St. Nicholas/Volume 40/Number 4/Letter-Box
THE LETTER-BOX
Our readers will remember with pleasure the excellent photograph of the distinguished Governor of New Jersey, new President-elect of the United States, which appeared at the heading of the article in the November St. Nicholas, entitled, “What Woodrow Wilson did for American Foot-ball.” By an oversight, which is much regretted, the words, “Copyright by Pach Brothers, New York,” were not printed beneath the picture as they should have been; and we now make the earliest amends possible by calling attention to our failure to give the photographers the credit for their picture and the notice of their copyright that should have appeared with it.
Dear St. Nicholas: In your December number of 1910, there were some verses about a Mother Goose holiday tea. One of my friends conceived a bright idea, and together we thought it out until we had a perfectly beautiful party all arranged (in our minds) for our club, the G. G. G., to give. When we told the girls about it, they all went into raptures over it, and we decided we would have it. One of the girl’s birthday was on December 22.
At the party there were Mother Goose, Mother Hubbard, Little Miss Muffett, Little Bo-peep, Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Mary Had a Little Lamb, the Queen of Hearts, and many others.
We played games, danced (the music being given by the club girls, who took turns playing, and one boy, who made all our feet fly to the tune of his ‘‘fiddle’’), and had a lovely time. The Queen of Hearts was, of course, the girl whose birthday we were celebrating.
We had favors in the first dance—little funny figures, etc., and I (I think I got a boy’s favor) received a huge cigar made out of some kind of stiff paper or cardboard, with a place for candy in the middle. Also we were given by our charming hostess, the Queen of Hearts, little paste-board boxes in the shape of hearts, filled with candy; and she also gave us each a heart from her dress.
The party was a great success, and we all had a perfectly lovely time; and all the girls are so thankful to “J. E. L.,” who wrote ‘‘The Mother Goose Holiday Tea.”
I have taken your magazine for years, and have enjoyed it immensely. Your most interested reader,
Dear St. Nicholas: I am spending the winter in California, although it is n’t much like winter, with all the oranges and flowers about. I am going to tell you a funny story. My Uncle John in Kentucky found a Confederate stamp on an old letter one day, and thought he would send it to me for my collection. He soaked the stamp off the envelop and put it gum side up on his desk to dry, when along came a big fly. The fly lit on the stamp, and his legs stuck fast, and before Uncle John could grab him he had flown with the stamp out of the window. I was sorry to lose the stamp, but if the fly had n’t carried it off, I should not have had any story to tell.
Dear St. Nicholas: I have taken you for two years, and enjoy you very much. Among my favorites are Mr. Barbour’s stories. I always look forward to the day when you come. I have a little bull-terrier, named “Fi-fi.” The postman always gives Fi-fi the St. Nicholas when it arrives, and he comes running up to me, bringing it in his mouth.
Hoping you will have a long life.
Your loving reader,