662 
Tht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Boys  and  Girls 
By  Edward  M.  Tuttle 
This  is  the  happiest  time  of  the  year. 
So  hurry  and  fill  Our  Page  with  good  cheer. 
Adding  Insult  to  Injury 
Drawn  tty  Sonnnu  It alloek  (to  Years),  Connecticut 
Memory  Verso 
SPRING 
The  alder  by  the  river 
Shakes  out  her  powdery  curls; 
The  willow  buds  in  silver 
For  little  boys  and  girls. 
The  little  birds  fly  over, 
And,  oh,  how  sweet  they  sing, 
To  fcdl  the  happy  children 
That  once  again  ’tis  Spring. 
The  gay.  green  grass  comes  creeping 
So  soft  beneath  their  feet; 
The  frogs  begin  to  ripple 
A  music  clear  and  sweet. 
And  buttercups  are  coining 
And  scarlet  columbine, 
And  in  the  sunny  meadows 
The  dandelions  shine. 
And  just  as  many  daisies 
As  their  soft  hands  can  hold. 
The  little  ones  may  gather, 
All  fair  in  white  and  gold. 
Here  blows  the  warm  red  clover, 
There  peeps  the  violet  blue ; 
Oh.  happy  little  children, 
Clod  made  them  all  for  you. 
—By  C'EI.IA  TTIAXTKR. 
Drawn  by  Myrtle  Berghnul  (111  Years) 
M  ichigan 
Four  readers  sent  copies  of  this  lovely 
poem  by  Celia  Thaxter.  They  were: 
Minnie  Klein,  Julia  Danforth  and  Orla 
Coper  of  New  York,  and  Madge  I.ynch. 
State  unknown.  Perhaps  the  poem  is 
familiar  to  most  of  you,  but  it  is  very 
well  suited  to  Our  Page,  and  you  will 
all  be  glad  to  read  it  once  more  at  this 
season  and  to  learn  it  by  heart  if  you 
have  not  already  done  so. 
An  unusual  amount  of  poetry,  both 
copied  and  original,  was  sent  in  by  read¬ 
ers  this  month.  I  have  found  room  to 
print  some  of  it,  as  you  will  see. 
A  Rainy  Day 
When  I  woke  up  one  morning. 
It  was  raising  very  hard, 
And,  oh,  the  biggest  puddle 
In  the  middle  of  our  yard! 
New  York,  myi.es  barry  (11  years). 
A  Word  About  the  Heading 
Norman  sent  the  title  along  with  his 
drawing,  showing  that  lie  realizes  its 
serious  as  well  as  its  funny  side.  No 
boy  who  has  a  sense  of  justice  and  takes 
a  manly  attitude  to  things  wants  to  tres¬ 
pass  on  another  person's  rights,  even  for 
the  sake  of  a  little  sport.  Usually  a 
courteous  request  to  the  owner  will  se¬ 
cure  permission  to  do  some  fishing.  If 
not,  don’t  try  to  force  the  matter  or  show 
any  bad  temper.  Build  u  reputation  for 
i  penness  and  fair  dealing.  Then  people 
will  not  hesitate  to  give  you  liberties, 
knowing  that  you  can  be  trusted. 
Protect  the  Wild  Flowers 
While  we  arc  talking  of  “rights,”  your 
editor  wants  to  add  a  word  of  caution 
once  more  about  the  wild  flowers.  In 
many  places  where  they  were  once  abun¬ 
dant  some  of  our  most  beautiful  kinds 
are  very  scarce,  or  quite  gone.  Striking 
examples  are  the  arbutus  and  the  lady’s 
slipper,  but  there  are  many  others  on  the 
same  road  to  destruction — violets,  ferns, 
blood  root,  Trilliums,  Ilepatieas,  jaek-in- 
the-pulpits  and  many  more.  Boys  and 
girls  who  love  the  out.  of  doors  and  all  the 
life  of  Nature  are  the  best  guardians  of 
its  beauties.  Think  twice  before  picking 
great  bunches  of  any  flowers.  A  few 
graceful  blossoms  are  far  prettier  and 
much  less  wasteful.  Flowers  left  to  grow 
form  seeds,  and  the  seeds  in  time  become 
new  plants.  This  is  the  only  way  some 
kinds  have  of  increasing.  Others  spread 
from  underground  roots,  and  in  picking 
flowers  great  care  should  always  be 
taken  not  to  disturb  the  roots. 
