"Children, tomorrow I shall expect all of you to write compositions," said a teacher of Love Lane School. "Then, on Friday those who have done the best may stand up and read their compositions to the school. " Some of the children were pleased, and some were not. "What shall we write about?" they asked.
Some of them thought that "Home" was a good subject. Others liked "School". One little boy chose "The Horse". A little girl said she would write about "Summer". The next day, every pupil except Henry Longfellow had written a composition.
"Well, then," said the teacher, "you may take your notebook and go out behind the schoolhouse for half an hour. Think of something to write about, and write the word on your notebook. Then try to tell what it is, what it is like, what it is good for, and what is done with it. That is the way to write a composition. "
Henry took his notebook and went out. Just behind the schoolhouse was Mr. Finney's barn. Quite close to the barn was a garden. And in the garden, Henry saw a turnip（萝卜）.
"Well, I know what that is," he said to himself and he wrote the word turnip on his notebook. Then he tried to tell what it was like, what it was good for, and what was done with it.
Within half an hour, he had written a very neat composition on his notebook. He then went into the house, and waited while the teacher read it.
The teacher was surprised and pleased. He said, "Henry Longfellow, you have done very well. Today you may stand up before the school and read what you have written about the turnip. "
Many years after that, some funny little poems about Mr. Finney's turnip were printed in a newspaper. Some people said that they were what Henry Longfellow wrote on his notebook that day at school.
