[Lydia Maria Child] ALS to [Louisa Loring], December 10, 1857

thing, not two years old, but as quick as
a steel-trap. She was on the opposite side
of the cars, but insisted upon trying to
stretch her short fat arm across to me,
with her hand open, repeating "How do"?
"I am pretty well", said I. "How do you
do?" "Mart", (smart) was her quick reply.
And this scene she wanted to enact every
five minutes, to the great amusement of
those around her. At last, a little boy
came in, about a year older than herself,
and was placed on the seat behind her.
Feeling the necessity of keeping up the
character of her sex for propriety, she took
a good deal of trouble to get at him, and
push him, saying "You do way!" "You do
way!" The boy, who seemed to be as timid,
as she was "mart", shrunk himself up as
close as possible; probably having a prophet-
-ic sense of the position it becomes his sex