I hope, as the summer days bring their pleasures, you will grow strong again, and be able not only to walk, but to run and jump as boys like to.
There will be a general clapping of hands when the Cot report is read this month. Here is a letter, which everybody will enjoy, from a friend who has the Cot on her mind all the time:
I am certain a great many of our young readers, when they see the Cot acknowledgments, will exclaim, "My! how did we get so much money all at once?" I don't wonder at your surprise; I am sure I was surprised when I heard the good news. Well, that $550 which you see put down as the result of a fair is what did the work. Sometimes in reading our fund column I have wondered why so few names from New York city appeared among our contributors; the greater part of the work before has been done in the East, West, or South. But now New York city has stepped up bravely to the front, and is worthy of great praise. Four little girls living here, namely, Madeline Satterlee, Helen Manice, Gertrude Parsons, and Mamie W. Aldrich, formed a club in Lent, and worked for this fair, and earnest workers they must have been. The fair was held April 22, in the Sunday-school room of Zion Church, Thirty-eighth Street, New York, which was kindly lent for the purpose. Of course I was at the fair, and a very pretty one it was. I only wish more people could have known about it, and have been there to encourage these little girls in their good work. Very busy they all looked, waiting on the tables. They had a fish pond and a large red grab-bag, both of which took in quite a sum of money; and I am sure these little workers must have felt very proud, and well repaid for any self-denial they had practiced, when they handed in to our treasurer the large sum you see acknowledged to-day. Now don't you think it would be a good plan if all the boys and girls who are well-wishers of our Fund—and I am sure they are many—would work hard this summer, while away in the country, or at home, and try and make the amount up to $1500? That would be just half the amount needed, and how fast we could go on next winter! You would have to raise $345.56, and that is not such a large sum among a great many. Some, like these four little New York girls, could hold a fair or festival at some of the summer resorts; others could pick and sell berries. There are many ways in which the little hands and feet could earn the pennies for our fund. Do not be disheartened at small results, but remember that every effort you make, if in earnest, helps both yourselves and the Cot fund.
I wonder if some of you are not curious to know where your money goes while waiting for the rest of the $3000. If any of you have ever gone in the Sixth Avenue cars, New York, past Waverley Place, you may have observed a large building on the southwest corner, with "Greenwich Bank" upon it in large letters; our treasurer wants me to tell you that she puts your money there; and, if I am not mistaken, some of these days you will see in our acknowledgment, "Interest from Greenwich Bank," which means that the bank pays you so much money for leaving your money with it. If you will ask your papas, I am sure they will tell you that it could not be in a better place. So you see what a good treasurer we have to take care of our money.
In saying good-by I must add that I think you have all done very well so far in our good work. The year will not be up until next month, and we have passed "the place in the mountains where we can look back and see one-third of our journey accomplished."
So to our helpers,
Great and small,
Thanks we send
For one and all.Aunt Edna.
New York, June, 1882.
St. Louis, Missouri.
As this is one of the large cities in the Union, I thought if no one else would sustain its credit I would. On the 5th of May we had a big hail-storm. In 1872 we had a hall-storm when the hail was about the size of a hazel-nut; but in this one the smallest stones I saw were that size. Most of them, however, were about the size of walnuts. I saw quite a number as large as a section of an egg, and one or two almost as large as my fist. Now I am afraid you will think that I have exaggerated, but it is true. I have heard a number of persons, including a very old lady, say that they have seen a number of stones frozen together, but never before such large single ones. The storm lasted for a full half-hour, hailing constantly. A great deal of damage was done to churches and public buildings especially. Branches of trees, bushes, and vines were cut off as smoothly as if done with a knife. One man went out to the gutter to pick up an extra large hail-stone, when another one hit him so forcibly on the back of the neck that he fell down on his hands and knees. I would have sent you one of the stones, but as such things can not be telegraphed, I could not do so.
Malcolm P.
Binghamton, New York.