afford to pay for private instruction which, whether better or worse,
did not at all events, suggest poverty. So it came about, that father,
on returning from one of his journeys eastward, brought home the idea of
sending Althea and myself to school at Brook Farm.




CHAPTER II

FRIEND GREELEY


When Mr. Greeley first came to our house, I was not very favorably
impressed by his appearance. He was tall and strongly built with broad
shoulders somewhat bent forward, a smooth face, fair complexion and very
light hair worn rather long. He was near-sighted and, like other
near-sighted folk had a way of peering forward as he walked, and this
with his heavy lurching gait, gave him a very awkward, countrified
carriage. He remarked in my presence at a later time, "I learned to walk
in the furrows of a New Hampshire farm and the clogging clay has stuck
to my feet ever since."

His voice was thin and high-pitched, a small voice for such a big man,
as we thought, and he had an abrupt manner of withdrawing attention that
was to us rather disconcerting until we got used to it. His pockets were
bulging with newspapers and memoranda, scrawled in the curiously obscure
handwriting which I subsequently found much difficulty in learning to
read, though it was plain enough when the meaning of the strange
hieroglyphics intended for letters was once fully understood. He was