Part 4

I am a little boy seven years old. I have never been to school yet, but I learn at home. I like my books very much. I had several nice books given to me, and I have read them all but one. I have just had a nice trip with my papa, going on the Texas and Pacific Railroad to Colorado City. It is in Western Texas, on the Colorado River. The river was very high, and I saw some horses swim across it. I saw a great many prairie-dogs. They burrow in the ground, and have a rattle-snake, an owl, and a rabbit with them. I also saw a panther. I wanted a prairie-dog for a pet, and a gentleman promised to send me one. I see where little Susie has told you about her pet, a horned toad. There are a great many of them here. They do not hop like a toad, but run almost as fast as a lizard. I catch them, and put them in the garden to destroy the bugs. My pet is a little rat terrier named Snip. I saw a little printing-office at Colorado City, where a paper called the _Nut-Shell_ is printed. It is about as large as a big sheet of writing-paper. Its editor is Johnny Tolar, a boy about fifteen years old. I take it and HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE. I wrote this letter by myself, and then got mamma to show me the mistakes.

HOWARD L.

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A VISIT TO FORT PICKENS.

I will first tell where Fort Pickens is. It is on Santa Rosa Island. The island is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay, and is a large uninhabited island. On the 25th of May the Presbyterian Sabbath-school from Pensacola gave a picnic. We left the wharf for Fort Pickens about half past nine. We had a very nice time going over; we played games and talked all the way over. We arrived at the Fort at about ten or half past ten o'clock. As soon as we had landed, we went right to the Fort, where we staid for about half an hour resting, after which we walked through the Fort. We then went back to where our parasols and baskets were. We got our parasols, and started with a few other girls and boys to walk round the parapets of the forts. A few boys and girls went over to the Gulf to gather shells, but it was so warm that I thought it best to wait until afternoon before I went over to the Gulf. About twelve o'clock we went into one of the large, cool case-mates and danced and decorated our hats with ferns and wild flowers gathered inside the Fort. At one o'clock we had dinner, which we enjoyed very much. We had everything necessary to eat at a picnic. After dinner we spent the time until half past two much the same as in the morning. At half past two a crowd of ladies, gentlemen, and children went over in a sail-boat to Barrancas to visit the light-house. I did not go over with them for fear of getting seasick. After I had seen the boat leave the wharf I went back to the Fort, where I met several girls who were going over to the Gulf. I went with them. When we got over to the Gulf we pulled off our shoes and stockings and went in wading. When tired of that we walked up the beach gathering shells, until we thought it time to go back to the Fort. After a sail on the Gulf we returned to Pensacola, and arrived there about half past six. We were very tired.

NANNIE L. W.

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WASHINGTON, D.C.

I am a little girl six years old. I have no brother nor sister, but have as many as six dolls. Fanny is nearly as old as I am. Her nose is almost flat. I keep Etta dressed all up pretty. Santa Claus has had two big books made with my HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE. I hope he won't forget to call for them again this year. I have taken them every one. I have a blackboard; I print, and can add and take away. I am in the Second-Reader. Mamma and I are going to Maine next month to stay till it is real cool here. There we go out fishing. We pick blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries. I have four little cousins who go from here. We all have the same grandpa and grandma. We ride on the hay, and dig clams. Papa will go down to bring us home. Every Tuesday night he reads me the stories from HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE. I like the letters very much, and everything in them. When papa sees a letter from his little girl, he will open his eyes. I have never been to school. I think Toby Tyler is just as nice as any other of my friends. I am wondering if you will have room for this in my HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE; it is a very long letter.

One of your little girls, OLIVE E. B.

Thank you, dear, for printing your letter so beautifully.

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HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

An amusing game which I have seen played is the following: Take four handkerchiefs and tie them like dolls, to represent four persons; then tie a thread to each, and put them (the threads) over the chandelier, and give each thread to a person, who must try to conceal himself behind a door or something else; and then, while some one plays on the piano, those who have the threads keep them jerking, letting the dolls hang so that they come down to the floor. If well done, it is quite a good representation of dancing.

S.

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LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

As I have not seen a letter from Lexington, I thought I would write one. I have two little puppies; one is named Sport, and the other Preston. I have a hen, and she lays eggs. I have a little brother, and he is named Hugh. He has two kittens; one is a Maltese, and one a common cat. I can ride a bicycle, and last year I took the certificate at the fair for good riding.

E. SAYRE C.

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WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN.

I am twelve years old, and have taken the YOUNG PEOPLE from the beginning. I like it very much; I can hardly wait a week for it to come, because the continued stories all leave off in such interesting places.

