in the tree that Miss Sullivan proposed that we have our lunch in there I promised to keep still while she went to the house to fetch it suddenly a change passed over the tree all the sun's warmth left the air I knew the sky was black because all the heat which meant light to me had died out of the atmosphere a strange odor came up from the earth I knew it it was the odor that always precedes a thunderstorm and a nameless fear clutched at my heart I felt absolutely alone cut off from my friends and the firm earth the immense the unknown enfolded me I remained still an expectant a chilling terror crept over me I longed for my teacher's return but above all things I wanted to get down from that tree there was a moment of sinister silence then a multitudinous stirring of the leaves a shiver ran through the tree and the wind set forth the blast that would have knocked me off had I not clung to the brunch with might and mane the tree swayed and strained the small twigs snapped and fell about me in showers a wild impulse to jump seize me.

 But terra held me fast I crouched down in the fork of the tree the branches lashed about me I felt the intermittent jarring that came now and then as if something heavy had fallen and the shock had travelled up till it reached the limb I sat on it worked up my suspense up to the highest point and just as I was thinking that the tree and I should fall together my teacher seized my hand and helped me down i clung to her trembling with joy to feel the earth under my feet once more I had learnt a new lesson that nature wages open war against her children and under the softest touch hides treacherous claws after this experience it was a long time before I climbed another tree the mere thought filled me with terror it was the sweet allurement of the mimosa tree in full bloom that finally overcame my fears one beautiful spring morning when I was alone in the summer house reading I became aware of a wonderful subtle fragrance in the air I started up and instinctively stretched out my hands it seemed as if the spirit of spring had passed through the summer house what is it I asked and the next minute I recognized the odor of the mimosa blossoms I felt my way to the end of the garden knowing that the mimosa tree was near the fence at the turn of the path yes there it was all quivering in the warm sunshine its blossom-laden branches almost touching the long grass was there ever anything so inquisitively beautiful in the world before its delicate blossoms shrank from the slightest earthly touch it seemed as if a tree of paradise had been transplanted to earth I made my way through a shower of petals to the great trunk and for one minute stood irresolute then putting my foot in the broad space between the forked branches I pulled myself up into the tree I had some difficulty in holding on for the branches were very large and the bark hurt my hands but I had a delicious sense that I was doing something unusual and wonderful so I kept on climbing higher and higher until I had reached a little seat which somebody had built there so long ago that it had grown a part of the tree itself I sat there for a long long time feeling like a fairy on a rosy cloud after that, I spent many happy hours in my tree of paradise thinking fair thoughts and dreaming bright dreams,

                                                            (End of Chapter.)