Their father also gave them a hen for a 
pet, and they kept it with their calf. 
eleaxor g.. 7 years. 
New York. 
Bobby and Thomas on the Farm 
Bobby and his smaller brother. Thomas, 
live on a large farm in New York which 
is owned by their parents. 
There are many horses and cattle on 
the farm, but the little boys like their 
little pet calf best of all. They call her 
Bess. She is a gentle calf and seems to 
be pleased when the children pet her and 
talk in her ears. 
Bobby feeds her three times a day and 
also brushes her, so she will be clean. 
At 10 o’clock each day he brings her to 
the pasture field. 
Thomas is smaller and is not allowed 
to wander in the fields for fear lie will 
get lost. 
To please his smaller brother Bobby 
sometimes feeds his pet calf near the 
chicken coop so Thomas can watch him. 
They enjoy it as they watch the calf eat 
and move her tail over her back. Most 
of their time is spent with Bess. 
One day Bobby asked his father what 
kind of a calf if was. Ilis father said it 
was a Holstein heifer. 
New .Terser. 
evangei.txe s., 14 years. 
The two little girls. Ruth and Florence, 
are feeding the calf. Ruth is holding the 
pail for the calf. She is a Holstein and 
her name is Bessie. Bessie is happy over 
her feed. She is swinging her tail. 
dorothv w.. S years. 
It is interesting to find that all the 
stories T have chosen are from girls. Can 
it be that the girls write better stories 
always? Probably it just happened that 
way this time. We will see next month. 
What the Girls Say 
Dorothy D.. Michigan, writes: "I 
wish P. I.. could be a girl for one year—• 
he would soon change his mind about 
that work.” 
Ruth F., Pennsylvania, says: “Most 
of the boys do a good many chores, but 
perhaps the boy who wrote that the girls 
didn't do as much as the boys never had 
a sister.” 
And there are others along the same 
line. I think the truth is that there is 
work for both boys and girls to do. Of 
course it is not the same kind of work 
usually. But it is work just as truly. 
One thing that we need to learn—each 
one of us— is that we are not the only 
one who is doing any work. All around 
us others are working, too. Nor is our 
job always the hardest one. Often the 
person doing the hardest work says the 
least about it. The things to ask are: 
“Am I doing my work well? Am I cheer¬ 
ful about it?” 
A Good Letter 
Just as I was nearly ready to send this 
writing in to The II. N.-Y. office the fol¬ 
lowing letter came to me. I print it in 
full because I like to give you at least 
one whole letter each month, besides the 
many things I take from the letters you 
send to write about for Our Page: 
My dear Mr. Tuttle: 
Every month I look for the “Boys’ and 
Girls’ ” page. I live on a farm where 
we have four cows and three heifers. One 
of the heifers will be milking next Fall. 
We also have three horses and about MOO 
chickens. 
I have a sistet seven years old; I am 
eleven. We have to walk a mile and a 
half to school. I am in the fifth grade 
and my sister is in the first. It has been 
very cold this \\ inter, and we have had 
lots of snow. It has been good coasting. 
I was coasting about a week ago when the 
sled went into the soft snow and cut my 
face a good bit. Today after school I was 
trying to learn how to skate on the ice. 
I think O. L. in his letter to “Our 
Page’ is altogether wrong in thinking the 
boys have more to do than the girls. I 
The RURAL. N 
have just told of the kind of things we 
play, but there are lots of other things 
we do. Every night when I come home 
from school I wash the dishes and do odd 
jobs. On Saturday I wash and drv all 
the dishes, scrub the stairs and ‘ two 
rooms, bake a cake and do some sewing. 
Then on Sundays I walk two miles for 
the mail, and water the chickens (when 
it is not too cold). 
I hope the “Boys’ and Girls’ ” page 
will always be in The R. N.-Y. This 
month I see you are asking us to watch 
for the signs of Spring. I have seen 
some pussy willows this year. 
Yours truly, 
MADELINE MC K. 
New York. 
The Signs of Spring 
I am glad Madeline mentioned the signs 
of Spring. A great many of you have 
told me in your letters that you have 
begun to keep lists,. Do not forget this. 
