The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
139 
pitchfork weed, sticktight, bur marigold 
and devil’s bootjack. A number of read¬ 
ers sent the name “euckle” or “kuekle.” 
I have never heard this before, and it is 
not in any of my weed books, but evi¬ 
dently is used in some localities for this 
same weed. The scientific name of the 
beggar-ticks plant is Bidens frondotta. 
There are a number of species in the bur 
Haring Fun With Daddy. Sent by 
Mrs. Warren Kline, New Jersey 
marigold genus liidens, all of them hav¬ 
ing seeds that stick to animals and cloth¬ 
ing, and known by such names as stick- 
tight, stickseed, tic-kseed. harvest lice, 
Spanish needles and the like. 
The name of the plant described in the 
Nature Puzzle is ‘‘beggar-ticks.” This is 
one of the troublesome weeds. In the 
Fall, about September or October, many 
of these plants are found along the road¬ 
sides. When you are walking and turn 
out of the road, unless you watch very 
carefully your clothes become covered 
with the ticks. Gladys feldberg. 
New York. 
Though I don’t know the name of the 
plant, the seeds are called “pitchforks” 
in this vicinity. The seed heads ripen 
in Autumn and the multitude of pitch- 
forks point in every direction ready to 
adhere to everything and anything at the 
slightest touch. They are very annoying 
if one happens to stumble into a clump, 
for being so small and so numerous they 
are very tedious to pick from the clothes. 
New York. gerald m’namara. 
What Is It? 
This animal is about a foot long and is 
very slim. It has a sharp pointed nose 
and beady black eyes. Its back is seal 
brown and its stomach and throat are 
pure white. It has short stubby ears. It 
lives on the blood of chickens and rabbits 
and other small animals. It is very sly. 
It lives in old walls and brushy lots. 
Certain kinds are hunted for their pelts. 
Connecticut. katixerine oiimen 
(13 years). 
When you send in the name of this ani¬ 
mal, if you have had any personal ex- 
Lester and His Nanny Goat. Sent by 
J. IF. Young, Pennsylvania 
perience with one, tell us about it. Per¬ 
haps someone will send a drawing, also. 
Daddy Long-legs 
On the Boys’ and Girls’ Page of the 
December issue I noticed a description 
of a book which I read only a short time 
ago. The book is called “Daddy Long- 
legs,” by Jean Webster. It is the most 
beautiful and inspiring story, full of 
charm and mystery, that I ever read. 
Jean Webster wrote many other interest¬ 
ing books which I would recommend to 
anyone. I have read the following of 
Webster’s books and found them all ex¬ 
ceptionally good: “When Patty Went to 
College,” “Dear Enemy,” “Just Patty” 
and “Jerry Junior.” I hope every reader 
of the children’s page in The Rural 
New-Yorker will read “Daddy Long- 
legs.” DOROTHY FRYLINCK. 
New Jersey. (10 years). 
In the puzzle, “What Book Is This?” I 
think it is “Daddy Long-legs,” by Jean 
Webster. I have read the book several 
times. It is written in letter form and 
is different from most books. The illus¬ 
trations are good. It shows the girl just 
as she acted. It also tells us that the 
author knew the life of girls. 
New York. Eunice brock. 
This book is ‘ Daddy Long-legs,” by 
Jean Webster. Jean Webster writes in 
an interesting manner and gives a good 
sketch. The description given on Our 
Page for December was short, but it 
seems to me that it contained all the ma¬ 
terial for me to recognize the book. This 
book was read quite a few times in my 
home, and I’ve read it at least three 
times. BERTHA ICRISTT 
New York. (13 years). 
The answer to the new Book Puzzle for 
last month is “Daddy Long-legs.” It was 
written by Alice Jean Webster, who was 
an American, born in 1S7G and died in 
191(5. LEWIS DOOLITTLE 
New York. (10 years). 
Not very much is to be found about the 
life of Jean Webster. Most interesting, 
perhaps, is the fact that she was a niece 
of Mark Twain, the great American hu¬ 
morist. She traveled a good deal and 
made one trip round the world. Her 
stories are sparkling and clean and whole¬ 
some. They will long live and be loved. 
“Daddy Long-legs” is probably best 
known of all because of its having been 
made into a motion picture with Mary 
Pickford playing the part of Jerusha Ab¬ 
bott, the little orphan girl. 
A New Book Puzzle 
Here are two descriptions of the same 
book, each of which tells some things the 
My Dog Likes to Bide. Sent by Leon 
Larkin, New York 
other does not. The book is one of the 
very best for boys and girls to read, and 
when you send your answers giving the 
title and author’s name you might tell 
other interesting parts of the story. Per¬ 
haps someone will send a drawing and, 
as, usual, we would also like a bit about 
the author’s life. 
WIIAT BOOK IS THIS? 
Many years ago in India there lived a 
little girl. Her mother did not care for 
her and she was allowed' to do what she 
wanted to. The little girl hated every¬ 
thing and everybody; she was always 
fretting. One day an epidemic arose in 
their neighborhood ; nearly all the people 
died. Her mother and father died of this 
epidemic. During this period, one day 
while in her room, two men came and 
fetched her. They sent her to her rich 
uncle in England. She soon became ac¬ 
quainted with the maids, nurses, garden¬ 
ers and servants. Many times during 
the night she would hear someone cry. 
One rainy day while wandering through 
the halls she heard the same cry. She 
came to a room and saw a boy about 11 
years old. She told him about the won¬ 
derful garden she had found. One day 
while they were in the garden he got out 
of his carriage and walked around. News 
came that his father would be home the 
next week. He practiced walking every 
day, but kept it a secret until the day his 
father came home. He told his father all 
about the magic. sadie iiower 
Pennsylvania. (14 years). 
