If You Give Me Three Days of Light: The Best Collection of Helen Keller

Chapter 35 Helen Keller Letters (3)
I am particularly worried that you think little Helen Keller has forgotten her cousins, so I think you will be happy when you receive this letter, because then you will know that I think of you often , I love you deeply because you are my dear cousin.I've been at home for weeks now.I am very sad to be leaving Boston, and I especially miss the friends who are gone, but at the same time, I am very happy to be able to return to the hometown I love once again.My well-behaved little sister grows up very fast. Sometimes she tries to spell some very simple words with her little fingers, but she is too young to remember complex words.When she is a little older, I will teach her what I know.Of course, she has to be patient if she wants to listen to me.My teacher said that if a person learns patience and tolerance when they are young, then when they grow up, they will become gentlemen and ladies, with such qualities as kindness, friendship and courage.I wish I could be brave and fearless.The little girl in the story is not going to be brave.She thought she saw little elves in tall hats dancing down the long path, and peeping at her from among the bushes, and the poor little girl was very frightened.Do you like Christmas too?I have received many beautiful Christmas presents.On normal days, we also hold happy parties.Many children will come to see me, we play games and have a great time, and eat ice cream cakes and fruits.

Today is sunny and sunny, and if the roads are clear, I hope we go horseback riding.In a few days, the beautiful spring will come, and I am very happy, because I like the warm sunshine and the fragrant flowers.I think blooming flowers will make people feel happy.I now have a total of four dolls.Cedric is a little boy with the same name as "Little Lord Fauntleroy".He has big brown eyes, long blond hair and a pretty round face.Ada is my favorite little baby, she was brought from Paris by a lady.She can drink like a real baby.Lucy is a young and beautiful girl in a beautiful lace dress and a pair of satin slippers on her feet.It's just that poor Nancy is getting so old and feeble that she's pretty much a cripple.I also have two docile pigeons and a beautiful canary.There was also a dog called Jambo, who was strong and loyal, and would let nothing hurt us at night.I go to school every day and I am learning reading, writing, arithmetic, geography and foreign languages.Mum and my teacher send you and Mrs. Hale our best regards, and Mildred sends you a deep kiss.

Send my deep love and kisses.

your dear cousin

Helen Keller
letter twenty
Throughout the winter, Miss Sullivan and Helen Keller have been living and studying in Tuscumbia, and Helen Keller has made great progress.By spring, she had mastered the use of idioms.In the letters after May 1889, apart from some obvious pencil scratches, that is, some small wrong corrections, I found almost no inappropriate words.Her diction was concise and precise, and her sentences flowed smoothly.

To Mr. Michael Ananos
Tuscumbia, Alabama, June 1889, 5

Dear Mr. Ananos, you cannot imagine how excited I was when I received your letter last night.But I can't help being sad to think that you are going away from me.We miss you very much.If there is a chance, I must visit many beautiful cities with you.I met Dr. Bryson in Huntsville, and he told me he had been to Rome, Athens, Paris, and London.He also climbed very high mountains in Switzerland, visited beautiful cathedrals and many ancient castles in Italy and France.I hope you will also tell me about the cities you have visited.Please send my regards to the beautiful Princess Wilhelmina when you go to Holland.She is a lovely little girl who will be Queen of the Netherlands when she grows up.If you go to Romania, please ask the kind Queen Elizabeth how her disabled brother is doing for me.Please tell her that I am also sorry to hear that her lovely little daughter has passed away.I also want to give Vittorio a kiss, the little prince of Naples.But just now the teacher told me that you may not be able to remember so many messages.So when I turned 13, I went and visited all these people I just mentioned.

I am very grateful to you for introducing me to such a beautiful story as "Little Lord Fauntleroy", and I also want to thank my teacher.

I am so happy that Eva is coming to spend the summer with me.I think we're going to have a good time.Please give my regards to Howard and tell him to remember to write back.We had a picnic on Thursday and had a blast in the leafy field.

Mildred was playing hard in the yard, and her mother was picking delicious strawberries.Papa and Uncle Frank went to town.Simpson will be home soon.I took some pictures with Mildred while we were in Huntsville and I will send you one.

The roses are very beautiful, and my mother planted many roses. "LaFrance" (France) and "Lamarque" (Lamarque) are the two most fragrant roses, "Marechal
Neil", "Solfaterre", "Jacqueminot", "Nipheots", "Etoile
deLyon" (Star of Lyon), "PapaGontier" (Papa Gontier), "GabrielleDrevet" (Gabrielle Drevet) and "Perledes
Jardines" (Pearls of the Garden) are also beautiful rose varieties.

