Chapter X: Bill Thompson's Tent (2)

What you supposed to be feelers were legs, spiders having eight legs, and no wings nor antennæ. If you could have looked at the threads of your spider's web through a microscope, you would have seen that each thread was composed of hundreds of fine strands. Inside the spider's body are bags filled with a gummy substance, out of which these strands are drawn through several knobs, called spinnerets, each of which is full of exceedingly tiny tubes, a thousand of them taking up about as much space as the point of a pin. The spider usually covers its victim, as yours did the fly, with a sticky substance, and if it is not very hungry it hangs it up for future use. Spiders live both out doors and in, and some of them select very splendid habitations. King Solomon said, "The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces." A spider once saved the life of Robert Bruce of Scotland by weaving a web over the mouth of a cave where he had taken refuge from his enemies. They saw it, and concluded there was no one inside. Spiders belong to the order of articulate animals, though they breathe like insects. There is another peculiarity about the garden spider, which you may have an opportunity of watching. The liquid silk of which a spider weaves its web is slowly secreted, and the spider never wastes it. So spiders do not spin or mend their webs when it is likely to rain, and if you see them with plenty of work on hand, you may take it as a sign of fine weather.

* * * * *

ALTON, ILLINOIS.

I am seven years old, and I like the stories in YOUNG PEOPLE very
much, especially "Toby Tyler" and "Phil's Fairies." I like "Tim and
Tip" too. My little brother cried when mamma read how Captain Pratt
whipped Tim. I felt sorry too, and hope Tim won't stay with him
long. My little brother is five years old, and his name is Clay. We
have three cats. The old cat's name is Spot, and the two kittens
are called Browny and Blacky.

ETHEL B.

* * * * *

NAGASAKI, JAPAN.

As some of my little friends in America have asked me to write them
about some Japanese festival through HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, I will
tell them about the "Feast of Lanterns," which has just passed. The
Japanese call it _Bon mat suri_. It took place on the 13th, 14th,
and 15th evenings of the August moon. The first night is not of so
great importance as the other two, for then they only light the
graves of those who have died during the past year. Nagasaki is
right down among hills, and the grave-yards are on their sides.
Some of them are quite covered with graves. On the festival
evenings they light up the grave-yards with lanterns. Sometimes one
grave has from twenty to thirty lanterns, and as they are very
close together, you can imagine how pretty it looks. They hang the
lanterns on bamboo frames, which are made by sticking two or three
bamboos in the ground and fastening others across them. The
Japanese think that on these nights the spirits of their ancestors
come from heaven to see them, and so they make a feast for the
spirits, and offer food and wine. On the third night the spirits
are sent back to heaven in boats made of straw, containing food and
wine. They also have lanterns on the boats. They first parade the
boats around the city, after which they carry them down to the bay,
and wade out into the water as far as they can, then set fire to
them, and push them off. The spirits are supposed to go to heaven
in the flames and smoke. This is the end of the "Feast of
Lanterns."

J. PROVOST S.

* * * * *

I heartily indorse the suggestion made by John W. S. in No. 97, and
have wondered much that the young people, who seem to be such
enthusiastic collectors of all sorts of things, did not think of
adding the beautiful things of the insect world to their cabinets.

I advertised to exchange stamps for insects early in the spring,
thinking that the bright boys and girls whose letters appear in the
Post-office Box would be just the ones to help me with my
collection, but I have had very few responses.

It is a pity there are so few books on the subject in simple
language, and I hope some of our writers will be kind enough to
interest the children in this branch of science. I know by
experience that it is a very fascinating study.

Will John B. T. please tell us how he preserves spiders for the
cabinet?

H. H. K.

* * * * *

JEFFERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY.

I am a little boy almost eight years old. We live in Jefferson
County, near Louisville, Kentucky, one of the prettiest cities in
the United States. Papa gets HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE for us every
week. I have two dear little brothers, Luddie and Charlie, and the
sweetest little sister six months old. She can _pat a cake_, and
laugh when she sees us boys coming, for we have lots of fun
together. Her name is Annie Estelle. We have four kittens--Flossy,
Tabby, Dot, and Snow. I have a fine dog named Tip. Papa says he
will be a watch-dog when he grows up, but he does not look much
like it now, for I can hide him in my hat. We have a calf named
Bob. We do not play with him much for fear he may butt us. We are
going up to our grandfather's next week on a visit, papa, mamma,
and all of us, and we intend to take Tip. Mamma says this letter is
long enough, so good-by.

WILLIE R. B.

* * * * *

PLUTON CAÑON, CALIFORNIA.

