The Editor's head never aches after reading such letters as yours, Miss Lilian, nor after answering the questions which inquisitive young people send to Our Post-office Box. But as for telling you any more, that would be out of the question.
Woodside, near Lincolnton, North Carolina.
Dear Friends,—Again I write, almost fearing you will grow tired of my many letters and the space I occupy in your Post-office Box, but I wish very much to thank you for many more little packages that you have sent since I last wrote. They have come from: Mrs. E. Janes, Oshkosh, Wis.; Miss Isabel Chambers, Fifty-second Street, Lancaster Avenue, West Philadelphia, Penn.; Miss Edna Van Note, Lebanon, Ohio; Mrs. Rebekah Snyder, Parton, Ill.; Maggie and Eliza Bell, Sabbath Rest, Penn.; Russia Lubeck, Auburn, Cal.; Maude Buckner, Covington, Ky.; Charles Thompson; Misses Anna and Louisa Favre, Ontario, Iowa; Miss Miriam Oliver, Milwaukee, Wis.; Miss Isabel Oakley, Terre Haute, Ind.; Miss Beckington, Des Moines, Iowa; George F. Curwen, Villa Neva, Penn.; Miss S. Wilson, Honeoye, N. Y.; Mrs. R. E. Ormsley, Emmetsburg, Iowa; Miss Lena Turch, Alma, Mich.
Our school has grown since I wrote first, and now numbers thirty-seven. There are several more that want to come. Our dining-room is full; they use all the chairs, with all from the lower floor of the house that can easily be carried out. We will have a bench made for their use, and until it gets cold can put some on that on the long gallery between the house and dining-room. They sing "By cool Siloam's shady rill" very nicely indeed, and are learning "Onward, Christian Soldiers." We need an instrument very much, and when we get one we will teach them twice a month, if not oftener, on Saturday afternoons.
While we were away, Pete's older children grew up very wild. We feared we could not reach them, but we are very glad that now the oldest son has come to Sunday-school. There is one more, off on the railroad; but as Fayette has come, he will follow when he comes home. Fayette does not know his letters, but comes in the evening during the week to my little son; so he will soon get up with the others. I do not know how to thank you for your kind and generous help. Without it we could not have taught these children, much as we desired to do so. I think they too are very grateful to you all.
We are keeping back the best books and prettiest cards, for we want, if we can, to make a feast and have a tree for them at Christmas, and make them all supremely happy for one day. They have never seen a Christmas tree, and have never had any Christmas presents, except Pete's children, who always have a gift from us. I am not sure that we can do it, but hope we can. Truly your grateful friend,
Mrs. Richardson.
Sykesville, New Jersey.
In No. 93 of Harper's Young People Mr. Eggleston says the baby elephant cracks pea-nuts with its feet, and that it did not learn this from the grown-up elephants, "for they eat nuts without cracking them." This is a mistake, for I have seen the large elephants at the Zoological Garden in Philadelphia crack nuts with their feet, as Mr. Eggleston says the baby elephant did.
Samuel B.
Perhaps the elephants you saw learned their cute way of cracking nuts when they were baby elephants, and never forgot it.