Rossiter W. Raymond 



iner, his schoolmate at Hartford, de- 

 clares to have been as marked in him 

 at fifteen as at fifty. I cannot do 

 better in this connection than quote 

 his friend's summary description of 

 King at that period : 



" On Saturday, we usually spent 

 the whole day walking in the country. 

 If any question arose as to any object 

 seen during the day, whether we had 

 particularly noticed it or not, King 

 could always describe it from memory 

 with great minuteness. He seemed 

 to photograph unconsciously every- 

 thing that passed before his eyes, and 

 to be able to recall the picture at will. 

 He studied enthusiastically the bot- 

 any, the bird and animal life, and the 

 rocks, of the regions over which we 

 rambled. 



" Already at fifteen, he wrote beau- 

 tifully, having been trained in literary 

 judgment and skill by his mother, 

 who possessed in high degree both 

 307 



