all in January in the locality where you live, but as the buds set in
the autumn, the singularly mild weather of January has made them swell
and burst thus early in the season. Thank you for so promptly reporting
these first signs that spring is near. Now let us see when the "pussies"
will appear in other sections of the country.
* * * * *
DOVER, NEW JERSEY.
I was five years old the 21st of January, and I had such a happy
birthday. In the morning when I got up I found at the foot of my
crib six books of natural history full of pictures for little
folks, a piano, a box of colors, and two dancing bears, one black
and one brown. And when I went down to the dining-room, on my tray
was a beautiful cup and saucer, and on the cup, in gold letters, "A
Gift." And in my chair was a box with twenty-five things in it from
my auntie Lou; and in the afternoon I had a tea party. I wish all
little boys and girls had such happy birthdays. To-day I am sick,
and I tell mamma just what to say, and she is writing it for me.
LOUIS C. VOGT.
* * * * *
STERLING, KANSAS.
I have taken YOUNG PEOPLE since Christmas, and I find it very nice
indeed. I have a nice young uncle in Washington who sends it to me,
and told me to write to you. I have a pony named Ben, who is only
four feet and a half high, and is very wild sometimes, but I can
ride him without either bridle or saddle.
NELLIE S.
* * * * *
CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
I have a bird. It is a bullfinch. It is real pretty, and whistles
like a boy. It likes potatoes and corn very much, and eats them out
of my mouth and hand. When it whistles it says "Pretty Poll" just
as plain as a parrot, and when it bathes it spatters me all over.
LENA E. SCHMIDT.
* * * * *
DES MOINES, IOWA.
I want to tell you about a cat-bird or mocking-bird that built its
nest in the tree near our house last summer. I have three brothers,
and when we all go off to play, mamma could not always make us hear
when she called. She bought a whistle, and when she blew it once,
it was for me, and two, three, and four times for my brothers. The
mocking-bird learned to imitate the whistle so well that we could
not always tell whether it was mamma calling or the bird. It would
also imitate the squeaks of the saw when the men were sawing wood.
We hope it will come back again next spring.
M. I. WATROUS.
* * * * *
TROY, NEW YORK.
I am a little girl nine years old, and take YOUNG PEOPLE, and I
watch for it every week. I have three pets--two cats and one
squirrel. The cats are twins; one is named Girofle, and the other
Girofla. They were born on Palm-Sunday, and are nearly three years
old. They are so much alike that you can not tell them apart. My
squirrel's name is Prince.
GRACE MACLEOD.
* * * * *
WAYNE, ILLINOIS.
I am a boy ten years old, and I have a cat older than myself. Its
name is Noah. One day last summer it caught a rat in the yard as
big as a half-grown kitten. The rat squealed so loud that a large
Newfoundland dog at the store across the street heard it, and came
running over to see what was the matter. The dog scared old Noah so
much that it let the rat go, and ran under the shed. I think that
dog better mind his own affairs hereafter, and let my old Noah
catch rats.
ALLE TRULL.
* * * * *
SCOTTSVILLE, NEW YORK.
I am nine years old, and I go to school nearly every day. All the
pet I have now is a white kitten. I did have an oriole, which was
caught when very young. We put it in a cage and hung it in the
cherry-tree, and its mother came and fed it every day until it was
time for the birds to go to a warmer climate. It used to be very
fond of bread and milk.
MARY L. MACVEAN.
* * * * *
Maggie M. M. has a big Newfoundland dog, just her own age, nine years,
which is her faithful friend.
* * * * *
Belle Metzgar, Jessie Edna, C. F. Cooper, Harry B., and Charles Bentley
all send pretty accounts of domestic pets, which we would be glad to
print if there was space to spare.
* * * * *
EVA MITCHELL.--_The Virginians in Texas_ is published in "Harper's
Library of American Fiction," and will be sent by mail, postage prepaid,
to any part of the United States on receipt of seventy-five cents.
* * * * *
L. K.--Chapman's Drawing-Books are the best to use in beginning your
studies.
* * * * *
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.
I once had three pigeons, and when I fed them they would turn round
and round. Will you tell me how to feed guinea-pigs?
MARK FRANCIS.
You can feed guinea-pigs on cabbage leaves, bits of bread and cake, and
all kinds of fruit. They like carrot tops better than any other food,
especially in the spring, when the green is fresh and tender. You must
give them plenty of water.
* * * * *
N. L. COLLAMER.--Your monthly magazine is very well edited. It is
difficult to determine the correct spelling of Shakspeare's name, as
equally reliable authorities disagree.