<  >ne  reader  mentions  plans  for  a  wild 
flower  garden  at  home.  This  is  all  right 
when  good  judgment  is  used  in  securing 
the  plants,  and  when  the  garden  is  well 
cared  for.  But  just  to  rush  out  on  an 
impulse,  to  dig  up  a  lot  of  rare  flowers, 
to  stick  them  in  again  in  an  unsuited 
spot  and  then  to  neglect  'them,  is  far 
worse  than  never  to  have  started.  For 
most  of  us  it  is  better  to  enjoy  the  wild 
flowers  in  their  natural  places,  and  to  do 
what  we  can  to  protect  them,  so  that 
year  after  year  we  may  return  at  certain 
seasons  to  find  beauty  there. 
Spring 
When  you  hear  the  robins  singing, 
_  And  see  the  birds  fly  through  the  air, 
You  will  know  that  Spring  is  coming; 
Yes,  it’s  coming  from  somewhere. 
All  around  the  air  is  humming 
With  the  business  of  things; 
My  lJet  Woodchuck 
Picture  Bent  by  (Jeraldine  Russell  (1J[ 
Years),  Ohio 
Watch  the  honey  bee  get  honey, 
But  be  careful  of  its  stings. 
In  a  sehoolhouse  by  the  roadside 
^  Stands  a  teacher,  tall  and  fair, 
Telling  all  the  little  children 
That  the  Spring  will  soon  be  there. 
They  are  speaking  of  the  blossoms 
Coming  out  on  every  bough, 
Of  the  fun  that  they’ll  be  having 
In  a  few  short  weeks  from  now. 
By  myrtle  HKiw.LT'M)  ( 10  years). 
Miehiga  n. 
A  Couple  of  Good  Letters 
I  am  enclosing  three  drawings  for  the 
Boys’  and  Girls’  Page,  and  I  hope  you 
will  like  them.  I  have  never  written  to 
you  before,  but  I  enjoy  the  Page  very 
much.  I  think  it’s  a  great  plan,  and  I’m 
sure  every  boy  or  girl  who  reads  the  Page 
will  enjoy  it.  Why,  just  tonight,  when 
I  was  writing  to  Our  Page,  two  friends 
of  mine  came  in.  I  showed  them  my 
drawings,  and  of  course  they  asked  me  to 
whom  I  was  going  to  send  them.  Really, 
Mr.  Tuttle,  they  had  never  looked  at  the 
Boys’  and  Girls’  Page,  and  I  know  their 
father  gets  the  paper.  Well.  I  just 
showed  them  the  paper,  and  we  really 
enjoyed  it  together.  Now  I  have  got  my 
friends  interested  in  Our  Page,  and  per¬ 
haps  you  will  hear  from  them. 
nancy  m’lixtock  (15  years). 
New  York. 
I  have  been  going  to  write  for  some 
time,  but  always  think  of  doing  it  just 
too  late.  I  think  our  Boys’  and  Girls’ 
Pages  are  very  good.  I  always  watch 
for  The  Riral,  and  wonder  where  it  is 
if  it  is  one  mail  behind.  There  is  one 
thing  that  I  liked  that  there  does  not 
seem  room  for  now,  and  that  was  the 
Play  Ball 
Picture  Bent  by  Walter  Smith  (lJ/  Years) 
New  York 
printing  of  letters  from  different  boys 
and  girls.  I  liked  them  very  much. 
Don’t:  you  think,  Mr.  Tuttle,  that  a 
little  more  disguise  would  be  good  in  the 
Book  Puzzles?  They  seem  to  me  quite 
easy  so  far.  I  have  always  had  the  cor¬ 
rect  answers  so  far,  but  do  not  always 
expect  to. 
Though  I  live  in  the  city,  I  like  the 
country  very  much.  There  are  a  lot  of 
people  in  cities  who  would  like  to  live  in 
the  country,  and  lots  of  country  people 
who  would  like  to  live  in  the  city.  In 
the  country  there  are  not  so  many  dis¬ 
comforts  now,  and  I  think  there  are  lots 
of  comforts.  I. love  to  study  nature  and 
I  like  outdoor  sports. 
I  think  some  of  the  drawings  we  have 
on  Our  Page  are  splendid.  They  are 
very  realistic.  I  should  think  it  would 
be  very  interesting  work  looking  over  let¬ 
ters.  I  imagine  that  sometimes  it  is  very 
hard  to  decide  what  is  best  to  put  in  Our 
Page  that  will  most  appeal  to  the  largest 
number  of  boys  and  girls.  I  could  write 
a  lot  more,  but  will  close  now  and  write 
again  some  other  time. 
MARJORIE  MLTxicn  (14  years). 
Connecticut. 
Hunt  as  you  may,  no  snow  can  be  seen. 
The  trees  are  receiving  their  clothes  of 
green. 
And  all  of  the  birds  from  the  South  have 
come 
To  welcome  the  newly-made  flowers. 
RICHARD  KELLEY  (14  years). 
