Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, March 2, 1916, Page 9

THE WIDE AWAKE CIRCLE BOYS AND GIRLS DEPARTMENT ‘Rules for Young Writers. 1. Write plainly on one side of the -paper_only, and number the pages. 3. Use pen and ink, not pencil. Short and pointed articles will De given preference. Do not use over 250 words. 4. Original stories or letters only will be used, . 5. Write your name, age and ad- dress plainly at the bottom of the it o 7 'flfll& all communications to Uncle Jed, Bulletin Offge. - . “Whatever you are—Be that! ‘Whatever you truet Straightforwardly act, Ba! horidstdin tact, Be nobody else but you.” POETRY. My Best Chum By Stuart Taber I'm ghums with all th' fellers around this end o tow There's only one among ‘em that ever put me down. I'm fond o Bill an’ Lefty, an’' Toots, an all th' rest, 2 But_that don’t make no diff'rence; ‘I like my dog th’ best. - He never steals my marbles like other fellers do, ; An’ when I get a lickin’ he allus feels bad too. : An’ when we go a-swimmin' he don't throw mud at me, An' never hides my Jacket inside er hollow tree, 4 T'm friends with all th' fellers; they're fine fer playin’ ball— But when it comes to chummin’, my dog’s th’ best of all. Child Song—Sunset Bay. Sydney, Australia, Bulletin. Little wavelets, curly-wet, sipping at our toes, This is pretty Sunset Bay, as every- body knows. ‘White foot, brown foot, tails Oh, there's lots of laughing water where the big ship sails! little fishes' Little wavelets, curly-wet, do you go to school? Do you like the sands to shear all Your pinky wool? light, gold light, ‘moon— All the world’s a cherry tart and no one has a spoon. Red little nibbled Little wavelets, turn and run away, Thank you for a merry splash, come another day! Brown head, gold head, curly-wet, little fishes' ns— Oh, the sky fs catching bed-time upon small star pins! David McKee Wright. UNCLE JED'S TALK TO WIDE- AWAKES. Suppose we talk today about little things: a drop of water and a grain of sand were once the smallest things thought of or spoken of. It is not so long ago all the primary readers con- tained thi: Little drops of water, Make the mighty ocean And this glorious land. At this day a drop of water is not 80 small an object as it used to be. Living creatures so small you can put & hundred thousand in a drop of wa- ter are now exciting the interest of the whole world. | In days gone by an atom was just an atom—that was all. Today an atom is a littls round particle so small it cannot be seen by the most powerful microscope—you could get one hundred thousand of them in a drop of water. And an atom is not the smallest thing known, for it is large compafed with a iolecule or an electron, for sclence tells us one hundred thousand of these are only equal to an atom. * This little electron or unit of elec- tric force has a speed of 12,000 miles a second and a current of them is ‘what makes the lighting and the elec- tric force which carries our trolleys, and which could pass areund the earth 30 times in a minute. And you have met the molecule in the garden in the invisible scent of the rose which sends out millions of them for days and days. And not only the flowers scent the air with molecules, but we all scent the earth with them—they go right through our shoes and cling to the earth so that our dog having lost us can follow our track and find us. And some of these electrons go with such force that they will penetrate iron to the depth of a foot. There is great power in these little things, and they add to the comfort and pleasure of all of our lives every day. The seven wonders of the world are nothing compared to the invisible wonders which contribute to our wel- fare every moment. LETTERS OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT Ruth Brown of Willimantic: Thank you for the nice prize book you sent me. I have read all of it and liked it. Irene McCarthy, of Norwich: 1 thank you very much for the prize book vou sent me. I have read three chapters and think 1t a very nice book John Spencer, of Scotland: I receiv- ed the prize book and thank You very much for it. I hope that I will find it interesting. Eva Partridge of Norwich: I thank much for my prize book. I ly read it through. I think it is very interesting. THE WINNERS OF PRIZE BOOKS. 1—Mary A. Burrill, of Staffora Springs: Ruth Fielding at Lighthouse Point. 2—James Ryan of Norwicl Sam’s Boys as Sergeants. Uncle Little grains of sand 3—Mildred Grandy, of Yantlc: The A DRAGON TRICKED (An Old Story Retold.) By ANNE Once upon a time there lived a man who had two song, but they did not get on at all well together, for the younger was much handsomer than his elder brother, who was very jeal- ous of him. When they grew older things became worse and worse, and at last one day as they were walking through a wood the elder youth seized hold of the other, tied him to a tree, and went on his way, hoping that the boy might starve to death. However, it happened that an old and humpbacked ghepherd passed the tree with his flock, and seeing the pris- oner, he stopped and eaid to him: “Tell me, my son, why are you tied to that tree? “Because 1 was so crooked” an- swered the young man; but it has uite cured me, and now my back is as_straight as can be.” “I wish you would bind me to a exclaimed the shepherd, “so that my back woud get straight.” "With all the pleasure in life,” re- pited the youth. “If you will loosen these cords I will tie you up with them as firmly as I can.” This was done, and then the youns man drove off the sheep, leaving their real shepnerd to repent of his folly; and before he had gone very far he met with a horse boy and a_driver of oxen, and he persuaded them to turn with bim and seek for adven- tures. By