It seemed to me, as far as I could recollect, there was only a chair here and there and yonder, five or six of them scattered over this territory, and I thought maybe after I found that chair I might find the next one.  Well, I did.  And I found another and another and another.  I kept going around on my hands and knees, having those sudden collisions, and finally when I banged into another chair I almost lost my temper.  And I raised up, garbed as I was, not for public exhibition, right in front of a mirror fifteen or sixteen feet high.

I hadn’t noticed the mirror; didn’t know it was there.  And when I saw myself in the mirror I was frightened out of my wits.  I don’t allow any ghosts to bite me, and I took up a chair and smashed at it.  A million pieces.  Then I reflected.  That’s the way I always do, and it’s unprofitable unless a man has had much experience that way and has clear judgment.  And I had judgment, and I would have had to pay for that mirror if I hadn’t recollected to say it was Twichell who broke it.

Then I got down, on my hands and knees and went on another exploring expedition.

As far as I could remember there were six chairs in that Oklahoma, and one table, a great big heavy table, not a good table to hit with your head when rushing madly along.  In the course of time I collided with thirty-five chairs and tables enough to stock that dining-room out there.  It was a hospital for decayed furniture, and it was in a worse condition when I got through with it.  I went on and on, and at last got to a place where I could feel my way up, and there was a shelf.  I knew that wasn’t in the middle of the room.  Up to that time I was afraid I had gotten out of the city.

I was very careful and pawed along that shelf, and there was a pitcher of water about a foot high, and it was at the head of Twichell’s bed, but I didn’t know it.  I felt that pitcher going and I grabbed at it, but it didn’t help any and came right down in Twichell’s face and nearly drowned him.  But it woke him up.  I was grateful to have company on any terms.  He lit a match, and there I was, way down south when I ought to have been back up yonder.  My bed was out of sight it was so far away.  You needed a telescope to find it.  Twichell comforted me and I scrubbed him off and we got sociable.

But that night wasn’t wasted.  I had my pedometer on my leg.  Twichell and I were in a pedometer match.  Twichell had longer legs than I. The only way I could keep up was to wear my pedometer to bed.  I always walk in my sleep, and on this occasion I gained sixteen miles on him.  After all, I never found that sock.  I never have seen it from that day to this.  But that adventure taught me what it is to be blind.  That was one of the most serious occasions of my whole life, yet I never can speak of it without somebody thinking it isn’t serious.  You try it and see how serious it is to be as the blind are and I was that night.