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WEEKLY CHAT WITH CORRESPONDENTS
Vjj R. writes us from Loyd’-s
Virginia:
“ I see so few letters from the
hoys and girls of Virginia, that
uYy) I fear the readers of the Week
ly will think that the children
of the Old Dominion never say any
smart and sweet things. If so, they
would be very much mistaken, for even
the little darkies say some very amusing
things. Our little maid, Ludie, sits by
when I recite my French lesson, with
eyes and mouth wide open, and she lis
tens to a very good purpose, it seems,
for she sometimes startles us by reply
ing to our questions in French. I will
give you one of her answers. One day
my sister x\ggie asked her if she had
been to the spring, and she replied :
“ Me n’en ai pas trois,’ and transla
ted it, 1 1 has not been to the spring.’
“ I have a sweet little blue-eyed, yel
low-haired cousin who only made the
acquaintance of Kriss Ivringle last
Christmas. His name is Beale. He
thinks Santa Claus lives up the chim
ney, and it is really amusing to see him
poke the broom up the chimney, and
when the soot begins to fall, to hear
him say :
■“‘See old Krie’Kris kick: he goin’
bring Beale goo’ sings.’ ”
Archie M., ofLinwood, South Caro
lina says :
“ Dear Mr. Bur Ice : I am a little boy,
just seven years old, but my grandfather
has taken your nice paper for me for
two years, and I thought I would get
my auntie to write and tell you how
much I love it. She and my mamma
read it for me, and as I am learning to
read now, I will soon be able to read it
for myself. I jiist wanted to write you
this: I have two little brothers, who
are very dear to me ; one is nearly two
years old, and he says so many funny
things he makes us laugh, and the other
is a little baby boy. I have a pair of
goats, given to me on my birthday, that
I am going to drive in a nice little wag
on. I love to get your paper, and next
year I hope I will be able to write you
a letter myself.”
Victoria Ryder writes:
“ Dear Mr. Burke : In a late number
of the Weekly, you gave a nut for
young arithmeticians to crack. V ell,
I have been trying to crack it, and I
BURKE’S WEEKLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
think I have succeeded. The Cadi’s
decision was just, for if we divide
rhe eight loaves each into three parts
there will be twenty-four parts, and
as each man eats the same amount,
they will eat eight parts each— now
five loaves will make fifteen parts,
and as the owner eats eight parts,
the stranger will get seven ; while
the three loaves will make only nine
parts, and as the owner of these eats
eight parts, he will have but one part
to let the stranger have.”
Quite right, Miss Victoria.
Little Sammie, a chubby, rosy-cheek-
ed three years old boy, was one day
crumbling up a biscuit and throwing it
on the hearth. Mrs. TANARUS., who was sit
ting by, said:
“ Sammy, don’t waste bread that way.
Some poor little children are crying for
something now, and would be so glad
to have that biscuit.”
He stood quietly for several minutes,
apparently in deep thought. Suddenly
he looked up, and his face brightened
as he exclaimed :
“Yes, Mrs. TANARUS., listen! I hear them
children a ci-ying now.”
And he held up his finger so cunning
ly, as if he really heard them.
He sings, in a very loud tone, “ Vv ay
down soux in Dixie. Says he is a
webel and a mason. C.
—
Contemplate more the good you can
do than the evil you can only lament.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
.STRANGE POSTER CHILDREN.
»EVERAL weeks ago, Marian
told you children something
about cats. There are not a.
great many instances on record of learn
ed cats, though there have been learned
dogs almost without number. In the
accompanying picture, you see a little
boy trying to teach his cat to sit up and
beg for his dinner, but I am incline! to
think that Tom does not fancy any such
nonsense.
Some years ago, in England, a great
black-and-white cat, which was half
wild and lived in the barn, was discov
ered one day to be suckling a young
rabbit among her kittens, and she grew
to be quite as fond of this foster child as
of any one of her own litter.
But a still more curious instance of
sympathy occurred at the house of a
Mr. Greenfield, in Maryland, several
years since. A cat had kittens, and
while hunting for mice, either to amuse
her kittens, or to serve for her own din
ner, she carried in a young rat, which
was not only not killed, but found
itself after a while so much at home
that, when the little one s ? went to
suck their mother, it did the same.
“ The servants of Mr. Greenfield
being witnesses of this strange fact,
informed their master of it, and he
ordered the kittens and the rat to be
all carried down stairs and laid on
= : the floor. The mother-cat followed
them, as she was sure to do, licked
them all over, the young rat amongst
the rest, and then was allowed to carry
them away, which she did in cat-fash
ion, in her mouth, treating the rat with
just as much tenderness as the kittens.
This experiment was often repeated ;
indeed when any“callers came to his
house, Mr. Greenfield made them wit
nesses of this instance of preternatural
affection.” -
Here is a very remarkable account
of the manner in which Peter, a cat be
longing to a Mrs. Matthews, in Eng
land, takes his evening meal. It is ta
ken from “ Our Four-Footed Friends,”
a charming English book by Mary
Howitt:
“ Peter is a fine tabby cat, almost as
regularly marked in black and blue-grey
as a zebra, and has all his days been
very much indulged, or cultivated if you
like, by his mistress. He is a pattern
of good manners, and sits on a chair to
himself by her side at tea, waiting pa
tiently till his turn comes to be served.
He understands perfectly when the meal
is completed, without any direct intima
tion being given him, and then quickly
springs on the table, a small quantity of
cream being always left for him in the
jug, which is a tall, narrow-necked,
old-fashioned silver cream ewer. The
first thing he does is to edge the jug to
the rim of the tea-board, so as to fix it
firmly, he then inserts his paw into the
jug, draws it forth soaked in cream,
which he delicately and carefully licks
off, never letting a drop fall; then puts
it in a second and third time, according
to the quantity of cream which has been
left for him, till he has exhausted the
supply, when he appears to brush the
inside of the jug with his rounded paw,
as with a velvet pad, so that not a drop
is left.
“This I have seen repeatedly, and
Mrs. Peters has no idea how he came to
hit upon this plan ; but he began to do
so of himself soon after he w r as a cat
grown, so that he was not taught it by
his mother.”
Prompted hy Love.
One morning I found little Dora busy
at the ironing table, smoothing the tow
els and stockings.
“ Isn’t it hard work for little arms?”
I asked.
A look like sunshine came into her
face, as she glanced towards her mother,
who was rocking the baby.
“ It isn’t hard when I do it for mam
ma,” she said, softly.
How true it is that love makes labor
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