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Discussion in ' Boat Design ' started by william phillipsMar 21, Log in or Sign up. Boat Design Net. My school is hosting a regatta in which we need to make boats out of cardboard. Pur group cardboxrd to find a good design for a simple, stable, and efficient boat. Most of the pictures we find online of cardboard boats just look like boxes. Any ideas on what designs could help us win? JamesGMar 21, Mr EfficiencyMar 21, Having won a few of these events Cardboard boat regatta plans list can tell you monohulls are hugely successful and kayak style paddling is the way to go.

The most important thing oist the rules. What are they? BlueBellMar 21, Tube end cones, cardboard boat regatta plans list out the dashed line in the first pic and pull the remaining part together the text in the below pic is Dutch. Heavy - duty cardboard Concrete Form Tubesthey're normally used as forms to cardboard boat regatta plans list concrete pillars. Last edited: Mar 21, You must log in or sign up lisg reply.

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Pros everything you need within a 5km radius Close to the cbd Totally unique family lifestyle Golf course and lake. Growing up in Melbourne's inner east, I moved to Point Cook after a 10 year stint in Sydney and overseas and wouldn't consider shifting back over the bridge to the East.

Whilst there are certain things that could be added to the suburb, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. Point Cook has lots of beautiful homes with people taking pride in their gardens, clean graffiti free streets and where neighbours actually talk to each other.

There is a sense of community in Point Cook which lacks in a lot of other suburbs today. The Town Centre and Sanctuary Lakes Shopping Centre have various shopping options and funky restaurant and cafes are beginning to become more common. A cinema, a recreation centre with courts and a pool and it's own police station wouldn't go astray.

It was a spur of the moment decision that has paid off. Now we're in our 30's, have paid off our mortgage and the increase in our property value has allowed us to buy more. In my opinion all the homes on the other side of Sneydes Rd to the south are on top of each other because they are on tiny blocks. Some people complain about the lack of infrastructure but I think its terrific.

We didn't even have a shopping centre when we first moved here now there are 3 with another being built. Traffic is an issue if you work in the city during business hours but we don't so this isnt an issue for us. Also we got our internet put in many years ago before the lack of ports was an issue.

There are no scumbags or bogans - seriously! Werribee Plaza is 10 minutes away which has cinemas and myer and every other store imaginable - but lots of bogans! My only complaint is that I wish they would stop releasing tiny blocks of land. Take a drive down the streets in the Salt Water Coast estate and you'll get the picture.

Large homes are being built on sqm blocks and it looks horrible. This is seen all over Melbourne however, as property developers and governments are getting greedy. My advice is to buy close to the town centre where there is a diversity on the style of homes you will see and it doesn't look like a ghetto. Cons parts of PC a bit ghetto. It's not that affordable to rent here, its not very neighbourly, public transport isn't great and its a nightmare to get to the city over the westgate.

Pros Beautiful and new Quiet and peaceful unless you live near construction Close to shops. Cons Getting to the city Lack of public transport Not very affordable. TayaM i don't know when you write this but now there is more then anything lots of transportation.

I have lived in point cook for 5 years and never regret my decision. I bought my house for k and just sold for k above the price, since I need to move to adelaide for personal reason. However, not all houses in point cook would have that good ROI. Overall, its a great suburb: nice friendly people, low density, great shopping experience at Sanctury lake SC and Point cook town centre: Target, big W, coles, pumpkin patch, Masters, etc.

Seabrook primary school, point cook primary school are good school for your kids, and sanctuary lakes primary school is under construction. Among all estates of point cook, Sanctuary lakes resort is the best, probably one of the most beautiful residential estates in victoria.

The average house there would costs k k. Salt water estate is after Sanctuary lakes. Alamanda is the most affordable but with highest density and minimum facility. Traffic on point cook road in the morning during workday is bad especially after am. You need to get up a bit eariler. At am, there is few to zero traffic; at am the traffic is still good.

However, from that point, the traffic will get worse and worse until 9am. Alternatively, I drove to william landing train station and took the train every morning and never had a problem. Helpful 1 Comment 1 Follow Share Facebook. Xxxx Great Review Chining! How long did it take to drive to William Landing Train Station and what was the parking situation like there? This place is like our second home.

It has nice clean environment, very modern and has lots of shops and good restaurants. It will be a marvellous place to live in if you do not need to travel out to city for work. The usual complaints are always about the stagnant traffic every workday mornings.

Getting out of Point Cook is just frustrating and it is the same heading back in that direction from Westgate. The existing infrastructure is not ready for the quick population growth. What is worse� there are a lot more new developments in Point Cook, hence this spells more Jam and Congestion. It is bearable by tweaking the work hours or work from home, but the ultimate white flag is the lack Secondary Schools� so� they are moving.

Pros everything you need within a 5km radius Totally unique family lifestyle Golf course and lake. Cons Secondary Schools roads. However, once I became an adult and got a job in the city, from around traffic was an absolute nightmare.

Capital Growth was another bummer, if you looking to make decent equity on a property, point cook ain't for you, with the capital growth averaging just 3. It ranks in the bottom half in Australia. That being said if your retired or well off, and just wanna live in a nice area, point cook is for you. Pros Golf course and lake Lots of new modern estates.

Internet is not a problem for us. Currently with ADSL2 with good speeds. Driving to CBD during weekdays can be a nightmare at certain hours. If you leave home around after 8.

Pros quiet good location everything you need within a 5km radius. Everything you need is close by with shops, doctors, etc. It can be noisy with dogs barking, kids screaming, teenage hoons, etc. Stay away from houses near parks - teens often hang out there after dark and make a lot of unwanted noise.

We have many friends and acquaintances who had their homes and cars broken into, vandalised, etc. Crime rates seem to be rising as of late. Internet is hit or miss depending on the area you live in. Saltwater Coast is really dodgy for internet, Alamanda is all Fibre Optic, the non-estate, older areas of Point Cook are really unreliable whether you can get access or not, as is Sanctuary Lakes.

We love Point Cook because of the community spirit and it's closeness to everything and my hubby's work. Plus we have made lots of friends here. It is a hugely multi-cultural suburb made up of expats from many, many nations. It brings such a colourful, diverse cross section of people into one area and makes life interesting and fun.

Cons Bad traffic Severely lacking infrastructure for amount of population internet Public Transport. Recommended for Professionals Families with kids Retirees.

