AN EMBROIDERED WORK-BAG.
Fig. 1.—EMBROIDERED WORK-BAG.
This pretty work-bag has a foundation of splints, wicker-work, Manila braid, or whatever material of the kind may be found most convenient, fourteen inches and seven-eighths long and ten inches and a half wide, which is sloped off on the corners, and trimmed with two strips of embroidery, separated by a bias strip of blue satin, which is turned down on the edges an inch wide on the wrong side, and gathered so as to form a puff. The embroidered strips are worked on a foundation of white cloth as shown by Fig. 2. For the corn-flowers use blue silk, and work them in chain stitch. The calyxes are worked in satin stitch with moss green silk, and the lilies-of-the-valley with white silk. The stems and sprays are worked in tent and herring-bone stitch with green silk in several shades. For the ends cut of blue satin two pieces each six inches and a half wide and seven inches and a quarter high, fold down the upper edge an inch and a quarter wide on the wrong side, and gather it twice. Having sloped off the lower corners of these parts, pleat them, and join them with the foundation. For the bag cut of blue satin one piece twenty-four inches wide and ten inches and a half high, sew it up on the sides, and fold down the upper edge two inches and a half wide on the wrong side, for a shirr, through which blue silk cord is run, and sew it to the upper edge of the foundation on the wrong side. The work-bag is trimmed on the outside with a ruche of blue satin ribbon seven-eighths of an inch wide. Light gray instead of white cloth forms a pretty and more serviceable foundation for the embroidered strips. Little girls who do not know how to embroider may make a very handsome work-bag from this pattern by using ribbon brocaded in bright colors, or a double row of ruching around the edge in the place of the embroidery. Bamboo handle.
Fig. 2.—BORDER FOR WORK-BAG.
"I AM THE LAD IN THE CADET GRAY."
BY MARY A. BARR.
I am the lad in the cadet gray—
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, hey!
My buttons are bright, my jacket is tight,
My step is a soldier's, quick and light;
I'm ready to dance, I'm ready to fight—
Hurrah! hurrah! for the boy in gray.
I am the lad in the cadet gray—
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, hey!
The bugle wakes me at dawn of day;
I'm out at drill in the morning gray,
Prompt and trig, not a hair astray—
Hurrah! hurrah! for the boy in gray.
I am the lad in the cadet gray—
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, hey!
My hardest tasks are cheerfully done;
I'm under orders from sun to sun;
You should see me handle sword and gun—
Hurrah! hurrah! for the boy in gray.
I am the lad in the cadet gray—
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, hey!
At "four-o'clocks," and at dress parade,
My chevrons, buttons, and fancy braid
Win smiles from many a lovely maid
For the handsome lad in cadet gray.
For the lad in gray the drum is rolled—
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, quick and bold;
And when the days of drilling are through,
This is the thing that I shall do:
Doff cadet gray for the army blue—
The army blue with its stars of gold.
Braver and freer a thousandfold—
Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, true and bold.
Pistols and sword in my silken sash,
After my country's foes I'll dash,
Where muskets rattle and sabres clash—
Hurrah! for the army blue and gold.
Hurrah! for the lad so brave and true,
In cadet gray or in army blue.
On his heart he wears his country's name,
And his hand will keep her spotless fame;
In gray or blue he is just the same—
Hurrah! for the lad in gray or blue.
The following communication is from a member of an old and well-known publishing firm in this city:
New York, April 28, 1880.
Messrs. Harper & Brothers:
Gentlemen,—When you announced your intention of making a paper for the young, I must own I felt a little sorry. I had always believed, and believe still, that Harper's Monthly was the best magazine in the English language, and Harper's Weekly the best of all illustrated papers; but it is so hard to make a periodical for the young—the number of people capable of editing such a periodical being extremely small—I felt it must be a failure, and so for a good while I gave it very little attention. I have a boy of seven, and another of five—bright boys, of course—and I have read every line (almost) of three late consecutive numbers of Harper's Young People; and I must say, if these are specimens—and I have no doubt they are—it is as complete a success in its own way as the Magazine and the Weekly. I am not sure whether the boys or their papa were most interested. The only fault I see in it is that it increases the difficulty of getting the children off early to bed.
