American Young Folks from Topeka, Kansas • 12

THE AMERICAN YOUNG FOLKS. 44 Uncle Frank thinks you have done well for the first time. I I ill I tlMl riilRf read over the rules for capital letters, and punctuation marks, before correcting the composition. Girabd, Kas. Feb.

8 '77. Uncle Frank: Again I will write a few lines. I have just finished the book-keeping to send you. I have also got up a club for the paper. Don't you think I have done well? Good bye I must go to school now.

Respectfully, No. 52. Edith M. Georgia. es, Edith you have done well, and you have done your work very neatly.

Dear Uncle Frank: I have Just received my February number, and have read it all over. I think each number grows better and better, and Pa says that if I always spend my money to as good advantage as I did when I paid for the Young Folks I will be as rich as Steven Girard as wise as Solon. I don't know who he meant by either of them yet I would rather be wise than rich. 1 am going to school and am trying to learn as fast as I can. Respectfully, yours, No.

462. Clara Ebright. Now here is a nut to crack who of the Try Club can tell Uncle Frank who Steven Girard and Solon are, so that he can print it Oakland, Minn. Feb. 4, 1877.

Dear Uncle Frank: I have seen the "Try Club" department in the "Young Folks' and wish to join it. Below is the 1 1 Promise I shall be very glad to have the President to tell me all the mistakes he finds in my writing, and I will try to correct them. Please give me a number. Respectfully, No. 478.

wm. Seymour, The Try Club will be much pleased to have William as a member. Uncle Frank can say that he writes a very nice letter, and it contains scarcely a mistake. A few marks of punctuation were omitted, but he will look out next time. Cartes Cheek, Mar.

5, '77. Dear Uncle Frank Had I known that such a valuable paper as the Young Folks was published, I would have had it before I am anxious to become one of your nieces You will not be the only uncle I have, that I have never seen. I will enclose the promise, please give me a number. Your niece, No. 734.

Frances McCurdy. Uncle Frank says, welcome to the Try Club. Ottawa, Mar. 10, '77. Dear Uncle Frank: I wrote a letter last month, but did not see it printed.

I think the declamations in your pa- Fer very nice. I spoke one of them the last day of our school, think Aunt Lizzie's stories are splendid. I wonder if all of us'could be as contented as Shin-ge-biss was, when in trouble. Yours truly, No. 460.

Annie E. Ashby. Your letter, Annie, was omitted last month for want of room. Am glad you like the 3, 1877. York Center, Iowa, Mar Dear Uncle: I have just received my paper verv hard last evening, and it has snowed a littl It snowed Rochester, Feb.

7, 1877. Dear Uncle Frank: I go to school, we have a good school, and I like the Young Folks. We have had some skating, but the weather has been so mild that the ice has thawed a great deal. I am your friend, No. 459.

Parie Collier. Uncle Frank thanks Parie, for his nice little letter. Write again. Boston, March 5, 1877. My Dear Uncle Frank: I hardly know what to say because I have neglected to write for so long a time.

Please don't drop my name from the 'Try Club I thank the members who so kindly inquired after me so many times, for I have received my paper every month. I will now tell them what I have been doing. I have been to school part of the time, but Christmas Ma took me with her to visit Portland, Maine, where grandma Bradford lives. She is 86 years old, and can tell Stories about what little boys and girls did in New England when she was young. If the Try Club wish, I well tell them some of the stories, many of them are real lunny.

I had a nice visit, sleigh-riding, and eating grandma's doughnuts and pumpkin pies. We came back about two weeks ago. I send with this, the story of Bunker Hill, Just as Ma said her uncle Harry had told hr. Good Bye, Your Affectionate neice, No. 12.

Gertie Bradford. Uncle Frank is very much pleased to hear from Gertie, and hopes she will not wait so long next time before she writes. He will print her story in another part of the paper as the "Story of Bunker Hill." WHAT UNCLE FRANK SAYS. No. 145.

Glad to hear from William. Will look over his example. No. 470. Uncle Frank is pleased with Mina's letter, he believes she will try hard.

No. 478. William's letter is very well written he misspelled the word "Scholars." Look out next time. No. 37.

Yes, Fred, the "Try Club" will soon number a thousand hard working boys and girls. Uncle Frank's prizes will be worth working for. No. 457. Stella's letter is received.

