I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Aunt Maria, who lives near Buffalo, New York, sends us Young People. When it comes we all call out, "Harper's Young People for me first!" Ross, my little brother, likes the funny page best. I go for Jimmy Brown's stories, but I like "The Cruise of the Canoe Club" very much. We have two mocking-birds and a kitten. We have a horse too, but we don't pet him much.
Ackland J.
Xenia, Ohio.
I am a little girl eleven years of age. My sister Fanny gave me Young People for a New-Year's gift, and you can not imagine what an amount of pleasure I get out of it. My sister Mary takes St. Nicholas, and I your paper, and we have such good times reading them. All the boys and girls tell about their pets, and so I thought I would tell you about an old cat that stays here. One morning father met her in the hall, and the minute she saw him she ran upstairs and stood by one of the doors and mewed. Father opened the door, and she ran in. After breakfast my little sister and I went upstairs, and we found two kittens with her—wee little ones. Afterward she hid them, and we could not find them, until just the other day, when we found them in a covered box in a shed. Papa thinks she was afraid of us. I have a beautiful wax doll; her name is Violet. I think of all the stories I like "Mr. Stubbs's Brother" the best.
Bessie De M.
Fort McKavett, Texas.
I have been at this post since April, and like it here very much. Papa was on a leave of absence, and we were staying in Philadelphia. When his leave was over he was ordered to Fort McKavett. We had a very pleasant trip out here. We came as far as San Antonio in the cars. When we were in the cars we passed cotton fields and sugar plantations; they were the first I had ever seen. From San Antonio we came by stage. We started at eight o'clock in the morning, and rode until ten at night. The next morning we started at about half past six, and rode until six o'clock the next morning. We were all very tired when we got here, and it took us two or three days to get rested.
I brought my little canary-bird all the way with me, and he stood the stage trip very well. There are lots of funny little horned toads about here, and plenty of prairie-dogs. When we go out riding we see whole towns of them. One day, when my sister and a friend and I were out riding, the driver killed a large rattlesnake. It had eight rattles. We killed two tarantulas in our dining-room one evening.