"Mamma, will you please listen a moment?"
"How can I, Quillie dear? just see how busy I am," answered mamma,
turning over a letter she was writing, while a man was bringing in
trunks from the store-room, and another man was waiting for orders, and
through a vista of open doorways was seen a dress-maker at work upon
gingham slips and linen blouses.
"If you please, ma'am, a bit of edging will look none the worse on these
cambrics, and the flannels need a touch of scarlet; even the wild
flowers have vanity enough for a little color of their own."
"True enough, Ellen. Well, get your samples ready. Now, Quillie, I am
going to address this letter, and then I promise to listen to you."
Quillie sighed--she found it so difficult to wait when she had so much
to say. But she only fidgeted a little as mamma scrawled off an address
in letters which Quillie thought would cover half her copy-book, then
the little taper was lighted, the wax was melted, the pretty crest was
imprinted on the seal, and mamma turned with a relieved smile to the
little girl.
"Well, Quillie, what is it?"
"It's only this, mamma," began Quillie, impetuously: "I want to take a
friend to the country with us."
"Who is the friend? why can not she go with her own people?" said mamma.
"Now, mammy dear, please don't hurry me; you know madame, our French
teacher at school, has a little girl about my age--eight and a half.
Well, if it wasn't for her, madame says she could go with some pupils to
their country-seat, and teach them all summer, but they will not have
her child, which is very hateful and disobliging, I think; and it popped
into my head that perhaps you would let us have Julie with us, for the
madame says she can not leave her alone in the city, and she has no
relatives--hardly any friends--and I think it would make madame so happy
not to lose this chance of giving lessons, and yet to have Julie,
and--and--"
Mamma stooped down and kissed her little girl. "There," she said, in her
quick, decisive way, "that will do. It was a kind thought, and I will
consider it. Now run off and dig in the garden; your seeds are coming up
nicely."
"But, mamma," said Quillie, not quite satisfied, "are you sure you won't
forget?"
"I promise not to," was the answer, and she arose to change the
coquettish cap and morning-gown for her street costume. Then she took
out her pencil, and jotted down two or three errands in her
memorandum-book, and gathering up the samples to match for Ellen's work,
out she went.
It was a warm day, a balmy air, but one which induces languor, and as
Mrs. Coit stopped at a street corner and bought a bunch of roses, she
thought she would get the children out of town as soon as possible. Her
eye was next attracted by some exquisite laces. She wanted a few yards,
and stopped to price them. They were thread, filmy as cobwebs; they were
costly; and as she held them in her hand, debating the purchase, she
thought of Quillie's request: the cost of the lace would more than meet
the expense of sending little Julie away. She concluded not to buy the
laces. And so she went on with her errands.
At last she had finished, and turned off into a side street, got into a
car, and was whisked away to a quiet place in the old part of the city.
She stopped before a house which had in its day been fine; now it looked
like a person who is keeping up appearances--a little shabby and worn,
and wanting freshness. She rang the bell, and asked if Madame Garnier
lived there. She was directed by a slovenly maid to a room on an upper
floor, and left there. The air was redolent of garlic. She knocked at
the door, and a little pattering of feet was heard, the door was opened
on a crack, and a small head was to be seen, covered with a tiny
handkerchief tied under the chin; a large checked apron concealed the
rest of the small person. When the small person saw that the visitor was
a lady, she no longer kept the door more than half closed, but throwing
it wide open, she made a profound courtesy, and said, "Pardon, madame;
please to enter."
Mrs. Coit paused, smilingly taking in the background of this interior. A
sunny window full of plants, a bed with ruffled pillow-cases, a gilt
clock, a canary, a table set out for two, a writing-desk and books in a
corner, and a cooking stove, with a bubbling saucepan sending the cover
dancing up and down. It was very close and warm, and the little hostess
was pale, despite the heat.
Mrs. Coit had no time to spare. She asked the child if she were Julie
Garnier, and if she wanted to spend two or three months in the country.
The child opened her eyes in silent wonder. "Could madame be in earnest?
Was it possible?"
Mrs. Coit explained, and in addition took out her pencil, and with
rapidity wrote a note to madame.
