Page:Thoreau - His Home, Friends and Books (1902).djvu/102

82 the soldiers 'trainers,' and he had a long, measured stride and an erect carriage which made him seem something like a soldier, although he was short and rather ungainly in figure."

For use in this book there has been loaned a journal of a resident pupil at the Thoreau school. The subtle revelations of the home-life, as well as the studies, afford strong group pictures. Especially, the efficient, cheerful services of Mrs. Thoreau for her family and the pupils stand forth in unconscious, vivid outlines. I quote some excerpts which will require no explanation: "Saturday, to Walden and Goose Pond where we heard a tremendous chirping of frogs. It has been disputed whether the noise was caused by the frogs so we were very curious to know what it was. Mr. Thoreau, however, caught three very small frogs, two of them in the very act of chirping. While bringing them home one of them chirped in his hat. He carried them to Mr. Emerson in a tumbler of water. They chirped there also. On Sunday morning we put them into a barrel with some rain-water in it. He threw in some sticks for them to rest on. They sometimes rested on these sticks; sometimes crawled up the side of the barrel At night we heard the frogs peeping and on Monday morning they were nowhere to be seen. They had probably