A great many solvers wrote to ask if a mistake had not been made in Question No. 2, "because there were not one hundred words in the paragraph." No mistake was made. The "99th" word is the one preceding the c—100. Here are the answers:
1, Wake; 2, Be just before you are generous; 3, Fife; 4, Tietar; 5, Vilaine; 6, Wigtown; 7, Bureau; 8, Poros; 9, Net and Racquet; 10, Fad; 11, There is no wisdom like frankness; 12, Oka; 13. Mercury (quicksilver); 14, Gull: 15, Yule; 16, Sasa; 17, Angel; 18, Faro and Fortune; 19, Lard; 20, Book; 21, Clinch; 22, Palm; 23, Box-car.
Of the twenty-three questions in the story, twenty-one were correctly answered by William C. Thayer, aged 13, Michigan, and Pearl A. Coyle, aged 13, Pennsylvania. The former missed Nos. 13 and 23, and the latter Nos. 2 and 23. We divide the $10 prize between them, giving $5 to each. The other $15 of the $25 offered is divided among other high solvers thus: Frederic W. Darling and Joslyn Z. Smith, New York (Buffalo); Royal J. Davis. Indiana; Edward L. Lyon, New York; J. M. Espey and Nora B. Tucker, Pennsylvania, $2 each; and Ethel Ruth Sherman, New York; Mabel Josephine Frye, District of Columbia; and Amy Erickson, Wisconsin, $1 each. The money has been forwarded, and reached most of the winners by Christmas day.
The Quarter is in the Fund.
Dear Knights and Ladies,—I am a great black dog, and I have more to do with the Round Table Department than you imagine. I have helped one of your contributors prepare scores of articles for you, and you have me to thank for their briefness. Whenever a manuscript threatened to become too long, I would insist on having a door opened for me, or would beg for a drink of water. So that my wants might be supplied a long story had to be cut short.
I am a lazy old fellow, but I am as good as I can be, and goodness means everything with people, and dogs as well. Some little children who once had a society called "Peacemakers" let me join their club because I never fight.
I am glad to hear that you are to build an Industrial School for the Good Will Farm boys, for they have a Band of Mercy, and have promised to be kind to all dumb animals. This means that when everything does not go just right in the neat shops you are to fit up for them, they will not lose their tempers and throw their tools at any stray cat or dog which happens near. Kind boys will make kind men; and I think that all the pets that read the Round Table ought to raise a fund to help build that school for their mutual friends. I enclose twenty-five cents for this purpose. If I were a dog that could perform a great many tricks I would send a larger amount, but I will leave such an honor to my accomplished brothers. I suppose the little dogs would consider a dime as their proper offering; and, by-the-way, what if we adopt that as our standard? Will all the pets—dogs, kitties, rabbits, lambs, biddies, birds, ponies—which are interested in boys who are bound to ever protect them send ten cents for that Good Will School?
I suppose my letter will be published as long as it is the first from a dumb animal; but the rest of you must not be disappointed if yours do not appear in print. This magazine is for children, and they like it too well to give it over to us. However, I should not be surprised if the most interesting letters should be printed; and perhaps the pet that writes the most pleasing one will receive a reward—a pretty collar, it may be. Hoping to see a long list of "pet names" in the contributors' list for the School Fund, I will now say
Bow-wow,
Billy.
Bath, Me.
P. S.—Any pet that wishes boys to keep on abusing them should not send their dimes.
B.