I live in Oakland, and have come to Pluton Cañon to camp. There is
a high cliff across the road from where we are camping, and every
once in a while the stones come rattling down.

Every evening I see a cunning little gray squirrel running down to
get a drink of water.

Just below the cliff there is a large and swift stream, which has a
great many fish in it, and where I saw a whirlpool the first day I
came here. There is a rock on the cliff which looks just like a man
laughing.

I have a brother who to-day started with me to get some pine gum.
We had to cross the stream to get it. When we were about to cross
it, a wasp stung my brother twice, and me once.

LOUISA L. S.

* * * * *

SLATE HILL, NEW YORK.

My kitten's name is Tricksy, and she deserves the name, for she is
full of play, and as cunning as she can be. There is an old cat
that comes prowling around every night to get something to eat. We
have to drive her away, or else she will come into the house. The
other night our puss knew that mamma did not want the old cat to
come in the house, so she ran after her and chased her off. I think
puss has caught eight mice and one meadow-mole.

We have a cow named Daisy, two horses, named Billy and Fanny, and
two pigs, named Grunt and Squeal.

Please tell Jimmy Brown to write about some more of his troubles,
and ask him if he never has anything to be glad about.

I can not tell which of the stories in YOUNG PEOPLE I like best,
but papa thinks Jimmy Brown's sad tales are the best.

ELSIE M. K.

* * * * *

WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND.

I would like to tell the readers of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE about my
goat Dixie. He is almost white, and very large and strong, and can
haul a barrel of flour from the dépôt, a half-mile off. I have a
nice strong wagon and harness. I curry him, and treat him like a
horse. I take the girls out riding, and often carry vegetables from
place to place for our friends. Everybody knows Dixie. He loves
mamma, and will follow her anywhere for bread, of which he is very
fond; but he likes sister Mary best of all. My cousin says he is
worth between twenty and thirty dollars, and I think so too. He
walked into the parlor one day.

WILLIE T. S. (aged 5).

* * * * *

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

In No. 94 I saw a communication about white mice, signed "L. B. G."
I have five, two of which I raised by hand. The mother had six
little ones, and died when they were a few days old. A neighbor
told me to dip a small piece of washed muslin in warm milk. I
rolled one end of it into a small point so that they could suck it,
and I fed them every two hours for a week and a half, holding the
little mouse in one hand and the rag in the other, and squeezing
the rag so that the milk would run into the tiny mouth. I sometimes
leave my mice on the table to play. One day, when they had been out
of their box several hours, I wanted to shut them in it again, and
one was missing. I looked all over, but could not find it; so I set
a trap overnight, and in the morning there was little Sallie safely
caught. I have two pet dogs, Gyp and Tiny.

FRED K. M.

* * * * *

George L. W. may be sure we are glad that the truant bird found its way home again; and Bertha B. need not be afraid of the waste-basket: her grandfather did well to give their town its pretty Indian name. Loula and Bessie M. sent beautiful little letters; and don't we wish we could see Beauty and Topsy, and go with the girls to watch Ponto swim? We have a canary named Dick at our house. Yes, Roy S., your way of growing is more comfortable for a boy than the slipping off your skin would be. Thanks to Willie B. H. for letting us read the two pretty stanzas, although we can not make room for them in Our Post-office Box. Thanks, too, to Lilian E. W. H. for her verses. Joseph T. F., Jennie B., M. K., B. K., Percy P. E., and Ray B. have sent entertaining letters. Dear little Blanche E. H. printed her letter beautifully. Did that best of grandmas show her how? We could not have formed the characters more plainly.

* * * * *

L. G. B.--The best bicycle for your use is probably a "Youth's Mustang," with a front wheel of thirty-six inches in diameter. Go to 597 Washington Street, Boston, for it.

* * * * *

FRANK B.--Apply to the nearest dealer in birds, gold-fish, etc., for white mice. You would not have to pay expressage if you purchased them in this way, but if you obtained them from a boy who had white mice to spare, or from any private source, you would, of course, pay their travelling expenses.

* * * * *

BESSIE L.--In pressing flowers the most necessary thing is to select perfect specimens, and then laying them carefully between smooth sheets of paper, press them down with a heavy weight. Change the paper frequently. There is a way of preserving flowers by placing them stems upward in a dish, and pouring fine white sand upon them till they are entirely covered. Leave them a few days, and then remove the sand. This method is recommended for autumn flowers.

* * * * *

Mary Anderson, owing to prolonged illness, withdraws from our exchange list. Several correspondents complain of careless writers who forget to sign their names or state where they live!

