VILLA AMERICANA, E. DE SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, S. A. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have taken you for ten months, but this is the first time I have written.

Mother and I live with my Grandfather and Grandmother Hall, in a small village called Villa Americana, not very far from São Paulo, the capital of the State. My father was a Presbyterian missionary. He died during a yellow-fever epidemic, when I was about two years old. Since then, the home of Mother's parents has been our home.

There is a cotton and silk factory not far from here, called Carioba, around which quite a village has grown. It is connected with Villa Americana by a road through an avenue of bamboo.

We have a nice new station and electric lights, which last we have n't had very long. There is a wealthy man here who, as he has no children, made a nice park and takes care of it. He calls it his child. It is a nice place to go for picnics. It has a lake (really a pond) with a band-stand in the middle of it. And there are birds and monkeys in cages, and a kind of outdoor ball-room, where, during carnival, the people of the village have fancy-dress balls.

Nearly every little town or village in Brazil has a band, though sometimes they only play one piece. Every Sunday evening, the band plays at the park.

We have many nice fruits here. Several kinds of oranges, pineapples, bananas, figs, jaboticabas, guavas, abacates, and many others.

I study the Portuguese language with a Brazilian teacher, and also study mathematics with him in Portuguese. I study everything else with Mother, as there is no good school here.

I spent the years from 1910 to 1912 in Virginia, my father's State, and expect to return to the United States to go to college.

I was very much interested in Ruth E. Becker's letter about the Titanic in the last April number.

Your interested reader,

ELIZABETH HALL MORTON (age 12).

who do not take it, and we are glad to let them read the good stories and talk them over together.

Last summer, my aunt had a camp in the country, and she invited Barbara and me to come and spend a while with her. We did so, and certainly had a fine time. You know how much fun you have on a camp near the water. After we stayed about a month, Mama wrote us to come home, and we all went to Brevard, North Carolina, which is a lovely place. It was my first trip to the mountains. While we were there we took a trip to Cæsar's Head, which is a large rock extending out from a mountain. From this rock you can see into

CIRCLEVILLE, O.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have read you for three or four years, but this is the first year I have ever taken you. I am much interested in the Letter-box and the League, although I fear the Buckeye State is not very well represented in the former.

I naturally believe that Circleville is the best place on earth. It is situated on the Scioto River, just below Columbus, the capital of Ohio. Circleville got its name from the fact that it was laid out upon the site of a circular fort of the mound-builders.

Your most interested friend and reader,
CHAS. JAS. DRESBACH (age 11).

MOBILE, ALA.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: The older you grow the more I love your magazine. I am so glad my aunt gave you to us again this year, for I think we would feel lost if we did not receive you every month.

"The Story of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'" in September, 1914, magazine, was very interesting, and I took it to school and showed it to my teacher, and she let the whole class read it for a reading exercise.

We lend ST. NICHOLAS to some of our little friends

three States, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Caro-
lina. It was so high it made me dizzy to look down.
While we were in North Carolina, we took other
trips, to Connistee Falls and many other pretty places.
I inclose a picture of Connistee Falls; on the log are
Barbara and I.

Wishing you a long and happy life,
Your interested reader,

FRANCES SHEPPARD (age 13).

SAINT LEONARDS-ON-SEA, SUSSEX, ENGLAND. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have had you ever since 1908, and I think that you are just lovely.

Even as I write this letter I hear the steady tramp, tramp of feet-the sound of the recruits marching. These men are being trained, and, when they are ready, they will go and take their places on the battle-field, to fight for their country.

There are a great many wounded soldiers here, mostly

Belgians, and there are a great number of refugees too. When you go for a walk along the parade, you hear quite as much conversation in French as in English. Our French mistress at school collects money among her friends and then buys cigarettes with it, which she takes to the Belgians at our two (now Red Cross) hospitals. The men are very much pleased with them.

The biggest of our hospitals is situated on the parade, opposite to the pier and near the band-stand. It has many balconies, where the soldiers who are well enough rest, and smile at the passers-by. They look very happy. I think that this is all now, dear ST. NICHOLAS. Wishing you good luck and every success.

