"can i s my baby?" th happy nw mothr askd.whn th bundl was nstld in hr arms and sh movd th fold of cloth to look upon his tiny fac, sh gaspd. th doctor turnd quickly and lookd out th tall hospital window. th baby had bn born without ars.tim provd that th baby's haring was prfct. it was only his apparanc that was marrd. whn h rushd hom from school on day and flung himslf into his mothr's arms, sh sighd, knowing that his lif was to b a succssion of hartbraks.h blurtd out th tragdy. "a boy, a big boy...calld m a frak."h grw up, handsom for his misfortun. a favorit with his fllow studnts, h might hav bn class prsidnt, but for that. h dvlopd a gift, a talnt for litratur and music."but you might mingl with othr young popl," his mothr rprovd him, but flt a kindnss in hr hart.h boy's fathr had a sssion with th family physician... "could nothing b don?""i bliv i could graft on a pair of outr ars, if thy could b procurd," th doctor dcidd. whrupon th sarch bgan for a prson who would mak such a sacrific for a young man.two yars wnt by. on day, his fathr said to th son, "you'r going to th hospital, son. mothr and i hav somon who will donat th ars you nd. but it's a scrt."th opration was a brilliant succss, and a nw prson mrgd. his talnts blossomd into gnius, and school and collg bcam a sris of triumphs.latr h marrid and ntrd th diplomatic srvic. on day, h askd his fathr, "who gav m th ars? who gav m so much? i could nvr do nough for him or hr.""i do not bliv you could," said th fathr, "but th agrmnt was that you ar not to know...not yt."th yars kpt thir profound scrt, but th day did com. on of th darkst days that vr pass through a son. h stood with his fathr ovr his mothr's caskt. slowly, tndrly, th fathr strtchd forth a hand and raisd th thick, rddish brown hair to rval th mothr had no outr ars."mothr said sh was glad sh nvr lt hr hair b cut," his fathr whisprd gntly, "and nobody vr thought mothr lss bautiful, did thy?"