these and many other tricks he soon became so celebrated that his fame reached the king's ears, and his majesty was filled with curlosity to see the man who had managed to out- wit everybody. And when the young man stood be- fore the king, the king spolke to him and said, ‘By your tricks and the pranks that you have played on other people, you have, in the eye of the law, foifeited your life. But on one condi- tion I will spare you, and that is, if you will bring me the fiying horse that belongs to the great dragon.” “J¢ that is all” eald the youth, “you shall soon have it.” So he went out and made his way straight to the stable where the flying hot#e was tethered. He stretched his hand cautlously outfto seize the bridle when the horse syldenly began to nefgh as loud as he could. Now the réom in which dragon slept was just above the le, and at the sound of the meighing he woke and oried to the horse, * is the matter, m: treasure? Is anything hurting you Aftar waiting a little while the young man trled again to loose the horse, but a second time it neighed so loudly thmt the dragen woke up in a hurry and called out to know why the horse was making such a noise. But when the same thing happened the third time, the dragon lost his temper and went down into_the, stable and took a whip and gave the forse a good beat- {ng. This effended the horse and made him angry, anc en e young man stretched out his fand to untie his head he mede no further fuss, but suf- fered himself to be led quistly away. Once clear of the stable -the young man sprang on his back end galloped off, calling over his shoulder, “Hi, dragon! dragon! if amy one aske you what has become of your horse, you can say that I have got him!” But the king said, “The flying horse 1s all very well, but T want something more. You must me the cover- “with the little bells that lies on of the dragon, or 1 will have £ BUNNER. to the dragom’s hous eand climbed up on to the roof. Then he opened a lit- tle window in the roof and let down the chain from which the kettle us- vally hung and tried to hook the bed covering and draw it up. But the lit- tle bells all began to ring, and the dra- son woke and said to his wife, “Wife, you have pulled off all the bed clothes!” and drew the covering to- ward him, pulling, as he dld so, the young man in the room. Then the dragon flung himsel on the youth and bound him fast with cords, saying as he tled the last knot, “To-morrow when I go to church you must stay at home and kill him and cook him, and when I get back we will eat him to- gether.” So_the following morning. the drag- oness took hold of the young man and as she untied the cords the better to Zet hold of him, the prisoner caught her by the legs, threw her to the ground, seized her and speedily cut her throat, just as she had been about to do for’ him, and put her body in the, oven. Then he snatched up the covering ‘and carried it to the king. The king was seated on his throne when the youth appeared before him and spread out the covering with a deep Dow. “That is not enough,” said his majesty; “you must bring me the dragon himself, or I will have you hewn into a thousand pleces. “It shall be done” said the youth; “but you must give me two years to manage it, for my beard must grow so that he may not know me.” “So be it,” said the king. And the first thing the young man did when his beard was grown was to take the road to the dragon’s house, and on the way he met a beggar, whom he persuaded to change clothes with him, and in the beggar's gar- ments he went fearlessly forth to the dragon. He found his enemy before his house, very busy making a box, and addressed him politely, “Good morn- ing, your worship. Have you a morsel of bread “You must walt” replied the dra- gon, “till I have finished my box, and then I will see I I can find one.” “What will you do with the box When it is made,” inquired the beg- gar. “It is for the young fnan who killed my wife, and stole my fiying horee, and my bed covering,” said the dra. 8 ‘He_deserves nothing better,” an- swered the beggar, “for it was an ill deed. Still that box Is too small for him, for he is a big man.” “You are wrong,” said the dragon. “The box is large cnough even for me.” ““Well, “the rogue ig nearly as tall [as you” replied the beggar, “and, of course, if you can get in, he can. But T am sure you would find it a tight At “No, there is plenty of room,” eaid the dragon, tucking himself carefully inside. But no sooner was he well in than the young man clapped on the 1id, took the Dox on his back and brought it to the king. And when ghe king heard that the dragon was inside he was so excited that he would not wait one moment, but broke the lock and lifted the lid just a little way to make sure he was really there. He was very careful not to leave enough space for the dragon to jump out, but unluckily there’ was just room for his great mouth, and with one snap the Iing vanished down his wide red jaws. Then the young man married the king's daughter and ruled over the land, but Wwhat he did with the dragon nobody Campfire Girls on the March. 4—Elizabeth E. Parker of Mans- fleld Four Corners: Campfire Girls on the Farm. 5—Ruth Bartlett, of Norwich: Ruth Flelding at Snow Camp. 6—Ray Moldridge of Ledyara: The Girous Boys' Across the Comtiment. 7—Gladys Miner of Hadlyme: Miss Pat at School. 