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It is very pleasant to have my great dog Lioness come to me when I call her. She is beautiful and strong and gentle. I hope you will let me bring her to Boston with me, -- will you?

I wish you could see the pretty donkey that Mr. Wade sent me! What fun Mildred and I have riding him! His name is Neddy. You will laugh when you see me riding a donkey.

I missed you very much while I was in Boston, and I was sorry you did not come home in June. I love you very dearly, and I would like to put my arms around your neck and hug and kiss you. Dear little sister sends you a kiss, too, and mother and father send kindest remembrances.

Just before I left Boston I went to see our dear poet, Mr. Whittier. He was very kind to me, because he loves all little children, and that makes him gentle and patient and courteous.

Mr. Brooks is helping teacher tell me about the dear God. He is our loving Father, and we are his dear little children. He thought about us, and sent us here to love one another and be very happy together.

I hope you will be well enough to write me a long letter from Italy. I want to know about Naples, Borne, Venice and Florence. I have some beautiful blue beads that came from Venice. Now, dear friend, good-bye.

Lovingly, your little friend, HELEN A. KELLER.

Whether viewed from a historical or a psychological stand-point this letter is of paramount importance. It is the only one from which we get a glimpse of Helen's feelings, as well as of the state in which her mind was before she came in contact with the outer world and began to understand the nature of things.

Another letter, addressed to Mr. Morrison Heady of Normandy, Kentucky, indicates how great is her delight at her ability to talk: --

SOUTH BOSTON, MASS, Feb. 27, 1891.

MY DEAR UNCLE MORRIE: -- Your little friend was delighted to receive a letter from you once more. She could not imagine what had happened to her dear Uncle Morrie. Your last letter never came to me, but I wrote to you twice, and when you did not answer my letters I thought you must be ill or else that you had gone to some other place to live. Of course I did not forget you. I never forget my dear friends. I love them too dearly for that. And now I have so much to tell you I hardly know what to write about first, for a great many things have happened to your little friend since you heard from her. But I think everyone likes pleasant surprises, so I will tell you something which will astonish you greatly. I am not dumb any more. I have really learned to speak. Oh, how happy I am to use my voice! Are you not glad you can speak?

Sunday was George Washington's birthday, and we celebrated it on Monday. I read a beautiful poem, "The Flower of Liberty," by my dear friend Dr. Holmes, and when I spoke some of it, the people clapped their hands because they were so glad that I could speak. I began to learn to speak last April, and I studied very hard indeed so that I could surprise my mother and father and all my dear home friends. I could hardly wait for the time to come for me to go home, I was so eager to speak to little sister, for you know she was too young to understand my fingers. Oh, how glad they all were to see dear teacher and me, and hear their little daughter speak! But after I had been at home a short time I felt a very little sick, and we went away to a beautiful, cool mountain, near Tuscumbia, called Fern Quarry. It was so cool and pleasant on the mountain that I soon grew better. I did nothing except play with Mildred and my little cousin Louise, and ride my donkey. But now I remember you never heard about Neddy. A kind gentleman named Mr. Wade gave him to me, and also a beautiful mastiff. Neddy is the funniest and roundest little fellow you ever saw, and as gentle as he can be. He would carry me up the steep mountain paths and through the fragrant woods very carefully, and Lioness would run by his side. Neddy is at home now, and sometimes he sends me a bray. Poor Lioness was killed. It fills my heart with sorrow to think that I shall never see my beautiful pet again.

I came back to Boston last November, and I was overjoyed to see my dear friends and meet Mr. Anagnos again, for he had been away in Europe and I had not seen him for a long time. He is very kind to me, and I love him more than ever. To-night he is going to tell us what he saw in the beautiful city of Naples. Last Friday night he lectured about his dear motherland, Greece; but I could not go to the hall because I was not well enough. I have had the scarlet fever, so I have been obliged to stay in the house nearly all the time since Christmas. I am not quite all well yet, but I shall be soon. I am very sorry to say that Mr. Anagnos does not wish me to study at all, so I cannot tell you about my studies. I read as much as I can. I have finished "Little Women" and several other books. I love dear little Bethy the best. She was so gentle and unselfish, but she faded away in the last volume, and I could not keep back my tears. But I tried to think how happy Bethy was with the dear God, and how glad he must have been to receive such a lovely flower from our earth.