It is not too late to start now. It is 
good fun to watch the Spring come, to 
find all the signs. I am not even going 
to hint at what they are, because I want 
you to find them all yourselves. I expect 
to have many interesting lists on May 1. 
&>o look and listen sharply, and write 
each sign down with the date when you 
find it. 
He Can Be Trusted 
A while ago I had a good letter from a 
boy up in New York State. lie said that 
he was eleven years old. and that he 
helped do the chores—milking and feeding 
the stock. He said that there were more 
chores for him to do this Winter because 
his father had to be away. 
The thing that interested me was to find 
a letter from this boy’s mother tucked in 
along with his. She told me that she 
was glad that you boys and girls have a 
page of your own in The R. N.-Y. Then 
she went on to say about the boy: “He 
and I are doing all the chores on this 100- 
acre farm this \\ inter. He takes all the 
care of one horse, milks two cows, helps 
feed them, and on holidays cleans out 
the stables. W hen we were feeding silage 
he got it out night and morning. But 
;he best of all. to me. is the fact that I 
can trust him. If he says he has done a 
thing I know it has been done right. And 
if I am away from home I know his 
chores (and some of mine) will be nicely 
done.” 
Can your mother or father say the 
same thing about you? One of the great¬ 
est things in life is this being trusted. 
It means that we know how to “boss” 
ourselves. T\ hen no one is looking, some¬ 
thing inside us makes us do our work 
right, makes us keep at it until it is 
done, makes us do more than is expected. 
The wprld needs boys and girls and men 
and women who will work like that, who 
are not always wondering what they are 
going to get out of it right now, and think¬ 
ing they should have more. It needs 
boj s and girls and men and women who 
do not expect to get something for 
nothing, but who earn their way fairly, 
who stand on their own feet squarely, 
and who cun be trusted. 
A Rare Visitor 
It happened one evening last month. 
My desk is hear a window. Just outside 
is a feeding shelf for the birds. Every 
day the juncos and tree sparrows come 
and eat so close to me that I could reach 
out and touch them if the glass were not 
there. But at night the shelf is deserted. 
The light from my lamp shines on it 
brightly. 
On this evening I was writing at my 
desk. All at once, about nine o’clock. I 
E W-YORKER 
heard a noise outside the window. I 
looked up quickly. There was an ani¬ 
mal running around on the shelf. I 
thought at first it was a rat, for it 
was just about that size and color. 
But then I saw that its tail was 
wide and furry. It went out of sight. 
In a few seconds it was back, and I had 
another look. It came close to the win¬ 
dow and stared at me. .Its eyes were 
very large and soft. and black. I saw 
that it was white underneath. And 
strangest of all. it looked as though its 
front legs and hind legs were connected 
on each side by a fold of furry skin, gray 
above, white below. That gave me an 
idea. It was a very good climber. It 
climbed up the side of the window and 
gnawed at a piece of suet nailed there 
for the woodpeckers. In all it stayed 
perhaps five minutes. Then it went 
away. I looked up in a book the animal 
that I thought it was. and I had guessed 
right. I never saw one before. This 
one has never been back since. Isn't it 
strange and wonderful how suddenly 
something new happens to us? Can you 
guess what the animal was? Have you 
Three Vietc8 of "Mike” 
ever seen one? If you have, tell me 
about it. 
Mike—Once Again 
I should say “three times again.” 
shouldn’t 1? Mike has had some pictures 
taken. He thought you would like to 
see them. Mike is well and happy. He 
stays in the bam where all good cats be¬ 
long. On very cold nights he has learned 
to burrow down in the hay until he is al¬ 
most out of sight. But he is always on 
hand at milking time. 
There is a big question for us to keep 
in mind about cats. It is true that when 
full-grown they catch many. birds, and 
most birds are better friends to us than 
cats. But if we do not have too many 
cats, and if we take care to see that they 
are always well fed. and if they have been 
brought up to stay iu the barn or some 
such place, then there is less danger to 
the birds. These are things we should 
uot forget. 
Another Picture Story 
So many of you liked the idea of writ¬ 
ing a story about a picture that I am 
giving you another this month. This pic- 
. turo came from up in Canada. I am 
going to let you tell me about it iu your 
own way. 
