Flora, Cuba.
I am a little girl ten years old, and I have never been away from my country, but I am learning English with my governess, and I hope papa will take me to New York this summer. As perhaps you have never been in Cuba, I wish to tell you something about my beautiful island. The climate is delightful and healthy enough. We have many fine fruit trees—oranges, limes, and lemons. When the trees are young they are a lighter green than when they are old; they have many thorns, and the leaves are pointed. The fruit is not very large, but is very good, and is planted by seeds in the rainy weather. We have several kinds of oranges; the best is called China. The trees have white flowers, which are called azahar, and make a very good essence and oil.
Mary de A.
Havana, Cuba.
We live at a country seat very near the city of Havana. It is a very pretty farm; it has many flowers and trees, two or three fountains playing bright water all the time, and also two ponds. One of them is for gold-fish. There are nineteen gold-fish, and in the centre of the pond is a cave for them to play with their little ones. In the other pond lives a beautiful white lily all alone. It is the size of a tea-plate, and as white as my paper. Then, in the farm-yards there are lots of chickens, turkeys, ducks, guinea-hens, and also two cranes. We have a pair of horses, four goats, eight or nine pigs, and eight rabbits. One of the rabbits had ten little ones, but they all died.
I am a Cuban boy eight years old. I know how to read and write in English better than in Spanish, but I can speak Spanish better, because it is my native language. Do you think this is good enough to put in your paper? My teacher sends you her regards, and thanks you for your paper because it gives us so much pleasure. She wishes me to ask the young people if any of them have read a story called The Runaway, and if they can tell us who is the author, and where the book can be obtained. It is one of the best children's stories she has ever read. It is about two little girls named Olga and Clara.
Domingo T. de L.
Among our thousands of young readers there may be some who can answer Domingo's question about the book which his teacher likes so well. Will they send us the author's name, as we should be glad to give our little friend the information he desires?
Bluffton, Indiana.