The little Julie fairly wept with delight. To be in the country, with
birds and bees and brooks--ah! it was too much felicity. Her mother
would be wild with pleasure.
Then Mrs. Coit was going; but Julie could not let her depart without a
taste of her _pot au feu_, which she was cooking for her dear _pauvre
petite maman_--just one sip, if madame could take no more; and pushing a
chair to the table, and hurriedly wiping off an old cracked faience
bowl, pretty enough in its day, the little eager hands dipped out a
ladleful of soup. Mrs. Coit found it delicious. Warm as was the room and
the repast, it was yet refreshing; so thanking the child for her
hospitality, she at last took her departure.
A week from this time behold an eager group of little ones on the deck
of a Hudson River night boat kissing their hands to Mr. and Mrs. Coit on
the wharf. Nurse is on guard, and counts the heads to see if all are
with her. Quillie's yellow locks are beside Julie's dark tresses; Fred
and Willie come next; and little Artie, who scorns being the baby, waves
in great dignity, as color-bearer, a small American flag. Long before
the stars are out they beg to go to their state-rooms. They creep into
the little beds, and imagine themselves on the tossing ocean. Nurse
hears them discussing who shall be in the upper and who in the lower
berths, and whether they shall be able to remain in them at all, for the
vessel may pitch them all out; then Julie silences all with a vivid
account of her travels. She gesticulates as she talks, occasionally
rolls those dark eyes of hers, speaks of the great steam-ships, the
mighty waves, the roar of the wind, the scream of the fog-whistle, and
the terrible _mal de mer_. Instinctively they yield to her vast
experience, and offer no more remarks, but silently prepare for their
slumbers.
Quite with the early dawn they awake again, refreshed, eager, and taking
in long draughts of the pure air into which they have come. Where are
the docks and wharves and shipping? where the scenes of the night
before? In the rosy flush of the morning lie the green hills and
meadows. The birds are straining their throats with melody, the cocks
are crowing, the geese cackling, and they hear the lowing of cows and
the bleating of sheep.
"Is it paradise?" asks Julie.
"No, it is only Catskill," responds Quillie, tossing back her yellow
locks.
"Hallo! there is Mr. Brown's wagon," screams Fred; and Will shouts till
the farmer responds with a smiling nod.
[Illustration: FRED'S STEAMBOAT.--DRAWN BY W. M. CARY.]
Soon they are all safely stowed in the wagon, and jolting over the
well-remembered roads, an hour or more bringing them to the comfortable
farm. Then what savages more wild than they in their gambols! They roam
from one haunt to the other, visit the cattle and the poultry, and
expect a welcome from all. Breakfast waits, but no one comes. Nurse has
to go after them. There they are on an old hay wagon, which Fred has
made into a steamboat by dragging out of the lumber-room of the barn a
piece of stove-pipe, and Artie's flag at the stern. Julie has her doll,
and Will has the puppy he claims already, but Quillie emerges from some
other corner with two darling kittens. What can nurse do to get them in
to Mrs. Brown's table, with its wild strawberries, its crisp radishes,
its cream, and golden butter, and piles of brown-bread? She hits upon a
happy plan.
"Children, if you will all come in this moment, I will tell you
something splendid."
Their ears were pricked at once. "What is it, nurse? what is it?"
"Not a word more till you obey me."
They scrambled down at that, and hastened into the house.
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]
LEADVILLE, COLORADO.
We live 'way up in Leadville, in the Rocky Mountains, ten thousand
feet above the level of the sea. Although it is very cold here,
some people live in tents all the year round. We live where we can
see the snow on the range of the Rocky Mountains all summer. We
have a little shepherd dog that eats candy. We like YOUNG PEOPLE
very much, and watch eagerly for its coming. I am eleven years
old, and Susie is ten.
CLARA AND SUSIE J.
* * * * *
OMAHA, NEBRASKA.
We have a great many pets. We have a nice gray mare and a pony,
both named Nell, and a little colt a week old that we call
Cyclone. He is a cunning little fellow, and pretends to eat hay
like his mother. We have lots of chickens of all kinds. I have
some little white bantams, and my brother has some game bantams.