* * * * *

C. Y.

DEAR EDITOR OF THE CHAUTAUQUA COLUMN,--It gives me pleasure to
learn that the Harpers have decided to publish a series of articles
in the YOUNG PEOPLE as Required Reading for the new Chautauqua
Reading Union, and that you are to open a correspondence through
your Post-office Department with our C. Y.'s in all parts of the
land.

Were we in the auditorium at Chautauqua, under the shadow of the
great trees, or in the amphitheatre, I should call for the
"Chautauqua Salute" in honor of the Harpers; and then in the
evening, the amphitheatre or auditorium all ablaze with the
splendors of the electric light, I would make "the white lilies
bloom" in another "Chautauqua Salute" to you.

As it is, I am delighted to recognize the honor thus conferred upon
our new Chautauqua movement in behalf of pure, elevating, refining
reading among young people.

Readers of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE who desire to become regular
members of the Chautauqua Union, to have their names recorded in
our huge book, and to receive the president's annual address,
memoranda, and other documents, should address me at Plainfield,
New Jersey, sending their names and post-office address, not
forgetting to inclose nine cents in postage stamps.

Yours truly,
J. H. VINCENT,
President C. Y.

* * * * *

A WORD TO OUR READERS.

Enter Postmistress. You need not be surprised to see a meditative and rather important look on her face. You have read the letter of the Rev. J. H. Vincent, D.D., so we have only to tell you that the Postmistress has become much interested in the host of young people to whom Chautauqua is a dear and honored name. She would like to gather them around her. She has heard that they wish to know about the world they live in, the history of the past, and the treasures of literature. This column, which will hereafter be headed C. Y. P. R. U., is to be bright and cheery. It will touch on many subjects, and vary from week to week as may be necessary. The Editor will give her and you at least one column every week in Our Post-office Box, and you may write to her on any subject you please--etiquette, household ways, social duties, what to do and how to act in company. Consult the Postmistress. Some may feel dissatisfied with their present positions, and anxious to prepare for wider usefulness; see what the Postmistress thinks of the situation. Some of you may find charming, wise, and witty bits of verse and prose in your reading: slip them, neatly copied, into an envelope, and send them to her.

Address your letters for this column to

THE POSTMISTRESS,
Care of Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square, N. Y.

* * * * *

Contributions received for Young People's Cot in Holy Innocent's Ward, St. Mary's Free Hospital for Children, 407 West Thirty-fourth Street, New York. The next list will appear November 1:

