The Story of My Life: With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert MacyKeller, Helen
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The Story of My Life: With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert Macy
Keller, Helen
Deafblind women -- United States -- Biography; Keller, Helen, 1880-1968
Another fact is of great significance in this connection. "The Rose
Fairies" was published in the same volume with "The Frost Fairies," and,
therefore, was probably read to Helen at or about the same time.
Now Helen, in her letter of February, 1890 (quoted above), alludes to
this story of Miss Canby's as a dream "WHICH I HAD A LONG TIME AGO WHEN
I WAS A VERY LITTLE CHILD." Surely, a year and a half would appear "a
long time ago" to a little girl like Helen; we therefore have reason to
believe that the stories must have been read to her at least as early as
the summer of 1888.
HELEN KELLER'S OWN STATEMENT
(The following entry made by Helen in her diary speaks for itself.)
'1892. January 30. This morning I took a bath, and when teacher came
upstairs to comb my hair she told me some very sad news which made me
unhappy all day. Some one wrote to Mr. Anagnos that the story which I
sent him as a birthday gift, and which I wrote myself, was not my story
at all, but that a lady had written it a long time ago. The person said
her story was called "Frost Fairies." I am sure I never heard it. It
made us feel so bad to think that people thought we had been untrue and
wicked. My heart was full of tears, for I love the beautiful truth with
my whole heart and mind.
'It troubles me greatly now. I do not know what I shall do. I never
thought that people could make such mistakes. I am perfectly sure I
wrote the story myself. Mr. Anagnos is much troubled. It grieves me to
think that I have been the cause of his unhappiness, but of course I did
not mean to do it.
'I thought about my story in the autumn, because teacher told me about
the autumn leaves while we walked in the woods at Fern Quarry. I thought
fairies must have painted them because they are so wonderful, and
I thought, too, that King Frost must have jars and vases containing
precious treasures, because I knew that other kings long ago had, and
because teacher told me that the leaves were painted ruby, emerald,
gold, crimson, and brown; so that I thought the paint must be melted
stones. I knew that they must make children happy because they are
so lovely, and it made me very happy to think that the leaves were so
beautiful and that the trees glowed so, although I could not see them.
'I thought everybody had the same thought about the leaves, but I do not
know now. I thought very much about the sad news when teacher went to
the doctor's; she was not here at dinner and I missed her.'
I do not feel that I can add anything more that will be of interest.
My own heart is too "full of tears" when I remember how my dear little
pupil suffered when she knew "that people thought we had been untrue and
wicked," for I know that she does indeed "love the beautiful truth with
her whole heart and mind."
Yours truly, ANNIE M. SULLIVAN.
So much appears in the Volta Bureau Souvenir. The following letter from
Mr. Anagnos is reprinted from the American Annals of the Deaf, April,
1892:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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