Harper's Young People, February 17, 1880 / An Illustrated Weekly

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

He was black as the ace of spades, you see,
And scarcely as high as a tall man's knee;
He wore a hat that was minus a brim,
But that, of course, mattered nothing to him;
His jacket—or what there was left of it—
Scorned his little black shoulders to fit;
And as for stockings and shoes, dear me!
Nothing about such things knew he.
He sat on the curb-stone one pleasant day,
Placidly passing the hours away;
His hands in the holes which for pockets were meant,
His thoughts on the clouds overhead were intent;
When down the street suddenly, marching along,
Came soldiers and horses, and such a great throng
Of boys and of men, as they crowded the street,
With a "Hip, hip, hurrah!" the lad sprang to his feet,
And joined the procession, his face in a grin,
For here was a good time that "dis chile is in!"
How he stretched out his legs to the beat of the drum,
Thinking surely at last 'twas the jubilee come!
Then suddenly wondering what 'twas about—
The soldiers, the music, and all—with a shout
He hailed a small comrade, "Hi, CÆsar, you know
What all dis purcession's a marchin' fur so?"
"Go 'long, you George Washington," CÆsar replied,
"In dis yere great kentry you ain't got no pride!
Dis is Washington's Birfday; you oughter know dat,
Wid yer head growed so big, burst de brim off yer hat."
For a moment George Washington stood in surprise,
While plainer to view grew the whites of his eyes;
Then swift to the front of the ranks scampered he,
This mite of a chap hardly high as your knee.
The soldiers looked stern, and an officer said,
As he rapped with his sword on the black woolly head,
"Come, boy, clear the road; what a figure you are!"
Came the ready reply, "I'se George Washington, sah!
But I didn't know nuffin about my birfday
'Till a feller jist tole me. Oh, golly! it's gay!"
Just then a policeman—of course it was mean—
Removed young George Washington far from the scene.

OUR POST-OFFICE BOX

South Groveland, Massachusetts.

I have been gathering a cabinet of curiosities since I was nine years old (I am now fourteen), and I have stones and shells and pieces of wood from a great many of the States, from the arctic regions, from South America, Oceanica, and Europe—more than two hundred in all. Among the rest is a Proteus (Menobranchus maculatus) taken from the Winooski River by Thompson, once State Geologist of Vermont. I would like to know if any other of your correspondents has got a Proteus, and also if any has a cabinet.

Edwin A.H.

Melrose, Massachusetts, January 25.

I found some willow "pussies" yesterday. I hope I have found them first.

A.L.H.

Yes, you have found them first. It is very remarkable to find them at all in January in the locality where you live, but as the buds set in the autumn, the singularly mild weather of January has made them swell and burst thus early in the season. Thank you for so promptly reporting these first signs that spring is near. Now let us see when the "pussies" will appear in other sections of the country.

Dover, New Jersey.

I was five years old the 21st of January, and I had such a happy birthday. In the morning when I got up I found at the foot of my crib six books of natural history full of pictures for little folks, a piano, a box of colors, and two dancing bears, one black and one brown. And when I went down to the dining-room, on my tray was a beautiful cup and saucer, and on the cup, in gold letters, "A Gift." And in my chair was a box with twenty-five things in it from my auntie Lou; and in the afternoon I had a tea party. I wish all little boys and girls had such happy birthdays. To-day I am sick, and I tell mamma just what to say, and she is writing it for me.

Louis C. Vogt.

Sterling, Kansas.

I have taken Young People since Christmas, and I find it very nice indeed. I have a nice young uncle in Washington who sends it to me, and told me to write to you. I have a pony named Ben, who is only four feet and a half high, and is very wild sometimes, but I can ride him without either bridle or saddle.

Nellie S.

Clinton, Massachusetts.

I have a bird. It is a bullfinch. It is real pretty, and whistles like a boy. It likes potatoes and corn very much, and eats them out of my mouth and hand. When it whistles it says "Pretty Poll" just as plain as a parrot, and when it bathes it spatters me all over.

Lena E. Schmidt.

Des Moines, Iowa.

I want to tell you about a cat-bird or mocking-bird that built its nest in the tree near our house last summer. I have three brothers, and when we all go off to play, mamma could not always make us hear when she called. She bought a whistle, and when she blew it once, it was for me, and two, three, and four times for my brothers. The mocking-bird learned to imitate the whistle so well that we could not always tell whether it was mamma calling or the bird. It would also imitate the squeaks of the saw when the men were sawing wood. We hope it will come back again next spring.

M.I. Watrous.

Troy, New York.

I am a little girl nine years old, and take Young People, and I watch for it every week. I have three pets—two cats and one squirrel. The cats are twins; one is named Girofle, and the other Girofla. They were born on Palm-Sunday, and are nearly three years old. They are so much alike that you can not tell them apart. My squirrel's name is Prince.

Grace MacLeod.

Wayne, Illinois.

I am a boy ten years old, and I have a cat older than myself. Its name is Noah. One day last summer it caught a rat in the yard as big as a half-grown kitten. The rat squealed so loud that a large Newfoundland dog at the store across the street heard it, and came running over to see what was the matter. The dog scared old Noah so much that it let the rat go, and ran under the shed. I think that dog better mind his own affairs hereafter, and let my old Noah catch rats.

Alle Trull.

Scottsville, New York.

I am nine years old, and I go to school nearly every day. All the pet I have now is a white kitten. I did have an oriole, which was caught when very young. We put it in a cage and hung it in the cherry-tree, and its mother came and fed it every day until it was time for the birds to go to a warmer climate. It used to be very fond of bread and milk.