Helpful 1 Comments 5 Follow Share Facebook. Source: Victoria Police published statistics. I have personally had my car vandalised, I had two of my tyres ruined by someone wedging glass bottles under my rear tyres whilst I was at the Chemist Warehouse off Boardwalk Blvd.

Considering that I only know around 30 people in Point Cook, I would say those are some pretty scary numbers. There is crime everywhere of course, but I have heard of more crime living in Point Cook than I have anywhere else I've lived in Australia, that is just my experience. I am no expert and do not claim to be.

I am merely stating my personal experience and knowledge gathered from statistics. We hear so much about the crime and suspicious activity from friends and also on the Facebook PC Residents page. There were at least 3 suspected pedophile incidents in the area within 6 months - One was at Saltwater Coast where a school girl waiting for a bus and was chased down the road by one or two men, one where a man at the end of our street in Alamanda on Magnetic Ave tried to get our little boy neighbour into his car when he was walking to school and another on Jamieson way where there was a white sedan following behind kids who were walking to school on several occasions.

It has gotten alot busier, work still needs to be done with infrastructure or better still stop releasing more land. Point Cook is a great area that is close to the cbd and close to the beaches. I do believe the area could look so much better if people would up keep their gardens, a little pride would not go astray.

We also need more trendy cafes in the area. But overall great place. Pros close the beach Close to the cbd everything you need within a 5km radius Golf course and lake. We like quiet clean neighbourhoods. Kellyd2R Hello gdewing Definitely concentrate your search for housing in the Innisfail Estate I purchased there and I believe it is the best area to live in.

So close to everything you could possibly need and wish for So many choices. Good luck. For those whom are not affected by overcrowded schools or an insane freeway run to the city five days a week, then it's all good. All the services are under constant pressure and those running these services have no hesitation letting you know.

Yes the area is attracting good people, it's safe but if you are dealing with the above mentioned issues then in the long term it gets wearing. Slowly they are building more infrastructure but for us it was just too slow, unless they slow down new developments I can't see that issue being rectified. Cons Overcrowded schools internet roads.

Recommended for Singles Retirees. We live in Sanctuary Lakes which is just beautiful, safe, secure, welcoming and a great lifestyle. Breathing in red dust all the time can't be to good for your health.

So lock all doors and windows when the wind picks up as it is extreme Other than the red dust SL is a great place to live Dust will settle when new houses are built :.

Pros Totally unique family lifestyle everything you need within a 5km radius Close to the cbd Golf course and lake Many activities for children. Recommended for Professionals. Helpful 2 Comment 1 Follow Share Facebook. Traffic to the city is a nightmare during peak hours but only take around 20 to 25 mins off peak. I like the quiet and green look of point cook.

It gives me the HOME feeling and the price is definitly sth to factor in. Pros everything you need within a 5km radius Totally unique family lifestyle. Give it some time and it should develop quite well as it has a large and growing population to make it happen. At the moment, the supermarkets and basic needs are within walking distances. I would love to see more restaurants or a cinema would be nice. Recommended for Professionals Families with kids Retirees Students.

Overall, it is a very good suburb. Its a slice of the country 25mins from the Melbourne CBD! Its a brilliant location, our neighbors are fantastic! There are no hoons driving around doing burnouts, its a really choice location. You will never regret buying in Point Cook, and the value is skyrocketing every day, get in while its still affordable I say! Recommended for Professionals Families with kids Country Lovers.

It has its own shopping complex and much more well organised then the others. I never close my curtain but nothing has had happened to my place It also has easy access to werribee which you can find a bigger shopping centre and village cinema.

However, traffic and internet are the issues that you need to consider before moving in. Pros A lot of parks around everything you need within a 5km radius Golf course and lake Totally unique family lifestyle. PC is still developing but I am really excited about the future. I love the town centre and can't wait for the nearby marina to be ready I do wish it would have better nightlife and I could get to the CBD faster but there's no way I would trade my beautiful house for those two!

Cons No nightlife Traffic. Pros Totally unique family lifestyle. Cons the next weribee? Low Resale Values parts of PC a bit ghetto. Pros Close to the cbd Golf course and lake everything you need within a 5km radius Totally unique family lifestyle. Helpful Comments 14 Follow Share Facebook. Mercy Hi, there are many wonderful houses to rent in Point Cook.

Anywhere near point cook town center will be good. Also look out for Alamanda and Santuary Lakes, these places are near and simply looks beautiful.

Both these places offer gym membership and there is a pool to have a dip on hot days. Point cook is a beautiful suburb with quality! Will look into Alamanda too.

Emilee Hi, I noticed a few people commented about internet and mobile reception being some of the cons for Point Cook.

Is the internet connection really very bad to the point of getting disconnected frequently etc etc, or just not as fast as the connection available in other suburbs? It is really really bad to the point of being disconnected or just being so slow pages time out There are some good things about living in Point Cook, but the biggest negatives are the amount of break in's especially in Alamanda where the police actually doorknocked telling us to get alarms as they have every single day and the internet.

Be prepared to pay a high cost for a very very poor service. Josy I have had the opposite experience I moved to Point Cook a few years ago from the Eastern suburbs. I have excellent mobile range with Telstra and I have the new broadband fibre optic internet which is the fastest in the country.

In fact Point Cook has a very low crime rate although it sounds like Alamanda might be a problem spot at the moment. Point Cook is a lovely suburb!! I have lived in Alamanda for over 12 months and know a lot of people in the area, nobody has ever complained about the crime rate???

The internet is fantastic through fibre optic, only mobile coverage is still an issue. I lived there! On fongeo drive and we had the Police door knock on all the houses to tell us that there are multiple break in's at Alamanda alone.

Two of our neighbours were broken into. There was a nice looking house in Alamanda on the net but Im not sure about their now I am trying to get a place that is in the school Zone of of pint cook junior and secondry college will that be hard ,you are all so cool helping us who want to move :. This is information that I have got from our online community.

Its got a lovely feel in my opinion and there is a sense of community within our estate however they crime is a concern as are the hoons.

I would recommend families and elderly people to Point Cook in a heartbeat, it is a quiet yet vibrant suburb and only 20 minutes to the city. We have made great friends through childcare and our children and have never been happier. Five stars for Point Cook! Pros Golf course and lake Close to the cbd Totally unique family lifestyle everything you need within a 5km radius. Helpful Comments 7 Follow Share Facebook. I think it is hard when you haven't lived somewhere to listen to others judgements but you just have to go with your gut feeling.

