LITTLE PATTY.
Cross little Patty sat under a tree,
As fretful as ever a child could be.
"Keep still!" to a singing-bird she said;
"You are out of tune, and you hurt my head."
"Do stop!" she cried, to a dancing brook.
A lamb and a pussy cat came to look
At cross little Patty beneath the tree,
As fretful as ever a child could be.
The pussy cat wondered to see her pout,
And the frisky lambkin skipped about;
But the brook tripped on over stones and moss,
And never found out that Patty was cross.
The bird in the tree-top sang away,
And these were the words she meant to say:
"You poor little girl, why can't you see
That there's nothing at all the matter with me?
"Mend your manners, my dearie, soon,
Or you'll find the whole world out of tune."
Somehow the wind in the leafy tree,
And the rippling water so wild and free,
The bird on the bough, and the snow-white lamb,
And the gentle pussy so mild and calm,
Made Patty ashamed of her naughty mood;
She shook herself well, and said, "I'll be good."
And, presto! the Patty beneath the tree
Was just as sweet as a child could be.
Brandy Station, Virginia.
I am nine years old, but will soon be ten. I thought I would tell Kate E. what pet to get. I think a pony would be very nice. I have written to Harper's Young People several times, but my letters never have been printed. I hope you will print this. My sister was taken sick yesterday. I have no pets, but my sister Emily has a pet cat. It is very cunning. Papa is having the porch fixed up. Good-by.
Rena Louisa S.
Eden, Dakota Territory.
My papa came here thirteen years ago, when only savages inhabited this part of Dakota. I can remember, when a very small child, how the Indians used to come to our house, and beg for corn and fresh meat, for we used to kill lots of pigs. Papa named this town. Eden is situated in the southeastern part of Dakota, on the Big Sioux River, fifty miles above Sioux City. I have only one sister, nine years old, and I am eleven. Mamma promised me a birthday party, but as I have an invalid grandpa, and my birthday comes in the cold, cold month of December, and we could not go out-of-doors to play, mamma said I might have a lawn party instead this summer, as we have a beautiful grove to play in. I have taken Harper's Young People for nearly two years, and am very much pleased with it.
M. Elsie W.
Howe, Illinois.
I am a little boy nearly seven years old. I have never been at school, but recite my lessons at home. I have one Maltese cat I call John Crawford, and another Jerusha (I call her Jerry for short). Jerry has two little kittens; they are just as funny as they can be. I have a shepherd dog named Jack; he and the cats and kittens eat from the same dish, and do not quarrel one bit. Then I have a cow and two little calves, and two colts. My colts are named Dick and Daisy; they are one year old, and my papa says I may ride them next fall. The last, and almost the least, is my little pig Bessie. Papa says my brother Jo and I will bankrupt him yet feeding our stock. Jo is my only brother; he is thirteen. My papa has been real sick almost a year; he expects to go to the sea-shore this summer.
I do hope you will print this letter. I have not seen any from this part of Illinois. If you do, in my next I will tell you about a rat-hunt my grandpapa and I had. I like Harper's Young People best of all.
Charlie W.
Des Moines, Iowa.
I am a little girl ten years old. I have lived in Des Moines for nearly one year. I do not like Des Moines very much. I have written three letters to Young People, but as none of them have been published, I thought I would write again. On the 18th of June a cyclone passed here, and on the 22d of June a cyclone passed not far from our house, and mamma said it would have been here if it had not been for the rain. In Kansas, when they see a cyclone coming, they all go to large holes in the ground, and stay there until it is all over, and then they come out again to their houses. I have a cousin in Germany, and she takes Harper's Young People too. I have been taking it ever since the first number. I am very glad that the vacation months have come, it has been so warm here ever since the 1st of June.
E. K.
Jacksonville, Illinois.
Ma says I may write a letter too,
As many of the little boys and girls do;
So I will try and write, and see
How it will look in poetry.
I'm a little girl just twice six and one,
With this world's work just begun.
My father is a farmer, and bridge-builder too,
So, you have guessed wisely, there is plenty to do.
We all help to plant, to dig, and to hoe;
To be sure, in time we've plenty to mow;
For of all good times for children to play,
The best of all is on hay-making day.
Now 'tis our old house I must tell you about:
'Twas built for a tavern, all on a stage route;
Great trees of walnut were cut and hauled,
And placed together firmly to make these old walls;
It looks very old and ancient to some,
But yet it is a very dear and comfortable home.
My grandpa says, near sixty years ago or more
He made latches and hinges for these very doors.
The things that were made then were made to wear,
But now things of that kind you'll find very rare.
He had his shop where he could get the breeze,
And he hung his bellows between two trees,
But now his locks are silvery and gray,
And his house is the best place for children to play.
Dear Postmistress, should you be weary and need rest,
The best of all places is near the Athens of the West.
We take Harper's Young People, think it grand indeed,
And take great pleasure when your stories we read.
If you will please print my letter,
I will close by signing my name.
Ninetta.
I wonder if I can match this poetical letter by some jingles. Let me try:
An epistle, dear Netta, so charmingly rhymed,
For weather like this I think very well timed.
I'm glad that at grandpa's, when lessons are done,
Yourself and your friends can have plenty of fun.
And I hope you will try to be thorough, my dear,
So that your work, like his, may last many a year.
Baltimore, Maryland.
I look forward to the day Harper's Young People comes with very much pleasure. The stories are very amusing, and the letters are very nice indeed. All seem to like "Mr. Stubbs's Brother" very much. I like it too. I am nine years old, and I have had three birds. One poisoned itself eating the leaves of the trumpet-vine; another broke its leg; the other died a natural death. And now my other little bird is living, and is very tame. I have never written to Harper's Young People before, but I hope my first trial will be successful.
Lydia D. D.
Mineola, Texas.
I am a little girl seven years old. I want to tell you about my pets. I have two kitties; one is named Tabby, the other is named Jumbo. I did have a little rabbit, but Tabby caught it and ate it. I can play four tunes on the organ. As this is my first, please publish it.
Annie H. N.
Plainfield, New Jersey.
I have only taken Young People a little while, and I like it very much. I have a little sister named Alice, and a little cousin named Marie. One day Alice did something that Marie did not like, and looking up in Alice's face, she said, "Lallie, you make me nervous." Grandma gave me a year's subscription of Young People for a philopena present, and my uncle gave me a bound copy for the year 1881.
E. U. O.
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
I went to New York with mamma to see my grandpa, and had a good time. I liked the elevated railroad very much; I wasn't afraid at all. I went to Central Park, and saw some monkeys, birds, buffaloes, a polar bear, and lots of other things. One bird picked the other bird's feathers out. A man put his finger right in the buffalo's mouth, and another man let the birds eat pea-nuts out of his mouth. I used to have curls, and they were cut off when I was in New York. My sister thinks I look like a monkey, but I think I look nice. We are all going to Barnum's Circus to see Jumbo. I saw the picture of him in the paper that you send us. My sister wrote this letter for me, because I couldn't print it good enough.
George L. W.
Marengo, Illinois.
I am twelve years old, and live on a farm of one hundred and one acres. I have lots of fun on the farm. I have a few pets; they are rabbits, tame canaries, a dog, a cow, and a little calf. I had a horse, or one that I called mine. One day my dog Fido—for that is his name—went into the barn to catch rats, and he got caught in a steel trap, and it took two of us to set him free, and his foot was almost crushed.
John R. W.
I am very sorry for Fido's misfortune.