8—Helen E. Campbell of Taftville: Miss Pat in the Old World. ‘Winners of prize books living in the city may call at the Bulletin bus- iness office for them at any hour after 10 a. m. Thursday. STORIES WRITTEN BY WIDE- AWAKES. An Old Locomo A writer in St. Nicholag tells us that one of George Stephenson’s first engines is still in operation at Hetton Colliery, in England, where it was first put into use, and where it has been in constant service since 1822, the year in which it was built. : Although the English government has offered to purchase it for preser- vation in one of the museums the de- sire to keep it in operation until its wonderful career has passed the hun- dred year mark and thus rounded out a full century. Here is a bit of historical reminis- cence regarding this queer, little old ancestor of locomotives: A certan writer named Galloway Dublished a treatise in 1830, critizing Stephenson’s invention thus: “These locomotive engines have been in use for some time at Killing- worth Colllery, near Newcastle, and at Hetton Colllery on the Wier, so that thelr advantages and defects have been disclosed; and it appears that notwithstanding the sreat erec- tions on the part of the inventor, Mr. Stephenson, to bring them into u: on the various rallroads now either in construction or in agitation, it has been the opinion of several able engi- neers that they do not possess those advantages which the inventor had anticipated. Indeed there cannot be a better proof of the doubt entertained regarding their utility than the fact that it has been determined that horses, and not locomotive engines, shall be used on the profected rail- road, between Newcastle and Car- lisle.” We can imagine how Galloway would feel today If he could see the same locomotive which was so un- derrated and sneered at still at work; but if the rugged old engineer, Georze Stephenson, could now witness his en- gine “tugging away on the job” as it has done for 93 years since he first turned its steam valve, and could be- hold the magnificent developments of which it was merely the prophecy he vould chuckle at his vindication which is perhaps the sreatest ever re- celved by an_inventor. MISS GLADYS MINER. Hadlyme. My Dog Tom. Tom’s hair is black but his ears are a litle more brawnish, and when he runs they go flying up in the air and down again. His hair is very long, shiny and silky; his tail is fine and bushy and his eyes are brown. A man around here has dogs, and every morping, noon and nisht Tom- my_ pays his friends a visit. He looks like a setter and is a very obedient dog. When one tells him to lie down, he'll 2o to his place and lie down. When you ask him to sit down hell walk up to vou and sit down, and m mes he'll give You his paw, He o sit on his hind legs and put nt ones up into the air and sit quite long. He likes to play with the school children and they with him. Now that winter's here and fun has come with sleigh riding, all the children what have a sled bring it to school and down like a flash we go away down the hill. Tom will stay at the top of the hill until I call him; and when I call he comes running as fast as he can to me and pulls my sled up the hill, One day I went a little way up the road with my teacher and Tommy couldn’t help followinz us. He gave me_a ride home. VERA KASS, Age 11 Mansfield. Our Dog s wished “Bravo.” for a dog but I thought my wish would never come trie.” In the daily newspaper we saw that a farmer had collie dogs for sale. I telephoned over and found out the price. I told my father and he thought the price very reasonable and he_purchased one. Every time I go down to the store he follows me, ‘and last summer at our cottage at Crystal Lake every day we would go in swimmins. One brizht, hot summer's day we could hardly keep ourselves cool, and my sister and brothers all went in bathing at Sandy Beach, and of course, my litle brother John could not swim. He went out a little bit t00 deep and fell in a hole. The dog saw him and started swimming after him and all the people on the shore were excited. The dog caught him by the bathing suit but John was very much frightened and started to ery, and a very kind man gave our dog a big bone and gave us all a ride in the motor boat. After that we called our dog “Bravo.” MILDRED WHITE, Age 13. Stafford Sprin 1 alw Sunnybrook Farm. During one of our drawing lessons a few days ago, our teacher, Mr. Ran- dall, thinking that we should be in- terested, told us of the writing of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Several years ago a young man and his wife, after working hard and sav- ing their money for some time, want- cd to buy a farm and home of their own. Just the right kind_of place was found in the town of Waterboro, and here they lived and here their chil- dren grew up. One of them Is our teacher. At last, however, the family was broken up and the old house deserted. At this time, Kate Douslas Wiggin, who lived five or six miles from there, visited it, and was so greatly impressed by the loneliness and ro- mance of the place that she decided to found a siory on it. So this is the setting of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. ‘WINNIFRED. Our Canary Bird. One @ay in October, during the Stafford fair, my mother and 1 went to_the fair and I wanted a_bird. My mother sald she would get one going home., About 5 o'clock we were going home’ and a man_ said: “Say, madam, do you want to buy a bird?" My mother sald: “I've only 45 cents” He sald: “You may have it for that price. About one month after he started to sing, and he sang beautifully. We named him_Joe. One day he got his neck caught in a bar of his cage and my mother got on a chair and very gently took his neck out of the bars and he was so scared he never sang again. EARL WHITE, Age 10. Staffora Springs. My Pets. Dear Uncle Jed:—Two years ago my uncle sent me two goats. I named them Dalsy and Jerry. Jerry was about one month old when he died. Daisy 1s still living and is_very cute. She stays with the cows. Some= with ther gets her. brnym:nmum" to got a mate Besides the goat, I have dog named