Close to the CBD, this leafy suburb is perfect for families and singles looking for an affordable area that doesn't compromise on class and distinction. Residents of Point Cook are always close-by to schools, shopping centres, walking tracks, gyms, child-care centres and freeways. There's multiple parks for family living and a whole host of bustling cafes and restaurants sure to meet the needs of all.

There's no trouble or crime to speak of and the facilities are great - in particular, the Point Cook Town Centre. Over the past few years infrastcture and facilities have continued to grow to keep pace with the demand.

There are 2 main shopping centres within Point Cook 1. Both and continuing to expand and provide great options for people. Sanctuary lakes locaked within point cook is an exclusive estate originally designed by Greg Norman. This estate has a man made lake which is twice the size of albert park lake.

There are 10 islands located within the main lake. All islands have architecturally designed houses uild on the land. The resort offers gym, pool, sauna and golf facilities. There is a fantastic club house as well as quest apartments for people choosing to hand a golfing holiday. The golf course is a fantastic course which is extremely well maintained. The lake is cleaned regularly to ensure that a high standard is maintained.

There are fantastic local government schools located within point cook. There are also a number of private schools within close proximity to point cook. Cons Fibre Internet internet. Mercy Many, just look up realestate. We had a visit from the police 3 weeks ago to tell us to buy security systems as they are getting up to 3 break in's a day just in this estate and our neighbours had been burgled.

We are often woken in the middle of the night by hoons doing burnouts and racing around the streets. We live in constant fear that they will miss a corner and drive straight into our home. When we moved here we were pleased to be told that a future school would be built near our home We currently have to walk to school and back each day - it takes 2 hours a day The public transport is terrible. The traffic is congested sometimes taking half an hour just to get to a main road.

Internet and phone reception is unbelievably bad, we have tried 3, Vodaphone, Optus and Telstra and they are all the same Because there is such an overabundance of rentals sometimes as many as in this suburb alone and we see many houses in Alamanda sitting empty with for lease signs for many months.

I understand some people love it here, there are some great things about Point Cook - there are bulk billing medical centres, there are shops although a lot are closing down and a fantastic library. Personally I think there too many cons outweighing the pro's and it's just not a nice place to live.

It's also a little bit ugly - sorry if that offends anyone. Pros everything you need within a 5km radius. Melbourne I drove through Alamanda a few weeks ago and yeah it is very very new with little to offer yet in terms of amenities within walking distance and public transport, but in time I think this will change.

Its just one of the downfalls with living in a newly developed suburb. Phone reception is bad but they are building reception towers at the moment so hopefully this fixes the problem. I am surprised you are saying some parts are a ghetto, I have driven all over and find that PC has a decent mix of people comparable to many other Melbourne suburbs.

I like the mix of the people moving there, lots of foreigners but the right kind if I can say that without sounding racist. The current climate is very unstable and yes many businesses are shutting down but again not specific just to Point Cook. It's just not a good time to sell a house or start a business. Mercy I can't agree more with you. I think the house prices and rentals are affected everywhere.

I moved from Glen Waverly a year ago, where I paid a rental of a week when I was staying there the house is old, the insulation is horrible and I use to let the tap water run for a few minutes until it turns from rusty brown to clear water. The same house is now being leased for a week, yet there are no takers. In short, the current dip in house prices has affected most areas in Melbourne.

I think point Cook is a lovely suburb, it has all amenities nearby, unlike other more established places. The only thing I would miss are the trees.

The more established suburbs are green but that again, point cook is relatively new so please give it a few more years to catch up. Having said this, I wish the schools here are better. I hope in time to come it will fare well and make its mark. I like the community, I am a migrant myself and have love being in the mother's group which is made up of a few local Aussie, a Chinese and South African. My son will soon turn two and we still meet regularly!

Especially in the value of our property! It nearly trebled in price. I feel sorry for all those who can't get a piece of the Point Cook lifestyle and have to purchase in the surrounding suburbs advertising they are within close proximity of Point Cook! People wondered why Point Cook - the smell from Werribee and all the usual preconceptions. Loved my plot and bought within 5 minutes, built our own home and not regretted it for a moment.

Point Cook has coastline Wyndham Council take note it needs a tidy up. Werribee Mansion is glorious the open range zoo, heaps of fun for family day trips. Shopping - we are getting there, the soon to be completed sports fields, the place is booming.

I just wonder where everyone comes from? Pros Golf course and lake Totally unique family lifestyle everything you need within a 5km radius. Cheers Mary.

Many people i came across who live there are 2 bob snobs. I got out just in the nick of time, lucky to sell our property for a lot more than it was worth, again people have this perception that SL is some magical placs just a facade.

What a relief I am out of there. There are so many nice areas in Pt Cook which are comparable, closer to amenities and a lot cheaper. OlgaK Re. Real estate prices fluctuate, that's pretty normal. Our land alone in SL is valued at , I find the body corporate fees reasonable, especially considering four people in my household get access to the gym, pool and other amenities.

I used to pay more just for a gym membership for two people so I think it's relative, if you don't use the gym and don't mind living somewhere else, then you will be saving a few hundred dollars a month. It really depends what is valuable to each individual. I absolutely love both SL and PC suburbs and, as others pointed out in their comments, we are becoming spoilt for choice and also looking forward to the Werribee South Marina and the new suburb Williams Landing to take off, the prices will skyrocket in both these areas.

As yet they are still pretty much undiscovered but that's changing fast. I predict average house prices in PC and SL are going to hit a million dollar mark in the next property boom. Moreover google map streets has no access here thus security is a plus point. Pros Close to the cbd Golf course and lake. Cons The body corporate fees is quite high but you get what you paid for. Helpful Comments 4 Follow Share Facebook. Cherry It's lucky you can't wait to come home each way as that is mainly what residents of SL do.

On the freeway, on Point Cook Road. Getting in or out during the peak hours 6am-9am and 3. The train service has recently improved significantly but patronage has also grown and you would be lucky to get a parking space after 7. Which is rather unfortunate, as the bus service is DIRE. Erm, he went there once! As for "the sports and recreation facilities, the restaurants" be under no illusion. The gym is a filthy apology for a facility and the restaurants are a joke!

The reference to Google maps is also ridiculous Just use www. All up, the above post gives a very rosey tinted view of life in Sanctuary Lakes.

It is, without a doubt, lovely to look at but living there is isolating and dull. Every adult would need a car of their own to function with any autonomy or, look out parents, you will spend your life in the car driving family members, friends and relatives in and out of the suburb. The suburb is great for stay-at-home parents of very young children, those who are able to work from home or anyone who doesn't need to work.

