Dear Aunt Pat, Today my English teacher chose my essay to read to the class. I had tried to make it funny ─ and it worked! Everybody laughed. Even prim Mr. Fleagle had to struggle to 1 a smile. Afterwards lots of people offered me their congratulations. I was more surprised than anybody. As you know, I used to find our English exercises rather 2 , but this time when I 3 the list of essay titles one caught my eye. It was "The Art of Eating Spaghetti." Do you 4 that night in Belleville when you made us all spaghetti? It remains 5 to me. Especially all the good-humored arguments we had about the proper way to eat it. So that's what I wrote about. I've had the idea 6 for some time now that one day I might take up writing. If I can 7 more work like that perhaps I really will be able to make a 8 of it. Best wishes, Russell