Nellle, and & cat named Tiger. T fiindhRer BSRADY, Age 1 Scotland. e The Resurrection Plant. In the Rochester Nurseries there is a curious plant. It is found in Mexi- co and called The Resurrection_ Plan and sometimes the Rose of Jericho. This plant was mentioned by Isaiah in_the Bible. The Resurrection Plant is very rare. It has been found in the Philippines o his e the lagend the X s o e Indians tell: It is called The Mystic Legend and believed by all Indians. The large tribe of Lomas had for meny years been in war with their wealker neighbors. They had a new chief who neglected worshipping the Great Bpirit, then the ~Rain God rought a great drought upon the tribe of Lamos. Al springs, brooks, ponds, lakes and rivers dried up, also all flowers. This brought a fever to the tribe. me sad day Terrio, the chief, was stricken and there wad but one spring left and that was fast rying up. Af- ter several days the chief came out of his hut and stood on a boulder, near the spring. Three times he asked forgiveness of the Rain God, three times he pray. ;d. amm times he called, then he fell ead. Soon after the Rain God descended and spoko to the people. To show his powers he picked up a brown and dead fern and instantly it became green. At dawn the next morning there came a thunder storm and the Lamons lived in plentiness ever after. This flower can be put into a sau- cer of water and in three-quarters of an hour will be altve again. It should be taken out of water once a week. When it is asleep It s used to Keep away moths and insects from closets, cupboards, eto, MILDRED GRANDY, Age 10. Yantic. Winter Sports. Winter is the happlest and health- iest time of the year. I like winter because there is lots of fun playing games on the snow, sliding down hill, skating and making snowmen. I go sliding on a large hill near our house. When I came down it th; times T went up again and came down the fourth time with two more chil- dren on besides myself. We came down very fast and our coats were fiying in” the air. I thought every moment we would scon fall of from the sled, but we held on the best we could. Sometimes, when father goes to the woods 1 hitch my sled to his sleigh and have a ride to the woods with him. One time 1 went skating with some of my girl friends and some boys also came. We had great fun skating and we made many things on the ice. Soon our feet were cold and the boys built a fire s0o we could warm them. We all seated ourselves around the fire and then we began to tell stories. The games I like to play are fox and geese and cross tag. and such ames. In playing fox and geese two arge rings are made on the snow. In the middle of these rings is made a small ring called “home.” From this small ring are made many paths leading to the larger rings which will take vou all around the circle. In playing cross tag one must run after another, and If any one crossed, he must run after the one that cro: ed, and so on until he catches some one. T think that winter is the happlest time of year. ANNA BUCKS, Age 12. Willimantic. Potatoes Walter Raleigh brought the first potato plant to America. That is the first we heard of the potato plant. The potato is made up of starch, water and minerals. In planting the potato we should have shaliow eyes, medium in size. The potatoes should be cut and soaked about two hours in a_solution to stop blight and scabs. Ready to plant the next day. In planting the potatoes we first Plow the ground, then harrow them and mark out rows about three feet apart. Then drop the fertilizer and cover with two inches of dirt. Then drop the potatoes about 18 inches apart. Then cover with dirt four or five inches. Before the potatoes come up the ground should be run over Wwith a weeder to kill all small weeds. When the potatoes get up so that you can see the rows they should be cultivated, then hoed. Potatoes should be_hoed twice. When harvesting potatoes we should pull the vines up and dig the potatoes out of the dirt. Then let them dry in the sun. My brother, who is eight vears old, raised 88 pounds of potatoes from four pounds of seed last summer. When harvesting potatoes we should pull the vines up and dig the potatoes out of the dirt. Then let them dry in the sun. Then pick them up. There are still potatoes called Wal- ter Raleigh. GLADYS THOMPSO! Mansfleld Depot. Age 13. Black Beauty. The first place I can well remember was a_large, pleasant meadow with a pond of clean water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water lilies at the deep end. Over the hedge at one side we looked into a plowed field and on the other we looked over a gate at our master's house, which stood by the roadside. At the top of the meadow was a grove of big trees and at the bottom a run- ning brook overhung by a steep bank. In the daytime I ran by my moth- er's side and at night I lay down close by her. When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove. As soon as I was old enough to eat grass my mother used to go out to work in the daytime and come back in_the evening. There wWere Six young colts in the meadow besides me. They were older than 1 was, some nearly as large as grown-up horses. I used to run about with them and have great fun. We used to gallopi all together round and round the field as_hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rather rough play for they would frequently bite and kick as_well as_gallop. ANNIE GREENB, Age 9. Eagleviile. A Snowflak It was a very cold day and I be- gan to fall down, down, down from the sky with other snowflakes to the ground. I stayed there for a iittle while, till some boys came home from school and I heard them say:. “Let's throw snowballs.” Then one boy gathered me up with some other snowflakes