I am a boy thirteen years of age, and live on the Little Horn River, about ten miles from Custer's battle-field. We have quite a number of cattle and a few horses. There are a great many elk, deer, bears, buffaloes, wolves, and coyotes around here, though not so many as there were a few years ago. There were a great many Indians here in the spring. Two years ago the Crow scouts were encamping about five hundred yards from our house, and one morning about one o'clock the Sioux Indians came and stole all their ponies. They exchanged about one hundred shots, but no one was killed. The Crows all came over to our house, and were afraid to go back to their tents until daylight. Next morning several soldiers started in pursuit of the Sioux, and followed them for nearly three weeks before they overtook them. They then had a fight; the sergeant was killed, and they captured five Indians, and secured the stolen ponies. I have never been out of Montana. I have never seen a railroad car in my life.
I have two brothers and one sister, and a number of pets. My brothers hunt antelopes in the winter.
N. H. D.
Wissahickon, Pennsylvania.
I want to tell you about our bird Hensie. He is very cunning. He is a young canary-bird, and likes soaked cracker. One morning my aunt put a dry cracker in his cage. He took a piece of it in his bill, hopped upon his bath-tub, and dropped the cracker in the water. He watched it, and when it was soft, took it out and put it on the floor of his cage, and began eating it. He has done this several times since then. He tries very hard to sing, and imitates the notes of the other canary-bird.
Robbie S. S.
Bound Brook, New Jersey.
I live on the bank of the Raritan River. Am eight years old, and have a nephew fifteen years old, who shot six wild-ducks the other day. I had nine pigeons, but they all went away except two. We had a dog named Duke, and a man shot him. This is the first time I have written to Harper's Young People. A friend of mamma's in Brooklyn has sent it to us ever since it was published. There are lots of robins around here. Give my respects to Jimmy Brown.
Paul Q. O.