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When Tom's teacher mentioned to Helen that perhaps he would give her a nickname, as is his custom with other intimate friends, Helen was delighted, and asked many questions about this fancy of his. Tom long ago became possessed of the strange notion of applying the names of animals to his teachers and other companions, and he has adhered to it consistently ever since, never misplacing a name. One teacher he calls "Fly," another "Toad," another "Cow," another "Horse," etc. He himself is "Rabbit." So when Helen spoke into his hand her request, he promptly named her "Blackbird." At this she was filled with wonderment. "Do you suppose he thinks I have on a black dress?" she asked me. Tom's reasons are not to be found out, and I could not answer, being as much in the dark as to the connection between Helen Keller and a blackbird as the rest of the company. It was Helen herself who suggested the likeliest reason -- if there was any particular reason. "Don't you think this is it?" raising her hand to her throat, where a golden bird was fastened as a brooch. "He felt this, and must have connected a bird with me because of it." None the less, she was highly flattered to be honored with a special name of her own by the little fellow.

The progress that Tom had made since Helen last met him amazed and charmed her. In answer to an inquiry concerning Tom's education in articulation, his teacher asked him to speak to her with his lips. The strange picture that was then presented I shall never forget. The children sat together, facing each other, each countenance illumined with an animation that the possession of every faculty could not have increased. The older one's accomplishments are remarkable, so that in all things save the senses of sight and hearing she is not one whit behind the most cultured and favored of young women. The other child is following close after her, along the same pathway that she has pursued, knowing not his deficiencies even as much as his companion knows hers, and withal richly encompassed by her tender sympathy.

There they sit, neither having seen since babyhood a ray of light, or having heard the slightest sound, and yet speaking together in articulate, audible words that all present could understand, yet which were not heard by either of the speakers!

One finger of Helen's delicate hand touched Tom's lips, and her thumb rested lightly upon his throat near the chin. He spoke to her sentence after sentence, and she repeated aloud after him the words that he uttered, answering them with her fingers. The significance, the marvelousness of it all, was overwhelming. I doubt if the world has ever seen a greater triumph of education.

Helen's teacher here brought to her two small tokens, and told her that she might give them to Tom as keepsakes, whereat the girl manifested a fresh enthusiasm and eagerness. The first was a tiny and delicate Swiss chalet, carved in wood, which she handed to him with a few words, explaining that it was her gift to him, and in her zeal touching his hand upon her own breast and then upon his to reinforce her meaning. She expressed doubt as to his ability to discover the nature of the ornament -- so slight and elaborate was it. When Tom promptly pronounced it a "house," adding further information about the barn and stairs and fence, her delight knew no bounds, and she fairly trembled with pleasure.

While Tom proceeded with a minute examination of his new possession, Helen sat impatiently waiting to offer the other gift -- a small glass mug incased in silver. She asked me if Tom liked flowers, and suggested that he might keep some in this vessel. Then, laughing softly, she said that she would give the object to him upside down, so as to puzzle him as to its nature; but Tom instantly righted it, and told what it was, adding that it was like a soda-water glass from which he had drunk that afternoon. Helen was mightily pleased, and laughed over Tom's fondness for soda-water, confessing to the same taste herself.

Just before farewells were spoken, Helen turned to the friend seated beside her, and remarked, "What a wonderful boy Tom is! I am very proud of him. I love him dearly, and I hope he will learn to love me." Who can doubt his gratitude to her? It will be a worthy study to watch the developing friendship of these two children, who even now have been drawn together so strangely.