in his hand and pressed us close together. The boys called this a snowball. Then 1 was sent whirling through the air ‘and hit another boy on the head. I heard the boy shout “Stop (3 1 fell to the ground again. . That night it rained and T melted to water, and that was the end of me. BLANCHE STARKWRATHER, Ase Plainfleld. “The four front teeth both on the up- per and lower gums are called incisors or scissors teeth. The tooth that comes after the incisors is the canine or dbg tooth. The two teeth that come after the canine are called bicuspids. After these come the molar teeth. They are called molar teeth because they are the ones that do the principal part of the grinding. After each meal the food between the teeth should be taken out with & quill or toothpick. Eat_proper food ana it will help to keep e testh In good order. They should be brushed at least once a day. It would better be at bedtime. Our teacher said that every tooth that has to be pulled out makes a person's life a year_shorter. 3 FANNIE B. BROWN, Age 12. Wilkimantic. Lincoln Day Exercises. Dear Uncle Jed: 1 haven’t written to the Wide-Awake Circle for a long time."and so I-am going to tell you about our Lincoln exercises. ‘We spent most of the afternoon in honor of the assassinated president, Abraham Lincoln. The name of our school is Lincoln School, because it was built on his birthday. In our hall there is a quotation of his and it is: “I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and 1 mean to keep doing so until the end.” After we had assembled in our hall, we sang “God Blee Our Native Land.” Then each room recited a quotation of Lincoln's, and after that we sa- luted the flag and sald the pledge to it. Then the principal introduced a gentleman, who gave a very interest- ing account of Lincoln's life. We closed the exercises by singing “America.” Our hall was decorated with flags and the picture of Lincoln, also. I have always thought Lincoln a noble man, but I never have stopped to realize that to him we owe the saving of the natio T hope some day I, and_everybody else. may be one-third as honest and noble as the sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. JUNE JOHNSON, Age 11. Chicopee, Mass. Saving Money. One day as two boys were walking up a street one boy known as Frank said to the other: “Say, John, how much money have you saved?” “I don’t save any,” eaid John. “I have,” said Frank. “I just started a few months ago and now I have got six dollars and fifty cents saved up. I do this by putting a few cents away gnce in a while. Why don't you try £ “It's too much like work,” sald John. A week after this as they were go- ing to school Frank said: “Are you going to the show Friday night?” “I shall it my father gives me some money,” said John, but when Frank got there John was not there. atyhen they met the next time Frank “Why didn’t you go to the show?” “I did not have any money,” said | John. “Then you had better save ltke me, said Frank. “That's what I am going to do, eo that I can put money in the bank and have a zood time, also.” So, boys, I think you better do the same. ARTHUR SULLIVAN, Age 18. Versailles. A Feldspar and Mica Mine, There has been a large deposit of feldspar and mica uncovered on Hoster mountain. I live just a few hundred feet from same. Feldspar is a mineral and is used for ! making fine soaps, pottery ware, tiling and many other things. By the way, all false teeth are about 80 per cent. feldspar. The mica is used by the large elec- trical manufacturers and makers of painters’ supplies, etc. Mica is what most people call ising glass, which you see in front of stoves, ete. ‘The ledge is about 75 feet high and extends over one-half mile. Experts contend that the ledge goes as far be- low the ground as it does above the ground. In a ledge of this kind they very often discover precious stones such as tourmalines, which are green and re- semble the emerald. They also find red garnets and other less valuable stones. I will write in my next letter about the way the mine is operated. RAYMOND WELDEN, Age 12, ‘Willimantic. Why Country Life is Better Than City Life. The reason I like country life better than city life is because the city is not as _healthy. In the country you can go in the forests for flowers, while in the city it is very different. In winter when the snow is deep it is very good coasting in the country, but in the city it is very dangerous be- cause the streets are so crowded. In the country you can go fishing, hunting and also play many games, such as tag, baseball, etc. When spring comes in the country it is a very busy time, helping plow the ground, planting seeds, and also making flower gardens. There are also many flelds in the country for the children, while in the city they have .to stay in the house most of the time. == This is why e the country e. RUBY SWAIN. North Stonington. Alphabet of Memory Gems. A—Attempt the end and never stand to_doubt, nothing’s so hard but search will find it out. B—Be not simply good—be good for something. C—Count that day lost whose low descending sun views from thy hand no_worthy action done. D—Do thy duty: that is best; leave unto the Lord the rest. E—Every duty we omit obscures some truth we ehould have known. jIndies and Cuba in the West Indies. to do. on the bright side, ragher than the blus. -Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the blossoms, kind deeds are the fruits. L—Life is not 8o short but that there is always time for courtesy. M—Manners often bring fortune. N—No time is thine but the The time gone comes no more. time to come may come and find you #on O—Our greatest glory is not in never failing; but In rising every time we P—Patience is power; with time ana patience the mulberry ' leaf becomes satin. Q—Quit not certainty for hope. R—Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us. ‘8—Speech is silver. Silence is gold T—There's nothing so kingly as kindness. There's nothing o royal as truth. U—United we stand, divided we fall, V—Virtue is its own reward. W.