. I
was rather afraid of all the little boys, but some of them I
liked very much. I can remember one big boy whom I didn't like.
He was always trying to play with me, but I thought that I just
hated him. One day he caught me and kissed me. It didn't frighten
me, it simply made me very angry. I was so provoked that I cried
and slapped him in the face as hard as I could. The little boy
that I did like at that time was a red cheeked boy with dark hair
and blue eyes. I do not remember any particular incident, but I
know that we played together all of the time and thought a great
deal of each other. I was then about seven years old. By the next
year of school this boy had moved away, but another little boy
came to school whom I liked better. His name was Ray. I can
remember him better than I can the others. For a long time I
thought that he didn't care for me, and while I thought that I
was afraid of him;--that is, when I met him I was so bashful and
trembled so, because I was afraid that he would find out how I
loved him and would make fun of me. Our teacher believed in
having little boys and girls sit together in school so that they
would not be bashful. I had always sat alone, but now for some
reason or another she put Ray in the seat with me. I could not
study or do anything with Ray so close to me. I was almost afraid
to look up till one day he told me that he loved me. Then I found
out that he had been afraid all of the time that I didn't like
him. I was over most of my shyness then. I suppose that my
teacher concluded that she had cured me of my bashfulness. I wore
short dresses then that just came to my knees. I was good at
wearing out my stockings at the knees, but my mother was such an
excellent darner that it took the closest scrutiny to find the
darned places. One day Ray noticed this darning and asked me if
my grandmother did it. I told him that my mamma did it. "I wish
that I had some one to darn for me like that," he said. I told
him that mamma was teaching me to darn that way. "Well," he said,
"when we are married you will know how and can darn mine that
nice." That was the first that I had thought of our getting
married, and I can remember how proud I was to think that he
cared so much for me. He was always very good to me, and we never
quarrelled. Our love conti