74BfcV». 
thinking he could get home the quickest, 
but he is bothered and spends so much 
time that if he had gone the other way, 
the longest way, he would not have had 
those things to bother him and would 
have got home quicker. I do not know 
TIIE STORY OF TIIE BIBLE 
By Jesse L. Uurlbut. 
“The Story of the Bible” is told in 
simple language, easily understood by a 
child of any age. It is a story from the 
time when God created the world to the 
time when Saint John was on the Island 
of Pntmos and' wrote the Book of Revela¬ 
tions. It. is beautifully illustrated, which 
adds to its instructiveness, and should be 
read by every child. 
Virginia. .rur.iA wii.son. 
tell us about Our Page and its friends, 
and I am making a special effort to have 
room for them this month. Let’s see how 
many we can crowd in. 
“Now we have had a picture of a por¬ 
cupine. won’t some of our big family send 
in a picture of an opossum? I have never 
seen one. and I am quite sure that many 
of our readers never have either.”— 
Warren Brown. Vermont. 
Warren is one boy who writes a long, 
interesting letter every month. Besides 
the question above, I found the following 
in his last letter: "You have said that 
Our Page would not be so interesting if 
you tried to make it alone. It is true 
that we boys aud girls send you a lot of 
material you use for Our Page. But if 
you just printed it and didn’t say any¬ 
thing yourself, Our Page would not be 
anywhere near so interesting as it is. I 
The words in the box this month were 
written by Roland M. of Massachusetts. 
Sorry I haven’t his last name, but this 
came long before we began to print full 
names. We thank him just the same. 
If we can combine interest and instruc¬ 
tion, we shall have an ideal page. Some 
of you still write that you don't under¬ 
stand about the box. Look at the begin¬ 
ning of Our Page. Below the title and 
editor’s name you see some words sur¬ 
rounded by lines. These words are 'writ¬ 
ten by different readers, and are changed 
each month. Write what you think Our 
Page stands for, using not more than 25 
words. Send it in, and perhaps it can be 
used. 
LITTLE CITIZENS 
By Myra Kelly 
No one sent a write-up on this book, 
and 1 hope that does not mean that none 
of you have read it. To be sure, these 
“little citizens” are poor boys and girls 
of all nationalities going to school on the 
Last Side, iu New York City, but the 
stories are interesting to all young people, 
city and country both. I know that you 
will enjoy this book immensely. Look 
it up. 
THE BURGESS BIRD BOOK 
By Thornton W. Burgess 
My! but Peter Rabbit has friends. 
Jennie Wren is such a talker and such 
a busybody, and the Obi Orchard is full 
of bird friends. The woodpeckers make 
such a noise, and the snake is so nifau to 
poor mother bird, and Farmer Brown’s 
boy is such a kind £. iend to all the birds, 
because he chases all thiir nemies away. 
The screech owl is so spooky, and ovyr 
so many more such things may be learned 
about our bird friends, and also a few 
animals in this beautiful book. This 
book is such a help to us to rCCSoguize 
the calls of the birds ami know about 
their lives. If ever the chance is given 
you, read this book, and after you finish 
it. when you travel in the woods or along 
the road you will feel at home while the 
birds talk to you. emmakeidel. 
New York. 
Write-ups on this book were also re¬ 
ceived from Dorothy Lee, New York, and 
Edward Wilson, Virginia. 
If you were on a journey and saw a 
shorter way by crossing a creek or bridge 
and you took it, perhaps the. creek was 
deeper than you thought or the bridge 
would not hold you up. You would get 
wet or fall through the bridge. But if 
you took the road around the bridge or 
creek you would get there safe, even if 
it would take a little longer. But I have 
always given the proverb a little dif¬ 
ferent way: “The longest way round is 
the safest way home.” But perhaps they 
mean the same. ada schwartz. 
Ohio. 
With these explanations Rufus and 
the rest of you will be able to decide for 
yourselves what the proverb means, and 
to tell when you have examples of it 
iu your own lives. We all sometimes try 
to do things in a hurry by new ways that 
seem quicker, only to find out afterward 
It is a little late to think about any- 
thing connected with snow, but the ques- | ~ v , • \ **- " ^ 
tion about snow-lleas asked by a reader 
on Our Page for February has never Out for a Ride 
been answered. We ought not to let any- Picture Seat by Grace Salton, Netc Yorl 
tiling like that slip by. and since no reader IS Years 
has sent the information, let’s see what 
Comstock’s Manual for the Study of In - think we need a friend who knows how 
sects has to say about these strange to make the best kind of boys’ and girls 
creatures: page. I think we all appreciate having 
“In the Spring in the Northern States, such a nice editor, and I want you tc 
on bright, sunny days, wlieu it is thaw- know it. So don’t give us all the credit 
mg, one oftcu sees upon the snow thou- , , , . at » 
sands of tiny dark specks. In other ^ or such a nice page, Mr. Tuttle. 