—Wise men gather knowledge from little things which other men pass by unnoticed. X—Xcellent is it to have a giant's strength, but It Is tyrannous to use it like a_giant. Y—Youth is the time ta fortm char- acter. Z—Zeal and zest for all that is best. LILLIAN MURPHY, Age 10. Norwich, t. A Trip to Providence. One -day my mother received a letter from my cousin inviting my brothers and myself to come down and spend a week with them. After a_while we decided to go. We started about 2 o'clock in the after noon and went to Westcrly, where we bought tickets for Apponaug. We had quite a while to wait, but finally We saw the train coming. We were pleased when we got aboard the train, and in a few minutes were leaving Westerly out of sight. 1 don't belleve there were many sights between the two places that we aid not see. Finally the whistle blew and Wi were at our destination. Thers we met uncle, and as no car was to be along for quite a while, we decided to walk home, a short distance. So to take it all in we went to Roger Williams Park the first day. It certainly beats any park I ever saw. The lakes, trees, and flowers were beautiful. ' Everything was very in- teresting. The next day we went to Rocky Point, which a wonderful place. The 'scenic railway, the whip, the merry-go-rouhds and everything kept moving all the time. I cannot tell all about these things as it would fill a paper. After we arrived home this night we did not stay up long as we had trav- eled a lot that da: The third day we started for Prov- idence. Here we saw the capital, Drown university, the new churches which were being erected and many other buildings. We also went through the gas works which is a very busy bed after our tiresome journey. We decided to stay oniy till Sunday —five days in all. We had much to talk about that first night and was glad to get into bed. The next day we declded to stay home and get rested. So we played croquet and other games to pass away time. The fifth day it rained hard, but we decided to come home. We got home that night and had a great deal to tell about the sights we had seen. It proved to be a very interesting time. RAY HOLDRIDGE, Age 15. Ledyard. Sugar. Sugar is used in pearly everything we eat. Forty pounds on an average is allowed each person in the United States annually. Some persons eat a great deal more than others. The finest sugar is made from the sugar cane which thrives best in warm coun- tries, especially in Java in the East Sugar cane is a sort of sturdy gra: which grows much like maize or In- dian corn. It usually grows from eight to ten feet in height. The stems are jointed like corn and are filled for about two-thirds of the way with a loose, sweet pith. When the canes are ripe the leaves dry up and drop ofl. They are taken to_the sugar mill. First the canes are crushed and the juice is boiled, and after cooling it, becomes a thick syrup. It is then put into a sort of sieve and the mo- lasses or syrup part drains through, leaving the raw eugar. Then it is sent to a refining factory to be made ready for use. The raw sugar passes through many Conn. in to get to my I found seme children to piay and what g6od romps we used to together! Every day afts down in front of me and pick my teeth With a sharp stick. He would say: “Now, Rover, you must have your teeth cleaned, just like papa.” If he hurt me I would get up and walk away. e day 1 was out .walking with the children when my pet, Roy, now eight years old, fell into a little pond. His older brother tried to save him, but could not. I jumped in and catching the little fellow's jacket in my teeth dragged him ashore. My master calls me “Hero” now, and gave me a silver collar with my new name on it. If you ever come to the place where I live I hope you will call at my house. I should like to show you my collar. MYRTLE E. CONVERSE, Age 11. Weat Willington. Queer Chinese Customs. Among the many extraordinary cus- toms of the Chinese is that of band- ing years together in groups of 12, called “cycles” and naming each year of tho series after some animal Thus the first year of a new cycle s the vear of the rat, the second year of the ox, and the third year of the tiger. Every Chinese born in the year of the rat belongs to the Order of the Rat, and so on. The animal class of every Chinese man and woman is thus recorded and is held to be of great im- portance in foretelling the future. Another curious t about the Chinese reckoning of time is that in the Celestial Empire a child iz held to be one year old as soon as it is born. With the absurd superstition so dear to the Orlental mind, a baby boy is frequently given a girl's name in or- der to deceive the evil spirits, who ap- parently have an objectionable habit of making it as hard as posaible to rear a male child successtully. MIRIAM M. GROVER, Age 13. Norwich. LETTERS TO UNCLE JED. Parents’ Day at Our School. Dear Uncle Je We had parents’ day at our school Feb. 18, 1916. We had an exhibition of our school work, some of the scholars spoke pieces, some read, and we all eang. I think the two little dialogues were interesting. The room was decorated with flags and strips of red, white and biue crepe paper draped from the center of the Toom to the corners. Three of us girls stayed after school the night before to help the teacher. The children brought quite a few things for our handwork exhibition, a doll's bed, a table and chair, doll's pil- low, doily, mounted pictures and win- dow boxes. 