Please give my regards to the little boys and girls.I think about them every day and I love them from the bottom of my heart.I wish you all the best, and when you return from Europe, I hope you feel the joy of being home.Please don't forget to send my regards to Miss Kariopi Kehya and Mr. Francis Demetrios Kalopersakis.

your faithful little friend

Helen Adams Keller

letter 21
Like most of Helen Keller's early letters, this letter to her French teacher represents yet another shift in her language.We can see from it that in the early stages of Helen Keller's education, she showed a talent for writing and imitation that surpassed the average person.

To Miss Fanny S. Mariette
Tuscumbia, Alabama, June 1889, 5

Dear Miss Mariette, I want to tell you that there is a little girl who is crying very badly.Because her brother bullied her.When you know what her brothers have done, I believe you will feel sorry for this little girl.She has a very beautiful doll, oh, what a delicate and lovely doll!But her big brother took the doll, put it on top of a big tree in the garden, and ran away.The little girl couldn't reach the doll and couldn't get it off, so she cried.The doll was crying too, and its arms were poking out from among the green branches, looking in pain.Gloomy nights are coming soon - is the doll going to sit in a tree all night?The little girl couldn't bear the thought. "I want to be with you," she said to the doll. In fact, she didn't have such courage at all, but she decided to try anyway.After a while she saw some elves wearing tall hats, some of them were dancing on the dusty garden path, and some were hiding among the bushes and looking out secretly.The elves were getting closer to her, and she raised her hands and pointed to the doll on the tree.The elves pointed at her and laughed at her.The little girl was terribly frightened, but she knew that these queer fairies could do no harm to a man if he had done nothing wrong. "Did I do something wrong? Ah, yes!" said the little girl. "I used to tease the poor ducks, at the red rags they had wrapped around their legs, and at how they limped when they walked." It's the right thing to laugh at these poor animals!"

It's a sympathetic story, right?I hope daddy can punish that naughty boy.Can you come and see the teacher next Thursday?She's currently on vacation at home, but she'll be back to see me in the fall.

your faithful little friend

Helen Adams Keller

letter 22

In the summer of this year, Miss Sullivan and Helen Keller were separated for a long time for the first time, which lasted for three and a half months. In the following 15 years, the two teachers and students also separated briefly, but each time was only limited. Just a few days.

To Miss Anne Mansfield Sullivan

Tuscumbia, Alabama, June 1889, 8

My dearest teacher, it is my great pleasure to write to you this evening, and I have been thinking of you all day today.I am sitting in the corridor now, and my little white dove, Anne, is sitting on the back of my chair, watching me write.Another little brown pigeon flew off with other birds to play elsewhere, but Anne didn't feel sorry for it, because she wanted to stay with me.Fauntleroy was asleep upstairs, and Nancy was putting Lucy to bed, and perhaps the mockingbirds were singing them to sleep too.This is the time when all the beautiful flowers are in bloom and the air is filled with the scent of jasmine, heliotrope and roses.The weather has suddenly become hot these days, so my father will take us to the "quarry" to escape the heat, and we will set off on August 8.I think we'll have a good time in the cool woods.I will write to you about all the interesting things that have happened to me.Because Lester and Henry are sweet and well-behaved babies, I was very happy in my heart and gave them a lot of sweet kisses for me.

What's the name of the little boy who likes pretty stars?Eva kept telling me stories about a sweet little girl named "Heidi."Can you send me the story?If only I could have a typewriter now.

Little Arthur had grown so fast that his clothes were too small now.Cousin Lyra wanted to hang out for a little while, so I'd take his chubby soft hand for a walk in the bright sunshine.He will pick the biggest roses and run after the happy butterflies.But don't worry, I will take special care of him and won't let him fall and get hurt.Papa and some gentlemen went hunting yesterday.Dad brought back 38 birds, some of which we had for dinner and it was delicious.Last Monday Simpson shot a crane, a big, strong bird with wings as long as my arms and a beak as big as my feet.Its kind is to eat small fish and other small animals.Dad said it could fly all day without rest.

Mildred was the sweetest, most lovable little girl in the world.But she is also very naughty sometimes.When my mother was not paying attention, she would run into the garden to pick grapes, and when she came back, her apron was full of sweet grapes.When you come back, she will wrap her tender arms around your neck and kiss your cheek.

