THE VIOLET.
It gently lifts its little head,
And looks up to the sun;
It hears the birds a-twittering,
And knows that spring has come.
It lives in quiet little nooks,
Where the sunbeams come and play;
It hears the crickets' cheerful chirp,
And sees them day by day.
And so this lovely little flower
Shows that spring has come;
But soon will wilt and fade away,
And then spring will be done.
Margaret Prall G.
McCainsville, New Jersey.
I enjoy reading your stories very much indeed, especially those written by Jimmy Brown. There is a robin and a chippy-bird building their nests on the honeysuckle vine that is climbing up our piazza. The nests are about two feet apart. My brother Fred has about twenty-two pigeons. They are so tame that they come in front of the kitchen and pick up the crumbs of bread.
Lizzie S. S.
Norwich, Connecticut.
I am a boy eight years old, and I can read and write a little, but my aunt Daisy is writing this for me, because I do not form the letters plainly yet. I must tell you about a pet pony I have. His nose is pure white, while all the rest of him is jet black. I call him Gip, and he will eat sugar, bananas, and cookies. He is very small and cunning, and I ride him sometimes, with my papa holding the bridle. Some time I hope I can ride him all alone. Besides Gip, I have a canary called Funny, a dog which I have named Yum-yum, a rabbit which we call Toodles, and a big Maltese cat called Thomas Didymus. Don't you think I have a good many pets? I go to school with my sister every day, and as it is a long distance from my home, I always carry our lunch in a little basket, and we eat it at recess. My little sister is only seven years old, and she can make real pretty poetry. This is a little poem that she made all alone, and we think it is very good. Will you please print it?
Nelson G.