I congratulate you on having a paper that will do as much good as any paper or periodical published in the world.
Grahamville, Florida.
I live on the Oklawaha River. The Silver Spring is six miles from this place. We live at the edge of the hummock, and see many kinds of birds and flowers. A little bird has built its nest in one of our hen's nests. I have one brother. His name is Philip. I will be seven years old in May. We cut down a palmetto-tree yesterday. The cabbage, which is the tender part at the end of the tree, is good to eat. The bud I brought home, and am curing it to braid for a hat. It makes a pretty hat that looks like straw. Some people here use the palmetto leaves for fans or brooms. They are very large, and have long stems. The small leaves make nice fly-brushes.
E. Pearl L.
Brazoria, Texas.
We take Young People, and like it very much. I read the papers until I know them almost by heart, and I thought it would be nice to write a letter for the Post-office Box. I am a little boy nine years old, and I live on the Brazos River, in Texas. I and my little brother have never been to school, but papa and mamma teach us at home. We have beautiful redbirds, bluebirds, and woodpeckers here, and a pair of mocking-birds have built their nest in a rose-bush near our window. We have two pet chickens, named Poll and Nelly, that have never been with a hen since they were hatched. When I call, "Cluck! cluck!" they come running to me, but they are afraid of a hen. Every night they cry to be put to bed.
Walter H. S.
Refugio, Texas.
I want to tell you about some minnows I had. I got them out of a mud hole, and put them in a large candy jar in some fresh rain-water. I kept them about two months. I fed them on flies and bread-crumbs, and when I dropped their food in the water, they would swim to the surface as fast as they could and swallow it. I put some shells and a calla lily in the jar, and the little fish would dart around after each other, and hide behind the shells. They were very amusing.
Lula B.
Flint, Michigan.
I had Young People for a Christmas present, and I like it very much. I have a puppy. I call him Champion, after that brave dog in the story I read in Young People No. 20. He is two months old, and my papa thinks he will be big enough next winter to draw me on my sled.
Josie A. U.
Duncansby, Mississippi.
I am a little girl ten years old, and I have a brother eight. I live in the country, two miles from the Mississippi River, where there is nothing to see but big fields of cotton and corn. Papa is a planter. I wait patiently every week for Young People. I was born in Louisiana, but my grandpa was born in New York State. I have never been to school. I am taught at home.
Callie R. H.
Windsor, Connecticut.
I send you the names of all the flowers I have found in the month of April. I bring them in from the fields, and mamma tells me the names, and I write them down in a book. I think I can find more flowers in May, as I live too far north to find many in April. Here is the list: Round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica triloba), trailing arbutus (Epigœa repens), yellow adder-tongue violets (Erythronium americanum), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), cinque-foil (Potentilla canadensis), sweet white violet (Viola blanda), common blue violets (Viola cucullata), wood-anemone (Anemone nemorosa), rue-anemone (Thalictrum anemonoides), wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca), shepherd's-purse (Capsella bursa), leather-leaf (Cassandra calyculata), dandelion (Taraxacum dens-leonis), bluets (Oldenlandia cerulia).
Harry H. M.
Fair Haven, Vermont.
I have watched the reports of willow "pussies" coming out in different parts of the country with a good deal of interest, and I thought I would write and tell you that on April 25, when riding to church, I saw some cowslips in bloom. I think that is doing pretty well for our New England spring. My little brother and I found two handfuls of arbutus to-day, but it has been in bloom for some time. We have a black and white shepherd dog. He can climb an apple-tree that leans a little to one side a good deal quicker than my little brother, who is eight years old.
