DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I live on a ranch, five miles from the post-office and thirty-eight miles from town.

I have a little colt that I am going to raise on skimmed milk. It is a very pretty little thing, but it kicks. It hurts when it kicks. It kept me locked up in the stable for a long time. I was climbing all over the stable. At last I got out.

We have got five cats. The dog fights with the best one, and plays with the little kittens.

I ride horseback all the time. I ride after the cows. There is a wild bear hanging around our ranch, and there is a deer hanging around, too. I like to read you. BARBARA POTTER (age 7).

MILWAUKEE, WIS.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have taken you for a year, and am one of your most devoted and interested readers. "The Runaway," "Miss Santa Claus of the Pullman," and "Beatrice of Denewood" were my favorite stories.

The Letter-box is also very interesting. Your puzzles and advertising competitions have changed long, dull hours into short, happy ones.

With best wishes for a prosperous future, I remain, Your loving reader,

CARLA TORNEY (age 13).

KUSHLA, ALA.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I live on a farm. I will tell you how to make molasses. First you strip the leaves off the sugar-cane with long knives, then you cut the ripe stalks of sugar-cane down and haul them to the sugarcane mill. Next you run it through the mill to squeeze the juice out in a barrel, then you pour the juice out into a long pan and cook it. A green foam rises, which you skim off; cook the molasses till done enough, then pour into a can through cotton flannel, then pour into cans or jugs, and the molasses is made.

The story I liked best was "With Men Who Do Things." "The Lucky Stone" ended beautiful, I thought. We have three cows. We call them Mary Jane, Blossom,

and Kate.

Your loving reader,

KATHARINE, LU MCDONALD (age 8).

BETHLEHEM, PA.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: Although I have taken you for a year, this is the first time I have written you. I have no pets, but I think you are the best companion I could have. I am visiting my grandmother now, and am having a very nice time.

My favorite story is "The Lucky Stone," and I was so sorry when it ended. It is bedtime now, so I must close.

Your loving reader,

EVELYN HILLMAN (age 8).

THREE RIVERS, MICH. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I like the stories in ST. NICHOLAS very much. I like especially the pictures of the mountains. I have been through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Rocky Mountains. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are covered with evergreen-trees. How I would like to climb some of the tall fir-trees! The Rocky Mountains are very steep and tall. On one side of the train, there was a river running swiftly, and I could see the mountains better than on the other side. The name of the river is the Arkansas River. On the other side the mountains are close to the train. When I was

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: We have not taken you very long, but we like you very much.

Carmel is on the Carmel Bay. South of Carmel are Mount Carmel and Point Lobos. Point Lobos is a won

derful place with very dangerous rocks. There is a place in the rocks where the air comes through so strongly that when the water dashes up onto the rocks it is blown back in spray. This is called the Blow Hole. There are a great many other interesting places around Carmel.

My sister and I are members of the League, and we enjoy it very much.

I am always your interested reader,

ELIZABETH PEIRCE (age 13).

My

MENTON, FRANCE. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: Without you I don't know what I would have done while I have been in Europe. brother and I have taken you since 1907, bound at the end of the year. I have just recovered from scarlet fever after giving it to my nurse, who is now laid up, "finishing off," while I am deep in ST. NICHOLAS. I got the scarlet fever just after we came from Italy, where we had been touring in a motor. We went to all sorts of places. Alassio, San Remo, Genoa, Parma, Florence, Bologna, Sestri Levante, Verona, the Italian Lakes, Garda, Maggiore, Como, and Lecco.

We also went into Switzerland, but in no places, alas! did we find anything like ST. NICHOLAS. We leave for Paris to-morrow. I've been waiting for days to write this. Au revoir.

FRANCIS HOWARD (age 12).

OGDEN, UTAH.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I just love your magazine, and I anxiously wait each month for the next one.

That called "The Runaway" is about the best story. Next to that comes "The Lucky Stone."

I have read the whole last number through.

I got a year's subscription for a Christmas present, and I told my aunt that if she would give me a year's subscription every year, I would be satisfied. I have many things for Christmas, but I like this about the best. Your anxious reader,

FLORENCE JENKINS (age 11).

ELIZABETH, N. J. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I can't tell you how much I enjoy your magazine; not only I enjoy it, but the whole family enjoys it. I look forward to your coming every

month.

This is my first letter to you, but I thought I must

write. I love to read the Letter-box, and enjoy the League very much.

Wishing you lots of success,

Your loving reader,

JEANNETTE MERRICK (age 10).

