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I am aware that my description of Helen may seem, to those, who do not know her, extravagant in its praise; but her numerous friends will bear testimony most gladly to the sweetness, unselfishness and beauty of her disposition. Every day of her life she is teaching us gratitude and contentment; and she teaches those great lessons with such truth, patience and joyousness, that we never tire of her radiant presence.

She is very fond of all the living things at home, and will not have them unkindly treated. When she is riding in the carriage she will not allow the driver to use the whip, because, she says, "poor horses will cry." One morning she was greatly distressed by finding that one of the dogs had a block fastened to her collar. We explained that it was done to keep Pearl from running away. Helen expressed a great deal of sympathy with the dog, and, at every opportunity during the day, she would find Pearl and carry the burden from place to place for the creature.

Her father wrote to her last summer, that the birds and bees were eating all his grapes. At first she was very indignant, and said the little creatures were "very wrong"; but she seemed pleased when I explained to her, that the birds and bees were hungry, and did not know that it was selfish to eat all the fruit. In a letter written soon afterwards she says: --

I am very sorry that bumble-bees and hornets and birds and large flies and worms are eating all of my father's delicious grapes. They like juicy fruit to eat as well as people and they are hungry. They are not very wrong to eat too many grapes because they do not know much.

She likes to be out of doors, and enjoys tending the flowers and watching the growth of the fruit and vegetables.

The following extracts, written by her at different times, will serve to show her familiarity with the size, shape, taste and smell of some of our common fruits: --

Apples.

Jan. 9, 1888. -- Apples have no edges and no angles. Apples grow on trees. They grow in the orchards. When they are ripe they fall on the ground. Apples have round surfaces. Apples do not re-bound. Apples do roll. They have stems and seeds and cores. The pulp is sweet and juicy. Apples are like oranges. We do eat the pulp of apples. I do like apples.

Feb. 12, 1888. -- Teacher and I went to walk in the yard, and I learned about how flowers and trees grow. The rain and the warm sun make them grow. Flowers and trees live. Stones do not live. Worms and small bugs live under them. The grass is like a green carpet.

March 1, 1888. -- I will tell what I did all day. I got up and put on my clothes and washed my face and hands and combed my hair and went to breakfast. I found oranges and two bananas at my place. I gave teacher one banana. Mrs. Lueddemann sent me the fruit. After dinner I wrote to Miss Lewis to thank her for pretty bag and purse. Teacher took me to walk in bright sun. We went to stores and bought candy, and almonds, and pins and hair pins. Aunt wt mit with us. I gave Maud and Eva candy. Helen Bynum wrote me a pretty letter. She does think about me much. I love her. We came home and I ate my orange. Oranges and bananas grow in the warm sunny South. There are many groves of orange-trees and banana-trees in Florida.

Oranges look like golden apples hanging on the trees.

They have a thick skin, and inside is the sweet juicy pulp and seeds. All boys and girls like oranges to eat. Bananas have a thick, smooth skin, and hang on trees in long branches. Men pick oranges and bananas and put them in boxes and send them to cities for people to eat. If one orange costs six cents a dozen will cost seventy-two cents. If eight bananas cost twenty-four cents one will cost one-eighth of twenty-four which is three. Father gave me a lovely bouquet of mignonette, and jonquils, and heliotrope, and hyacinth and crocuses, and geraniums. I learned what view does mean. People can see view trees and flowers and grass and hills and sky is view. Worms squirm. After supper I talked to teacher and played with Mildred and went to bed.

Writing of water-melons, she says: --

Yates plows the ground and makes it very light and soft; and father puts the little seeds in soil and the sun warms them and the rain wets them and soon they are happy to grow. In very many days the vines grow and then wee and round melons come. They grow very large and the warm sun makes them rippen. Father goes out into the garden and picks huge melon and cuts it and I do like to eat sweet and cool and juicy water-melons.

LANGUAGE.

She continues to make rapid progress in the acquisition of language. She has now a vocabulary of about three thousand words, all of which she can spell correctly; and she uses them with a freedom and an accuracy not often found among hearing children of the same age. Every day she is increasing this vocabulary by the new words that she learns. It has become so natural to her to use the finger language as a vehicle for the expression of her thought, that each idea, as it flashes through her busy brain, suggests the words which should embody it. Indeed, she seems always to think in words. Even while she sleeps, her fingers are spelling the confused and rambling dream-thoughts.