I haven't any pets to tell you about, for they all died. I had five cats, a mother and four little ones, and some one killed the mother, and two little dwarfs, as I called them, had to be drowned, because they could not live without her; then one of the remaining two fell into the well and drowned itself, and the horse stepped on the other one; so that is the fate of my five cats.

My mamma, papa, and little brother have all been to California, and left me here with some friends; they were gone nearly a year, and sometimes I felt very lonesome. My brother is ten years old, and we have a nice big yard to play in. My brother's name is Earle, and we both like "Mr. Stubbs's Brother" very much.

WINNIE W.

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ADMIRER.--Newfoundland is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable. I do not know who wrote the exercise in alliteration which you mention. It is clever, but you could no doubt compose an equally excellent one yourself. Whether to use plain or ornamental note-paper is a matter to be decided by your own taste. The exquisite little butterfly painted by yourself in the corner of your sheet is a decided addition to the beauty of your letter. I would not waste such decorations on an envelope, however, as that has to pass through many hands, and is less private than the inclosure.

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VIOLET S.--Your teacher has discovered a very pleasant way of teaching her pupils how to write compositions. Although most schools are now taking their summer recess, I will state her method. She takes ten words from a lesson which the girls have recently studied, and writes them on the blackboard, after which she gives them fifteen minutes with their slates and pencils. At the end of fifteen minutes each is asked for her composition.

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The smallest black-and-tan terrier in the world is supposed to belong to a lady in Chicago. It weighs from a pound to a pound and a half. Its skin is like the finest silk, its eyes project like marbles, its legs resemble lead-pencils, and its feet are the most perfect and curious things alive. It reposes in a basket lined with gold and cardinal satin, wears a collar studded with diamonds and emeralds, with "Baby Mine," its pet name, on a gold plate tipped with a gold bell, and is fed from a saucer of Dresden china.

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BETTIE.--Keep powdered borax on your wash-stand, and use it when washing your hands; it will make them soft and white. Lemon juice is also good to whiten the hands. But the Postmistress does not object to a healthy brown color in summer either on hands or face.

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C. Y. P. R. U.

This article on the making of anagrams, which we ask you to read carefully, was prepared by a gentleman who has had a great deal of experience with puzzles and puzzlers. Perhaps you will try your own skill in transposing sentences after this ingenious fashion:

MODERN ANAGRAMS.

BY KOE.

In a former issue of YOUNG PEOPLE a writer told the younger readers of the old-fashioned amusement of making anagrams on the names of acquaintances and public characters. The author gave several illustrations of famous anagrams made many years ago; but there have been some truly wonderful anagrams published in this country during the last four or five years, and I shall endeavor to give you a few of the most interesting ones.

There is a certain understanding among contributors to puzzle columns that an anagram is a word, name, place, or event so transposed that it will relate in some way to the original subject; while if merely so transposed that it will produce other words not relative to the original, it is called a transposition; but transpositions are usually made of a single word, as, for instance, the following by a lady of Toledo, Ohio, who signs herself "Mazie Lane":

"Transpose a musical anthem grand, And find a picture by a red man's hand."

The answer is Motet--Totem.

Here is one by a young man of Boston, who signs himself "Sphinx":

"Gay, pretty flowers of the spring, Transposed will stipulators bring."

Answer: Primroses--Promisers.

These are good examples of transpositions, as they are called, while the word Astronomers, which is turned into moon-starers, is an excellent example of word-anagram. One of the best, and probably only word in the English language of which so perfect an anagram can be made, is a word I discovered in my dictionary not long since. It is the word _stum_, and turned into the anagram of _must_. The definition of each word is the same--"unfermented grape juice or wine."

As the following anagrams were when published signed by their authors with a _nom de plume_, or assumed name, I will give due credit by giving the name of each.

A contributor who signed himself "Wilkins Micawber" sent me the following in 1879:

"We all can say, and speak the truth, How well we knew her in our youth." _The door ring tided ill._

Surely every one of my readers has heard or read of this little girl who, while on her way to her grandmother's house, met the fierce wolf in the woods. The words in italics represent the anagram, and I am confident some of the bright little readers would soon discover in the above line their well-known friend Little Red Riding-hood. Is not this an excellent anagram?

A gentleman of New Haven, Connecticut, who uses the _nom de plume_ of "O. Possum," is the author of the following--and I fancy some of the older members of the family would have to assist to solve it, being an anagram of a well-known book that few of the little folks read:

_Past homes of Italy pied._ "Of days gone by, a story written By Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton."

The answer is _The Last Days of Pompeii_.

