He took to his bed sick, and had a procession of diseases.

The closing one was scarlet-fever, and he came out of it stone deaf.

Within a year or two speech departed, of course.
But some years later he was taught to talk, after a fashion--one couldn't always make out what it was he was trying to say.

Of course he could not modulate his voice, since he couldn't hear himself talk.

When he supposed he was talking low and confidentially, you could hear him in Illinois.
Four years ago (1902) I was invited by the University of Missouri to come out there and receive the honorary degree of LL.D.I took that opportunity to spend a week in Hannibal--a city now, a village in my day.