"Little robin singing
From the cherry-tree,
Won't you leave your bower,
Come and play with me?"
"No, no, no," the little robin said;
"I must sing, and you must work."
And so the May day sped.
"Little streamlet dancing
Onward to the sea,
Won't you stop your leaping,
Come and play with me?"
"No, no, no," the merry brooklet said;
"I must play, and you must work,
You pretty curly-head."
"Little flower growing
Oh, so wild and free,
Won't you leave the meadow,
Come and play with me?"
"No, no, no," the sweet spring beauty said;
"I must grow, and so must you."
And thus the May day fled.
Belleville, Illinois.
I am a little girl twelve years old. I read Harper's Young People, and enjoy it very much. We all read it in school. Our teacher gets it for us. Is he not kind? I have been sick ever since Christmas. But I have taken my medicine patiently, and hope soon to be well. My brother and I have a little pet rabbit; it eats blue grass and drinks milk very readily. I have a pet calf; her name is Daisy; and a cow whose name is Lily. I have three sisters and two brothers. We had nice times on Easter. We live in the country, and everything is so beautiful now. I love the Post-office Box very much, and read it first every time.
This is my first letter to Harper's Young People. Please put it in the Post-office Box.
Mary A. K.
Utica, New York.
When we came from England, about two years ago, we brought our Persian cat with us. Her name was Sooty, because her fur was so dark. We taught her to carry meat to a paper on the floor, so as not to soil the carpet. We lost her about a year after, so we kept her kitten, and named her Pansy. She carries her food to the paper, and we have also taught her to ring the bell for her meals. We turn the large dinner-bell on its side, and then she knocks the tongue about with her paw. She was very good-tempered until this summer, when mamma brought another little Persian kitten from England, and then she became so jealous that it spoiled her temper completely. The kitten's name is Gypsy, and she is such a little pet! She was born in Scotland, then went to England, and was "highly commended" at an exhibition of cats there, and at last she crossed the Atlantic to America; so she has seen a good deal of the world, has she not? We have taken Harper's Young People a long time now. I do like to read some of the letters, and I hope this one will add to the pleasure of some other reader.
Janie P. G.