For anyone else, be warned! As there is only one way in and out, you can easily add an extra 25 minutes to your journey. Don't be fooled by the "as the crow flies" quotes of how close you might be to the city! Be warned! Happyascanbe angelboy, why PC? There are no good public secondaryschools around, n SL is a dissapointment, not family friendly 2 of my friends live there n havebeen complaining.

Just a suggestion, why not choose suburbs that have good public secondary schools? If the schools are good, most likely the neighbourhood are nice, family friendly and healthy too, such as south east suburbs.

That's what I did, and happy I made the right choice for my kids and family. Good luck! Really is well kept and quiet and not far from the city, there is bus transport on the outside, the buses do not run through here, which is not a bad thing, would you want a bus going past your house in the morning Residents have free access to the gym and small lap pool and there is great walking pathways and parks for the kids, you could also have a barbeque there too.

There is a golf course which provides the clubs and a place to buy accessories you need. A cafe and restaurant which both look on to the water and golf course.

There are body cooperate fees but i don't mind, it is what keeps the area clean and maintained. Shopping is very close, there is one just outside the front of sanctuary lakes or if you travel less then 5 minutes to the point cook town center there is a number of different retailers, fruit and veg shops there.

Very happy here, Katharine. Pros Close to the cbd Golf course and lake Totally unique family lifestyle. AdamS Fantastic review Katharine! Katharine Thank you AJ! OlgaK Great review Katharine! Love Sanctuary Lakes and everything it has to offer. It it a magnificent oasis nestled amoung rolling lush green golf courses and tranquil lakes with a choice of gated communities and island living. It doesn't get better that this! It kinfd of sound posh is it down to earth for families?

OlgaK Rentals don't have to pay a body corporate fee but they are entitled to use all the facilities as they are residents. The landlords are responsible for the body corporate fees. It is ideal for families, it is a safe and relaxed community, there is no drive-through traffic, lots of walking and bycicle tracks around the lake and golf courses. Also several primary and secondary schools incl a catholic school in Point Cook and Altona Meadows.

Most people living here are young families. A very safe and quiet environment. Only place in Melbourne 20 min from the city where you can live on an Island with the lakes as your back yard!

A truly hidden treasure of Melbourne like no other Just watch the property value here bloom over time Cherry Brave You need a reality check! Property values in SL have plummeted and are not likely to rise any time soon as urban planning starts to re-focus on the city end of the freeway. The "scarcity" you refer to has meant that the property developers have now sold off the land at the front side of the lake and sub-divided.

So the poor buggers who bought land and built across the road 10 years ago will now have ugly townhouses to look at instead of the useless lake! Again, I reiterate that SL is NOT close to the city and you would not be able to get there in 20 minutes without getting a speeding ticket - even if you were lucky enough to get a straight run!

I agree in heavy traffic you will be crawling. However traffic jams are not specific to Point Cook. The reality is that this is just an over-hyped western suburb full of McMansions. There is near zero public transport, the drive to the CBD is a nightmare, it took me 3 hours to get home by car one night recently. The body corp fees are way too high and keep going up. The 'resort' facilities are a joke. The gym is such a dump that the local real estate agents will not take perspective buyers there to inspect it.

While Melbourne's property prices have boomed in the last years many SL properties have barely increased in value. If you come here you will be trapped for life - you will never be able to get back into the 'real' Melbourne market.

Helpful Comments 15 Follow Share Facebook. I used to live in Chadstone on the south east side of Melbourne prior to moving to Sanctuary Lakes and the closest train station was even further than here!

Further, some days it would take me 3 hours to get to work or home from there also. The reality is that driving in Melbourne during peak hour time is a nightmare wherever you live these days. Further, public transportation is constantly unreliable.

Just because you had a bad day getting into work one day, don't take it out on the suburb. Imagine the poor guys driving into the City from Geelong. During off-peak time incl weekends , it takes me 20 minutes to drive into the CBD. We drove around Hawthorn a few weekends ago and it took 30 minutes to drive about metres at one point. You don't experience that sort of traffic out our way, during off-peak time.

You really can use duct tape to build anything�including a boat. Cammie Quinn. The good news: even when swamped, a plywood box boat will continue to float. For a guy on a boat, he sure does look fretful. Photo by Roly Williams. Kits for these small sailboats, as well as rowboats, kayaks, and canoes, are available from companies like Chesapeake Light Craft. Back Explore View All.

Back Types View All. Unpowered Boats Kayaks Dinghies. Personal Watercraft Personal Watercraft. Back Research. Reviews Boats Engines and Parts. How-to Maintenance Buying and Selling Seamanship. Back Services. When I next saw her she was a formless heap of cotton, which I should not have recognized at all except for the two bead eyes which looked out at me reproachfully.

When the train at last pulled into the station at Boston it was as if a beautiful fairy tale had come true. The "once upon a time" was now; the "far-away country" was here. We had scarcely arrived at the Perkins Institution for the Blind when I began to make friends with the little blind children.

It delighted me inexpressibly to find that they knew the manual alphabet. What joy to talk with other children in my own language! Until then I had been like a foreigner speaking through an interpreter. In the school where Laura Bridgman was taught I was in my own country. It took me some time to appreciate the fact that my new friends were blind. I knew I could not see; but it did not seem possible that all the eager, loving children who gathered round me and joined heartily in my frolics were also blind.

I remember the surprise and the pain I felt as I noticed that they placed their hands over mine when I talked to them and that they read books with their fingers. Although I had been told this before, and although I understood my own deprivations, yet I had thought vaguely that since they could hear, they must have a sort of "second sight," and I was not prepared to find one child and another and yet another deprived of the same precious gift.

But they were so happy and contented that I lost all sense of pain in the pleasure of their companionship. One day spent with the blind children made me feel thoroughly at home in my new environment, and I looked eagerly from one pleasant experience to another as the days flew swiftly by. I could not quite convince myself that there was much world left, for I regarded Boston as the beginning and the end of creation. While we were in Boston we visited Bunker Hill, and there I had my first lesson in history.

The story of the brave men who had fought on the spot where we stood excited me greatly. I climbed the monument, counting the steps, and wondering as I went higher and yet higher if the soldiers had climbed this great stairway and shot at the enemy on the ground below.

The next day we went to Plymouth by water. This was my first trip on the ocean and my first voyage in a steamboat.

How full of life and motion it was! But the rumble of the machinery made me think it was thundering, and I began to cry, because I feared if it rained we should not be able to have our picnic out of doors.

