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I was one among those who were favored with a Christmas present from Helen herself. Mine was a pocket pencil, which she accompanied with the following note: --

DEAR. MR. ANAGNOS: -- This tiny friend will never leave you for a moment if only you give him plenty of work to do. He is very quick indeed, and will dance over the pages of a book in a very lively way, recording as he goes all the thoughts and fancies which enter your mind. But hold him fast, or sometimes he will do great mischief. Hoping that you and your new friend will not quarrel, and that you will enjoy the fun this morning, I am your loving HELEN.

She is fully aware of her great deprivations; but she does not mourn, nor fret, nor repine over them. Once, after stepping on her puppy's tail, she was seen to spell to herself, "I am too blind!" Nevertheless, she does not show any signs of wasting her energies in gloomy thoughts and useless lamentations over her calamity. She makes the best of her condition, and gathers up such flowers as lie along her way. She views everything in a joyous spirit. Sunshine is about her soul, and her mind gilds with its own hues all that it looks upon. Cheerfulness is one of the essentials of her nature. It furnishes the best soil for the growth of goodness and virtue. It gives brightness to heart and elasticity to spirit. It is the companion of charity, the nurse of patience, the mother of wisdom.

Helen's sense of gratitude is very strong. For every favor conferred on her, or for any kindness shown to her, she never fails to acknowledge her obligation and express her appreciation either by word of mouth or in writing. Of Dr. Howe's grand work in behalf of the blind deaf-mutes she has a clear conception. That she cherishes the thought, and that he himself is enshrined in her heart for what he did to free them from the bonds of their confinement, witness the following letter to his eldest living daughter, Mrs. Florence Howe Hall: --

SOUTH BOSTON, MASS., Dec. 2, 1890.

MY DEAR MRS. HALL: -- I want to tell you how much I enjoyed hearing about your dear father, and all the brave, generous things he did for the Greeks, and for all who were poor and unhappy. I think the children who read Wide Awake must have been greatly interested in your story, but they cannot love Dr. Howe as we little blind girls do. Teacher says she would not have known how to teach me if your father had not taught Laura Bridgman first, and that is why I feel so grateful to him. How dreadful it would have been if I could not have learned like other boys and girls! I am sure I should have been very sorrowful with no one to talk to me, and so would Edith and many others; but it is too sad to think about, is it not? When you come to Boston I hope you will tell me more about your father, and what you did when you were a little girl. Mr. Anagnos is going to show me Byron's helmet some day. Please give my love to Harry, and tell him I expect to see his dear cousin Rosy this week. Teacher sends her kind regards to you.

Lovingly, your little friend, HELEN A. KELLER.

Helen's Speech at Andover.

"She spake, -- and music with her thousand strings
Gave golden answers from the haunted air."

Last May Helen paid a visit to Abbot Academy at Andover, in company with her teacher and Miss Marrett. She was cordially received and generously entertained under the hospitable roof of that seminary. Principal, teachers, students and many citizens of the town vied with one another in the effort to give her the greatest possible pleasure. She entered into the spirit of the occasion with her usual heartiness, and met her friends with graceful urbanity and genial courtesy. She not only had a word of greeting for every one, old and young, who was introduced to her, but carried on a constant conversation with the various people around her on any subject which happened to be suggested. Little Tommy's case was, of course, one of her favorite themes.

In the course of Helen's visit many pleasant things and notable incidents took place to render it memorable; but the most significant of them all was a little speech which she herself made to the assembled members of the academy before leaving them. This event is one of those extraordinary and unexpected feats which are characteristic of the child. It occurred in this wise.

Miss Marrett had been talking to the young ladies of the work of our school, and when she had finished, Helen rose and going to the front of the platform said, in her earnest and natural way, "I would like to speak to my friends." Miss Sullivan was greatly surprised at this sudden movement of her pupil; but she allowed the child to fulfil her wish. Helen then addressed the audience in a few sentences, which were substantially as follows: --

Dear friends of Andover, I thank you for the pleasure I have had here, and for the gift I have to take to Tommy from you. I shall never forget this visit, and it will make my mother very happy to hear that you have all been so kind to me. It seems to me the world is full of goodness, beauty and love, and how grateful we must be to our heavenly Father who has given us so much to enjoy. His love and care are written all over the walls of nature. I hope you will all come to South Boston some day and see what the little blind children do, and then go out to the beautiful child's garden and see little Tommy and pretty Willie, the little girl from Texas.