added much comfort to a life that had but few pleasures.

I learned the alphabet at home and so made quite rapid progress after I
began attending school, although I was greatly hindered because of
stammering. Some of my teachers were very helpful to me in overcoming this
difficulty. When Mr. Nutter, who taught our school one winter, saw that I
could not recite because of my impediment of speech, he had all the classes
recite with me so as to take away the embarrassment. I felt very grateful
for his kindness.

One day when I was ten years old, I had a fit at school. Father thought
that while I was afflicted in this way, it would be hard on my mind for me
to study, and it would be best to keep me at home. During my last term at
school, I read in McGuffey's Fourth Reader, studied the second part of
Arithmetic, had learned to spell fairly well in the old Elementary Speller,
and had also begun geography--a study which I liked very much. I was
beginning to learn to write; but as I was left-handed, my movements were
very slow and awkward.




Chapter IV

Events During the War

I was eight years old when the Civil War began. The first event that I
remember in connection with the war was our teacher's dismissing school one
day so that we might go over to the public road to see the Union soldiers.
I suppose there were at least a regiment of these troops, if not more. As I