"The facts are of such a nature as to be indelibly impressed upon my
mind they appear to me to be curious, and well worth the attention of
the psychologist. I regard the occurrences in question as the more
remarkable because I cannot discover that I possess either taste or
talent for fiction or poetry. I have barely imagination enough to
enjoy, with a high degree of relish, the works of others in this
department of literature, but have never felt able or disposed to
engage in that sort of writing myself. On the contrary, my style has
always been remarkable for its dry, matter-of-fact plainness: my mind
has been distinguished for its quickness and adaptedness to historical
and literary investigations, for ardor and perseverance in pursuit of
the knowledge of facts,--_eine verst?ndige Richtung_, as the
Germans would say,--rather than for any other quality; and the only
talent of a higher kind which I am conscious of possessing is a turn
for accurate observation of men and things, and a certain broad humor
and drollery.
[Illustration: C. Z. Stowe]
"From the hour of my birth I have been constitutionally feeble, as
were my parents before me, and my nervous system easily excitable.
With care, however, I have kept myself in tolerable health, and my
life has been an industrious one, for my parents were poor and I have
always been obliged to labor for my livelihood.
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