My oldest brother keeps fancy chickens.
S. V. B.
* * * * *
PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA.
I read the letter of Arthur N. T. about gophers. They are very
numerous where I live. I kill them sometimes, but they are very
shy. I have a large gray cat that catches a great many of them.
The wild flowers bloom here about the first of March. I take YOUNG
PEOPLE, and like it very much. I learn lots of things from it,
too. I live so far away that I do not get it till almost two weeks
after it is published.
O. A. H.
* * * * *
WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT.
I found a great number of flowers in May, but I do not think you
will print my list of names, for mamma says it is too long, and
would take up too much space in YOUNG PEOPLE. One day when I was
hunting for flowers in the woods, I found a turtle marked "L. E.
1816."
HARRY H. M.
We are pleased to see that you take such an interest in botany, for it
is a beautiful study, but as your list contains the names of
thirty-seven different flowers, it is a little too long to print,
especially as many of them are given in the paper on "Easy Botany," in
No. 29.
* * * * *
LAREDO, TEXAS.
I live 'way out on the Rio Grande. I like to read the letters in
YOUNG PEOPLE. I have two pet pigeons, one blue and one white. I
would like to know how to catch and tame birds. My kite, which you
told me how to make, was a success.
WILLIAM C.
* * * * *
TROY, OHIO.
I had a water turtle that I wanted to pet. I kept it in a bucket
of water, and it would swim round and round, and try to get out.
When I would take it out, it would creep toward the river. I felt
sorry for it, and my brother put it back in the river again. I
tried Puss Hunter's recipe, and think it real nice. I am going to
send a recipe for her club some time.
BERTHA D. A.
* * * * *
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.
Papa takes YOUNG PEOPLE for me, and I like it so much! I have a
little sister who is very much interested in fancy-work, and she
wishes to know if you will not give some instructions for making
some fancy and at the same time useful articles for an old lady. I
had some rabbits, and one bit me. I have tried Fanny S.'s recipe
for caramels, and I like it very much. I have a little dog, but he
eats very little. Can any one tell me what is the matter with him?
TOM G.
* * * * *
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.
I take great pleasure in letting you know that I am one of the
many readers of YOUNG PEOPLE. I am a little Scotch girl, but can
remember nothing of my country. I have become crippled since
coming to America, and I enjoy reading very much indeed. I wish
YOUNG PEOPLE much success.
MAGGIE C.
* * * * *
HELENA, ARKANSAS.
I wish to tell you of an entertainment which was given by our
Sunday-school. We called it a Bazar, because we had ever so many
pretty things, made by the Sunday-school children, to sell. There
was a nice stage in the hall where we had the Bazar, and we had a
pretty little exhibition. Some of us represented an art gallery.
We had pictures and statues. I represented a statue. We made over
one hundred dollars, and we are going to buy a new library for the
Sunday-school with the money.
JULIA S.
* * * * *
NEW LONDON, NEW YORK.
I like the letters in Our Post-office Box best of all, and read
every one of them myself, but as I am only six years old, I can
not write very well, so I have asked mamma to write for me. My
father has taken HARPER'S big paper many years, and when the first
YOUNG PEOPLE came, I coaxed him to subscribe for it for me.
We live on a nice, pleasant farm in Oneida County, and have all
kinds of domestic animals. My pets are a pair of pure white twin
calves, just alike. My brother climbed a tall tree in the woods
yesterday, and brought down four young crows, which he killed, and
hung in the corn field to scare away the big crows.
WALTER C. R.
* * * * *
The following letter will be welcome to the many inquirers for this
little flower girl of the Pacific coast:
When my letter was published in YOUNG PEOPLE, I was away from
home, and I have only just now seen it in print. I am sorry the
prettiest flowers of the valley are gone, but I have a few pressed
that I will send to each address, and I will ask some of my
friends to send me some of the mountain flowers.
GENEVIEVE HARVEY,
Galt, Sacramento County, California.