I was more interested, I think, in the great rock on which the Pilgrims landed than in anything else in Plymouth. I could touch it, and perhaps that made the coming of the Pilgrims and their toils and great deeds seem more real to me. I have often held in my hand a little model of the Plymouth Rock which a kind gentleman gave me at Pilgrim Hall, and I have fingered its curves, the split in the centre and the embossed figures "," and turned over in my mind all that I knew about the wonderful story of the Pilgrims.

How my childish imagination glowed with the splendour of their enterprise! I idealized them as the bravest and most generous men that ever sought a home in a strange land.

I thought they desired the freedom of their fellow men as well as their own. I was keenly surprised and disappointed years later to learn of their acts of persecution that make us tingle with shame, even while we glory in the courage and energy that gave us our "Country Beautiful.

Among the many friends I made in Boston were Mr. William Endicott and his daughter. Their kindness to me was the seed from which many pleasant memories have since grown. One day we visited their beautiful home at Beverly Farms. I remember with delight how I went through their rose-garden, how their dogs, big Leo and little curly-haired Fritz with long ears, came to meet me, and how Nimrod, the swiftest of the horses, poked his nose into my hands for a pat and a lump of sugar.

I also remember the beach, where for the first time I played in the sand. It was hard, smooth sand, very different from the loose, sharp sand, mingled with kelp and shells, at Brewster.

Endicott told me about the great ships that came sailing by from Boston, bound for Europe. I saw him many times after that, and he was always a good friend to me; indeed, I was thinking of him when I called Boston "the City of Kind Hearts.

Just before the Perkins Institution closed for the summer, it was arranged that my teacher and I should spend our vacation at Brewster, on Cape Cod, with our dear friend, Mrs. I was delighted, for my mind was full of the prospective joys and of the wonderful stories I had heard about the sea. My most vivid recollection of that summer is the ocean. I had always lived far inland and had never had so much as a whiff of salt air; but I had read in a big book called "Our World" a description of the ocean which filled me with wonder and an intense longing to touch the mighty sea and feel it roar.

So my little heart leaped high with eager excitement when I knew that my wish was at last to be realized. No sooner had I been helped into my bathing-suit than I sprang out upon the warm sand and without thought of fear plunged into the cool water. I felt the great billows rock and sink. The buoyant motion of the water filled me with an exquisite, quivering joy.

Suddenly my ecstasy gave place to terror; for my foot struck against a rock and the next instant there was a rush of water over my head. I thrust out my hands to grasp some support, I clutched at the water and at the seaweed which the waves tossed in my face.

But all my frantic efforts were in vain. The waves seemed to be playing a game with me, and tossed me from one to another in their wild frolic. It was fearful! The good, firm earth had slipped from my feet, and everything seemed shut out from this strange, all-enveloping element�life, air, warmth and love. At last, however, the sea, as if weary of its new toy, threw me back on the shore, and in another instant I was clasped in my teacher's arms.

Oh, the comfort of the long, tender embrace! As soon as I had recovered from my panic sufficiently to say anything, I demanded: "Who put salt in the water? After I had recovered from my first experience in the water, I thought it great fun to sit on a big rock in my bathing-suit and feel wave after wave dash against the rock, sending up a shower of spray which quite covered me.

I felt the pebbles rattling as the waves threw their ponderous weight against the shore; the whole beach seemed racked by their terrific onset, and the air throbbed with their pulsations. The breakers would swoop back to gather themselves for a mightier leap, and I clung to the rock, tense, fascinated, as I felt the dash and roar of the rushing sea!

I could never stay long enough on the shore. The tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought, and the shells and pebbles and the seaweed with tiny living creatures attached to it never lost their fascination for me. One day Miss Sullivan attracted my attention to a strange object which she had captured basking in the shallow water.

It was a great horseshoe crab�the first one I had ever seen. I felt of him and thought it very strange that he should carry his house on his back. It suddenly occurred to me that he might make a delightful pet; so I seized him by the tail with both hands and carried him home.

This feat pleased me highly, as his body was very heavy, and it took all my strength to drag him half a mile. I would not leave Miss Sullivan in peace until she had put the crab in a trough near the well where I was confident he would be secure.

But next morning I went to the trough, and lo, he had disappeared! Nobody knew where he had gone, or how he had escaped. My disappointment was bitter at the time; but little by little I came to realize that it was not kind or wise to force this poor dumb creature out of his element, and after awhile I felt happy in the thought that perhaps he had returned to the sea.

In the autumn I returned to my Southern home with a heart full of joyous memories. As I recall that visit North I am filled with wonder at the richness and variety of the experiences that cluster about it. It seems to have been the beginning of everything.

The treasures of a new, beautiful world were laid at my feet, and I took in pleasure and information at every turn. I lived myself into all things. I was never still a moment; my life was as full of motion as those little insects that crowd a whole existence into one brief day. I met many people who talked with me by spelling into my hand, and thought in joyous sympathy leaped up to meet thought, and behold, a miracle had been wrought!

The barren places between my mind and the minds of others blossomed like the rose. I spent the autumn months with my family at our summer cottage, on a mountain about fourteen miles from Tuscumbia. It was called Fern Quarry, because near it there was a limestone quarry, long since abandoned. Three frolicsome little streams ran through it from springs in the rocks above, leaping here and tumbling there in laughing cascades wherever the rocks tried to bar their way.

The opening was filled with ferns which completely covered the beds of limestone and in places hid the streams. The rest of the mountain was thickly wooded. Here were great oaks and splendid evergreens with trunks like mossy pillars, from the branches of which hung garlands of ivy and mistletoe, and persimmon trees, the odour of which pervaded every nook and corner of the wood�an illusive, fragrant something that made the heart glad.

In places the wild muscadine and scuppernong vines stretched from tree to tree, making arbours which were always full of butterflies and buzzing insects. It was delightful to lose ourselves in the green hollows of that tangled wood in the late afternoon, and to smell the cool, delicious odours that came up from the earth at the close of day. Our cottage was a sort of rough camp, beautifully situated on the top of the mountain among oaks and pines.

The small rooms were arranged on each side of a long open hall. Round the house was a wide piazza, where the mountain winds blew, sweet with all wood-scents. We lived on the piazza most of the time�there we worked, ate and played. At the back door there was a great butternut tree, round which the steps had been built, and in front the trees stood so close that I could touch them and feel the wind shake their branches, or the leaves twirl downward in the autumn blast.

