Page 142 - The Story of My Lif

sail quickly then because men did not know about engines and steam. One day a

dear little baby-boy was born. His name was Peregrine White. I am very sorry
that poor little Peregrine is dead now. Every day the people went upon deck to
look out for land. One day there was a great shout on the ship for the people saw
the land and they were full of joy because they had reached a new country safely.
Little girls and boys jumped and clapped their hands. They were all glad when
they stepped upon a huge rock. I did see the rock in Plymouth and a little ship
like the Mayflower and the cradle that dear little Peregrine slept in and many old
things that came in the Mayflower. Would you like to visit Plymouth some time
and see many old things.

Now I am very tired and I will rest.

With much love and many kisses, from your little friend.

HELEN A. KELLER.

The foreign words in these two letters, the first of which was written during a
visit to the kindergarten for the blind, she had been told months before, and had
stowed them away in her memory.

She assimilated words and practised with them, sometimes using them
intelligently, sometimes repeating them in a parrot-like fashion. Even when she
did not fully understand words or ideas, she liked to set them down as though
she did. It was in this way that she learned to use correctly words of sound and
vision which express ideas outside of her experience. “Edith” is Edith Thomas.

TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOS

Roxbury, Mass. Oct. 17th, 1888.