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A FRIEND of ST. NICHOLAS, Ensign H. H. R. Spofford, of the United States Navy, has called our attention to a misstatement of fact in the article on the okapi, printed in our January number. It was there stated that the American Museum of Natural History, of New York City, possessed the only stuffed specimen of the animal in this country, whereas the Museum of Comparative Zoology, of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, popularly known as the Agassiz Museum, has owned one and had it on exhibition for eight or ten years-a specimen, moreover, which was brought out of Africa by the original discoverer of the okapi, Sir Harry Johnson, F. R. G. S.

THE following letter accompanied the entertaining description of rearing silkworms which we print on page 558 of this number. We are sure it will add to the interest and pleasure of our young readers to know that this clever sketch was written for them from a distant land by one of their own number.

FOOCHOW, CHINA.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I am a little boy who lives in Foochow. While I was in America I saw some old copies of ST. NICHOLAS and I decided that when I was older I would take it. I am ten years old and in the sixth grade. This year I happened to get a book of old copies of ST. NICHOLAS. I had such fun reading it. My father has ordered ST. NICHOLAS for us through an agent of yours in Shanghai. My sister and I have been saving our money for it.

I have written a little story which I hope you will put in ST NICHOLAS. It is true, and I wrote it myself. In the old copies of ST. NICHOLAS that I have read, I did not see any stories about silk

worms.

Your friend,

JAMES LAWRENCE FORD.

CALEDONIA, N. Y. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I want you to know, dear magazine, how much I love you. I think your stories-well, in fact, all your contents-are wonderful! It seems as if I can hardly wait until the next number comes.

I am going to tell you about a trophy train which came here during the Fourth Liberty Loan campaign. We had a big parade in which the band, Boy Scouts, Home Defense, Red Cross, D. A. R., and school-children all took part. The school-children carried Liberty Loan banners and posters, bunting and flags. The train came very soon after we reached the station.

On the train were two French soldiers, three American soldiers, about four sailors and several men who spoke on the Liberty Loan.

One of the French soldiers had been in the service of his country for eighteen years. He

wore three medals, two of which he won in the African wars, and the third he won at the battle of the Marne. He had been wounded three times. The Foreign Legion, to which he belonged, had been decorated thirteen times. The other French soldier also belonged to the Foreign Legion. He wore a medal which he won at the battle of the Marne.

One American soldier had been wounded in the left side. He wore in a ring the bullet which wounded him. Another had been wounded in the leg, making it considerably shorter than the other. The third was a chaplain who was about to go to France.

After the speeches were over we were allowed to go through the train. There were all kinds of relics captured from the Germans such as cannon, machine-guns, helmets, hand-grenades, rifles, and shells. Then there were a few things belonging to the Allies-machine-guns, shells, a pack that a French soldier carries on his back, etc. It was all very interesting, indeed.

A good part of Caledonia's quota for the Liberty Loan was raised at the train.

The other morning an airplane flew over the town. Several have been over, but that is the first one I have happened to see.

Thanking you, oh so much, for the many, many happy hours you have given me, I remain, Your most devoted reader,

HARRIET L. WELLMAN (age 14).

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: Last summer, at York Harbor, Maine, we lived in a very old house, over two hundred and fifty years old. It was once an old tavern which stood on the road to Portsmouth. The house has been remodeled, but there are still some things that are now as they were in the original house: the paneled wainscoting, the old paneled doors, the wide-planked floors, and the Indian shutters. In my bedroom the planks on the floor were eighteen inches wide; the Indian shutters in another room were heavy wooden panels which slide out from the wall into the window-frame. These heavy shutters were used for protection in case of an attack by the Indians.

In the village there is an old jail which was built in 1653. You can still see the old, gloomy dungeons, and the only light that shines in is by a square cut out of the wall, and there are sharp iron teeth all around it, so the prisoners could not escape.

I have a Java sparrow which is very beautiful. We call him Java. He has a blue-gray back and a long narrow skull-cap, which is like black silk, and a tail of black silk also; he has a white collar, but it looks as if he had got it a size too small, because it does not quite meet in the back or the front; and the rose-colored beak that he has looks very pretty with the gray and white and black.

Sincerely yours,

HANNAH LEE SHERMAN.

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ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE MARCH NUMBER

ANAGRAM WORD-SQUARE. I. Have. 2. Anon. 3. Void. 4. Ends.

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DOUBLE ACROSTIC. Primals, Patrick; finals, Ire. land. Cross-words: 1. Paoli. 2. Amoor. 3. Tepee. 4. Repel. 5. India. 6. Clean. 7. Knead. 2. Monarch. 1. Cabbage. Red Admiral. 4. Black Swallowtail. 5. Viceroy. 6. Painted Lady. 7. Tiger Swallowtail.

BROKEN WORDS.

A QUEER KETTLE OF FISH. 1. Sunfish.

3. Swordfish.

4. Sawfish. 5. Perch.

7. Kingfish. 8. Pike.

9. Flying-fish.

11. Catfish. 12. Billfish or Jackfish.

3.

2. Sole.

6. Goldfish. 10. Dogfish.

DIAGONAL. Australia. Cross-words: 1. Annapo lis. 2. Guatemala. 3. Nashville. 4. Amsterdam. 5. Liverpool. 6. Rio Grande. 7. Jerusalem. 8. Abyssinia. 9. Argentina.

CONNECTED SQUARES AND DIAMONDS. I.