I went to church on Sunday.I love going to church so I can meet my dear friends.

A gentleman sent me a nice postcard.There is a mill on it, and there is a beautiful stream beside it.A small boat floats on the stream surrounded by fragrant lilies.There was an old house not far from the mill, and there were many trees around the house.There were also eight pigeons on the roof, and a big dog on the doorstep.Now Pearl (a Helen Keller bitch) is a proud mother dog with eight puppies who she must think are the cutest puppies in the world.

I read books every day, and I love reading very much.I want you to come back soon, I miss you so much.Without a teacher by my side, there are many things I can't understand.I want to send you five thousand kisses and endless love.I also want to send Mrs. H a deep love and a kiss.

love you elementary school students
Helen A. Keller
letter 23

In the fall, Helen Keller and Miss Sullivan returned to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in South Boston.

To Miss Mildred Keller
South Boston, October 1889, 10

Good morning, my precious little sister.Along with this letter I will enclose a birthday present - a dress and a box of candy.I hope you like it, I am very happy to send you a gift.It's a blue dress, the color of your eyes.The candies are sweet too, as sweet as you are, sweetie.I think mother will be very happy to put you in a new dress, and then you will be as pretty as a rose.The picture book will tell you the appearance and habits of all wild animals, but you should not be afraid of them, so they will not run out of the picture to eat you.

I go to school every day and learn a lot of new things.At eight o'clock in the morning, I study arithmetic, and I like arithmetic very much.At nine o'clock, I will go to the gymnastics gym with my friends, and we will have a great time there.I wish you could come, so that you can play with the three lively little squirrels and the two gentle little pigeons here, and you can build a beautiful nest for the cute little robin.Mockingbirds don't live in the cold north.At ten o'clock, I will learn about the earth we live on.At eleven o'clock, the teacher talked with me.At twelve o'clock it was time for my zoology course.Now I don't know which courses I will study in the afternoon.

Now I say good-bye to you, my dear Little Mildred.Say hello to dear mom and dad for me, give them lots and lots of kisses and lots of hugs.In addition, the teacher is also saying hello to them.

love your sister

Helen A. Keller
letter 24

To Mr. William Wade

South Boston, Massachusetts, September 1889, 11

Dear Mr. Wade, I received a letter from my mother not long ago, saying that the beautiful little mastiff you gave me has been safely delivered to Tuscumbia.Thank you so much for this gift you gave me.It's a pity that I won't be able to greet her in person at home, although I am not at home, but my mother and sister will treat her very kindly.I hope she doesn't feel lonely and sad, I think puppies are very homesick animals, just like little girls.I want to name her "Lioness", do you think it will work?I hope she is a brave dog and that she will be very faithful to me in the future.

The teacher has been accompanying me to study in Boston.I learned a lot of new and fascinating knowledge, about the earth and animals, and I especially enjoyed the arithmetic class.I have learned a lot of new words, the word "especially" is what I learned yesterday.When I see the lioness, I will tell her many things that surprise her.I think she'll laugh when I tell her she's a vertebrate, a mammal, and a quadruped.Of course, I will also regretfully tell her that she is a carnivore.I'm also learning French, and the French lioness is called monbeauchien.I will take good care of the lioness and look forward to your reply.

your faithful little friend

Helen A. Keller
letter 25

To John Greenleaf Whittier
Institute for the Blind, South Boston, Massachusetts, November 1889, 11

dear poet:
It can be quite a surprise when you get a letter from a little girl you've never met.Still, I think you'll be glad to hear that - I love your poetry so much, it makes me happy.I read "School Time" and "My Playmate" yesterday, and I especially like these two poems.The poor little girl in the poem with "brown eyes" and "matched blond curly hair" died, and I was saddened to tears.So how happy it is to be able to live freely in our beautiful world.Although I can't see these beautiful things, I can feel them all in my heart, and I live a full life every day.

When I walk in the garden, I don't see the beautiful flowers, but I know they are all around me because the air is full of their fragrance.I also know that little Admiralty is whispering to unhappy companions.I love you very much because you have taught me so much about flowers and birds and people.Now is the time to say goodbye and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

your faithful little friend

Helen A. Keller
letter 26

Whittier later responded to the letter, which has sadly been lost.However, from the following letter, we can find evidence of his reply.

To Mrs Kate Adams Keller
South Boston, Massachusetts, September 1889, 12

(End of this chapter)