From the landing of the Pilgrims down to the present day the history of our country is full of grand events that afford most excellent subjects for anagrams, and many of my friends have utilized some of them. I could fill several pages with the anagrams I have collected, but lack of space compels me to give only a few of the best.

A contributor who uses the _nom de plume_ of "Jim Jam" was the first to use the event of Washington crossing the Delaware for an anagram, with the following result:

_A hard, howling, tossing water scene._

Soon after receiving this a friend, now dead, sent me the following on the same subject. His _nom de plume_ was "Graham":

_Lo! see rash acting with dangers won._

One "Percy Vere" also used this subject, with this result:

"Read this event on history's page-- _The cold waters swashing on in rage._"

While "Edwin Drood's" attempt resulted as follows:

_Watch a soldier hang on, steering s.w._

This was sent to me more as a joke, and the answer given as "Crossington washing the Delaware," but both answers can be found. I will here say that a true and perfect anagram should not contain a single letter to represent words, as in the one given above; nor should any but proper abbreviations be used, and these as rarely as possible.

The two following were composed by "Traddles," who, by-the-way, is looked upon as quite an expert in this amusement:

_Horror flee! Rude war's better ended._

"The surrender of Robert Edward Lee," which also ended the war of the rebellion.

_A French site. 'Tis blotted out, eh?_

"The destruction of the Bastile," a terrible state-prison, which was destroyed by the people of Paris on the 15th of July, 1789.

_O! glad boy finds rich metal in clay of shoal river._

This, by "Percy Vere," is considered one of the best and most correct of anagrams. The answer is, "The discovery of gold in California by Marshall." This author is also the writer of the following:

_O! all in ban. March!_

Answer: Abraham Lincoln.

_Sirs, 'tis alone._

Answer: Solitariness.

The following two are so good that I am sure my readers will excuse me for the additional time I take from their play to present them. They are both by the same author, a gentleman of Ohio:

_Often noisy I when I enable aching wives to hem._

Answer: Invention of the sewing-machine by Elias Howe.

_Pooh! we can find ten errors; they never hit._

Answer: The weather predictions of Henry Vennor.

The above will give you all an idea of how an anagram should be made. All are excellent specimens of American work--in fact, I am certain no better were ever composed. The puzzle column in this paper, I am sure, would publish some anagrams if my young readers will take the trouble to try and make them. Let us see who will have the first one published.

Before closing I wish to give you a treat, illustrating how a word can be twisted and twirled. It is from Maitland:

"'How much there is in a word--_monastery_,' says I. 'Why, that makes _nasty Rome_;' and when I looked at it again, it was _more nasty_--a very vile place, or _mean sty_.

"'_Ay, monster_,' says I, 'you are found out.'

"'What monster?' said the Pope.

"'What monster?' said I. 'Why, your own image there--_stone Mary_.'

"'That,' he replied, 'is _my one star_, my Stella Maria, my treasure, my guide.'

"'No,' said I, 'you should say _my treason_."

"'_Yet no arms_,' said he.

"'No,' quoth I; 'quiet may suit best, as long as you have _no mastery_--I mean _money arts_.'

"'No,' said he again, 'those are _Tory means_, and Dan, _my senator_, will baffle them.'

"'I don't know that,' said I; 'but I think one might make _no mean story_ out of this one word monastery.'"

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We would call the attention of the C. Y. P. R. U. this week to Mrs. Lillie's article "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart," and to "Parsee Merchants of Bombay," by Colonel Thomas W. Knox. In "How to Lay out Lawn Tennis Courts" Sherwood Ryse offers some hints that young tennis-players will find very useful.

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PUZZLES FROM YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS.

No. 1.

DOUBLE ACROSTIC.

1. A pronoun. 2. A tree. 3. Another pronoun. 4. A kind of fuel. 5. A boy's name. 6. A preposition. 7. A verb. 8. A smaller portion. Primals and finals compose the name of a book by Louisa M. Alcott.

DOXY.

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No. 2.

NUMERICAL ENIGMA.

I am composed of 19 letters, and am a famous navigator. My 1, 4, 11, 12, 15, 19 is a show. My 2, 7, 10 is an agricultural tool. My 3, 13, 17 is to steal. My 5, 18, 17, 16, 4, 6 is to yield. My 8, 9, 4, 14 is a boy's nickname. My whole is the name of a famous navigator.

R. B. B.

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No. 3.

TWO WORD SQUARES.

1.--1. A jeweller's measure. 2. Nimble. 3. A fire-arm. 4. To grant. 5. Prongs.

2.--1. A tree. 2. A weapon. 3. To verify. 4. A friend. 5. Pitchers.

EMPIRE CITY.

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No. 4.