2. Alone. 3. Poles. 4. Inert. 5. Rests.
2. Spa. 3. Spile. 4. Ale. 5. E. III. 1.
Ruler. 3. Elude.
4. Sedan. 5. Trend.

2. Rue 3. Sucre. 4. Ern. 5. E. V.
3. Erase. 4. Nests.

2. Purer.

1. Tapir. II. 1. S. Crest. 2. IV. 1. S. 1. Spent.

VI. 5. Tress.

VII.

1.

1.

5. Teens.

E. 2. Era. 3. Erode. 4. Ado. 5. E.
Alert. 2. Levee. 3. Evade. 4. Redan.
VIII. 1. E. 2. Eve. 3. Evoke. 4. Eke.
IX. 1. Smelt. 2. Melee. 3. Elver. 4. Leeds.

Terse.

5. E. 5.

TO OUR PUZZLERS: Answers, to be acknowledged in the magazine, must be received not later than the 24th (for foreign members and those living in the far Western States, the 29th) of each month, and should be addressed to ST. NICHOLAS Riddlebox, care of THE CENTURY Co., 353 Fourth Avenue, New York City, N. Y. SOLVERS wishing to compete for prizes must give answers in full, following the plan of those printed above. ANSWERS TO ALL THE PUZZLES IN THE JANUARY NUMBER were duly received from Barbara BeardsleyMargaret Rowe-Margaret Trautwein-John D. Hayden-Mary Catherine Hamilton-Elizabeth M. HeissGwenfread E. Allen-Alice Louise Bluim-"Allil and Adi"-Helen H. McIver-Florence S. Carter-Katie Bowen Whaley.

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE JANUARY NUMBER were duly received from Helen A. Moulton, 9-Catherine Coombs, 9-Marion F. Rust, 9-Marion Wormser, 9-Margaret Noyes, 9-Morton Milsner, 9-Louise E. Alden, 9-Alice Poulin, 9-Ethel Wilson, 9-Angus E. Cameron, 9-Priscilla A. Hatch, 9-Mildred F. Gardiner, Louis, Kronenberger, Jr., 9-Grace Gladwin, 8-Helen de G. McLellan, 7-Charlotte Haynes, 7-Julian Phelps, 6-S. Anna's Girls, 6-Lucy W. Pickett, 6-Mary Ball Copeland, 6-Florence English, 5-Edward H. Sutton, 4-Ena Houswich, 4-Marguerite Hadlock, 4-Elizabeth Kirkwood, 4-Frances Lay, -Hortense A. Doyle, 3-Catherine Vincent, 3-Mary V. Zantzinger, 3-J. M. Reed, 2-E. Hubert, 2-S. Emery, 2-K. Kridel, 2. One answer, M. Naftal-R. Garnsey-C. Kouwenhoven-P. J. Shepherd-C. Cadwallader-M. Dwyer-J. F. Nelson, 3rd-D. M. Frank-W. C. Nelson-J. De Mott-E. R. JosephD. Borncamp-M. Courvoisier-V. Brown-H. A. Blair-M. Chapman-H. Barratt J. P. Palmer-M. C. Roach-E. King-K. E. McGunnigle-M. Bickerstaff-S. Shiras-K. L. New-J. F. Steele.

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ALL of the words described contain the same
number of letters. When rightly guessed and
written one below another, the initial letters will
What is the message,
spell a famous message.
and by whom was it sent?
CROSS-WORDS:

1. Empty. 2. A number. 3. To irritate. 4. To invite earnestly. 5. A rich fabric. 6. To disclose. 7. A coin. 8. To kindle. 9. A musical instrument. 10. To design. 11. A vegetable. 12. To devise.

JESSIE L. METCALF (age 14), League Member.

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ALL the words described contain the same number of letters. When rightly guessed and written one below another, the diagonal, from the upper, right-hand letter to the lower left-hand letter, will spell the name of one of the characters in a book by Charles Dickens.

CROSS-WORDS: 1. Liveliness. 2. Exceeded. 3. Shortened. 4. Diminishing. 5. Predicts. 6. An old-fashioned covering for furniture. 7. Painting on freshly plastered walls. 8. To hint. 9. A story handed down from father to son.

MARY B. COPELAND (age 12), League Member.

TRIANGLE

CROSS-WORDS: 1. Serving boys. 2.
Very old. 3. To obtain. 4. A mas-
culine nickname. 5. In Constan-
tinople.

MARY H. M. MORRISON (age 11).
METAMORPHOSES

THE problem is to change one given word to an-
other by altering one letter at a time, each alter-
ation making a new word, the number of letters
being always the same and the letters always in
the same order. Example: Change wood to coal
in three moves. ANSWER: Wood, wool, cool, coal.
1. Change yarn to sock in six moves.
2. Change sofa to desk in seven moves.

3. Change bush to vine in six moves.

4. Change wild to tame in six moves. 5. Change arm to leg in six moves.

Part of a passage enlarged to form a room. 8. Abounding in foliage. 9. Curiously.

RENÉE G. F. AND ARMAND D., League Members.

DIAMONDS

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C. BILL (age 13), League Member.

NOVEL DOUBLE ACROSTICS

I. ALL the words described contain the same number of letters. When rightly guessed and written one below another, the initials will spell the sur name of a musical composer, and another row letters will spell the name of one of his operas, produced in 1860.

CROSS-WORDS: 1. To promenade. 2. To pro ject. 3. A nobleman. 4. To lie at ease. 5. Sour. 6. A staff. 7. Always.

II. The initials will spell a curious animal; the final letters are all the same.

CROSS-WORDS: 1. To mitigate. 2. Prepared. 3. A feminine name. 4. The church of a monastery. 5. A common flower. 6. To lay within. 7.

G U

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THE CAREY PRINTING CO. INC. NEW YORK

KATHARINE HARRIS (age 16).

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