Mary L. MacVean.

Maggie M.M. has a big Newfoundland dog, just her own age, nine years, which is her faithful friend.

Belle Metzgar, Jessie Edna, C.F. Cooper, Harry B., and Charles Bentley all send pretty accounts of domestic pets, which we would be glad to print if there was space to spare.

Eva Mitchell.—The Virginians in Texas is published in "Harper's Library of American Fiction," and will be sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States on receipt of seventy-five cents.

L.K.—Chapman's Drawing-Books are the best to use in beginning your studies.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

I once had three pigeons, and when I fed them they would turn round and round. Will you tell me how to feed guinea-pigs?

Mark Francis.

You can feed guinea-pigs on cabbage leaves, bits of bread and cake, and all kinds of fruit. They like carrot tops better than any other food, especially in the spring, when the green is fresh and tender. You must give them plenty of water.

N.L. Collamer.—Your monthly magazine is very well edited. It is difficult to determine the correct spelling of Shakspeare's name, as equally reliable authorities disagree.

"Little Marie."—Your puzzle is very neatly done; but as "every large city" is not so favored as the one where you live, we fear it would not be easy to solve.

Ella W.—You may send the one entirely original, and if it is pretty and very short, we might use it.

Richard S.C.—Your plan for a magnetic motor is very ingenious, and the machine would no doubt make a pretty and curious toy.

Willie H.S.—We will endeavor to send you the solution of your puzzle.

Eddie L.A., Minnesota, after expressing great pleasure in Young People, writes: "My papa thinks I am a pretty smart boy. I am eleven years old, and I milk the cow, and do most of the work, and go to school besides." You are a smart boy, Eddie, if you do all that, and do it well. If you persevere in that course, always attending to school duties and home work besides, there is every prospect that you will grow to be a smart man.

Brooklyn, New York.

Will you please tell me why the land north of Behring Strait is called Wrangell Land?

Mamie E.F.

Ferdinand Wrangell, a Russian baron and traveller, who was born near the close of the last century, and died in 1870, commanded a sledge expedition which explored the polar sea north of East Siberia about 1822. In 1867 Captain Long, in traversing that part of the sea navigated by Wrangell, discovered a large tract of land which the Russian explorer had vainly endeavored to reach, and which he named Wrangell Land.

Henry W.R.—Every harpoon thrown into a whale before he dies is entitled to a share of the oil.

W.B. Aitkin.—The sun is supposed to be moving slowly through space, carrying the earth and all the planets along with him. The great astronomer Herschel assigned the constellation Hercules as that toward which we are moving, and the calculations of more recent astronomers have also pointed to that same direction.

Anita R.N.—The "good news" mentioned in the ballad is not recorded in history, and although many inquiries have been made concerning it, no satisfactory conclusion has yet been arrived at.

G. Funnell.—The oldest inhabited building in the territory of the United States is an ancient house built of adobes, or sun-dried brick, in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Before the annexation of New Mexico, St. Augustine, Florida, which was settled in 1565, was the oldest town, and contained the most ancient buildings.

Welcome favors are acknowledged from Edward Haines, Lillie Hathaway, Arthur G. Wedge, Alice Y., Marion Frisbie, Fannie G., Maggie W.C., H.J. Perkins, Mattie E. Church, Mabel G. Nash, Ernest F. Hill, George and Belle Hume, J. Edwards H., Louie D.M., Eddy Lock, Belle Mandeville, Lizzie F., Ethel M.R., Frank Griffin.

Correct answers to puzzles received from Kittie A.C., Edith A.M., Lilian Forbes, Lillie McCrea, M.I. Watrous, E.J. Gould, Robie Caldwell, Mary Chapel, George, Mary Bemis, Hattie L.S., Stella M., G.K. Richards, Mamie E.F., Frederick C., Edith E. Jones, Frank Coggswell, Kitty E., Lulu Craft, P.S.S., Alma Hoffmann, G.W.R., Herbert R.H., G.S.S., Theodore E., J.S., A.H. Patterson.

We acknowledge only those answers to puzzles which are mailed previous to date of publication of solution.

PUZZLES FROM YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS.

No. 1.

NUMERICAL CHARADE.

My 9, 14, 5, 3, 13, 8 is a division of land.
My 10, 2, 12, 7, 14 is a game.
My 1, 3, 11, 6 is something good to eat.
My 7, 9, 4 is a form of address.
My whole is the name of a distinguished author.
Mamie M.

No. 2.

WORD SQUARE.

First. A Salutation.—Second. A Girl's Name.—Third. Taverns.—Fourth. Latest.

E.S.C.M.

No. 3.

ENIGMA.

My first is in break, but not in tear.
My second is in rabbit, also in hare.
My third is in pay, but not in trust.
My fourth is in earth, but not in dust.
My fifth is in spring, but not in fall.
My sixth is in great, but not in small.
My whole is a poet of world-wide fame.
Now see if you can guess his name.
Lettie.

No. 4.

NUMERICAL CHARADE.

I am composed of 9 letters.
My 5, 4, 8 is to hit gently.
My 3, 6, 1 is to snatch.
My 7, 2, 9 is an animal.
My whole is the name of a great general.
Ernest B. Cooper.

No. 5.

DOUBLE ACROSTIC.

A sounding vessel of metal. A river in Spain. To come back. A metal. A color. A woman devoted to a religions life.

Answer—two cities of Europe.

E. Allen Cushing (12 years).

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