427 
have to make the page several weeks 
before you read it. Outside there is a 
blizzard, snow and ice and cold. The 
roads are blocked. Most of you are in 
it too. I have been thinking of you 
all. in so many homes, some on farms, 
some in villages, perhaps some in cities. 
The wintry weather makes our work 
harder. It takes longer to do the chores. 
The water freezes. The animals must be 
kept indoors. There is more cleaning of 
stables to be done. Fires must be kept 
going, and ashes sifted and dumped. It 
seems as though it takes almost all day 
just to do the things around the house 
and barn. But this is Winter. We must 
take things as they come. It is no use 
to grumble. We cannot change the 
weather. We must meet it bravely and 
cheerfully. 
These are the tough days to go to 
school if you have to walk far, over 
heavy drifted roads. But the way will be 
shorter if you think of the things you 
see and hear r.s you go. After all. :he 
pure, white snow is very beautiful. The 
trees take on interesting shapes with 
their white coverings. There are many 
footprints in the snow. Each has its 
story. Some wild creatures brave the 
Winter. You will see them now and then. 
It is .all a part of life, and it is good to 
be alive. 
There are many things on “Our Page” 
this time. Enough and more to keep you 
busy for a month. Send your letters in 
to me. I shall be glad to get them, and 
they will reach me if you address them in 
care of The Rural New-Yorker. 333 
West 30th Street. New York C’itv. 
Hot School Lunches 
^ is there behind this instituting 
>t hot lunches at schoolV It is against 
the wishes of the parents or the children, 
because it makes more work at home and 
quite some trouble to be obliged to carrv 
milk in cold weather and for long dis¬ 
tances: it makes it hard for the children 
and then sometimes the cork gets out of 
the bottle and the books get soiled. Then 
the children think they don’t want hot 
lunches, and so do not take the milk; 
then comes a scolding from teacher and 
threats, and then they carrv the milk 
again. Teacher says “if we let one stop 
they will all be wanting to stop also.” 
^hich is proof of how the children enjov 
it We here do not waut them. Talk 
about sanitation, with 20 bottles of milk 
from as many dairies and as many or 
more different milkers, and as manv dif¬ 
ferent bottle washers, all dumped' into 
one dish.' I would rather our children 
have a chance to eat the food we are able 
to furuish them, prepared by ourselves. 
As for milk, sue* unclean milkers as 
some are: they dump it all together and 
all ptirtake of it. W hat can be done to 
stop it before it goes farther? We notice 
that only a part of the schools are doing 
thls - WILLIAM H. KIBBE. 
There is probably nothing back of it 
except the conviction on the part of’many 
people that these hot luncheons are de¬ 
sirable. The argument is that the hot 
lunch is better for the children, and that 
it gives them practice in housekeeping. 
There seems to be quite a division of 
opinion about it among farmers and their 
wives. W e have letters from women who 
are strongly in favor, while others, like 
Mr. Kibbe. oppose it. There is no law 
to compel the teacher to serve this hot 
lunch. It is for the parents to decide. 
If a majority of them oppose it the school 
board will undoubtedly stop it. Why not 
call a school meeting and settle it? 
Write u Story About This Picture 
A Word More 
I have been writing all of these things 
OU a day early in February. You know, f 
. Good Neighbors 
I have found out this Winter what 
blessed good thing it is to have neighbor; 
the real thing, people who are readv t 
reach out a helping hand whenever it i 
needed. My husband has been in Eui 
land to visit his father since Novembe 
leaving myself and 11-year-old bov t 
care for stock, etc. The actual hard wor 
1 duln t mind, but wheu anv situatio 
came up- that I couldn’t handle, like 
sick animal, or hauling wood, or gettiu 
to tow n through this unusually deep snow 
there has always been someone ready t 
help. With everything else I have to b 
thankful for I can say “Thank God fo 
neighbors." And that is one light i 
which I have always regarded The I! 
N.-Y. It always seems to me more lik 
a good neighbor than just a paper. 
WINIFRED E. Hit H. 
And no one could give us a finer com 
pliment than to say that The R. N.-Y 
is like a good neighbor. It is indeed th 
finest thing iu country life to live nea 
people who are trui> neighborly. Am 
remember—that is what the others say 
too. so we must all do our part to live ui 
to the title. 
