I have not taken YOUNG PEOPLE very long, but I like it very much. I
have a nice horse and saddle that my grandmother gave me for my
birthday present when I was eight years old. My horse is as white
as snow, and his name is Mazeppa. I take a ride almost every day.
My cousins Edgar and Frank have a horse, and we ride out very often
together, and have nice times.
Last summer I tamed two wild robins; they were very interesting
pets. They were fledglings when I took them from the nest. I had to
feed them by hand for four or five weeks. I did not keep them in a
cage in the daytime, but let them have their liberty in the yard. I
clipped their wings so that they could not fly away. When they were
hungry they would come to the house and cry, "Tiptop, Tiptop." I
named them Tiptop and Rob, and whenever I wanted to feed them, or
know where they were, I would call them by their names, and they
would always answer, and come to me. Then I would put out my hand,
and they would hop upon it, and let me carry them about in that
way. I would place a basin of water in the shade of a cherry-tree
for them to bathe in, and it was fun to see them bathe. We had
several cats, but they did not molest them. When the robins were
about two months old, Tiptop got into the well and was drowned. As
Rob grew older, and could find his own food, he would stay out all
day, but would come home at night, and if the doors were open, he
would fly straight to the room where his cage was. But one evening
he did not return, and I could neither see nor hear him anywhere.
Oh, how sorry I felt! I think that a strange cat caught him, for
one came to the house the next morning!
I am afraid you will think that my letter is very long, but I must
tell you about the pretty little cherry-birds that we have here. We
call them cherry-birds because they are so fond of cherries. They
are about the size of a canary. There are several kinds of them,
and some are prettier than any canary-bird I ever saw, and some
sing very sweetly. They come in large flocks in summer.
I am eleven and a half years old, and have never been a day at
school. I live on Tualamette Island. We call our place Irona Hill.
We can see three snow-covered mountains the year round from our
door--Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams. They are a
beautiful sight on a clear day.