Many visitors came to Fern Quarry. In the evening, by the campfire, the men played cards and whiled away the hours in talk and sport. They told stories of their wonderful feats with fowl, fish and quadruped�how many wild ducks and turkeys they had shot, what "savage trout" they had caught, and how they had bagged the craftiest foxes, outwitted the most clever 'possums and overtaken the fleetest deer, until I thought that surely the lion, the tiger, the bear and the rest of the wild tribe would not be able to stand before these wily hunters.

The men slept in the hall outside our door, and I could feel the deep breathing of the dogs and the hunters as they lay on their improvised beds. At dawn I was awakened by the smell of coffee, the rattling of guns, and the heavy footsteps of the men as they strode about, promising themselves the greatest luck of the season. I could also feel the stamping of the horses, which they had ridden out from town and hitched under the trees, where they stood all night, neighing loudly, impatient to be off.

At last the men mounted, and, as they say in the old songs, away went the steeds with bridles ringing and whips cracking and hounds racing ahead, and away went the champion hunters "with hark and whoop and wild halloo! Later in the morning we made preparations for a barbecue. A fire was kindled at the bottom of a deep hole in the ground, big sticks were laid crosswise at the top, and meat was hung from them and turned on spits.

Around the fire squatted negroes, driving away the flies with long branches. The savoury odour of the meat made me hungry long before the tables were set. When the bustle and excitement of preparation was at its height, the hunting party made its appearance, struggling in by twos and threes, the men hot and weary, the horses covered with foam, and the jaded hounds panting and dejected�and not a single kill!

Every man declared that he had seen at least one deer, and that the animal had come very close; but however hotly the dogs might pursue the game, however well the guns might be aimed, at the snap of the trigger there was not a deer in sight.

They had been as fortunate as the little boy who said he came very near seeing a rabbit�he saw his tracks. The party soon forgot its disappointment, however, and we sat down, not to venison, but to a tamer feast of veal and roast pig. One summer I had my pony at Fern Quarry. I called him Black Beauty, as I had just read the book, and he resembled his namesake in every way, from his glossy black coat to the white star on his forehead.

I spent many of my happiest hours on his back. Occasionally, when it was quite safe, my teacher would let go the leading-rein, and the pony sauntered on or stopped at his sweet will to eat grass or nibble the leaves of the trees that grew beside the narrow trail.

On mornings when I did not care for the ride, my teacher and I would start after breakfast for a ramble in the woods, and allow ourselves to get lost amid the trees and vines, with no road to follow except the paths made by cows and horses. Frequently we came upon impassable thickets which forced us to take a round about way. We always returned to the cottage with armfuls of laurel, goldenrod, ferns and gorgeous swamp-flowers such as grow only in the South.

Sometimes I would go with Mildred and my little cousins to gather persimmons. I did not eat them; but I loved their fragrance and enjoyed hunting for them in the leaves and grass. We also went nutting, and I helped them open the chestnut burrs and break the shells of hickory-nuts and walnuts�the big, sweet walnuts! At the foot of the mountain there was a railroad, and the children watched the trains whiz by.

Sometimes a terrific whistle brought us to the steps, and Mildred told me in great excitement that a cow or a horse had strayed on the track.

About a mile distant there was a trestle spanning a deep gorge. It was very difficult to walk over, the ties were wide apart and so narrow that one felt as if one were walking on knives.

I had never crossed it until one day Mildred, Miss Sullivan and I were lost in the woods, and wandered for hours without finding a path.

Suddenly Mildred pointed with her little hand and exclaimed, "There's the trestle! I had to feel for the rails with my toe; but I was not afraid, and got on very well, until all at once there came a faint "puff, puff" from the distance. I felt the hot breath from the engine on my face, and the smoke and ashes almost choked us.

As the train rumbled by, the trestle shook and swayed until I thought we should be dashed to the chasm below. With the utmost difficulty we regained the track. Long after dark we reached home and found the cottage empty; the family were all out hunting for us.

After my first visit to Boston, I spent almost every winter in the North. Once I went on a visit to a New England village with its frozen lakes and vast snow fields. It was then that I had opportunities such as had never been mine to enter into the treasures of the snow. I recall my surprise on discovering that a mysterious hand had stripped the trees and bushes, leaving only here and there a wrinkled leaf. The birds had flown, and their empty nests in the bare trees were filled with snow.

Winter was on hill and field. The earth seemed benumbed by his icy touch, and the very spirits of the trees had withdrawn to their roots, and there, curled up in the dark, lay fast asleep.

All life seemed to have ebbed away, and even when the sun shone the day was. Then came a day when the chill air portended a snowstorm.

We rushed out-of-doors to feel the first few tiny flakes descending. Hour by hour the flakes dropped silently, softly from their airy height to the earth, and the country became more and more level. A snowy night closed upon the world, and in the morning one could scarcely recognize a feature of the landscape.

All the roads were hidden, not a single landmark was visible, only a waste of snow with trees rising out of it. In the evening a wind from the northeast sprang up, and the flakes rushed hither and thither in furious melee. Around the great fire we sat and told merry tales, and frolicked, and quite forgot that we were in the midst of a desolate solitude, shut in from all communication with the outside world.

But during the night the fury of the wind increased to such a degree that it thrilled us with a vague terror. The rafters creaked and strained, and the branches of the trees surrounding the house rattled and beat against the windows, as the winds rioted up and down the country.

On the third day after the beginning of the storm the snow ceased. The sun broke through the clouds and shone upon a vast, undulating white plain.

High mounds, pyramids heaped in fantastic shapes, and impenetrable drifts lay scattered in every direction. Narrow paths were shoveled through the drifts. I put on my cloak and hood and went out. The air stung my cheeks like fire. Half walking in the paths, half working our way through the lesser drifts, we succeeded in reaching a pine grove just outside a broad pasture.

The trees stood motionless and white like figures in a marble frieze. There was no odour of pine-needles. The rays of the sun fell upon the trees, so that the twigs sparkled like diamonds and dropped in showers when we touched them.

So dazzling was the light, it penetrated even the darkness that veils my eyes. As the days wore on, the drifts gradually shrunk, but before they were wholly gone another storm came, so that I scarcely felt the earth under my feet once all winter.

At intervals the trees lost their icy covering, and the bulrushes and underbrush were bare; but the lake lay frozen and hard beneath the sun.

Our favourite amusement during that winter was tobogganing. In places the shore of the lake rises abruptly from the water's edge.