* * * * *
My father has a nice cabinet of minerals, corals, shells, Indian
relics, and other things. I would like to exchange spar of
different colors, iron ore, and other minerals, with some little
girls, for pressed flowers and shells. I have a great many
flowers, and this fall, when the seed gets ripe, I would like to
exchange flower seeds.
There is an abundance of lovely ferns here. Will you please tell
me the best way to press ferns and flowers?
EDITH LOWRY,
Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Illinois.
Ferns and flowers should be laid carefully between two sheets of clean
paper, the leaves artistically arranged in graceful shape, and placed
under heavy pressure until they are dry. If the ferns are to be used for
decoration, a warm iron, not too hot, must be passed over them, always
putting clean paper between them and the iron, otherwise the heat of the
room will curl them as soon as they are placed upon the wall. It is
better not to iron them until they are dry, as the suddenly applied heat
is liable to change the color of fresh ferns, causing them to look dull
and faded. The sugar-maple leaf you send is well pressed, and
beautifully varnished. What kind of varnish did you use? No doubt some
little girls who are preserving leaves would like to know.
* * * * *
I would like to exchange postage stamps of foreign countries with
some other boys who are readers of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE.
SIDNEY ST. W.,
326 East Fifty-seventh Street, New York city.
* * * * *
MAY 31, 1880.
I am making a collection of birds' eggs, and as soon as I collect
a few more, I would like to exchange some with Samuel P. Higgins,
if he will send me his full address. I have seen morning-glories
in blossom this year, and would like to know if any other
correspondents have seen them so early.
THOMAS HORTON,
Care of Benjamin J. Horton, Lawrence, Kansas.
* * * * *
If Mary Wright will send me some leaves, I will be very happy to
send her some. And I would like to exchange flowers with Mabel
Sharp, if she will send me some as soon as possible. I will send
her some in return as soon as I receive hers. I would like to
exchange leaves or flowers with any others who would like to do
so. Those sending any will please mark each specimen distinctly,
so that I may know the name. I am fourteen years old, and my pets
are birds and flowers, which I will write about another time.
IDA P. SMITH,
P. O. Box 380, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
* * * * *
I take YOUNG PEOPLE, and like it very much. I have two pigeons
that laid eggs and hatched two little ones. I am making a
collection of birds' eggs, and would like to exchange eggs with
any of the correspondents of YOUNG PEOPLE. My address is No. 308
Carlton Avenue, Brooklyn, New York; but after the 25th of June I
will be at Glen Cove, where I get almost all of my eggs. My name
is T. Augustus Simpson, and my address this summer will be care of
S. M. COX, Glen Cove, Long Island.
T. A. S.
* * * * *
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.
I send a recipe for Puss Hunter's Cooking Club. It is for
Florentines. Make a rich pie crust, using butter instead of lard;
mix with cold sweet milk, roll it thin, spread it with butter,
fold it, then roll it again into a sheet one-eighth of an inch
thick; now spread it with jam, and place it in the oven. When it
is baked, frost it; strew it plentifully with minced almonds or
nuts of any kind; sift sugar over it, and place it in the oven a
few moments to brown.
WINIFRED B.
* * * * *
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.
I tried Nellie H.'s recipe for candy, only I used maple sugar
instead of molasses, and I liked it very much. Here is another
recipe for candy Puss Hunter may like to try: Six dolls' cups of
sugar; one of vinegar; one of water; one tea-spoonful of butter,
put in last, with a little pinch of saleratus dissolved in hot
water. Boil, without stirring, half an hour, or until it crisps in
cold water; flavor to taste, and pull it white with the tips of
your fingers.
SADIE MCB.
* * * * *
AYLETT'S POST-OFFICE, VIRGINIA.
I have never written to the Post-office Box before, and I thought
now I would send Puss Hunter some recipes for her cooking club. I
have tried hers, and I liked it very much. One of mine is for nice
molasses candy: One quarter of a pound of sugar and one pint of
molasses. Boil quickly, and drop a little in water occasionally
until it crisps. A small piece of butter is an improvement. When
done, cool it in buttered tins. Here is a recipe for Everton
taffy: One pound of brown sugar; three ounces of butter; a little
lemon flavoring. Boil about twenty minutes, until it crisps,
stirring constantly.