F. D. W. $3.00
Clarence Cook, Flat Rock, Mich. .25
"One of the Sick Ones," Bryn Mawr 1.00
Emila and Stanley Mitchell, Miamiville, Ohio 2.00
Charlie, Clare, and Fred Ray, Wabash, Ind. .30
Russell Grinnell, Providence, R. I. .68
Helen E. Villard and brother, Dobbs Ferry 25.00
Ned Bishop, St. Louis .50
"In Memoriam," ---- Bishop, St. Louis 2.00
Monroe J. Rathbone, Parkersburg, W. Va. .27
Wilfred Hostetter, Alleghany City 2.00
Fletcher, A. H., Inland, Ohio 1.00
Gracie Blakeslee, ---- .25
Fred, Edith, and Robbie Caton, Fort Bennett, Dakota 1.00
Marian Wallace, Bennetville, S. C. .10
Charlie G. Halliday, ----, N. Y. 1.00
Willie C. Chipman, Spring Hill .25
Mary Appleton, Boonton, N. J. .50
"D.," Elmira, N. Y. .25
Nellie Littlehale, Stockton, Cal. 2.50
Mollie W. Franklin, Vicksburg, Mich. .25
Helena ----, Boonton, N. J. 5.00
Fannie T. Metzgar, Butternut, Wis. .25
Helen Savery, Fort Cameron, Utah .25
William Savery, Fort Cameron, Utah .75
M. D. L., Madison, N. J. 1.00
Percy and Guy Wilson, Fort Randall, Dakota 1.00
Maud Russell, New Haven, Conn. .25
----, Refugio, Texas 1.00
Annie Louise Huck, Dunning's Bridge, Tex. 1.00
Carrie and Helen Yardley, Lockhaven, Penn. .75
Lee Gray Wilson, Water Valley, Miss. .27
Edmond Genis, Terre Haute, Ind. 1.00
Bessie M. Morris, Lexington Avenue, N. Y. 1.00
May H. Wilson, Columbus, Ohio .55
Carlotta and Lulu R. Keep, Smith's Hill, Cal. 1.00
Allan Carpenter, Fort Dodge, Iowa .10
Ally J. Dent, Columbia, S. C. .10
Collected by Florence Woodcock, Morgan City, La.:
Louisa Davis $0.25
Arthur St. Clair .25
May Woodcock .25
Charles Woodcock .25
Willie Crawford .10
Joanna Luker .10
Anonymously contributed 2.05 3.25
Kate's "Little Kate," Brooklyn 5.00
Myrtle and Walter Wells, Oswayo, Penn. 1.00
Charles A. Lutz, Cane Spring Dépôt, Ky. 1.00
K. E. S., Philadelphia .10
Vena L. Haskin, Portland, Me. 1.00
Da Walker, Butte City, Montana 1.00
Mathilde Neil, Philadelphia .50
Nellie T. Willets, Westbury, L. I. .50
Samuel Willets, Westbury, L. I. .50
Alice W. Titus, Westbury, L. I. .50
Minnie W. Titus, Westbury, L. I. .50
Edna Pearl Lisk and Philip Clyde Lisk, Grahamville, Fla. .25
May Blakeslee, ----, Kan. .25
J. B. Senior, Niagara, Ont. .36
John R. Blake, Seabright, N. J. 1.00
Mabel and Harry Wheeler, Birmingham, Ala. 2.00
Perly D. Temple, Blue Earth, Minn. .15
From six readers of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE,
Convent Station, N. J. 2.00
"Elliot," Bangor, Me. 1.00
Virgie McLain, Nassau, Bahamas .30
Birdie Dorman, Carthage, Ohio .25
Alice Ward, Carthage, Ohio .25
Nellie Nelson, Cold Spring, N. Y. .25
Sadie Nichols, St. Joseph, La. .50
Abbie Louise Bendel, Greenville, N. Y. .25
L. D. C., Chicago .25
Mary and George Hamlin, Willimantic, Conn. 1.00
Anna and Levi Paxson, Reading, Penn. 1.00
Florence and Nellie Bates, Winchester, N. C. 1.00
Alice Perkins, Rising Sun, Ind. .25
May Lilian Bishop, New Haven 1.00
---- Wilkeson, Washington 1.00
Ina Giles, Rugby, Tenn. .25
Etta Giles, Rugby, Tenn. .25
Horace Giles, Rugby, Tenn. .05
L. D. C., Chicago 2.00
Oliver Meeker, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .50
Edna Bean, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .15
Harry Campbell, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .25
Alida Spining, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .10
Susy Wilson, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .25
Alice Winkler, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .10
A Friend, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .50
Bertha Sherwood, Puyallup, Wash. Ter. .15
-------
Total $93.08
Amount previously acknowledged 45.53
-------
Total, September 14, 1881 $138.61
=======

E. A. FANSHAWE, Treasurer.

Contributions for the Cot should be sent to Miss E. A. Fanshawe, 43 New Street, New York.

* * * * *

We select for publication a few of the letters received during the last month by the Treasurer of St. Mary's Free Hospital.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Here are fifty cents out of my bank for the Harper's Young People's
Cot, and mamma sends two dollars for my little sister who is dead.

I like my paper ever so much, and I hope all the little boys and
girls who read it will send some money for the cot.

NED BISHOP.

* * * * *

NIAGARA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

I saw your letter about the Young People's Cot, and I thought I
would send a little, which I earned myself. I made some little
boats and sold them in the store, and I now send thirty-six cents,
and will send some more after a while.

J. B. SENIOR.

* * * * *

CANE SPRING DÉPÔT, KENTUCKY.

I saw your letter in YOUNG PEOPLE about Young People's Cot, and
sold my chickens, and received $1, which I inclose.

CHARLES A. LUTZ.

* * * * *

BLUE EARTH CITY, MINNESOTA.

I am a little girl eleven years old. I take HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE;
have taken it ever since the first number, and like it very much. I
picked up blocks for papa, and got fifteen cents, which I am going
to send to you for the Young People's Cot. I wish it were more.

PERLY D. TEMPLE.

* * * * *

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

I send you the money that I have earned picking berries for my
mamma. It is for the Young People's Cot. I am six years old.

RUSSELL GRINNELL.

* * * * *

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

Little May Lilian Bishop wishes to send $1 toward the Young
People's Cot, 50 cents being from her own small savings and 50
being the prize taken by her doll at a doll show last week.

* * * * *

WINCHESTER, NORTH CAROLINA.

My sister Nellie and I wrote a letter some months ago for the
Post-office Box, but it was not published. I now write again to
send one dollar for the Hospital Cot. Nellie is North at school
now, but half of the money sent is hers. Mamma gives us all the
surplus eggs, and we sell these and have the money to do with as we
please. We have over one hundred chickens, young and old; they are
quite tame. One rooster was so large that we harnessed him to a
small cart. I have a little gold mine with a tunnel, pump,
windlass, and a small rubber doll to go down in the bucket. I am
nine years old.