Down these steep slopes we used to coast. We would get on our toboggan, a boy would give us a shove, and off we went! Plunging through drifts, leaping hollows, swooping down upon the lake, we would shoot across its gleaming surface to the opposite bank. What joy! What exhilarating madness! For one wild, glad moment we snapped the chain that binds us to earth, and joining hands with the winds we felt ourselves divine! It was in the spring of that I learned to speak.

The impulse to utter audible sounds had always been strong within me. I used to make noises, keeping one hand on my throat while the other hand felt the movements of my lips.

I was pleased with anything that made a noise and liked to feel the cat purr and the dog bark. I also liked to keep my hand on a singer's throat, or on a piano when it was being played. Before I lost my sight and hearing, I was fast learning to talk, but after my illness it was found that I had ceased to speak because I could not hear. I used to sit in my mother's lap all day long and keep my hands on her face because it amused me to feel the motions of her lips; and I moved my lips, too, although I had forgotten what talking was.

My friends say that I laughed and cried naturally, and for awhile I made many sounds and word-elements, not because they were a means of communication, but because the need of exercising my vocal organs was imperative.

I pronounced it "wa-wa. I stopped using it only after I had learned to spell the word on my fingers. I had known for a long time that the people about me used a method of communication different from mine; and even before I knew that a deaf child could be taught to speak, I was conscious of dissatisfaction with the means of communication I already possessed.

One who is entirely dependent upon the manual alphabet has always a sense of restraint, of narrowness. This feeling began to agitate me with a vexing, forward-reaching sense of a lack that should be filled. My thoughts would often rise and beat up like birds against the wind, and I persisted in using my lips and voice.

Friends tried to discourage this tendency, fearing lest it would lead to disappointment. But I persisted, and an accident soon occurred which resulted in the breaking down of this great barrier�I heard the story of Ragnhild Kaata.

In Mrs. Lamson, who had been one of Laura Bridgman's teachers, and who had just returned from a visit to Norway and Sweden, came to see me, and told me of Ragnhild Kaata, a deaf and blind girl in Norway who had actually been taught to speak.

Lamson had scarcely finished telling me about this girl's success before I was on fire with eagerness. I resolved that I, too, would learn to speak. I would not rest satisfied until my teacher took me, for advice and assistance, to Miss Sarah Fuller, principal of the Horace Mann School. This lovely, sweet-natured lady offered to teach me herself, and we began the twenty-sixth of March, Miss Fuller's method was this: she passed my hand lightly over her face, and let me feel the position of her tongue and lips when she made a sound.

Miss Fuller gave me eleven lessons in all. I shall never forget the surprise and delight I felt when I uttered my first connected sentence, "It is warm. My soul, conscious of new strength, came out of bondage, and was reaching through those broken symbols of speech to all knowledge and all faith.

No deaf child who has earnestly tried to speak the words which he has never heard�to come out of the prison of silence, where no tone of love, no song of bird, no strain of music ever pierces the stillness�can forget the thrill of surprise, the joy of discovery which came over him when he uttered his first word.

Only such a one can appreciate the eagerness with which I talked to my toys, to stones, trees, birds and dumb animals, or the delight I felt when at my call Mildred ran to me or my dogs obeyed my commands.

It is an unspeakable boon to me to be able to speak in winged words that need no interpretation. As I talked, happy thoughts fluttered up out of my words that might perhaps have struggled in vain to escape my fingers.

But it must not be supposed that I could really talk in this short time. I had learned only the elements of speech. Miss Fuller and Miss Sullivan could understand me, but most people would not have understood one word in a hundred.

Nor is it true that, after I had learned these elements, I did the rest of the work myself. But for Miss Sullivan's genius, untiring perseverance and devotion, I could not have progressed as far as I have toward natural speech. In the first place, I laboured night and day before I could be understood even by my most intimate friends; in the second place, I needed Miss Sullivan's assistance constantly in my efforts to articulate each sound clearly and to combine all sounds in a thousand ways.

Even now she calls my attention every day to mispronounced words. All teachers of the deaf know what this means, and only they can at all appreciate the peculiar difficulties with which I had to contend. In reading my teacher's lips I was wholly dependent on my fingers: I had to use the sense of touch in catching the vibrations of the throat, the movements of the mouth and the expression of the face; and often this sense was at fault.

In such cases I was forced to repeat the words or sentences, sometimes for hours, until I felt the proper ring in my own voice. My work was practice, practice, practice.

Discouragement and weariness cast me down frequently; but the next moment the thought that I should soon be at home and show my loved ones what I had accomplished, spurred me on, and I eagerly looked forward to their pleasure in my achievement.

I used to repeat ecstatically, "I am not dumb now. It astonished me to find how much easier it is to talk than to spell with the fingers, and I discarded the manual alphabet as a medium of communication on my part; but Miss Sullivan and a few friends still use it in speaking to me, for it is more convenient and more rapid than lip-reading.

Just here, perhaps, I had better explain our use of the manual alphabet, which seems to puzzle people who do not know us. One who reads or talks to me spells with his hand, using the single-hand manual alphabet generally employed by the deaf. I place my hand on the hand of the speaker so lightly as not to impede its movements.

The position of the hand is as easy to feel as it is to see. I do not feel each letter any more than you see each letter separately when you read. Constant practice makes the fingers very flexible, and some of my friends spell rapidly�about as fast as an expert writes on a typewriter. The mere spelling is, of course, no more a conscious act than it is in writing. When I had made speech my own, I could not wait to go home. At last the happiest of happy moments arrived.

I had made my homeward journey, talking constantly to Miss Sullivan, not for the sake of talking, but determined to improve to the last minute.

Almost before I knew it, the train stopped at the Tuscumbia station, and there on the platform stood the whole family. My eyes fill with tears now as I think how my mother pressed me close to her, speechless and trembling with delight, taking in every syllable that I spoke, while little Mildred seized my free hand and kissed it and danced, and my father expressed his pride and affection in a big silence.

It was as if Isaiah's prophecy had been fulfilled in me, "The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands! The winter of was darkened by the one cloud in my childhood's bright sky.

Joy deserted my heart, and for a long, long time I lived in doubt, anxiety and fear. Books lost their charm for me, and even now the thought of those dreadful days chills my heart. Anagnos, of the Perkins Institution for the Blind, was at the root of the trouble. In order to make the matter clear, I must set forth the facts connected with this episode, which justice to my teacher and to myself compels me to relate.

I wrote the story when I was at home, the autumn after I had learned to speak. We had stayed up at Fern Quarry later than usual. While we were there, Miss Sullivan had described to me the beauties of the late foliage, and it seems that her descriptions revived the memory of a story, which must have been read to me, and which I must have unconsciously retained.