1 am going to tell you about the dialogues. One was “The Sick Doll” There were three characters, my sister the mother with a sick child, 1 was her friend, and one of the boys was the doctor. He wore a tall silk hat, a long coat, spectacles, gloves and car- ried a bag and cane. -He looked so funny that everyome laughed. The other sketch was “The Trials of a Teacher,” and that was funny, too. At the close of the programme vege- table and tomato soup with crackers were served. We had nine visitors and everyone enjoyed the occasion. MARY A. BURRILL, Age 13. Stafford Springs. - My First Sleighride. Dear Uncle Jed: I am nine years old and I go to the Wequonnoe school in Taftville. processes at the refining factory, after which it becomes granulated and ready for use. The ancients used honey for sugar, although they knew the sugar cane, they never made use of it. Sugar was first brought into Europe from the East about a thousand years ago, and it never ceased to be a lux- ury until America was discovered and English colonies established. FLORA L. HOUSE, Age 13. Scotland, Conn. The Mysterious Bundle. It was a_cold night in December. Out in the farmer’s vard was the far- mer, who having just come in from the stable was carrying a lantern. As he was walking into the house, he glanced in through the window and looked with pride upon the happy group seated around the fireplace, Joking and chattering. On hearing footsteps behind him he turned and came face to face with a little old man. After having invited him into the house, he saw that the stranger wore a hattered hat, and a long coat made for a figure twice the size of the wearer. He had some- thing bulky tied in a queerly shaped bundle, clutched tightly in his arms. The fisure with his long arms that swunz by the man's side, was so no- ticeable that the farmer was attract- ed by it in a remarkable degree, and even stopped short to observe it. The host, a man of hospitable means, asked the stranger to warm himself, and nothinz loath, he did so. The fire seemed welcome to him and he seated himseif by it, while the farmer's wife'set out a plain, but nourishing meal. Then, with all a hungry man’s zest, the dwarf, still with the bundle sat down at the ta- ble. In the midst of eating, the fam- ily were interrupted by a faint wail. One of the litie girls exclaimed, “O! @amma, what can that be?" Her mother did not know but the sound came from the old man's di rection, all eyes were turned on him, and very much astonished did they get as the man proceeded to unwrap his litle bundle, and lo! and behold! the face of the most beautiful baby was seen. His large eyes rested on the grim, wrinkied face of the man beside him. Then twinkled mertily and the urchin smiled and held out his_hands. hed forward, each The children ru trying to get hold of him first. He was a fine, healthy little fellow, with a chubby round face, and a little rose- F—Fortune 18 a lazy goddess. She will never come to you. G—Gold is good in Its place, but lv- ing, brave and patriotic men are bet- ter than gold. H—He that is g00d at making ex- cuses is seldom good for anything el 1—It's a good thing to be a great man, but it's a great thing to be a good man. J—Just belng happy is a fine thing bud_ mouth. ‘'O! isn't he a dear?™ cried every- one in turn. The child formed a beautiful pie- ture as he nestled among his bed of rags. After an hour of amusement the old man told his story, saying: ‘As I was walking through a Lon- don street, one bitter cold night, sev- eral boys t past-me and called out The fourth and fifth grades had a sleighride Thursday sa 1 _thought T would tell you about it. It was the first sleighride I ever had. We started from school at half past three and went to Occum and Paltic and back again. We returned at six p. m. The boys at Baltic snowballed us. We were saying and spelling Difficulty. This is how they spelled it: Mrs. D, Mrs. I, Mrs. F. F. I, Mrs. C, Mrs. U, Mrs. L. T. Y. It was a very delightful sleighride. Don’t you wish you had been with us? HELEN EVELYN CAMPBELL, Age 9. Taftville. Her First Visit to Bridgeport. Dear Uncle Jed: 1 will tell you how I first went to Bridgeuort and how I liked it. When I was about eight years old my mother said she was tired of liv- ing in New London and would like a change. My father asked her if she would like to go to Bridgeport. She decided to go. The following week they left, leav- ing me in care of my sister, who was then 20 years of age. When they had been gone about two months they sent for my eister and I to come for a visit. When we were entering Bridzeport we thought we would not Mke it, for it was a very dirty looking place; but as we were nearing the depot It ap- peared much different than when he first _entered. Mogher and father were waiting at the depot for us. They took us to thelr lodging place and I stayed there for four months and thought it a very pretty place. IRENE M'CARTHY, Age 12. Norwich. Harold’s Pets. Dear Uncle Jed: I am five years old and go to school every day. I go to the Hobart avenue school and I am in the second grade. We have a black and White kitten and a gray cat. The black and white one is about a year old; but the other one is nine years old. The black one's name ls Trixey and he is very playful. Last year when we went away on our vacation we left him here and he would go to the neighbors’ all the time and everybody liked him and they fed him. Since we have come back he keeps this up, and 80 we have him only part of the time, as he got in the habit of staying for days at a time at some of our neighbors’, so we are all glad to see him when he comes. Sometimes he climbs way up in our pear trces and then he is afrald to come down again, and we have quite a time getting him down. When he was quite young I used to put him In my sister's dolls' bed and cover him up and put his two front % | but no kitty anywhere. 