6 AUTOBIOGRAPHY. [1817, 
distinct recollections of school are of spelling-matches, 
in which at six or seven years I was a champion.’ 
active boy safe for a few hours. Her young sisters lived not far 
was a marked spot of advance in the spelling-book. 
his seat, waving the book bia a great flourish before her! It was 
0 before he was three yea 
1 Of one of — his fiend, now over eighty years old, gives an 
account in the st g@ letter 
Savuquoit, February 19, 1888. 
Dear A.—I would like to give you some information of your un- 
cle’s early life if I were well informed, but I have only one little inci- 
had a lovely teacher that summer by the name of Sally Stickney, 
living at Colonel Avery’s. She ruled by gentleness. For our class 
she had an old-fashioned two-shilling piece, with a hole through to 
insert a yard of blue ribbon. She put this over the head of the one 
that stood first in our class. So it traveled every night, all that 
summer, with some one of us, until the ribbon was worn and faded. 
had watched with jealous eyes so many weeks, and studied Web- 
beating fast, and eyes on the coveted prize, we were called on the 
last day of school to spell; we took our places; I was at the head, 
Asa next. missed and he went above me; my all was gone, but 
it was worse to have him point his finger at me and say out loud 
“kee-e-e.”’ I braved it without a tear; a — more words would end 
the strife. It came around to him, and he missed; how quick I went 
above him ; but in an instant he dropped his ran on the desk before 
aca and wept as though his heart would break. School was dis- 
scholars were leaving; still he did not move, until our kind 
‘esas came to him, whispered to him, soothed and petted him; then 
Pree et aint saeans = -_ 
aaa i aati cacamemeaa iE RENEE OS NRRL EI ow Veto PRR RRB os eS tr nt nent ec a ee i a a Ae ee 