* * * * *
"LITTLE MARIE."--Your puzzle is very neatly done; but as "every large
city" is not so favored as the one where you live, we fear it would not
be easy to solve.
* * * * *
ELLA W.--You may send the one entirely original, and if it is pretty and
very short, we might use it.
* * * * *
RICHARD S. C.--Your plan for a magnetic motor is very ingenious, and the
machine would no doubt make a pretty and curious toy.
* * * * *
WILLIE H. S.--We will endeavor to send you the solution of your puzzle.
* * * * *
Eddie L. A., Minnesota, after expressing great pleasure in YOUNG PEOPLE,
writes: "My papa thinks I am a pretty smart boy. I am eleven years old,
and I milk the cow, and do most of the work, and go to school besides."
You are a smart boy, Eddie, if you do all that, and do it well. If you
persevere in that course, always attending to school duties and home
work besides, there is every prospect that you will grow to be a smart
man.
* * * * *
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.
Will you please tell me why the land north of Behring Strait is
called Wrangell Land?
MAMIE E. F.
Ferdinand Wrangell, a Russian baron and traveller, who was born near the
close of the last century, and died in 1870, commanded a sledge
expedition which explored the polar sea north of East Siberia about
1822. In 1867 Captain Long, in traversing that part of the sea navigated
by Wrangell, discovered a large tract of land which the Russian explorer
had vainly endeavored to reach, and which he named Wrangell Land.
* * * * *
HENRY W. R.--Every harpoon thrown into a whale before he dies is
entitled to a share of the oil.
* * * * *
W. B. AITKIN.--The sun is supposed to be moving slowly through space,
carrying the earth and all the planets along with him. The great
astronomer Herschel assigned the constellation Hercules as that toward
which we are moving, and the calculations of more recent astronomers
have also pointed to that same direction.
* * * * *
ANITA R. N.--The "good news" mentioned in the ballad is not recorded in
history, and although many inquiries have been made concerning it, no
satisfactory conclusion has yet been arrived at.
* * * * *
G. FUNNELL.--The oldest inhabited building in the territory of the
United States is an ancient house built of adobes, or sun-dried brick,
in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before the annexation of New
Mexico, St. Augustine, Florida, which was settled in 1565, was the
oldest town, and contained the most ancient buildings.
* * * * *
Welcome favors are acknowledged from Edward Haines, Lillie Hathaway,
Arthur G. Wedge, Alice Y., Marion Frisbie, Fannie G., Maggie W. C.,
H. J. Perkins, Mattie E. Church, Mabel G. Nash, Ernest F. Hill,
George and Belle Hume, J. Edwards H., Louie D. M., Eddy Lock, Belle
Mandeville, Lizzie F., Ethel M. R., Frank Griffin.
* * * * *
Correct answers to puzzles received from Kittie A. C., Edith A. M.,
Lilian Forbes, Lillie McCrea, M. I. Watrous, E. J. Gould, Robie
Caldwell, Mary Chapel, George, Mary Bemis, Hattie L. S., Stella M.,
G. K. Richards, Mamie E. F., Frederick C., Edith E. Jones, Frank
Coggswell, Kitty E., Lulu Craft, P. S. S., Alma Hoffmann, G. W. R.,
Herbert R. H., G. S. S., Theodore E., J. S., A. H. Patterson.
We acknowledge only those answers to puzzles which are mailed previous
to date of publication of solution.
* * * * *
PUZZLES FROM YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS.
No. 1.
NUMERICAL CHARADE.
My 9, 14, 5, 3, 13, 8 is a division of land.
My 10, 2, 12, 7, 14 is a game.
My 1, 3, 11, 6 is something good to eat.
My 7, 9, 4 is a form of address.
My whole is the name of a distinguished author.
MAMIE M.
* * * * *
No. 2.
WORD SQUARE.
First. A Salutation.--Second. A Girl's Name.--Third. Taverns.--Fourth.
Latest.
E. S. C. M.
* * * * *
No. 3.
ENIGMA.
My first is in break, but not in tear.
My second is in rabbit, also in hare.
My third is in pay, but not in trust.
My fourth is in earth, but not in dust.
My fifth is in spring, but not in fall.
My sixth is in great, but not in small.
My whole is a poet of world-wide fame.
Now see if you can guess his name.
LETTIE.
* * * * *
No. 4.
NUMERICAL CHARADE.
I am composed of 9 letters.
My 5, 4, 8 is to hit gently.
My 3, 6, 1 is to snatch.
My 7, 2, 9 is an animal.
My whole is the name of a great general.
ERNEST B. COOPER.
* * * * *
No. 5.
