在我約六歲的時候，我父親得知巴爾地摩有一位眼科名醫，成功治好了許多被認為無望的病例。我父母立刻帶我去看看有無治好我眼睛的任何可能。

這趟旅行我記憶深刻，是很愉快的。我在火車上交了幾個朋友，有一位女士送我一盒貝殼，我父親把它們穿孔讓我串起來；這些貝殼讓我高興和滿意好一陣子。車長也很親切，我時常在他來巡察、驗票和剪票根時，緊抓他西裝的後襬。他把剪車票的打洞器讓我玩，那可以算是很有趣的玩具；有好幾個鐘頭，我捲曲在座位的角落，拿一些小塊的硬紙板打出很多小洞，玩得很高興。

我姑媽用幾條毛巾做了一個大玩偶給我，它沒有特別形狀，非常滑稽古怪；這個臨時湊成的玩偶沒有鼻子、嘴巴、耳朵或眼睛──甚至於，一點兒也沒有能讓小孩子據以想像成臉的東西。奇怪得很，玩偶臉上全部組成的欠缺，沒有比沒眼睛讓我難過，我一再的向每個人挑剔這個缺失，令人生氣；可是，似乎沒誰有能力為這個玩偶做出眼睛。不過，我心中靈光一現，自己解決了問題；我滾下座位，在椅座下摸索出我姑媽的披肩，從上面綴飾的許多大珠子中摘下兩顆，請我姑媽把它們縫在玩偶上。我姑媽舉高我的手到她的眼處，對於她這樣的詢問我用力點頭回答。這兩顆珠子被縫在正確的地方，我高興得要命，不過，很快的我就對玩偶沒半點興趣了。整個旅程，我一次也沒鬧脾氣，太多東西讓我想像和摸索個不停。 

When I was about six years old, my father heard of an eminent oculist in Baltimore, who had been successful in many cases that had seemed hopeless. My parents at once determined to take me to Baltimore to see if anything could be done for my eyes.

The journey, which I remember well, was very pleasant. I made friends with many people on the train. One lady gave me a box of shells. My father made holes in these so that I could string them, and for a long time they kept me happy and contented. The conductor, too, was kind. Often when he went his rounds I clung  to his coat tails while he collected and punched the tickets. His punch, with which he let me play, was a delightful toy. Curled up in a corner of the seat I amused myself for hours making funny little holes in bits of cardboard.

My aunt made me a big doll out of towels. It was the most comical, shapeless thing, this improvised doll, with no nose, mouth, ears or eyes–nothing that even the imagination of a child could convert into a face. Curiously enough, the absence of eyes struck me more than all the other defects put together. I pointed this out to everybody with provoking persistency, but no one seemed equal to the task of providing the doll with eyes. A bright idea, however, shot into my mind, and the problem was solved. I tumbled off the seat and searched under it until I found my aunt's cape, which was trimmed with large beads. I pulled two beads off and indicated to her that I wanted her to sew them on doll. She raised my hand to her eyes in a questioning way, and I nodded energetically. The beads were sewed in the right place and I could not contain myself for joy; but immediately I lost all interest in the doll. During the whole trip I did not have one fit of temper, there were so many things to keep my mind and fingers busy.