November 22.–I wrote a composition to-day, and the subject was, “Which of the Seasons Is the Pleasantest?” Anna asked Grandmother what she should write about, and Grandmother said she thought “A Contented Mind” would be a very good subject, but Anna said she never had one and didn’t know what it meant, so she didn’t try to write any at all.
A squaw walked right into our kitchen to-day with a blanket over her head and had beaded purses to sell.
This is my composition which I wrote: “Which of the seasons is the pleasantest? Grim winter with its cold snows and whistling winds, or pleasant spring with its green grass and budding trees, or warm summer with its ripening fruit and beautiful flowers, or delightful autumn with its golden fruit and splendid sunsets? I think that I like all the seasons very well. In winter comes the blazing fire and Christmas treat. Then we can have sleighrides and play in the snow and generally get pretty cold noses and toses. In spring we have a great deal of rain and very often snow and therefore we do not enjoy that season as much as we would if it was dry weather, but we should remember that April showers bring May flowers. In summer we can hear the birds warbling their sweet notes in the trees and we have a great many strawberries, currants, gooseberries and cherries, which I like very much, indeed, and I think summer is a very pleasant season. In autumn we have some of our choicest fruits, such as peaches, pears, apples, grapes and plums and plenty of flowers in the former part, but in the latter, about in November, the wind begins to blow and the leaves to fall and the flowers to wither and die. Then cold winter with its sleigh-rides comes round again.” After I had written this I went to bed. Anna tied her shoe strings in hard knots so she could sit up later.