HELSINGÖR, DENMARK.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: We are spending our summer holidays in Denmark, and as I thought it might interest you, I will tell you something about it. Our hotel is right next to the Oresund, and we can see Sweden across the way. On our right is the Kronborg castle, that is the castle where Hamlet used to live. This castle was built by Frederick II from 1577 to 1585, and restored by Christian IV in 1635. When it was new, the roof was quite gray, but now it is almost entirely green, and I am sure it looks just twice as pretty. To get to the Kronborg castle, one has to cross a moat, go through an arch, and down a path which leads between a lot of little houses to another arch, before one comes to the castle itself. This is surrounded by another moat, out of which the castle wall rises. In many places in this wall there are little holes, and bluebells and small trees are growing out of them. When one has crossed the second moat, one comes to another archway. On one side there is a gate, and behind it are the vaults. On the other side a short path leads to the courtyard of the castle. We went first into the castle, where we saw many pretty pictures, and we climbed a tower from where we had a fine view. Afterward we went down to the vaults, which are the coldest, dampest, and darkest things I 've ever seen. The first thing we saw when we passed the gate was a very ghostly-looking statue of Holger Danske, made out of white stone. Holger Danske is the spirit of Denmark, who is supposed to sleep there, but when war comes he wakes up and conquers Denmark's enemies. The poor soldiers used to have to exercise down in the vaults, and there are also huge stone boxes where they put provisions in time of war. In one of these there were two or three fried eggs, and our guide said they had been left there by the Swedes and were over two hundred years old. Was n't that absurd? As we came out of the castle, we saw the platform where the ghost of Hamlet's father walked.

There are beautiful woods and meadows here, and so many of the prettiest wild flowers. Very often we go for long walks and bring home large bunches of them. In one of these walks we came upon Hamlet's grave, which is a tiny hill built out of stones. We also saw the spring from which Ophelia used to drink.

We all just love the ST. NICHOLAS, and at present it is the only thing we 've got to read, because Mother could n't bring a lot of books to the seaside. I don't know which is my big sister Helen's favorite story, whether it is "Beatrice of Denewood" or "More Than Conquerors," but "Beatrice of Denewood" is certainly the favorite of my little sister Blossom and myself. Lovingly,

GEORGENE Davis.

WAYNE, PA. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have been getting the ST. NICHOLAS for three years, and Mother thinks it is a lovely magazine. There are so many nice stories in it. The story I liked best was "With Men Who Do Things" and the story about Sir Walter Scott, also the historical stories. But there are so many good ones that I could write a whole lot down.

Your devoted reader,

ALICE JOHNSTON (age 11).

FROM 2 to 24, equal value; 3 to 23, a song of joy; 4 to 22, a company of travelers; 5 to 26, trace; 6 to 27, spoken; 7 to 28, a musical composition for two performers; 8 to 29, network; 9 to 30, to assess; 10 to 16, to go in again; 11 to 15, an icy rain; 12 to 14, the foot of a quadruped; 32 to 17, to scorch; 33 to 18, ran away; 34 to 19, part of the eye; 35 to 20, an ideally beautiful place; 36 to 21, a famous English school; 1 to 25, a feminine name; 2 to 26, to peel; 3 to 27, a wooden clamp; 4 to 10, confused noise; 5 to 9, a fisherman's basket; 6 to 8, a pronoun; 29 to 11, the nights before holidays; 30 to 12, a shrill bark; 31 to 13, nigh; 32 to 14, to simmer; 33 to 15, pedal extremities; 22 to 16, in a roundish mass; 21 to 17, at no time; 20 to 18, a masculine nickname; 23 to 35, tardy; 24 to 36, to wander. WARREN HANNA (age 16).

The foregoing words are not all of the same length. When they have been rightly guessed and transposed, the initial letters will spell the name of a famous poet. EDNA M. GUCK (age 14), League Member.

NOVEL ACROSTIC

WHEN the following words are rightly guessed and written one below another, the primals will spell the name of a famous English poet, and another row of letters will spell the maiden name of his first wife.

CROSS-WORDS (of equal length): 1. A climbing plant that bears fragrant flowers. 2. Pertaining to an organ. 3. A water-nymph. 4. An important city. 5. Something that figures largely at May-day festivities. 6. Wicked. 7. A plover-like, crested bird. 8. Special faculties. 9. A four-sided pillar or monument. 10. To slight. EDITH PIERPONT STICKNEY (age 14), Honor Member.

WORD-SQUARE

1. A FEMININE name. 2. To acquire knowledge. Rescued. 4. A feminine name. 5. Finished.

PAULINE LYLES (age 10), League Member.

TRANSPOSITIONS

IV. 22-18-23-16-17.

EXAMPLE: Transpose colorless, and make to jump. Answer, pale, leap.

1. Transpose a tropical plant, and make a means of illumination. 2. Transpose not easily broken, and make

VII. 27-3-19-3-2-2-26. VIII. 1-20-9-11-2.

IX. 7-18-2-6-4 10-3

19-14-26-13-12-11-13-21

19-21-1-4-22-18-1-7-19

The author, born nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, is 4-1-27 15-9-7-16-3-23 20-2-21-16-16.

G. HUANAYRA COWLE (age 13).