Yes, that Helen Calkins certainly does prattle on quite precociously at the age of 10 in her article-journal, "From Bombay to Boston," describing some of the main sights of London as if a veteran travel writer. She is way ahead of me in terms of writing opportunities and skills, I will grant you that. And where is her mother in this curious depiction of an excursion with father? And here I am thinking that red and green are traditional colors for Christmas decor.
So you probably think that being from a lower branch of the Calkins tree makes me a toy that you can kick around for no reason. I only wrote a fictional story at age 10, and it seemed to me too mediocre and derivative to submit for publication. Maybe later I will have something better to present, if I live that long. Or else I can just die first and thus avoid distracting and irrelevant comparisons to Helen. Because, ultimately, there is a bigger story to tell.
