Harper's Young People, January 13, 1880 Part 5

This is the garden fresh and fair, Where played the girl with the golden hair, That lived in the house that Bell built.

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These are the peaches sweet and rare, That grew in the garden fresh and fair, Where played the girl with the golden hair, That lived in the house that Bell built.

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This is the great and terrible bear, That ate the peaches sweet and rare, That grew in the garden fresh and fair, Where played the girl with the golden hair, That lived in the house that Bell built.

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This is the prince with n.o.ble air, Who killed the great and terrible bear, That ate the peaches sweet and rare, That grew in the garden fresh and fair, Where played the girl with the golden hair, That lived in the house that Bell built.

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This is the wedding beyond compare, In which the prince of n.o.ble air, Who killed the great and terrible bear, That ate the peaches so sweet and rare, That grew in the garden fresh and fair, Married the girl with the golden hair, That lived in the house that Bell built.

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This is the house-maid, Biddy McNair, With face so red and arms so bare, Who took the poker without a care, And slew the prince of n.o.ble air, Who killed the great and terrible bear, That ate the peaches so sweet and rare, That grew in the garden fresh and fair, And married the girl with the golden hair, That lived in the house that Bell built.

=Flower-Pots for Rooms.=--Fill a pot with coa.r.s.e moss of any kind, in the same manner as it would be filled with earth, and place a cutting or a seed in this moss: it will succeed admirably, especially with plants destined to ornament a drawing-room. In such a situation plants grown in moss will thrive better than in garden mould, and possess the very great advantage of not causing dirt by the earth was.h.i.+ng out of them when watered. The explanation of the practice seems to be this: that moss rammed into a pot, and subjected to continual watering, is soon brought into a state of decomposition, when it becomes a very pure vegetable mould; and it is well known that very pure vegetable mould is the most proper of all materials for the growth of almost all kinds of plants.

The moss would also not retain more moisture than precisely the quant.i.ty best adapted to the absorbent powers of the root--a condition which can scarcely be obtained with any certainty by the use of earth.

=The Advantages of Foreign Tongues.=--In the _Letters of Charles d.i.c.kens_, recently published, occurs this pleasant child's story: "I heard of a little fellow the other day whose mamma had been telling him that a French governess was coming over to him from Paris, and had been expatiating on the blessings and advantages of having foreign tongues.

After leaning his plump little cheek against the window gla.s.s in a dreary little way for some minutes, he looked round, and inquired in a general way, and not as if it had any special application, whether she didn't think 'that the tower of Babel was a great mistake altogether.'"

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VANCOUVER, WAs.h.i.+NGTON TERRITORY.

Mamma takes the _Bazar_, papa the _Weekly_ and _Magazine_. I have the first and second numbers of _Young People_. I like it very much, but I like "The Brave Swiss Boy" the best. I am ten years old. I saw in your letter to us that you wanted us to write to your paper. I think it must have been very funny to come across the plains in a wagon. I came across from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (where I was born), in the cars, and not in the long trains of wagons.

Oro Brown read "Two Ways of Putting It," from the first number of _Young People_, in school last Friday.

The pets I have are gray and Maltese kittens. I did once have a chicken that would come and eat wheat out of my hand, and fly into my arms.

JULIA B.

I live a little way from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a friend takes _Harper's Young People_ for me. I have had a great deal of fun trying to draw a pig with my eyes shut. It is very funny to sit down with your eyes shut and try to feed another person with a spoon.

DAISY.

MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK.

I wanted to write to you, and tell you how much I liked your nice paper. I like the story of "The Brave Swiss Boy" best. I live with my grandpa and grandma, who are very good to me, and I love them very much. Please print this, and oblige

HARRY W. T.

Pretty communications are received from Frederick B., Brooklyn, New York; Perkins S., New York city; Annie L., New London, Connecticut; Mary E. R., Albany, New York; Mabel L., New York city; and Lottie S. B., Boston, Ma.s.sachusetts.

A. M. S.--As it may interest other young readers, we print the whole list of portraits on the United States postage-stamps in use at present, as well as the one you require: One cent, Franklin; two cent, Jackson; three cent, Was.h.i.+ngton; five cent, General Taylor; six cent, Lincoln; seven cent, Stanton; ten cent, Jefferson; twelve cent, Clay; fifteen cent, Webster; twenty-four cent, Scott; thirty cent, Hamilton; ninety cent, Commodore O. H. Perry.

BESSIE G.--Your "Bran Pudding" is excellent, but it came too late for use. We shall reserve it for next Christmas, as it is good enough to keep.

Correct answers to Christmas Puzzle in No. 8 are received from Charlie G. G., Gussie L., Birdie C., J. N. D., Fred A. O., Herbert W. B., Emily J. M., Nina B. F., Willie C., Herbert H., Isabella C. Van B., and William W. F. The answer will be published in our next number.

The following easy puzzles from very young readers are offered for other very young readers to solve:

No. 1.

WORD SQUARE.

My first is a battle.

My second is a girl's name.

My third is not cooked.

K. S. (nine years old).

No. 2.

ENIGMA.

My first is in stove, but not in coal.

My second is in pit, but not in hole.