Harper's Young People, March 30, 1880 Part 7

ELMER R. BLANCHARD.

SALT LAKE, UTAH TERRITORY.

Father wants me to tell you that he made me a telescope of sheet-iron as you described in the first number of YOUNG PEOPLE, and although my object-gla.s.s is only one and one-quarter inches in diameter, we can plainly see Jupiter's four moons. Jupiter itself appears as big as a nickel five-cent piece. We can also see the rings of Saturn. But when we look at anything on the earth, it is turned upside down. This gla.s.s gives us a great deal of pleasure.

OLAF THOMa.s.sEN.

TERRYVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

My uncle caught two young gray squirrels in the woods, and brought them home in a cage. We gave them walnuts and chestnuts, but they were so cross they bit each other's tails, which when they were little looked more like rats' tails than squirrels'. When we let them out of the cage, they soon learned to go into my uncle's pockets after nuts. Then they would sit on his head or shoulder and eat them. When we gave them more than they could eat, they would hide them on the ground, and cover them with leaves and dry gra.s.s. They did it so neatly that even when we saw where they put them, we would have to hunt a long time to find them. When it came warm weather, they went back to the woods. What do squirrels live on in summer before the nuts are ripe?

ANGIE B. BALDWIN.

Squirrels eat all kinds of berries, the tender twigs and bark of certain trees, and grain. Corn fields are feasting grounds for them, as the fresh tender stalks are as delicious food as the fully formed kernels.

CLARKSVILLE, NEBRASKA.

I want to tell you about a ride I had the other day with papa and mamma. We drove out about four miles from here, to a prairie-dog town, where we saw hundreds of these little animals playing about in the suns.h.i.+ne. The prairie-dogs are very curious little creatures. They dig their holes, throwing out the earth so as to make quite a mound. They look very cunning from a distance, standing on their hind-legs. Some were near their holes, ready to jump in as soon as we drove near. Others, which were a good way off from their homes, scampered back as fast as they could. Their town covered about a section of land, so you can see they have quite a large city.

PAUL BEARDSLEY.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Last spring we had a pretty pair of canaries, and we raised five little birds. They were dear little things, and before we gave any of them away it was great fun to watch them play together. One was very light yellow, nearly white, another was dark yellow, two were spotted with green, and one was all very dark green. The green one was the prettiest of all, but it always fought for the best place in the cage, and pecked at all the others; but if they fought, they always made up after it. The yellow one was very tame, and would come right to our hands to eat. The lightest one died, and the others we gave away, but we were very sorry to part with them.

FROGGIE.

The following was written in big printed letters:

If you put Froggie's letter in your paper, I hope you will put mine in. I can't write as he can, because I am only five years old. I like your paper very much. Froggie reads it to me, and I read the pictures myself. I like that picture of the p.u.s.s.y.

FROGGIE'S LITTLE BROTHER.

READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

We were very glad to see that story of Colonel Gregg in No. 19, for he was one of our ancestors. We have a parrot from the Isle of Pines, which seems to be a very smart bird. I would like to know if there is any particular way by which we can teach it to talk.

DAVID M. GREGG.

KANSAS.

I live on the prairie between the Arkansas and Smoky Hill rivers.

My nearest playmate is a mile and a half away, and I am very glad when YOUNG PEOPLE comes. Can you tell me who has been considered the most famous man in the world?

LULU A. G.

There have been so many "famous men," that it would be difficult to place any one among them at the head of the list.

I am ten years old, and I live in d.i.c.kinson County, Kansas. We have three dogs--Queen, Cetchum, and Custer--and we have use for them all. Pa uses Queen to hunt prairie-chickens with, and Queen and Cetchum hunt rabbits by themselves. We have gray rabbits and jack rabbits. The jack rabbits are very large, and have long ears.

Pa says they are very much like the English hare. We have a great many peaches and grapes and water-melons, and there are bad men and boys that sometimes steal them. In the summer I tie Queen in the peach orchard every night. If she hears anything, she barks very loud, and then Custer runs to help her. If any man is there, he is sure to be bitten. Custer is an English bull-dog, and a great fighter. He can whip a wolf. We have a great many wolves here, and they are so bold that if we did not keep dogs, they would come round the house in the daytime, and steal young pigs and lambs and chickens.

SIDNEY B. PRAY.

TAYLORSVILLE, TEXAS.

I like YOUNG PEOPLE very much. It gives a great deal of instruction. I live on the banks of the San Gabriel River, which has some very large fish in it. I read all the letters in the Post-office Box. I liked Gertrude Balch's letter very much, and I like to draw the "Wiggles."

J. L. PAXTON.

FAIRFIELD (STONE P. O.), PICKENS COUNTY, ALABAMA.

I would like very much to exchange some of our native flower seeds for flower seeds of other localities with any of the "Young People."

MAMIE JONES.

GALT, CALIFORNIA.

Will any little girl press me some specimens of Eastern flowers?

If she will, I will press her some of our floral beauties here in California, and send them to her.

GENEVIEVE.

If Genevieve will send her full address, no doubt some little girl in the Eastern States will be glad to exchange pressed flowers with her.

NEW BRIGHTON.