At birth she was very small. In a
portrait taken at the age of 4 the nose, mouth, and ears are
abnormally large, and she wears a little boy's hat. As a child
she did not care for dolls or for pretty clothes, and often
wondered why other children found so much pleasure in them. "As
far back as my memory goes," she writes, "I cannot recall a time
when I was not different from other children. I felt bored when
other little girls came to play with me, though I was never rough
or boisterous in my sports." Sewing was distasteful to her. Still
she cared little more for the pastimes of boys, and found her
favorite amusement in reading, especially adventures and
fairy-tales. She was always quiet, timid, and self-conscious. The
instinct first made its appearance in the latter part of her
eighth or the first part of her ninth year. She was strongly
attracted by the face of a teacher who used to appear at a
side-window on the second floor of the school-building and ring a
bell to summon the children to their classes. The teacher's face
seemed very beautiful, but sad, and she thought about her
continually, though not coming in personal contact with, her.
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