Sadie H.
Moortown, California.
I am a little boy nine years old. I was born in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It storms fearfully here. Last winter was an awful hard one—the coldest ever known. It has been snowing here to-day (April 13), although the wild flowers are just in bloom. I have a pet fox and a squirrel. They are very tame.
Danie R.
Marlborough-on-Hudson, New York.
I am seven years old. I live in Brooklyn, but I am visiting my grandpa and grandma now. I have a little uncle not much older than myself. We play archery sometimes, and we like to hunt eggs for grandma. There are two cats here—a big yellow one we call Solomon, because he looks so wise; and another real pretty one we call Harriet, because Harriet gave it to us. We have lots of fun here—swinging, playing croquet, riding, and rolling in the hammocks.
May T.
Lawrence, Kansas.
I am twelve years old. Papa takes Young People for my brother and me, and we like it very much. I have two pets—a cat and a canary. I let my canary out of its cage almost every day. If I do not, it seems to think itself very badly treated. Violets were in blossom here about the 1st of April.
Antoinette R.
Princess Anne County, Virginia.
I am a little boy. My sister takes your paper, and we take so much pleasure in reading it that I thought I would like to write to you. We live on the sea-shore, and have seines hauled for fish. Sometimes we catch sword-fish, sharks, and saw-fish. The other day we caught a sea-spider. It was like a common spider, but larger, and had a hard shell like a crab. Its fore-feet were something like a crab's claws.
R. D. G.
Erie, Pennsylvania.
I live on the shore of Presque Isle Bay, where "Mad" Anthony Wayne was buried. There is a monument erected over his grave. They are now rebuilding the old block-house, which was burned a few years ago. The flag-ship Lawrence, which Perry commanded when he gained the victory over the British on Lake Erie, used to lie buried in our bay, but in 1876 some enterprising young man raised it out of the water, and took it to the Centennial. I think we have the nicest place in the United States for rowing, fishing, camping out, and having lots of fun. I am eight years old.
Mamie H.
I like to read the letters in Young People, and I thought I would tell you about a wild-cat. On the evening of April 28, about five o'clock, I had just finished my music lesson, when I saw a large crowd standing near our house. I ran out, and I heard some one saying, "It is a wild-cat." I thought at first it was a prairie-wolf. It was two feet in height, and two feet and a half long. It had a cat's head, but its claws were as big as a dog's. It was dead, and a boy had a string round its neck. It came into the city from the country in a load of trees; and when the men took the trees out of the car, it sprang out, and jumped over our fence into our yard. It ran through the yard and back again, when a gentleman shot it. The boy dragged it away, and I did not see it any more. We live in the heart of the city of Chicago. I would like to exchange pressed flowers with "Wee Tot," and will send her some pressed jasmine.
Annie D. Mullally,
285 West Sixteenth Street, Chicago, Illinois.
I would like to exchange pressed flowers or shells, or any pretty curiosity, with readers of Young People in other localities, but especially in the Southern and far Western States and Territories. I liked the letters from Gertrude Balch and Charles W. S. very much, and wish they would write again. I tried to make a tombola, and succeeded admirably. Do you know who was the inventor of the 15-13-14 puzzle?
Laura Bingham, Lansing, Michigan.
The famous puzzle is said to have been invented by a poor deaf and dumb man living in a small country town in New England, but we can not substantiate the statement.
I have been in the woods to a picnic to-day, and have been reading the letters in Young People's Post-office Box this evening. I have no pets, as most little girls. I had a redbird, but it died. I would like to exchange pressed leaves with little girls in other localities.
Mary Wright,
Elk City, Kansas.
If "Genevieve," of California, will send me her address, I will press her some flowers that grow here, and send them to her. I live in a little village not far from Chicago.
Annie De Pfuhl,
Humboldt Park, Cook County, Illinois.