AN EASY ENIGMA.

In cat, not in dog. In stick, not in log. In find, not in lose. In eats, not in chews. My whole is a country over the sea. Pray what is my name--can you tell me?

JOCO.

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No. 5.

A SMALL SQUARE.

1. A domestic animal. 2. A number. 3. A swelling.

ALFRED W.

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No. 6.

TWO CHARADES.

1.--My first is fragrant, my second is a name, and my whole is a beautiful flower.

2.--My first is an animal, my second is part of an animal, and my whole is a flower.

EMPIRE CITY.

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No. 7.

WHO AM I?

I went to the Crimea; I stopped there; I didn't go there; I was sent home because I didn't go there.

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ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN No. 138.

No. 1.

Nelson, Sydney, Montpelier, Lena, Hobart, Mattery, Cashmere, Brussels, Morocco, Orange, Worms, Fear, Cologne, Sandwich Islands, Orange County, Farewell.

No. 2.

Bennington. Hop-Scotch.

No. 3.

P R B A T D A Y B A L E S R A V E N P A L F R E Y Y E A T E R R A N S E A Y

No. 4.

P A N I C A T O N E N O V E L I N E R T C E L T S

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Correct answers to puzzles have been received from Fannie T. Metzgar, Julia Jackson, Eddie Flack, Mary Rice, May Fanning, "I. Scycle," Russel B. Beals, Henry Aron, Eva Stevenson, Rose M. Benedict, "Sister Grace," "Prickly-Pear," Mary B. Lavely, Hugh Leslie, Arthur Aird, Jack Trumbull, E. L. Jones, "Lady Clare," "Cricket," Samuel Price, Fred White, A. H. Brown, Edgar Seeman, Richard Venino, "Neptune," Maude Motley, Eddie S. Hequembourg, Cornelia Gateson, Charlie O. Rose, Willie Black, Griffith Williams, Harry, Tom, and Pussy, "Eureka," Maud H. H., Willie and Emily, Alice and Amelia, Roger Franklin, King Albert.

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[_For Exchanges, see 2d and 3d pages of cover._]

A LITTLE SCAMP.

BY JOSEPHINE POLLARD.

He's off on a tramp, Like the little scamp That he is, for we did not bind him; And with hurrying feet Up and down the street We've followed, but can not find him.

There are gypsies about, Who will steal him, no doubt, And keep him in horrible places; And changing his name, Our darling will claim, Who misses our fond embraces.

The dear little scamp, What made him decamp In this way, without any warning? He can not speak plain, And we've sought him in vain, Why, ever since yesterday morning.

He was saucy and pert, And will surely get hurt In some of his comical capers; And hoping to get Our runaway pet, We've advertised him in the papers.

We've mentioned his size, The color of his eyes, And his hair--'twas a beautiful yellow; And offered reward, All we could afford, To whoever restores the dear fellow.

His meals he will take Very nicely, and cake He is almost as fond of as candy. If he crosses your track, Won't you please bring him back? He's a dog, and he answers to--Dandie.

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BARBERS' POLES.

In the records of the English Parliament for the last century we read that Lord Thurlow, when he opposed the Surgeons' Incorporation Bill in the House of Peers, on the 17th July, 1797, stated that by a statute still in force, the barbers and surgeons were each to use a pole. The barbers were to have theirs blue and white striped, with no other appendage; but the surgeons', which were the same in other respects, were likewise to have a gallipot and a red rag to denote the particular nature of their vocation.

The origin of the barbers' pole is to be traced to the period when the barbers were also surgeons, and practiced bleeding. To assist this operation, it being necessary for the patient to grasp a staff, a stick or a pole was always kept by the barber-surgeon, together with the fillet or bandage he used for tying the patient's arm. When the pole was not in use, the tape was tied to it, that they might be both together when wanted.

On a person coming in to be bled, the tape was disengaged from the pole and bound round the arm, and the pole was put into the person's hand. After the operation was concluded, the tape was again tied on the pole, and pole and tape were often hung at the door for a sign or notice to passers-by that they might there be bled. Doubtless the competition for custom was great, for our ancestors believed thoroughly in bleeding, and they demanded the operation frequently. At length, instead of hanging out the identical pole used in the operation, a pole was painted with stripes round it, in imitation of the real pole and bandage, and thus came the sign.

That the use of the pole in bleeding was very ancient appears from an illumination in a missal of the time of Edward I. In other ancient volumes there are engravings of the like practice. "Such a staff," says Brand, who mentions these graphic illustrations, "is to this very day put into the hand of patients undergoing phlebotomy by every village practitioner."

End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Young People, July 11, 1882, by Various