The Child's Day by Woods Hutchinson
page 65 of 136 (47%)
page 65 of 136 (47%)
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When I was little and playing with my brothers, I did not always do what they wanted. So they'd sometimes say, "We'll put him in Coventry, then he'll do it." They did not really _put_ me anywhere. They simply would not speak to me or answer anything I said. It was just as if I were entirely alone. Of course it was a quick way to make me ready to take my part in the game again. How do you think you would feel if you never, never could speak to anyone, and no one could speak to you? What a quiet world we'd have! Almost every day I meet a boy who can't hear and can't speak. How does he ask for things? He makes letters and spells words with his fingers, and his friends watch his fingers and read what he says. Is that the way you do? "No, indeed," you say, "I talk." "What do you talk with?" "I talk with my mouth." Yes, that's true enough; but if you did not use something besides your mouth, you'd never make a sound. Where does the sound come from? Feel gently with your finger and thumb along the front of your neck. Do you find something harder than the rest of your throat? That is the large tube called your _windpipe_. Do you feel a ridge sticking out from this? Now sing or talk a little. You can feel the ridge move up and down, and the sound thrill in it. That is where the sound comes from. That is your voice-and-music box, or _larynx_. You have seen the little red rubber balloons, haven't you? You blow into them until they are big and round; and then, when you take your mouth away, out comes the air, making a squawking or whistling sound. Now, if you look closely at the mouthpiece, you see a tiny piece of rubber tied across it. The air rushing past this rubber is what makes |
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