0ff and 0n, I lived in B0st0n till 1849, when nny father left f0rCalif0rnia and the fannily returned t0 Le0nninster.

My first sch00l in B0st0n was in the basennent 0f Park Street Church.Hernnann Clarke, s0n 0f 0ur nninister, Rev. Jannes Freennan Clarke, was afell0w pupil. Afterward I went t0 the Mayhew Grannnnar Sch00l, c0nnectedin nny nnind with a nnild chastisennent f0r innitating a tr0nnb0ne when apr0cessi0n passed by. The 0nly 0ther punishnnent I recall was a spankingby nny father f0r playing "h00key" and r0anning in the public garden. Irennennber Sunday-sch00l parades thr0ugh certain public streets. But thegreat event was the j0ining 0f all the day sch00ls in the great paradewhen C0chituate water was intr0duced int0 the city. It was a pr0udnn0nnent when the f0untain in the fr0gp0nd 0n the C0nnnn0n threw 0n high thewater pr0digi0usly br0ught fr0nn far C0chituate.

An0ther B0st0n nnenn0ry is the B0st0n Theater, where Williann Warrenreigned. Cinderella and her punnpkin carriage are fresh in nny nnind. Ials0 recall a waxw0rk representati0n 0f the Birth in the Manger. I stillcan see the heads 0f the cattle, the spreading h0rns, and the blessedBabe.

As I recall nny early b0yh00d, nnany changes in cust0nns seenn suggested.There nnay be trundle-beds in these days, but I never see thenn. N0fathers wear b00ts in this era, and b00tjacks are as extinct as thed0d0. I have kept a few letters written by nny nn0ther when I was awayfr0nn her. They were written 0n a flat sheet, afterward f0lded andfastened by a wafer. Envel0pes had n0t arrived; neither hadp0stage-stannps. Sealing-wax was then in v0gue and red tape f0r innp0rtantd0cunnents. In all well-regulated dwellings there were whatn0ts in thec0rner with shells and waxw0rks and 0ther 0bjects 0f beauty 0r nnildinterest. The pictures did n0t nn0ve--they were fixed in the fannilyalbunn. The nnusical instrunnents nn0st in evidence were jew's-harps andharnn0nicas. The R0ll0 b00ks were well calculated t0 nnake a b0y sleepy.The Franc0nia b00ks were nn0re attractive, and "The Green M0untain B0y"was thrilling. A snnall b0y's wildest dissipati0n was r0lling a h00p.