places pools of still water appear to be Now that is very fair and kind of you 
covered by a moving mass of minute Warren, and I am happy to do my share 
7 hi ± becon,e mnro act £ e wb £ n You notice I do not call it My Page 
disturbed. These masses, as well as the . , _ ,, . \ _ 
dark specks on snow, consist of thousands neither do I call it lour I age, but I cal 
of little creatures that are provided with it Our Page, yours and mine and every 
a wonderful means of jumping. There is one’s who reads it. and works for it anc 
on the end of the body a tail-like organ . ., 
that, is bent under when the insect is at enj03rs lt- 
rest, and that reaches almost to the head; - 
this, when suddenly straightenied throws T , . , ~ 1 r> e -v 
the insect high iu the air and several feet II1 a ]etter £rom rearl ° Button of Ne " 
away. This action is like a spring-board Jersey I find this: “As I already con 
jump, only these little fellows always side? that we are friends. I shall tell yoi 
earn their spring-boards with them, aud mv greatest desire. It is to go abroad 
have thus won the name of spring-tails. _ ' ... * 
The species upon snow, called the snow- to Eur °P e * listing the scenes from Th< 
flea, sometimes proves a nuisance in Lady of the Lake.’’ in Scotland, als< 
maple sugar bushes by getting into the Switzerland. Ireland. Veil icq, and thi 
mtn?ri\wi r ° S u P€ i, a spring-tail fI oly Land.” Well, who knows, Pearle 
appears very absurd. It has long au- , 
Ten me and large, dark eye spots on the some da - v < T0U will probably go. Then 
face, which, together with the long hair is lots of time yet. In the meantime th< 
that sticks forward on the head and 
thorax, give the creature a look of solemn 
fierceness. Different species may be found 
at almost any time of the year in damp 
places.” 
In a letter from John Aursh. a New 
York State reader. I find this: “On Fri¬ 
day our teacher alway 
PAUL REVERE 
By Henry W. Longfellow 
In the poem, “Paul Revere.” the British 
were about to attack the Americans. They 
Edith Feeds Susie and Her Large Family 
Picture Sent by Edith Chalmers. Massachusetts. 10 Years. 
were goiug to another place to begin the that we would have saved time if we had 
attack and Paul Revere found it out f ollowed the wavs we Unew best. The 
and told the watchman to hang one Inn- , . * 
tern in the belfry of the old church if Proverb is a very old one, and is found 
they went by land, and two if they went in many languages, using various words: 
by sea. Then Paul Revere went to the “The longest way round is the shortest 
other side of the river aud was ready to , . . , . ... 
give the alarm to the people when two (tK ’ !lrest ’ * afest ’ surest, quickest) way 
lights suddenly shone from the belfry, borne.” In Danish the saying is, “A 
lie rode swiftly and 1 awoke the fanners, short cut is often a wrong cut.” 
and the next morning they had a fight, 
in which the Americans were victorious. Nuts to Crack 
Iowa. EARLE WYOOFF. . . , ,, 
Emma Keidel, New York, sent a write- *' n< ( ‘ 0 ' 
up ou this poem also. Here is a riddle Nancy Wright. New a rain barrel? 
--- York sent: you will find t 
There has been a good deal of interest Guess a riddle now you must; teacher says t 
in the question nsked by Rufus Fisher Stone is fire, and fire is dust; with ' 
in n,.,. r, i,vi,i * Black is red. and red is white, , ' y . 
in Our I age for lebiuaiy about Come aud vi( . w the wondrous sight. thei » 111 tlQ 1 
The Longest Way Round etl 'suia. New fork. Yi 
t , , , 4 , , . My whole of 14 letters is something — 
I have always heard the proverb that . , . . . 
one of our readers asked about as “the ' ou oanno£ < 0 "Phout. My 0-10-_-l is f 
longest way rouud is the sura t way the possessive of you. My 4-14-12 was I 
home.” Maybe it is called the shortest Noah’s chief means of transportation. 
b 1f"» &*."*“"** to , 5 sass 5 . .1 «• " £ «»r r,s *1 ? / 
Well, it is time to say goodbye again. 
Nothing has been said this month about 
gardens or chickens or many of the other 
tilings you are interested in. Of course, 
we cannot talk about everything every 
month. Perhaps it is just as well. We 
certainly have plenty of variety, don’t 
we? Now, I hope you won’t all get the 
“Spring fever" and forget to write to Our 
Page. Just sit down now and have a 
friendly little talk on paper with your 
editor. Tuck it in an envelope and write 
ou the outside: Edward M. Tuttle, in 
care The Rural New-Yorker. 333 West 
30th Street, New York City. Then let 
the postman do the rest. 
1 think the proverb means that one 
often takes the shortest way around 
Notes and Suggestions 
As T read your letters many interest¬ 
ing points come up. Usually I include a 
number of them for the end of each page, 
but very often they get left out because 
I try to print more than the space allows. 
So they keep piling up. Now these are 
things we should all share, because they 
Drawing and Terse by Elsie Gras.-elly, Delaware., 11 Years 
Sing a song of fishhooks, 
Brooks are rushing by. 
So with line and bait ice go, 
Sister Sue and I. 
