Villa Sciarra, Naples.
I am a little girl of thirteen, and rather short for my age. We live at Naples in a nice villa by the sea-side, and there are lots of rocks, from which I get fishes and crabs. I have a little aquarium, in which are some very pretty specimens of anemones and three fishes, one large and two small. The large one knows me quite well, and dances about when I come near.
My father takes Harper's Young People for me, and I like it so much! I like Jimmy Brown's stories best, and thought "The Little Dolls' Dressmaker" was beautiful. I am very fond of reading, and have 135 books, many of which came from the United States.
Blanche F. T.
Fort Craig, New Mexico.
I am ten years old, and papa says a right smart boy for my age; anyway, I heard him say so to a captain of the army last week. Father is a scout, and goes out with the soldiers after Indians. There used to be lots of bad Indians in New Mexico. My papa was wounded just one year ago. He and two miners were prospecting for gold, when five Indians jumped on them from a cañon. Papa was up on the side of a hill, and when the Indians began to fire he climbed up to the top, while the other men went for the horses, and got them out of the cañon to the creek. Papa staid and fought the Indians for about twenty minutes. He kept them off until the miners got to the creek, and after that he had a running fight for a mile. He was shot in the left hand, the bullet taking part of his gunstock with it. I own a little rifle, and am a good marksman; I can hit the bull's-eye three out of five times at fifty yards. I can ride a bucking bronco, too, and so can sister Eva. I have been reading all the letters in the Post-office Box, and thought some little folks would like to hear from New Mexico. Papa is in the mountains now, and mamma said I could write if I wished.
Harry W. C.
What is a bucking bronco? You will have to write again and tell us. What else do you learn besides riding and shooting? Those accomplishments are very necessary ones on the frontier and in a new country, but we hope you study faithfully; and we should think your sister Eva and yourself might sketch, botanize, and collect curious specimens for your cabinets. We hope your papa may not come to such close quarters with "bad" Indians again.