LOUISA W.
* * * * *
CLOYD D. B.--Write again, and tell us how you amuse yourself while you
are sick, and we will try to print it. Your last letter was so much a
business communication that we could not put it in the Post-office Box.
* * * * *
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA.
I saw a letter from Indian River, so I thought I would write too.
I have a little sister, five years old, who goes to a Kindergarten
school. I have a little turtle, and I would like to know how to
feed it. I am almost nine years old.
RALPH D. P.
Turtles like a diet of flies, and small insects, and fruit. You will
find directions for the care of different kinds of turtles in the
Post-office Box of YOUNG PEOPLE No. 5 and No. 18. The "Letter from a
Land Turtle," in YOUNG PEOPLE No. 27, will also give you information.
* * * * *
I thank Zenobia in regard to the whip-poor-wills, but she does not
say when was the earliest she heard them this year. The first one
I heard was on the morning of March 30, which is the earliest I
ever heard one in this locality. Zenobia lives farther north than
I do, and probably whip-poor-wills are not so early in her
vicinity. I want to learn all I can of this mysterious bird, and
would be thankful for any information concerning its habits. If
Zenobia will send me her address, I would like to exchange pressed
Missouri flowers for Illinois flowers with her. I have pressed
flowers from California and Tennessee, and I have been studying
botany this spring.
WROTON M. KENNY,
Pineville P. O., McDonald County, Missouri.
The whip-poor-will is a native of North America, and is found from the
Pacific to the Atlantic. In winter it travels southward, and spends the
cold season in the forests of Central America. It is a brownish-gray
bird, and has a large mouth, armed with bristles at the base of the
bill, with which it retains the moths and other soft-bodied insects upon
which it feeds. It is a very shy bird, and hides itself all day, coming
out at evening and early morning to skim along with noiseless flight
near the ground, seeking its food. It is sometimes called the
night-swallow. It makes no nest, but deposits two greenish eggs, spotted
with blue and brown, in some snug corner, among fallen leaves, on the
ground.
* * * * *
ELK CITY, KANSAS.
My paper comes on Saturday, and I read all the letters in the
Post-office Box first. I have a pet. It is a very funny one. It is
a horny toad. I found it near Pocket Creek. I would like to know
what to feed it with. Papa found a little bug this morning on the
sweet-potato vines. It changes its color very often. Sometimes it
is gold, sometimes green, sometimes red. Can any one tell me the
name of it?
MARY W. (11 years old).
Your bug is probably one of the small iridescent beetles, of which there
are many varieties. As they move about in the light, the color appears
to change, like the color of the head and throat of a South American
humming-bird. If the appetite of your horny toad is like that of a
common toad, it will prefer an insect diet. But it will live weeks
without eating anything, and unless you allow it to hunt for itself, it
will probably die of starvation some day.
* * * * *
GEORGE H. M.--A neat black walnut box, about five inches deep, will make
a good case for butterflies. Glue pieces of cork in the bottom, on which
to mount your specimens, and have a tightly fitting glass cover. You
must scatter bits of camphor in your case, to keep away moths, as they
destroy dried insects, and when your case is full, paste thin paper over
the cracks to make it as air-tight as possible.
* * * * *
L. B. POST.--See Post-office Box No. 18.
* * * * *
"ADMIRER."--The _Passion Play_, which is celebrated once in ten years in
the peasant village of Oberammergau, in the Bavarian Tyrol, is a relic
of the ancient Miracle Plays and Mysteries which were so popular among
the common people throughout Europe during the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries. The _Passion Play_ represents the closing scenes in the life
of Christ, and sometimes includes, as it does this year, _tableaux
vivants_ of incidents in the Old Testament. Usually about five hundred
performers appear on the stage, although the speaking roles number only
a little over two hundred. All the characters are represented by the
peasants of the village, the principal ones being selected fully two
years previous to the performance, that they may become perfectly
drilled in the parts allotted to them, and allow their hair or beards to
grow to imitate as nearly as possible the best existing pictures of the
various characters they are to represent. The theatre is an immense
wooden structure erected for the purpose, capable of containing nine or
ten thousand spectators; for, so widespread is the fame of this peasant
festival that crowds flock to see it from every part of Germany, and
travellers from England and the United States make efforts to be present
at this strange performance. You will find a full account of the
_Passion Play_ in HARPER'S MAGAZINE for January, 1871.
