Wortendyke, New Jersey.
I think your paper is lovely. My aunt in Jersey City takes it for my sister as a birthday present. I have read so many interesting letters about pets that I thought I would write one about ours. We have a large Newfoundland dog, named Bingo, and every time I go out he runs and jumps on me. We have lots of fun with him, he is so gentle. Our cow, named Betsey, is real gentle, and when I go to the bars and call her, she comes running and jumping to me like a little kitten, and she plays with us real cunning. We raised her from a little calf. Her mother was killed on the railroad; her name was Daisy. We have two cherry-colored cats, Toby—not named after Toby Tyler—and Charlie. Every cold morning Toby climbs up on the grape arbor, and jumps from that to the front piazza, to my window, where he taps until I let him in, and when he gets in he cuddles down in bed and goes to sleep. These are all the pets we have. My brother had some pet rabbits, but he sold some, and the rest he let run around, and they got killed or lost. Our little baby sister is two months old. There are seven of us in our family, and all girls but one.
Ina J. P.
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
My home is in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. In winter it is very cold here, and sometimes it is so cold that the thermometer is 20° below zero. I have a nice pony from Sable Island, near Nova Scotia. I have some postage stamps and postmarks which I would like to exchange with the readers of Harper's Young People. My age is thirteen years and six months.
C. L. Hammond, P. O. Box 314.
Woodside (Near Lincolnton), North Carolina.
My dear young Friends,—You are all very often in my thoughts, and sometimes when any of those funny little mistakes are made in Sunday-school, I wish you could enjoy the fun. We are trying, as we can, to take the children into the Natural History Society. My sister and I thought, as they wanted so much to belong to it, that they could begin by making a collection of Indian curiosities. We told them that all who wished to belong to the Natural History Club might bring arrow-heads or any pretty stems with them when they came to sing on Saturday. They all came. One family of five little ones were very nervous, with their hands full of arrow-heads, but whimpered out that they wanted to sing, but didn't want Miss Ida to put them in a tub. I wish you could have seen their relief when they found they were not to have a bath. Then the carols began.
They all learn the tunes quickly, but Ellen Pete will sing, at the top of her voice, "Carol, buzzards, carol," instead of "brothers," as the words really are.
Since my last, I must acknowledge gifts from Mrs. N. B. Blunt, Lexington Avenue, N. Y.; Miss Lulu Mears, Danby, Vt.; Master Robert Cranson, St. Johns, Mich.; Miss Julia Slack, Bristol, Penn.
For these, and all your gifts, accept my sincere gratitude. Your friend,