I thought then that I was "making up a story," as children say, and I eagerly sat down to write it before the ideas should slip from me. My thoughts flowed easily; I felt a sense of joy in the composition. Words and images came tripping to my finger ends, and as I thought out sentence after sentence, I wrote them on my braille slate. Now, if words and images come to me without effort, it is a pretty sure sign that they are not the offspring of my own mind, but stray waifs that I regretfully dismiss.

At that time I eagerly absorbed everything I read without a thought of authorship, and even now I cannot be quite sure of the boundary line between my ideas and those I find in books. I suppose that is because so many of my impressions come to me through the medium of others' eyes and ears. When the story was finished, I read it to my teacher, and I recall now vividly the pleasure I felt in the more beautiful passages, and my annoyance at being interrupted to have the pronunciation of a word corrected.

At dinner it was read to the assembled family, who were surprised that I could write so well. Some one asked me if I had read it in a book. This question surprised me very much; for I had not the faintest recollection of having had it read to me. I spoke up and said, "Oh, no, it is my story, and I have written it for Mr.

Accordingly I copied the story and sent it to him for his birthday. I carried the little story to the post-office myself, feeling as if I were walking on air. I little dreamed how cruelly I should pay for that birthday gift. Anagnos was delighted with "The Frost King," and published it in one of the Perkins Institution reports. This was the pinnacle of my happiness, from which I was in a little while dashed to earth.

Canby, had appeared before I was born in a book called "Birdie and His Friends. It was difficult to make me understand this; but when I did understand I was astonished and grieved. No child ever drank deeper of the cup of bitterness than I did. I had disgraced myself; I had brought suspicion upon those I loved best.

And yet how could it possibly have happened? I racked my brain until I was weary to recall anything about the frost that I had read before I wrote "The Frost King"; but I could remember nothing, except the common reference to Jack Frost, and a poem for children, "The Freaks of the Frost," and I knew I had not used that in my composition.

At first Mr. Anagnos, though deeply troubled, seemed to believe me. He was unusually tender and kind to me, and for a brief space the shadow lifted. To please him I tried not to be unhappy, and to make myself as pretty as possible for the celebration of Washington's birthday, which took place very soon after I received the sad news. I was to be Ceres in a kind of masque given by the blind girls.

How well I remember the graceful draperies that enfolded me, the bright autumn leaves that wreathed my head, and the fruit and grain at my feet and in my hands, and beneath all the piety of the masque the oppressive sense of coming ill that made my heart heavy.

The night before the celebration, one of the teachers of the Institution had asked me a question connected with "The Frost King," and I was telling her that Miss Sullivan had talked to me about Jack Frost and his wonderful works. Something I said made her think she detected in my words a confession that I did remember Miss Canby's story of "The Frost Fairies," and she laid her conclusions before Mr.

Anagnos, although I had told her most emphatically that she was mistaken. Anagnos, who loved me tenderly, thinking that he had been deceived, turned a deaf ear to the pleadings of love and innocence.

He believed, or at least suspected, that Miss Sullivan and I had deliberately stolen the bright thoughts of another and imposed them on him to win his admiration. I was brought before a court of investigation composed of the teachers and officers of the Institution, and Miss Sullivan was asked to leave me. Then I was questioned and cross-questioned with what seemed to me a determination on the part of my judges to force me to acknowledge that I remembered having had "The Frost Fairies" read to me.

I felt in every question the doubt and suspicion that was in their minds, and I felt, too, that a loved friend was looking at me reproachfully, although I could not have put all this into words. The blood pressed about my thumping heart, and I could scarcely speak, except in monosyllables.

Even the consciousness that it was only a dreadful mistake did not lessen my suffering, and when at last I was allowed to leave the room, I was dazed and did not notice my teacher's caresses, or the tender words of my friends, who said I was a brave little girl and they were proud of me.

As I lay in my bed that night, I wept as I hope few children have wept. I felt so cold, I imagined I should die before morning, and the thought comforted me. I think if this sorrow had come to me when I was older, it would have broken my spirit beyond repairing.

But the angel of forgetfulness has gathered up and carried away much of the misery and all the bitterness of those sad days. Miss Sullivan had never heard of "The Frost Fairies" or of the book in which it was published. With the assistance of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, she investigated the matter carefully, and at last it came out that Mrs. Hopkins had a copy of Miss Canby's "Birdie and His Friends" in , the year that we spent the summer with her at Brewster.

Hopkins was unable to find her copy; but she has told me that at that time, while Miss Sullivan was away on a vacation, she tried to amuse me by reading from various books, and although she could not remember reading "The Frost Fairies" any more than I, yet she felt sure that "Birdie and His Friends" was one of them.

She explained the disappearance of the book by the fact that she had a short time before sold her house and disposed of many juvenile books, such as old schoolbooks and fairy tales, and that "Birdie and His Friends" was probably among them.

The stories had little or no meaning for me then; but the mere spelling of the strange words was sufficient to amuse a little child who could do almost nothing to amuse herself; and although I do not recall a single circumstance connected with the reading of the stories, yet I cannot help thinking that I made a great effort to remember the words, with the intention of having my teacher explain them when she returned.

One thing is certain, the language was ineffaceably stamped upon my brain, though for a long time no one knew it, least of all myself. When Miss Sullivan came back, I did not speak to her about "The Frost Fairies," probably because she began at once to read "Little Lord Fauntleroy," which filled my mind to the exclusion of everything else. But the fact remains that Miss Canby's story was read to me once, and that long after I had forgotten it, it came back to me so naturally that I never suspected that it was the child of another mind.

In my trouble I received many messages of love and sympathy. All the friends I loved best, except one, have remained my own to the present time. Miss Canby herself wrote kindly, "Some day you will write a great story out of your own head, that will be a comfort and help to many. I have never played with words again for the mere pleasure of the game. Indeed, I have ever since been tortured by the fear that what I write is not my own.

For a long time, when I wrote a letter, even to my mother, I was seized with a sudden feeling of terror, and I would spell the sentences over and over, to make sure that I had not read them in a book. Had it not been for the persistent encouragement of Miss Sullivan, I think I should have given up trying to write altogether.

I find in one of them, a letter to Mr. Anagnos, dated September 29, , words and sentiments exactly like those of the book. At the time I was writing "The Frost King," and this letter, like many others, contains phrases which show that my mind was saturated with the story.

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