A small girl who once lived in India 
was sent to England to live with her 
uncle when her parents were stricken 
with cholera and died. When the new 
arrival reached her uncle’s home the 
neighbors declared she was the most dis¬ 
agreeable looking child they had ever seen. 
She was a spoiled child, and when she 
was not allowed her own way she was 
very angry. Her uncle never came to see 
her. for he seemed to be very much un¬ 
interested in her. In fact, he did not 
Such Piles of Snow. Sent by Frances 
Sears, New York 
care for anyone or anything in the world 
since the death of his wife. The new 
girl at the manor finally discovered the 
secret which worried her uncle. From 
this time on the girl changed, and every¬ 
one wondered what caused this sudden 
change. There were five who knew the 
secret, and they all spent many hours in 
improving this place. There is mystery 
and magic in the story, and the suspense 
is maintained to the very end. 
New Jersey. dorothy fhylinck 
(14 years). 
Hurrah! Let’s Draw! 
Once again we are going to have a 
drawing contest. We have had much fun 
with them in the past, haven’t we? The 
idea is to take the little rhyme which is 
given below and use it as the subject for 
your drawing. The drawing must be 
original with yourself. It is best to do 
it in ink if you can, but pencil drawings 
can be used if they are clearly and sharp¬ 
ly made on plain white paper. The size 
of the drawings does not make any dif¬ 
ference, but it is better to make them 
fairly good size, say four or five inches 
wide. Those that are selected to 1 print 
next month can easily be reduced by the 
engraver to fit into one column or two 
on Our Page, as the case may be. 
I think you will find this month’s sub¬ 
ject a popular one. There are no figures 
or animals called for, unless you want to 
put them in, and that makes it more sim¬ 
ple and easy to carry out. The subject 
was suggested by Florence Lee (II 
years) of New Y r ork, and your editor has 
helped a bit with the rhyme. Here it is: 
Draw us a snow man so big and so grand, 
A pipe in his mouth, a stick in his hand, 
A hat on his head, a belt round his waist, 
And anything else to suit your own taste. 
Don’t be afraid to try your hand at 
this and send the drawing in. What a 
funny lot of snow men we shall see on 
our February page! 
Puzzle 
Of course the answer to last month’s 
Cross-word Enigma was C-h-r-i-s-t-ma-s. 
Here’s a new one that perhaps won’t be 
quite so easy: 
My first is in harp, but not in flute, 
My second in cherry, but not in fruit, 
My third is in snow, but not in rain, 
My fourth in health, but not in pain, 
My fifth is in whole, but not in part, 
My sixth in wagon, but not in cart, 
My seventh in rake, but not in hoe, 
My eighth in stay, but not in go, 
My ninth in poetry, not in verse, 
My tenth in handbag, not in purse. 
My whole is something you can take; 
A brighter page it helps to make. 
New York. olive biker (13 years). 
More About a Poet 
Margaret Songster, whom you quoted 
in Our Page last month, is one of my 
favorite poets and writers. We take a 
magazine which has one of her poems in 
every week, more often two, and an ar¬ 
ticle. Here is a poem of Miss Sangster’s 
suitable to the season: 
THE NEW LEAF 
Turning the leaf that the New Year 
brings 
To the worn old book of life, 
Is turning your back on a tired past 
With its fear and distress and strife. 
Turning the leaf, you may learn to love, 
The brightness and joy and laughter; 
But it isn’t the turning that counts so 
much 
As what comes after! 
It’s writing that counts in the book of 
life, 
It’s the message you pen each day— 
It’s whether the page be rosy hued 
Or touched with a sullen gray. 
It’s what we may teach as we humbly 
write, 
And what we, please God, may learn; 
What really counts, as the New Year 
dawns. 
Is what comes after the turn. 
New York. erma shepherd. 
Now, isn’t that lovely? 
• Notes 
Elizabeth Simmons, a 13-year-old New 
York reader, wrote the resolution for the 
New Year which you will find in the Box. 
I am sure that our boys and girls will try 
hard to make this “the best year of them 
all.” 
You will find a list of this month’s con¬ 
tributors on page 145. (It is not as long 
as usual, probably because there was no 
drawing work to send. Plenty of other 
The Snow Man’s Friends. Sent by Antoi 
nette Groenewold, New York 
things, though, for those who were inter¬ 
ested. Our thanks to all who helped.) 
All work for the February page must 
reach your editor not later than Feb. 2. 
(This gives you just about a week, so set 
right to work on your drawings, puzzles 
and letters, and mail them promptly.) 
In a letter from Grace Wheat (1(5 
years) of New York, she says that the 
author of the little poem we published 
last month called “A Letter to Santa 
Claus” is a person named W. L. Jervey. 
We are glad to know this, for we always 
like to give the proper credit whenever we 
can. 
I want to extend my personal thanks 
and good wishes to those readers who 
remembered their editor with Christmas 
and New Year’s cards. I was very much 
pleased. 
And now goodbye again. We are in the 
midst of Winter, a season all boys and 
girls enjoy. Make the most of it. But 
we are also beginning to look toward the 
Springtime and to make our plans for it. 
Write freely about all these things to 
your editor and friend, Edward M. Tut¬ 
tle, in care The Rural New Yorker, 333 
West 30th St., New York City, 
All Beady for a Bun on Our Skits. Sent by Elizabeth Thurber (12 years), Vermont 