DOUBLE ACROSTIC.
A sounding vessel of metal. A river in Spain. To come back. A metal. A
color. A woman devoted to a religions life.
Answer--two cities of Europe.
E. ALLEN CUSHING (12 years).
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and receive by return mail
EIGHTY BEAUTIFUL PICTURE-CARDS.
Old Books for Young Readers.
* * * * *
Arabian Nights' Entertainments.
The Thousand and One Nights; or, The Arabian Nights'
Entertainments. Translated and Arranged for Family Reading, with
Explanatory Notes, by E. W. LANE. 600 Illustrations by Harvey. 2
vols., 12mo, Cloth, $3.50.
Robinson Crusoe.
The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York,
Mariner. By DANIEL DEFOE. With a Biographical Account of Defoe.
Illustrated by Adams. Complete Edition. 12mo, Cloth, $1.50.
The Swiss Family Robinson.
The Swiss Family Robinson; or Adventures of a Father and Mother and
Four Sons on a Desert Island. Illustrated. 2 vols., 18mo, Cloth,
$1.50.
The Swiss Family Robinson--Continued: being a Sequel to the
Foregoing. 2 vols., 18mo, Cloth, $1.50.
Sandford and Merton.
The History of Sandford and Merton. By THOMAS DAY. 18mo, Half
Bound, 75 cents.
* * * * *
Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.
_Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United Slates, on
receipt of the price._
BOOKS FOR YOUNG MEN.
* * * * *
Character.
Character. By SAMUEL SMILES. 12mo, Cloth, $1.00.
It is, in design and execution, more like his "Self-Help" than any
of his other works. Mr. Smiles always writes pleasantly, but he writes
best when he is telling anecdotes, and using them to enforce a moral
that he is too wise to preach about, although he is not afraid to
state it plainly. By means of it "Self-Help" at once became a standard
book, and "Character" is, in its way, quite as good as "Self-Help."
It is a wonderful storehouse of anecdotes and biographical
illustrations.--_Examiner_, London.
* * * * *
Self-Help.
Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character, Conduct, and
Perseverance. By SAMUEL SMILES. New Edition, Revised and Enlarged.
12mo, Cloth, $1.00.
The writings of Samuel Smiles are a valuable aid in the education of
boys. His style seems to have been constructed entirely for their
tastes; his topics are admirably selected, and his mode of communicating
excellent lessons of enterprise, truth, and self-reliance might be
called insidious and ensnaring if these words did not convey an idea
which is only applicable to lessons of an opposite character and
tendency taught in the same attractive style. The popularity of this
book, "Self-Help," abroad has made it a powerful instrument of good, and
many an English boy has risen from its perusal determined that his life
will be moulded after that of some of those set before him in this
volume. It was written for the youth of another country, but its wealth
of instruction has been recognized by its translation into more than one
European language, and it is not too much to predict for it a popularity
among American boys.--_N. Y. World._
* * * * *
Thrift.
Thrift. By SAMUEL SMILES. 12mo, Cloth, $1.00.
The mechanic, farmer, apprentice, clerk, merchant, and a large circle of
readers outside of these classes will find in the volume a wide range of
counsel and advice, presented in perspicuous language, and marked
throughout by vigorous good sense; and who, while deriving from it
useful lessons for the guidance of their personal affairs, will also be
imbibing valuable instruction in an important branch of political
economy. We wish it could be placed in the hands of all our
youth--especially those who expect to be merchants, artisans, or
farmers.--_Christian Intelligencer_, N. Y.
In this useful and sensible work, which should be in the hands of all
classes of readers, especially of those whose means are slender, the
author does for private economy what Smith and Ricardo and Bastiat have
done for national economy. * * * The one step which separates
civilization from savagery--which renders civilization possible--is
labor done in excess of immediate necessity. * * * To inculcate this
most necessary and most homely of all virtues, we have met with no
better teacher than this book.--_N. Y. World._
* * * * *
Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.
_Sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on
receipt of the price._
MRS. MORTIMER'S
BOOKS FOR THE NURSERY.
* * * * *
Lines Left Out.
Lines Left Out; or, Some of the Histories Left Out in "Line upon
Line." The First Part relates Events in the Times of the Patriarchs
and the Judges. Illustrated. By Mrs. ELIZABETH MORTIMER. 16mo,
Cloth, 75 cents.
The volume is an attractive juvenile book, handsomely brought out,
rendering Scripture incidents into pleasant paraphrases.--_Northwestern
Christian Advocate_, Chicago.
* * * * *
More about Jesus.
More about Jesus. Illustrations and a Map. By Mrs. ELIZABETH
MORTIMER. 16mo, Cloth, 75 cents.