FLORENCE JULIA BATES.

* * * * *

I hope that you will succeed in getting a real nice cot. Here is
twenty-five cents that I have earned myself by helping my mamma, as
she has not been well.

MAY BLAKESLEE.

* * * * *

Correct answers to puzzles have been received from "Castor and Pollux," George Sylvester, George McLaughlin, "Young America," Nellie Brainerd, Emma Roehm, Agnes G. F., "Florence Nightingale," Willie B. H., Maggie J. Laurie, T. M. Armstrong, Maud Williams.

* * * * *

PUZZLES FROM YOUNG CONTRIBUTORS.

No. 1.

HALF-SQUARE.

1. The Christian name of one of our most honored Presidents. 2. Supports. 3. A runner. 4. Single spots. 5. A pronoun. 6. A consonant.

WORD SQUARE.

1. A bird. 2. To infer. 3. Nips. 4. Sluggish. 5. Homes without hands.

CLAUDE.

* * * * *

No. 2.

ENIGMA.

My first is in fork, but not in knife.
My second is in guitar, but not in fife.
My third is in chain, but not in locket.
My fourth is in fire-works, and also in rocket.
My fifth is in early, and also in late.
My sixth is in pencil, and also in slate.
And when you have uttered my musical word,
You will find that my whole is a beautiful bird.

LULA.

* * * * *

No. 3.

TWO DIAMONDS.

1.--1. A letter. 2. A verb. 3. A fruit. 4. An abbreviation of a boy's name. 5. A letter.

2.--1. A letter. 2. A part of the body. 3. A retreat. 4. A wild flower. 5. A musical term. 6. A track. 7. A letter.

LULA.

* * * * *

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN No. 98.

No. 1.

Clothes-horse. Sun-shade.

No. 2.

Locust. Sirena.

No. 3.

S V
R U M T I N
S U G A R V I P E R
M A Y N E T
R R

* * * * *

[_For exchanges, see third page of cover._]

CONVENTIONAL ART; OR, RAPHAEL JOHN AND THE MOON.

A sadder moon you never knew.
She was sailing away
(As poets would say)
O'er heaven's deep bay
Of invisible blue:
But of what avail
Was her silvery trail,
When the earth, rolling by
In the distant sky,
Brought a zealous young artist to view.

For Raphael John was learning to draw;
He could "do" very fair
A table or chair,
And he thought he might dare
"Do" the moon; for what flaw
In the world could be found
If he made it look round,
And with nose, mouth, and eyes,
Like the one in the skies,
A likelier moon, why, who ever saw?

But Raphael John was an artist too free
And a boy far too smart
To mistake for true art
What is only a part
Of her sphere; so, thought he,
"Not to make it too real,
I will add my ideal
Of a face. Who need care
If I just--bang her hair?"
But a madder moon you never did see.

A (LAKE IN CANADA) STORY.

BY C. E. M.

"(Lake in Switzerland)!" cried a voice beneath my window early one (cape in New Jersey) morning, "do you want to go (lake in Canada) with me?"

Of course I accepted with alacrity, and having effectually protected myself from sunburn by putting on my broad-brimmed (city in Italy) hat, trimmed with (island off the coast of Scotland), ran quickly down stairs, where I found my cousin (river in Virginia) (mountains in Australia) waiting impatiently. Now we had lived but a short time in this (river in Africa), and knew very few of the neighboring families, so that (river in Virginia) and I were continually in each other's (islands in the Pacific).

We walked briskly along the (one of the Bahama islands) path through the (river in Australia), and finally reached our destination, a pretty little brook, in the middle of which rose a small (city in Illinois). This we contrived to reach by means of wading, though in scrambling up the bank I ran a (town in Prussia) into my hand.

"One comfort is that we can't get much (island of Malaisia) than we are already," (port in Africa) my cousin, "and it certainly does look as though we should have a (lake in Canada) day. Come," he continued, "now we'll try our (bay in Newfoundland) (cape in Canada), and don't make any noise."

So we waited patiently, watching the insects skating over the (cape in Madagascar)-colored water, until I suddenly felt a (head on the Shetland Islands) jerk on my line, and after a slight struggle, succeeded in landing an unusually small (lake in Canada).

"What a (river in Africa)!" cried my cousin, sarcastically. "Why, you will need a (island off the coast of Australia) to carry it home."

Notwithstanding this unpromising beginning, we did have very good luck, and bore home in triumph to the (strait in New Zealand) a mess of fine (lake in Canada), off which we made a (lake in Canada) lunch.

End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Young People, October 4, 1881, by Various