Ncwt  Hampshire. 
The  Tomato 
Many  recognized  last  month’s  Nature 
Puzzle  as  the  tomato,  one  of  the  best 
liked  of  all  vegetables,  and  one  that  boys 
and  girls  themselves  often  raise.  We  be¬ 
gin  by  sowing  the  seeds  in  the  house  in 
the  Springtime,  and  end  by  using  the  ripe 
tomatoes  for  the  table,  for  canning  or  for 
sale.  Your  editor  looked  in  your  letters 
for  a  good  drawing  of  a  tomato  plant,  or 
for  a  story  about  raising  tomatoes — but 
none  came.  Perhaps  most  readers  thought 
if  was  too  familiar  a  subject  to  us  all. 
though  I  have  an  idea  that  we  can  learu 
something  new  about  any  of  these  things 
if  tve  set  out  to  do  it.  Don’t  you  think  so? 
A  New  Nature  Puzzle 
However,  a  number  of  readers  acted  on 
my  request  for  more  Nature  Puzzles,  and 
some  very  good  ones  have  been  written. 
April  28,  192:’ 
Here  is  one  that  is  very  appropriate  for 
this  season  : 
WIIAT  IS  IT? 
It  is  a  bulb.  It  stays  in  the  ground  all 
Winter,  and  sometimes  comes  up  through 
the  snow  in  the  Spring.  The  colors  are 
yellow,  purple,  white  and  variegated.  The 
leaves  are  like  grass,  only  wider,  with  a 
white  stripe  through  the  center.  The 
flower  shoots  up  in  the  center  of  the 
leaves  about  two  or  three  inches  above 
the  ground.  It  is  one  of  the  first  flowers 
of  Spring.  aeice  bowman  (12  years). 
Pennsylvania. 
The  month  of  April  is  the  .best 
Of  all  the  good  old  year; 
When  the  Winter  is  o’er, 
And  it  snows  no  more, 
We  are  all  filled  with  cheer. 
The  chickens  start  to  lay  again. 
The  grass  is  turning  green, 
The  birds  know  best 
And  build  their  nest — 
It’s  the  finest  Spring  I’ve  seen! 
Ohio.  milo  springer  (15  years). 
The  Great  Stone  Face 
BY  NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE 
Not  so  many  readers  knew  the  answer 
to  last  month’s  Book  Puzzle  as  did  to  the 
one  before  that.  But  those  who  answered 
all  spoke  of  liking  the  book,  or  story, 
rather;  and  it  is  one  that  each  of  you 
will  want  to  read  when  you  get  the 
chance.  Several  letters  contained  inter¬ 
esting  points,  and  a  number  of  biogra¬ 
phies  of  Hawthorne  came  in. 
I  think  the  correct  answer  to  the  book 
is  Hawthorne's  “The  Great  Stone  Face.” 
I  think  that  this  story  should  be  read  by 
every  boy  and  girl.  It  show’s  how  Er¬ 
nest’s  kindness  was  rewarded.  He  was 
kind  because  it  pleased  him,  and  he  did 
not.  look  for  the  reward.  His  whole  life 
was  full  of  good.  How  could  he  help  but 
be  like  this  beautiful  face  carved  by 
nature?  Natalia  riefler. 
New  York. 
Drawn  by  Lewis  Wangerin  (lh  Years) 
New  York 
“The  Great  Stone  Face”  is  found  in 
the  Franconia  Mountains  of  New  Hamp¬ 
shire.  It  is  sometimes  called  the  “Old 
Man  of  the  Mountain.”  It  was  not 
carved  by  the  hand  of  man,  but  the  face 
is  very  clear  and  distinct. 
vera  lampiiere  (15  years). 
New  York. 
The  answer  to  the  Book  Puzzle  is  “The 
Great  Stone  Face,”  by  Nathaniel  Haw¬ 
thorne.  Like  Irving,  who  wrote  stories 
of  Newr  York,  Hawthorne  wrote  stories 
of  New  England.  Some  of  the  stories  he 
wrote  for  children  are  “Twice  Told 
Tales”  and  “Grandfather’s  Chair.”  We 
have  read  “The  Great  Stone  Face”  in 
school.  Our  teacher  hung  up  a  picture 
of  the  face,  which  is  in  New  Hampshire. 
EL i  ZA BET  II  STEED  ( 13  years). 
Connecticut. 
Nathaniel  Hawthorne  was  born  July 
4,  1S04,  in  Salem.  Massachusetts.  Ilis 
father,  a  sea  captain,  died  when  the  little 
boy  was  only  four. 
lToung  Nathaniel  was  very  quiet,  and 
would  rather  be  off  alone  in  the  woods 
than  playing  with  the  other  boys.  He 