In Harper's Young People No. 22 "Genevieve," of California, asks some little girl to press some specimens of Eastern flowers, and exchange with her. I will be happy to do so.
Carrie Hard,
Pittsford, Monroe County, New York.
St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
My little sister takes Young People, and I read it, and like it very much. I have tried Nellie H.'s rule for candy, and it is splendid. I go to school, and have a good teacher. I had two pet rabbits last summer. I am nine years old.
Katy L. H.
I am a constant reader of the charming little paper, Young People, and think it is a splendid journal for boys and girls. I like "A Boy's First Voyage" very much indeed. In answer to one of the correspondents, I would say that I have a cabinet of curiosities, and have a good many queer specimens, such as idols, gourds from Brazil made by the natives, and other things. I also collect birds' eggs and coins. I would like to exchange with any correspondents who collect eggs, if they have any specimens to spare.
I. Quackenboss,
306 Carleton Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
I am a little girl nine years old. I live in the country, where there are lots of pretty wild flowers, and I would like very much to exchange pressed flowers with "Genevieve," of Galt, California, if she will send me her address.
Aggie Meyer,
Georgetown, D. C.
If "Wee Tot" Brainard will wait until summer, I will be very glad to exchange some of our pressed flowers for hers, and I will send her a nice bouquet.
Julia R. Walker,
Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland.
I have been making a collection of birds' eggs, iron ores, and stones, and if any one would like to exchange eggs or minerals with me, I will be very glad to do so.
Samuel P. Higgins,
Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Eddie A. L.—Africa is not an island, but a continent. It is much larger than Australia, which has always been known as a continent, as it contains a greater area than the largest island. The only real distinction between a continent and an island is the difference of size.
Little Falls, New York.
I would like to ask Bertie Brown and M. R. L. if the Indians in their vicinity make dolls. I have two very curious ones made by the Nez Percés in the guard-house at Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory. On the heads of the squaws are long braids of real hair. Will you please tell me what a guard-house is, and also why barbers' signs are painted in stripes?
Susie C. B.
The guard-house is that portion of a fort where prisoners are confined and kept under guard.—In former times the barber's craft was dignified with the title of a profession, being conjoined with the art of surgery. In France, the barber-surgeons were separated from the hair-dressers, and incorporated as a distinct body in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth. In England, barbers first received incorporation from Edward the Fourth in 1461. In the reign of Henry the Eighth they were united with the Company of Surgeons, it being enacted that the barbers should confine themselves to the minor operations of blood-letting and drawing teeth. In 1745, barbers and surgeons were separated in England into distinct corporations. The barber's sign consisted in ancient times, as now, of a striped pole, from which a basin was formerly suspended. The fillet round the pole indicated the ribbon used for bandaging the arm in bleeding and the basin the vessel to receive the blood.
F. Haynes.—Many thanks for your kindness and trouble in copying the poem. You have done it very neatly. It is, however, much too long to be printed in Young People.
W. Atkinson.—A water-mark is any device stamped in the substance of a sheet of paper while it is in a damp or pulpy condition. The practice dates back to the early part of the sixteenth century, and came into vogue soon after the invention of printing. The mark is produced by pressure as the paper passes over a wire-gauze net, or under a roller, in its progress from the vat, the raised lines of the design making the paper thinner at the points of contact.
Louie B.—We shall soon begin the publication of "The Story of the American Navy," by Benson J. Lossing.
B. H. Smith.—Your idea of our "Wiggle" is entirely original, and very good. We are very sorry it arrived too late to be engraved among other answers.
PUZZLES FROM YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS.
No. 1.
HIDDEN CITIES.
[Two cities are hidden in each sentence.]
1. I oft have looked at royal apparel, but a regal vest on the Prince was the finest I have seen. 2. If you went with a carriage, how did you make that rent on your dress? 3. The mob I led so well I made keep in very good order. 4. I know I am not wanted, but I came, for I am a constable. 5. Is a lemon good with salt on it?
F. B.