DEAR "YOUNG PEOPLE,"--Mamma gave us a year's subscription to your
dear self for a birthday present, and when that expired, renewed it
for a Christmas present. There are four of us boys, and our great
favorite of all the papers we read, or get mamma to read to us, is
YOUNG PEOPLE. We love Mr. Otis, and feel well acquainted with him
and the dear Postmistress, and our little friends' letters are such
pleasure to us! We copy them very often. We send you a small
bouquet of violets in a box, and hope you will get them; they will
be mailed with this letter. We have violets, pinks, roses, and
tuberoses almost all winter. We would have sent some long ago, but
mamma was too ill for us to think of anything pleasant. Our climate
is so very mild that flowers, even geraniums, begonias, ice-plant,
etc., grow out of doors all winter. Sometimes a frost comes and
kills a few, but not often. Dear YOUNG PEOPLE, we all love you so!
and when we go to New York we will call to see you. Grandpapa has
been a subscriber to HARPER'S MONTHLY ever since it was first
published. Mr. Nic Tengg, the bookseller here, ordered YOUNG PEOPLE
for mamma, as we get all our papers through him. We will soon send
something for Young People's Cot.
We can all swim, even four-year-old Edward, and ride our pony, and
three of us can drive mamma's buggy all over town. We take lessons
on the piano, and can sing several songs.
Your loving little admirers,
GEORGE C. F.
JOSEPH F. F.
STERLING I. F.
EDWARD F.
"What can be in this little box, so soft, yet so bulky, and oh! so
sweet?" we said, when, the other day, a box came to our office. Opening
it, dear boys, there were your violets, wrapped so nicely in the wet
cotton that they, were still blue and beautiful. It took us quite a
little while to discover who were the kind donors, for your letter was
one of a great many which came to our Post-office Box that day. But when
we did find out, we stopped writing and reading long enough to waft a
kiss all the way to San Antonio. How nice it is for you to be able to
ride, drive, and swim, as well as to sing and play! Each of these
accomplishments will have its use, and give you pleasure all your lives.
We are glad your dear mother is better, and if you come to New York, we
will be much pleased to see you.
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