* * * * *
PUZZLES FROM YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS.
No. 1.
DIAMOND.
In errand. A poisonous reptile. A flower. A vegetable. In errand.
A. H. E.
* * * * *
No. 2.
ENIGMA.
My first is in May, but not in June.
My second is in lead, but not in copper.
My third is in day, but not in gloom.
My fourth is in ink, but not in water.
My fifth is in season, but not in year.
My sixth is in house, but not in tent.
My seventh is in hound, but not in deer.
My whole was an honored President.
M. B. AND M. H.
* * * * *
No. 3.
WORD SQUARE.
First, a minute quantity. Second, a kind of tune. Third, wrath. Fourth,
thoughts. Fifth, an ancient language.
WILLIE.
* * * * *
No. 4.
ANAGRAMS.
[From each sentence make one word.]
1. Ben has a foil. 2. I harm no cat. 3. I lent a dime. 4. The nice rain.
5. Harry, go past. 6. Shun fat flies.
* * * * *
No. 5.
DOUBLE ACROSTIC.
A boy's name. A city in Japan. A vegetable. To ascend. One of the United
States. A household article. A river west of the Rocky Mountains.
Answer--Two Territories of the United States.
M. E. N.
* * * * *
No. 6.
ENIGMA.
My first is in brown, but not in green.
My second in candy is always seen.
My third is in lamb, but not in kid.
My fourth is in kettle, but not in lid.
My fifth is in lean, but not in fat.
My sixth is in rabbit, but not in cat.
My seventh is in modest, but not in meek.
My eighth is in cone, but not in peak.
My ninth is in cold, but not in freeze.
My tenth is in turnips, but not in peas.
My eleventh is in watch, but not in look.
My whole is the author of many a book.
CHESLY B. H.
* * * * *
Favors are acknowledged from Philip D. Rice, May S., Matie Greene,
J. S., Howard Starrett, Carrie Smith, Walter H., Jennie Hall, Alice
G. M., Fannie W. O., Irene V. Over, Willie C. Pattison, Dorsey E. Coate,
Charlie Iankes, Willie H. Joyce.
* * * * *
Correct answers to puzzles are received from Rebecca Hedges, Percy T.
Jameson, M. S. Brigham, Harry Starr K., Willie Gray Lee, Julia Smith,
Anne M. Franklin, Josie and Austin, Louie P. Lord, J. R. Blake,
W. H. W., L. B. and R. H. Post, S. V. B., Marion E. Norcross, George S.
Schilling, Cora Frost, Anna L. Kuhn, Leon M. Fobes, Mamie E. F., Eddie
S. Hequembourg, Eddie A. Leet, "Blue Light."
* * * * *
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN NO. 31.
No. 1.
Bolivar.
No. 2.
C O R D O V A
P A R I S
R E D
S
I D A
G H E N T
G R A N A D A
No. 3.
M
N E D
M E R R Y
D R Y
Y
No. 4.
B I D E
I D E A
D E A R
E A R L
No. 5.
Raleigh.
No. 6.
D um B
E lih U
F athe R
O ttoma N
E uripide S
Defoe, Burns.
* * * * *
Charade on page 440--Courtship.
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Remittances should be made by POST-OFFICE MONEY ORDER or DRAFT, to avoid
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The extent and character of the circulation of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE
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Address
HARPER & BROTHERS,
Franklin Square, N. Y.
FISHING OUTFITS.
CATALOGUE FREE.
R. SIMPSON, 132 Nassau Street, N. Y.
The Child's Book of Nature.
* * * * *
The Child's Book of Nature, for the Use of Families and Schools:
intended to aid Mothers and Teachers in Training Children in the
Observation of Nature. In Three Parts. Part I. Plants. Part II. Animals.