THE CHRYSANTHEMUM'S SONG TO THE MOON.
I stand in a little box
At a lowly cottage door;
I grow and grow and grow and grow
Till I can grow no more.
My leaves are the brightest green,
My flowers the purest white,
Of any flowers you've ever seen,
O Moon, so large and bright.
O Moon up there so high,
As you nightly roll along,
Please don't forget me in my box
As I sing my little song.
Annie L. C.
Milford, Connecticut.
I wrote a letter once before, but it wasn't published. I know you can not publish all the letters that are sent you. I thought I would try again. My brother has two pet owls. He feeds them on raw meat. They are very pretty. At some times they look very small, and at other times they stick their feathers out and look like a ball of feathers. Their eyes are very large; they have two eyelids. The under one is so thin that they can see through it. The upper one is covered with little feathers. Besides raw meat, they eat mice. We catch them alive, and when we put one in the cage, one of the owls will jump on it, and catch it in his claws, and bite it in the back of its neck, and kill it. He then tears pieces off, and eats them. We have some bantams. The old bantam hen lays her eggs in the corner of the kitchen in a basket. Last spring she sat on six eggs in the basket in the kitchen, and hatched five chickens, but one of them died, so we have only four now.
Julia B. S.
St. John's, Michigan.
I want to tell you about an adventure that happened in Florida last winter. A gentleman and a boy went up Dunn's Lake on a fishing expedition. When they got as far as Haw Creek they found that alligators were plenty there, having come out to sun themselves, as is their custom in the early spring. Mr. Lee succeeded in shooting a good-sized one, about twelve feet long, and after much trouble he was got into the boat; but as he took up so much room, one of the men had to sit upon the alligator, supposing him to be dead, of course. They rowed as fast as possible toward town, but had not gone far when his 'gatorship gave a mighty jump, throwing the man up into the air, and nearly overturning the boat. However, they reached the town in safety, and hauled him up on the dock, where he lay for some time on exhibition to an admiring crowd. My friend John, being of an inquiring turn of mind, leaned over the animal to take a close inspection of him, when he gave a flop with his tail which knocked John quite over.
This is a true story, and I hope it will be printed.
Robert E. C.
Sometimes letters reach Our Post-office Box in rather a roundabout way. For instance, the other day we opened an envelope bearing the post-mark Orange, Los Angeles County, California. We found in it a letter from a gentleman living there, who sends Harper's Young People to a little cousin in Dublin, and she and several of her school-mates had sent a budget of letters to him for their favorite paper. We can make room for only one, though all were pleasant little letters for a Post-office Box to receive:
Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland.
I am in school. I have a sister who is married in America, and my brother-in-law sends me Harper's Young People. I have two little nephews, one just four years old, and the other two. I have a number of dolls, and a very playful little kitten only a few weeks old. His whole name is Prince Albert Victor, but we call him Prince for short. My home is in Ireland, and very near the sea, and I am eleven years old. I hope my letter will reach the Post-office Box.
Louisa E. A. E.
Louisa may tell Molly W. K. and Lillie R. that we appreciate their compliments, and are sure they must have a very delightful time at school. We never before heard of a dog that was fond of sugar, though we once saw a cat that ate pea-nuts.
Cherry Valley, Massachusetts.
I am a little boy twelve years old, and was born with but one hand. I am writing with my left hand. I attend school, and am trying to be a good scholar. I have a nice large Newfoundland dog, and I think the world of him. We play together a great deal. My papa was a soldier in the army for three years, and now belongs to the Grand Army. I have a great many books which papa has bought for me. I have no brothers nor sisters, three brothers having died. I ride horseback often after school is over. I have a nice saddle and bridle.
Willis J. B.
Brooklyn, New York.
You wanted us all to tell you about vacation, and I will do so now if it is not too late. I spent mine at Red Bank, N. J. The place where we boarded was terraced right down to the Shrewsbury River. There was a little dock, and a boat which we could use whenever we wanted it. One day we all went fishing, and mamma caught three ugly toad-fish. The jelly-fish look very graceful and pretty as they float through the water, but we used to bathe every day at high tide, and sometimes they stung us very badly. We went in after dark sometimes, and when we splashed the water it looked like fire. One day I fell off the dock; it did not hurt me, but my clothes and shoes were not worth bringing home. Another boy fell off one Sunday morning, just after his mother had dressed him in all his best clothes to meet some company who were coming from New York to spend the day. We used to ride every day. All of the roads are good, but one, to Seabright, is so level, and has such beautiful residences, hedges, miniature lakes, etc., it was almost like driving through a park.
One evening two young men rowed some young ladies to their home, about three miles up the river. The young men started home about ten o'clock. As the night was very dark, they had a lantern. When they got about half way, one of them wanted to smoke, and as they had no matches, he opened the lantern to light his cigar. A puff of wind blew out the light. They could see nothing at all, but they rowed patiently on, until they felt sure they must be near home. Just then they heard some one shout, "Boat ahoy!" so they pulled in, very thankful to be at home. One of them said, "Is this our dock?"
"Dunno," said the man: "this is Smith's dock." Then he put his lantern close, so he could see them, and shouted, "Blessed if you ain't the fellers what left here two hours ago!"
They had somehow got turned round and gone back. I think they paid the boatman something to keep quiet to the girls, but they had such a discouraged look next morning that I felt glad I was only a little boy.
Percy L. McD.