nd distance, and I cannot think of a better literary service than to
make the fullest possible record now, before it utterly fades away."

It was not only the difficulty of recalling events that caused her to
resist all urgings to undertake this task, but a certain shy
reluctance in speaking of herself that was characteristic of her. It
has, therefore, fallen to me to collect the widely scattered material
from various parts of the world and weave it into a coherent whole as
best I may, but my regret will never cease that she did not herself
tell her own story.

It would take a more competent pen than mine to do her justice; but
whoever reads this book from cover to cover will surely agree that no
woman ever had a life of more varied experiences nor went through them
all with a stauncher courage.

It is right that I should acknowledge here my profound obligation to
the kind friends who have generously placed their personal
recollections at my disposal. These are more definitely referred to in
the body of the book. Aside from these personal contributions, the
main sources of material have been as follows:

Ancestral genealogies, including _The Descendants of Joeran Kyn_, by
Doctor Gregory B. Keen, secretary of the Pennsylvania Historical
Society.

Data concerning the genealogy of the Keen and Van de Grift families
collected by Frederic Thomas, of New York, nephew of Mrs. Stevenson.

Notes covering the life of Mrs. Stevenson up to the age of sixteen
years, as dictated by herself.

A collection of her own letters to friends and relatives.

Letters to Mrs. Stevenson from friends.

Extracts from various books and magazines, including _The Letters of
Mrs. M. I. Stevenson_ (Methuen and Company, London); _The Life of
Robert Louis Stevenson_, by Graham Balfour; _The Letters of Robert
Louis Stevenson_, edited by Sidney Colvin; _Vailima Memories_, by
Lloyd Osbourne and Isobel Osbourne Strong, now Mrs. Salisbury Field;
_The Cruise of the Janet Nichol_, by Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson;
_McClure's_, _Scribner's_, and the _Century_ magazines. Acknowledgment
is due the publishers of the above books and periodicals for their
courteous permissions.

A diary kept by Mrs. Stevenson of her life in Samoa, for which I am
indebted to the considerate kindness of Miss Gladys Peacock, an
English lady, into whose hands the diary fell by accident.

My own personal recollections.

Above all, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to M