Your interested reader,

DOROTHY CATT.

INDIANAPOLIS, IND.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I have taken you for three years, and I like you very much.

I am going to tell you about a bird bath we have in our front yard. It is a square slab of stone hollowed out in the center. I fill it with water three or four times a day in hot weather, because so many birds bathe. They jump in and splash the water around with their wings. Often four or five birds stand around waiting their turn. When they are through, they sit on the fence and dry themselves. Robins, wood-thrushes, catbirds, brown thrashers, and wrens come there to bathe and get drinks.

We have two wren houses, and they are both occupied. It is fun to watch the little birds go in and out. One morning a squirrel started up the tree to where the house was. There was quite a commotion. The little wrens began pecking at it so hard that the squirrel was glad to get away.

We keep you until we get twelve numbers. You are then given to a poor family we know, where you are read over and enjoyed very much. I liked "The Lucky Stone" and "The Runaway" best.

Your interested reader,

CLARA LIEBER (age 12).

NEW YORK CITY. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I am seven years old. I live in the Bronx. I go to school; I am in 1 B. I have a cat. I have a dog. But the dog died. They used to fight, but they don't no more.

My papa has a new auto. I like to ride in it.

My mama reads ST. NICHOLAS to me every month. I like to hear her read it to me.

I wrote this letter all by myself.

Your friend,

SAMMY GREENBERG.

CHARLOTTE, N. Y.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: You make my brother and me very happy each month.

We like the animal stories, and my little brother, who is four years old, enjoyed "The Baby Bears' Adventures." What fun we have guessing the "Riddle-box" puzzles and cross-word enigmas!

I like to read history, and have been reading a Child's History of France. One of my favorite characters in United States history is Marion, "The Swamp Fox." I tell my brother what I read.

We like to watch the large boats on the Genesee River, and we often visit the beautiful parks in Rochester. On our land we have many fruit trees. Peaches are the best crop around here.

I am making a little garden for myself. I have jonquils in it. From your friend,

ROGER PLACE BUTTERFIELD (age 6).

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I did not tell you in my first letter that I was in the bombardment here (the bombardment was when the Moorish tribes came down from the mountains and fought the French). We had our house outside town, so they got at it easily. As soon as we saw them coming, we knew there was some danger, so we put our silver into a wooden box and went into town to my uncle's house. We stayed three or four days, and then got on a French boat for Gibraltar, and then on an English boat to London. The Moors took all our things; all our books they spoiled, tearing them up and making them black with mud. I had two volumes of ST. NICHOLAS, which we found afterward with a lot of pages torn and burned. I can ride a horse now, and I love it very much. My horse's name is Ginger; he loves sugar, and walks up the front door-steps to eat it out of my hand.

"The Runaway" and "The Lucky Stone" were my favorite stories.

Your most interested reader,
MARGARET E. FERNAU (age 10).

KANSAS CITY, MO. very

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: Your stories interest me much. I have enjoyed them since I was four years I old, and now I should like to write some myself. thought you would like to hear a very funny story of some robins.

One morning last week, our neighbor put a stuffed owl on the sidewalk in her back yard, so it could air. The birds saw it and thought it was a real owl and were afraid. The bluejays and blackbirds made a terrible noise, but the robins seemed to think it was an injured bird and ought to fly, but still they knew it could n't fly. To my great surprise, they began to dig worms and put before it for it to eat. They continued to do so till our neighbor took the owl into the house.

Your interested reader,

FLORENCE WADE (age 11).

THE REGRET OF DIVES Now I have what they call success, An empty, hollow thing to hold,But he has the great wilderness,— The mountains and the open wold.

And I must stay in marts of trade
And watch my riches grow and grow,
But he strays through the forest glade.
He sees the pixies mop and mow.

And I live in a world of greed,

Of empty sham and glittering show, And through it all runs like a weed The fear of death that rich men know.

Now he lives in another world,

Of moonbeam and the Morning Star. He knows the road to Avalon. He knows where the Good People are ! STEPHEN V. BENET (age 13).