I have been reading all the letters from little girls and boys about their pets, and I must tell them about mine. I have a little kitten named "b.u.t.tercup," and she is just as sweet and pretty as any b.u.t.tercup that ever grew, and so good and so cunning. She will jump upon the bureau and watch the canary, and he will peck at her with his little bill, and she does not even look cross at him, and we know she would not ruffle a feather for all the world. I wonder if any other little girl can leave her kitten with her birds, and know she will not hurt them? And you should see her go to the mirror and look at herself--just like any lady--and she seems to think herself so pretty, I am really afraid she is vain. There are so many other things I could tell about her, but mamma says you will not print my letter if I write any more.
ELLA SELWYN.
BRADLEY, MICHIGAN, _February 18_.
I found a willow bush covered with "p.u.s.s.ies" yesterday. The rabbits never run up to me when I whistle, like the one Laura B.
wrote about. They stop and turn around and look at me, and then they just snap their eyes and scoot.
FRANK C. NOURSE.
I am only seven years old, and I live way out in Fort Klamath, Oregon, and I can"t write a very good letter, but I like the stories in YOUNG PEOPLE, and the letters in the Post-office from little children so much. It is nice to be out here where there is so much snow to have fun with. I have a pair of snow-shoes, a little brother, and a pet dog to play with, besides lots of other things. I don"t go to school, because there is no school here, but I say my lessons to mamma every day.
SOPHIE L. W.
DAVENPORT, IOWA.
I am going to write this all myself. I have a pony. His name is d.i.c.k. We all love him dearly. He shakes hands. We say, "Shake hands, d.i.c.k," and he puts up his right foot. He is just as sweet as honey. He is white. We used to live on a farm, and my sister and I used to go after the cows on d.i.c.k. We carried a long whip.
Some cows would lag behind, and we would say, "Bite the cow, d.i.c.k," and the dear little fellow would lay back his white ears and just bite her awful hard. We are going to have a cabinet picture taken of him.
GRACE H. (9 years).
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK.
I am five years old. I have a blue terrier--Wax. He plays hide-and-seek. Mamma covers his eyes with her hand, and I hide.
When I say, "Coop," mamma lets him go. Then he rushes all round, standing on his hind-legs to look on tables, and peeping under the couch, and looking upon chairs. When he finds me, he begins to bark loud, and tries to bite my toes, but he has very few teeth.
He is old.
ROGER GRISWOLD PERKINS.
ALBANY, NEW YORK.
I am a boy who have recently come to the city from the country. I have a young Skye-terrier, and he gives me much trouble by running away every time the hall door is opened. Then I have to run after him. As he can run the fastest, it is hard work for me, but fun for him. People must think I have two dogs, for when he goes out he is a blue dog, and when he comes back he is mud-color. When we give him a good washing, he is blue again. He likes to play, and I would be lonesome without him.
DWIGHT RUGGLES.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.
I saw in the Post-office letters one from a little boy who had two Maltese cats, and one of them was very fond of pea-nuts. I had a beautiful black and white kitty, in Centennial year, that would follow me round whenever I came from the Exhibition, begging for the sugared b.a.l.l.s of pop-corn I always brought home with me. I had another kitty afterward that was just as fond of candy. They are both dead now, and I have no pets. I am nine years old.
FLORENCE OZIAS.
C. H. WILLIAMSON.--All of Jacob Abbott"s books for the young are in print. Valuable works on Long Island history have been published by the Long Island Historical Society of Brooklyn. Hitchc.o.c.k"s _Geology_ and Gray"s _Lessons in Botany_ will be of service to you.
C. F. ALLEN.--Danger Island is in the Chagos Archipelago, on the west end of the great Chagos Bank, Indian Ocean.
Here is a very pretty experiment, sent by F. V. G., Madison, Wisconsin: "Take an ordinary water-pail. Lay across the top two pieces of stout wire, about two inches apart. Then lay a lump of ice on the wires. In about half an hour go and look at it, and you will find that the wires pa.s.s through the middle of the lump of ice, but you can not see how they came there."
The following tribute to the egg tombola is from Ella W.:
From an egg, shot, and tallow, with care, A merry tombola I soon did prepare; I brushed up his locks in a very fine way, And dressed him in garments of nice sober gray; And when he was ready all came to admire, So portly was he that I called him the Squire.
I then laid him down to measure, and see Whether standing or lying the tallest he"d be; When he lifted himself with a nod and a bound, Rocked backward and forward and balanced around.
The giddy tombola! he will not lie down; It"s useless to urge such a funny old clown.
MADISON COOPER.--The direction given to Charley D. M., in YOUNG PEOPLE No. 18, will probably apply to your fish.
ELLA FULLER and HELEN THOMPSON.--We fear there is no remedy for your unfortunate animals.
HENRY B. H.--Excellent directions for the construction of a cheap telescope are given in YOUNG PEOPLE No. 1.
CHARLES CONNER.--We can not undertake any such commissions.
J. R. FOSTER.--Pages of advertis.e.m.e.nts are almost always given in weekly papers. You will find them in every bound volume of HARPER"S WEEKLY, and similar publications.
"NORTH STAR."--You understand the art of making puzzles, but you must be more careful with your spelling. There is only one "e" in cathedral.