CHILDREN’S PAGE.
[We give, just as they were written, two letters from Indian boys at Hampton for our young readers to puzzle over. We know they will sympathize with Jonathan’s longing for his ponies, and commend his purpose and effort to be content without them and study hard. Our older readers will doubtless be struck with the other letter as curiously resembling that of a German attempting English. His substitution of d for t, and of p for b is quite funnily Teutonic.—Ed. Missionary.]
My Dear Friend:—I thought I would write to you a few line, use to be in my home, last summer I went out on a hunting Buffalo away off in the west, we off in Texes country, and I saw many Texes and they was trying to fight the Pawnee, but every Pawnee was afraid, because they are good many Texes that makes the Pawnee afraid just like all white men the Pawnee do like them to fight and Texes kind afraid do and they stop and them went home every one. Would come back any more.
When I was a little boy I use to play all time would doing nothing just only play all the time, now I like to worked hard like very much indeed, because if I work hard and get some money note to go away, that is the reason we like them for I come in Hampton Normal I used to live in my tents and stay all time in my tents, when I was a little boy I used to take care of them ponies all time and every morning and take the ponies in a nice grass is and have good to eat them nice grass note to way to take care of them. Now I am doing to school I would take care of them horse and make fat horses any more because I will try and be contented. My father used to talk me about fight the Sioux a long time ago now stop fight and be our friend all of them kind to each other. I went to school about one year in my home that is the reason do know how to talk English because I went to school one year. That is all I can say now
From your friend
Jonathan Hustice.
Dear Friend:— I hope I write you to day, to let you Know what I was doing when I was a young. Well I was working in my father his farm. We pland some wheat and potatoes, we pland every thing, what we want in a winder. And after-wile we had a school house in our settlemend, so we can go to school, and that time I was very glad to school every day and I minte my teacher what he tells me to to and that time I was school two years and the next year I heart to talk aboude the blacksmith shop, to put some podday a boy to learn his trade put he coult find him any boy to learn fasd, and then the other day I get a letter from our agt. and he dolt me if I like to be a black smith, and I recived his letter to tell him that I am very willing to be a black smith so I pegan to work every day, an when I work one year I heard some boys to send to school some whre and after wile he ask me if I like to school I told her I shoult like to have it So I come here do learn a Good away and so that I can teach my tribe a good away and I dry hard to learn fast to learn write well and so that I help my tribe. I am sorry that I going to say thire was a grait many Indians in our State. Thay are very goot she can not understand to work himself. Some of them she understand to write some thing his own Good. Dear sir I am glad that you help us I am very much obliget to you, and then I will dry hard to learn fast, it all I can to say.
Yours very Respectfully,
Alexander Peters.
from Wis. State.