| Trotty trot, trotty trot, trotty trot, trot!— |
| What a fit of the fidgets that youngster has got! |
| From the dawning of morning till dew wets the ground |
| He's trotting and dancing and skipping around, |
| With his wagon behind him, his dog at his side, |
| Or with whip in his paddy, my old cane astride. |
| His boots are bedusted, his hair in a fright; |
| He's the picture of healthy unbounded delight. |
| Oh! a package of steel springs, a bundle of joy, |
| Is this gay romping Charlie, our own bouncing boy. |
W. W. Runyan.
Marion, New York.
New York City.
I am a little girl eleven years old. I take lessons and feel a great interest in music, but I find it very difficult. I have several pets—a dove, a cat, a doll, and a sweet little sister named Selma. On Wednesday my teacher was teaching us botany, and she said if you should take a glass or tumbler and fill it with water, and put some white cotton-batting in it, and sprinkle some seeds on the cotton, they would soon take root. So the first thing I did when I got home was to fix it, and the next week I looked and there were little stems coming up from the seeds. I love the Post-office Box, and I think some stories very interesting. I like "The Cruise of the Canoe Club" very much. This is the first letter I ever attempted to write.
Lillie V. P.
Northview, Dakota Territory.
You will be glad, dear Postmistress, to hear from one of your twelve-year-old boys. I live in Dakota, on Section 20, Town 142, Range 54. This is a good country. My father has in 200 acres of wheat this year. The St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railroad runs near our place. The Northview Post-office is kept here; mamma is postmistress. My cousin takes Harper's Young People. I read it as soon as he does. We have a little dog and cat; the dog's name is Carlo. Carlo and the cat will drink milk together. I have a pet crane; his name is Dick; he is about half-grown.
A. B. R.