1 just dn I jooked up the street and also dow glass of milk and ate a eookie for &t per and then went out to look When Iscame in I heard a faint afraid I never should have seem little kitty again. RUTH BARTLETT, Age 1. Norwich. Elizabeti’s Cake. Dear Uncle Jed: Last Saturfay ¥ made angel cake. It was delicious, #0 I thought that maybe some of £ ‘Wide-Awakes might like to try ‘This is the recipe: Whites eggs, one teaspoon of vanilia, o teaspoon of cream of tartar, two-tl of a cup of sugar and one-haif of & e ready betore I got everything the eggs, greased the tin, sifted ¢ flour and sugar several times, them broke the eggs, or rather put o whites in a bowl and beat them & tle, then I put the cream of tartar the eggs. Then I beat the whites the eggs very stiff; after they stift I put the flour and sugar in a little at the time). It is best to as little as possible. Next I fia it and put into the greased tim, then baked for about one-half hour @ rather slow oven. I have tried this recipe-several and it is always good. The yolks can be used for & spice cake or a custard. 1 often make ginger cookies on Sut-| urday, toe. 2 o Maybe 1 shall send recipe them. Mine are good. Don't you Wide-Awakes Mke Dear Uncle Jed: I thought I write and tell you of my trip %o country. One Sunday last autumn my and I took the Westerly troliey. g0t off at Preston Plains and about a mile until we came to the of the house where Chief Justice of Connecticut used to live. When be was a boy, father there was a nice homestead there, it was destroyed by fire. About a half a mile from there came to what used to be Cook's but now it is a ruln. At one time used to make cloth there called tucky jean” In front of the mill there is a and we sat on the wall and ate- lunch and fished a while. We a few bullheads and one pickerel. We did not fetch the fish home, threw them back in the water We got up and walked a Nttl ther until we came to the old house where my father went to when he was a boy. | From there we walked back Preston Plains and took the trolley home. 1 was very well pleased my trip, and if any boy or girl to have a nice day’s outing 1t is & place to go. 1 I enoyed 1t so much I am golng again this spring. JAMES RYAN, Age 11 Norwich. Chicks That Had Never Seen Raim. Dear Uncle Jed: A year ago summer my father gave me a hen and| thirteen eggs. 1 set them under a large Plymouth Rock hen. She hatoh- ed ten Rhode Isiand Red chicks. Six of them were cockerels, four pullets. I sold the cockerels at Christmas.| The next sumgner I eold the pullets” eggs to a friend. 1 purchased a good| many articles for myself. This fall I so0ld the four pullets and my aunt will put the money in the Dime Savings| bank. Once I had some pheasants. There, were eeveral of them. We hatel them under too heavy a hen and ome| by one they died. I was very sorry, for the chickens were very cute. I heard of some chickens out im southern California where the dry sea~ son lasts from six to eight months. There were some good sized chicks in the coop that had never seen rain. Suddenly one morning a little cloud began to send down some big drops on the dry soil. The chicks thought some one was throwing grain to them. They flew at the drops—this way and that, trying to pick them up. Peck as fast as they would, they could not get & bite of anything. They heard the pat- tering, they saw the spots on _the ground, they jumped about as if crazy. They pushed each other about and looked skyward in their peculiar way. When the shower became heavy they flew to ehelter, huddled together cheep= ing pitifully. How every one wished they could understand what the chicks) said. \ MILDRED GRANDY, Age 10. l Yantic. . ‘The Great Northerner. Dear Uncle Jed: These are the days when the old soldiers who served in the Army of the Potomac under Gem= eral Ulysses S. Grant and in the oF Virginia wader General Robert B Lee are thinking back over the days| of Appotomattox, when the great sur-i render took place which ended. the four years of desperate civil strife,| brother against brother. i Many of the veterans who la!d down their arms were mere Doys, as wers those who formed the hollow square in which the surrender took place. Grant is remembered for the magnani= mous treatment he accorded to the defeated chieftain and his troops. The great northerner refused to take. Lee's sword, as is the custom whem of the enemy, saying they should take them with them, as they would be needed for the spring plowing. Just a few weeks before the noble president, Abraham Lincoln, had been assassinated, and this was a grief the northern eoldiers, for the man they: loved, and who proved to be the best friend of the south, had not lived o' see the triumph of the cause for which he gave his life. Grant and Lee became warm friends instead of enemies, and the magnani= mity of the “silent soldier” touched the heart of the eminent commander of the } southern forces. giving back of horses or swords before, and it is a bright spot in history of America, and one which more than any one thing to the scattered states together and b about a spirit of real union. Many avere the boys who the great event, for it is a rems ‘historical fact that the average age the soldiers on both sides of the conflict was not quite 21 years. LILLIAN M. BREHAUT. East Norwich, N. cook? % E. ELIZABETH PARKER, Age 4. . Mansfield Four Corners. B A Trip to the Country. N - | ever been heard of in times of warl v o G N one commander surrenders to another,| | and he also refused to take the horses & No such thing as the |