us we must run back home. We were about half-way across the paddock, but running fast to get out of sight as soon as possible. We had provided ourselves this time with a quart of milk and a bottle of “pie-fruit.” This last we recognized as a theft—I believe the milk was ours—and although mother did not learn of our nefarious plan except by our own confession, we were too unhappy about the theft of the fruit to keep our secret, which shows what well-brought-up children we were, although I do not know exactly why we drew the line at stealing, and not at running away.
One of the joys of Carrie’s and my childhood was to hear Henry preach. Mr Henry Parker was his model—whether consciously or not I do not know—a Hawaiian jargon his tongue, his audience the chickens, Carrie and myself, and the native washwomen, scrubbing clothes under a big tree behind the house. He was most eloquent, and kept the natives and ourselves at a very high pitch of excitement and enthusiasm as long as he preached. He may have been seven or eight years old at the time.
My remembrance of Henry’s childhood is filled with pictures of him leaning over a table absorbed in some book, and twisting a little lock of hair—a habit he retained till well into college. He loved history, and I have no doubt it was he who originated the most glorious game of our childhood—the Franco-Prussian War — which occupied our minds night and day. Henry and Willie Kinney were the French, while Minnie Kinney, Carrie, and I represented the Prussians. Our battles were long and furious, and broke out at any moment and at any place, the most potent point being the tamarind tree, though I do not know whether it was supposed to belong to one of the warring elements or not. It may have been a point of dispute, perhaps Alsace-Lorraine, though I must confess to having had no knowledge of these far-off provinces. I think that Henry, who swallowed all he heard on warlike topics with avidity, probably conceived the whole plan of the game, while I, less interested in distant realities than immediate pleasures, readily accepted the part of a Prussian soldier in order to have my amusement.
The tamarind tree played the largest possible role in our childhood. We half lived in its fairy branches, and many is the volume I have read perched high among its leaves. In its old age a worm gnawed at its root, and it was felled midst the moans and wails of a grief-stricken family.
When I was a child I used to indulge in glorious day-dreams, and I remember once looking about for sympathy and lighting on Henry, who confessed to similar weaknesses. But when he related his visions, they proved to be of such magnificent proportions that mine sank into insignificance. He had employed his waking hours in leading vast armies across Russia and Austria, and gave all the details of different sieges, always resulting in victory. Our chief sources of historical information at that time seem to have been various delusively interesting volumes by J. S. C. Abbot, which could not be regarded as sound, but which were certainly successful in inspiring Henry’s mind with an undying interest in History. So absorbing was this interest, however, — so completely did it take possession of him — that he began to lie awake at night, and finally developed a light attack of brain fever, serious enough, however, to frighten the family. Alfred said Henry ought to go to the country and not see a book for a year, and it may have been a result of this illness that he was sent to Hilo, whence his first letter was written.
HELEN CASTLE MEAD.
PARIS, FRANCE,
January 15, 1902.
NOTE
THE following letters have been subjected to no editing beyond the sacrifice of some passages, which reflected rather the personality of others than Henry’s own. As they are intended only for the eyes of his own intimate circle, we have felt that there was no revelation of himself which was too intimate for these readers. There has been no thought of a literary whole; on the contrary, the trifles, catch-words, and repetitions of familiar correspondence have been retained, to be filled in by the memories of those to whom he wrote. It has not been our task to construct Henry out of his letters, but simply to present materials from which the readers of these pages will mentally reproduce the personality with which they were familiar. We have presumed upon the confidence reposed in us as collators of this correspondence only in the two added chapters of recollections; and the only excuse we offer for them is, that they sprang almost without premeditation, and quite inevitably, from the months spent with Henry by the medium of his letters.
“For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,
Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer.
Who would not sing for Lycidas? He knew
Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme.
He must not float upon his watery bier
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind,
Without the meed of some melodious tear.”
“Alas, that Spring should vanish with the rose!
That youth’s sweet-scented manuscript should close!
The nightingale that in the branches sang,
Ah, whence, and whither flown again, who knows I”
—OMAR KHAYYAM.
HILO, June 25, ’76.
DEAR MOTHER,
I want to see you very much. I intend to enjoy myself up here, though I am afraid I am going to be homesick. I am afraid my knee is not getting any better. I think it is about the same as it was when I left Honolulu. Please send the clothes up as soon as possible, for I will need them, I think. I wish Father could have stayed up here and enjoyed himself. Did he have a comfortable passage down? I was real glad Father went up with me; he was a great comfort to me. How are all the folks at home? Give them all my love, including everybody in the three houses. Give Eloise and Ethelwyn each a kiss from me, and tell them I will write to them if I have time. Since we left Honolulu, I have lost one pound and Reky has lost four. Edward says we have run it off, and we have been doing something all the time. Yesterday we went to bathe in the Wailuku, and Edward went with us. That was in the afternoon. In the morning over to Cocoanut Island, on horseback. Nobody can take cocoanuts without Governor Kipi’s permission, so we asked him, and he said we might have as many as we pleased; but when we got there, the man would not believe Kipi said we might, and would not get us any, which was very provoking, indeed; so we came home.
In a little while it will be time to go to church, so I guess I will adjourn writing for the present, and brush my hair. I have got a piece of news that will rejoice Helen’s heart. It is that up here I brush my hair three times a day, and on Sunday I brush it four times. Now will not Helen rejoice? I go down to Mrs Sisson’s every day and practice. Tell Ellie that. I wish I had the Home Circle up here to practice in, besides my Richardson’s. The whole of Uncle Dave’s family are going away to-morrow, and we have their cows and peaches and everything else. Last night we went up to Uncle Dave’s to play, but Reky stuck a nail into his foot, and had to go home. We went over to Uncle Reky’s and played on the drums and other instruments, and had a jolly time playing band. After that Howard and I went to boxing, while the girls sat on the steps and watched us. I had a jolly time. When we got up to Uncle Dave’s we went with Howard down to Mr Reed’s, to shoot a cat, and it was there Reky stuck a nail in his foot. After Howard had shot the cat we went back to Uncle Dave’s, when Edward told Reky to go home and get a piece of pork on his foot. I wash my feet every night before I go to bed, and I eat a great deal. We are going to go up to Uncle Dave’s pasture and milk the cows every morning. I do not eat half as much bread-stuff up here as at