It consists of a series of stories, embracing the whole of the events in
the life of our Blessed Lord, told in a plain, simple style, suited to
the capacities of children of seven or eight years of age. But better
still, all good children's books are good for adults; and this will be
found equally useful to put into the hands of very ignorant grown-up
people, who may from this learn the story of man's redemption in an
intelligent manner. Many of the lessons are illustrated with pictures of
the places mentioned.
* * * * *
Streaks of Light.
Streaks of Light; or, Fifty-two Facts from the Bible for Fifty-two
Sundays of the Year. Illustrated. By Mrs. ELIZABETH MORTIMER. 16mo,
Cloth, 75 cents.
"This little work," says the author, "has received the distinguished
honor of being appointed to be one of the class-books of the Samoan
Collegians, and has been made to subserve the highest of all
purposes--the preaching of the Gospel. To that purpose it is adapted
when the hearers are untaught, untrained, and unreflecting. Each lesson
can be understood by those who have no previous knowledge, and each is
calculated to be the first address to one who has never before heard of
God or his Christ."
* * * * *
Reading without Tears.
Reading without Tears; or, A Pleasant Mode of Learning to Read.
Illustrated. Small 4to, Cloth. By Mrs. ELIZABETH MORTIMER. Two
Parts. Part I., 49 cents; Part II., 62 cents; complete in One
Volume, $1.03.
An easy, simple, and pleasant book for the tiny scholars of the
nursery-room. It contains a picture for every word of spelling capable
of pictorial explanation. The reading-lessons have been carefully
selected, being composed of the preceding spelling-lessons, by which
means, together with the picture meanings, the words are easily
impressed on the memory of a very young child.--_Athenæum_, London.
* * * * *
Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.
_Harper & Brothers will send any of the above works by mail, postage
prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price._
[Illustration]
TOO FAT AND TOO THIN.
A fat cat sat
On the parlor mat,
When through the room came whirring,
Right up to where the cat was purring,
A strange and ill-conditioned rat,
As though to tempt the pussy fat.
But, "No," said Puss, "this is too thin;
Such shams may take Skye-terriers in.
_I've_ had too many first-class meals
To try to eat a rat on wheels."
* * * * *
=The Ribbon Dance.=--Children's balls are now in great vogue in France.
The latest novelty for them is the ribbon dance. Eight ribbons of
different colors are attached to a ring in the ceiling. Four girls and
four boys hold the ends of the ribbons. The orchestra strikes up, and
the eight children dance a measure which enables them to plait the
ribbons. The orchestra then starts another measure, the children another
step, and the plait is unplaited. Each of the dancers may be dressed
according to the color of the ribbon that he or she holds, and the
mingling of the colors will be all the more brilliant. The idea might
easily be taken for a cotillion figure.
[Illustration]
A CAUSE FOR WORRIMENT.
ADA,(_on the morning of her birthday party, looking at the clock and
feeling her pulse_). "Oh dear! I wonder if I will be well enough for the
party to-night?"
[Illustration]
Search, if you like, the wide world over,
Barnum's the very best fellow that's known;
Now that we young ones are left here in clover,
Here's for a jolly good show of our own.
BROKEN RHYMES.
[Behead the word that completes the first line, and you have the word
necessary to complete the second. This in turn beheaded gives the word
that will complete the third line.]
"Beware the ice!" I heard him ____,
"Which is not safe unless 'tis ____:
Take my advice, for I am ____,
And do not venture here."
"But, oh! we want so much to ____.
He's like the dog," said saucy ____,
"Who could not eat what others ____,
Yet barked when they came near."
"But do not go so near the ____;
'Tis safer far within the ____;
The water here's as dark as ____:
To go would be a sin."
They heeded not, and in a ____,
Like little birds that feed on ____,
The merry girls flew o'er the ____;
And now, alas! they're in.
But when he heard the dreadful ____,
And saw the drowning maidens ____,
He hurried with his stick of ____
Along the slippery ground.
And others came, and with a ____
They crept around the dangerous ____,
And lifted dripping o'er the ____
The maids so nearly drowned.
[Illustration]
SHADOWS OF GREAT MEN.
Who can turn this old woman into the Duke of Wellington, and the
rough-looking man with a broken nose into Napoleon III.? You will not
need any fairy wand nor magic sentence to do it; just trace the heads
upon a piece of thick paper, and cut them out carefully with a pair of
sharp scissors; then place them so that their shadows may fall clearly
upon a sheet of paper, and the change is complete. You can make many
different surprises of the same kind by drawing other heads yourselves.