By "Prize scholars," Uncle Frank means those scholars which have sent to him the most carefully written exercises considering their ages and opportunities. A list of prizes will be printed from which a prize scholarcan select any prize he or she desires and Uncle Frank will send it by mail. No 728. Uncle Frank wishes to say that Edmund has sent, by far, the best written Promise he has yet received. No.

722. You will find directions about writing letters on page 28, of Feb. Young Folks. Story-writers first practice writing about things they see, then they tell about things that they remember, finally, after much practice, they commence to tell about things they imagine could happen. Only a few story-writers get more than just a living, and they are obliged to work very hard for that.

No. 82. Am glad to hear from Alice again. Can't you tell the "Try Club" about your ex hibition. No.

476. Uncle Frank will print no letter when the writer does not wish it. You do very well, but should read over Rule VI. No. 601.

Your letter is received with the promise. Write a little plainer next time. Don't forget, Uncle Frank's eyes are getting old. No. 354.

Eva's letter is received, am always pleased to know that she has not forgotten the Try Club. 1N0. 299. You must take a little more pains with your letters. You must read rule XII.

No. 462. Thank you Clara Uncle Frank and Aunt Lizzie are much obliged to you for your good wishes. No. 469.

Will print Edwin's letter this month will have no room for yours. No. 733. Gardner has done well for the first time try again. No.

487. Your letter is received, and you can have thi3 number. If you get a prize you will find your name printed among the prize scholars, and you can have your choice of prizes. Received a nice letter from E. C.

Tinney, but could not print it because he did not send his number. Uncle Frank has received from Paola, specimens of letters written by the scholars of the public school there and he would mention as deserving great credit for accuracy and neatness, Misses Adela Sherman, Effie McLaughlin, Etta Halderman, and Susie Floyd. Had they been members of the Try Club they would have all drawn prizes. Remember and put each different exercise on a separate piece of paper, with name, age and number, that is, put arithmetic on one piece, geography on another piece, writing on another piece, and so on. It will save Uncle Frank a great deal of work in awarding the prizes.

The puzzles and answers to the enigmas, must be written on separate pieces of paper and marked Puzzler. Here comes the postman now for the letters. Belle Plains, Feb. 7, 1877. was so bad that the mail carrier did not go for the mail.

My father is Postmaster. Yours truly, No. 477. Esther J. Wallace.

Uncle Frank hopes Esther will write again. Castle Rock, Feb. 12, '77. Dear Uncle I go to school at Castle Rock there are about fifty scholars. I am ten years old, I have a sister who is twelve.

I wish you success with the Young Folks. From your friend, No. 726. Hooker. Thank you, Edwin, for your good wishes.

Eldorado, Mar. '77. My Dear Unole: I was glad to see my letter in print, and am also glad to be a "prize scholar," and I hope my prize will be Uncle Frank's picture. Aunt Lizzie's excuse, that she is too old and plain to have her picture taken for the Try Club is not sufficient for me. I like "old and plain folks." I have not seen a letter from Hattie Groveryet; she was a school-mate of mine.

I send you a picture of my baby sister. She was only three months old when it was taken. Now she is seven months, and no longer a baby, but papa's "little woman," he says. Papa thinks her ever so nice; in fact we all do Her name is Ellina. The scarlet fever is very fatal here, and scarcely a day passes but one, and sometimes two children are buried.

Your friend, No. 471. Cynthia Murdock. Well Cynthia, what do you think Aunt Lizzie did when she got the picture. Why, she would not let Uncle Frank get a glimpse, and too, she kept saying, "Is it not nice how sweet it is! I'd like to kiss it was it not provoking I'll tell you how I will pay her.

She had a picture taken long time ago arid I will send you one for your prize but don't let her knew it for she would not mend my stockings or give me anything to eat for a week. Yuea, Mich, Feb. 21, 1877. Dear Uncle Frank: I live in the northern part of Michigan, I live on a nice farm and have very nice apples I am a little girl ten years old. This is the first time 1 ever wrote a letter to a paper, and I will try to do better next time.

Your friend, Aggie A. McDonald. Well Aggie you have done well, try again. Marion Center, Feb. 2, '77 Dear Uncle Frank: Brother Willie and I sold walnuts to get money to subscribe for the "Young Folks," and although the paper comes to Willie's address, it is as much mine as his I wish to be a member of the Try Club I will try to correct the composition on skating.

Your neice, No. 716. Flora B. Weaver. Uncle Frank is proud of such members and if you and Willie try to improve, as he knows you will, you will enjoy cracking "Try Club" nuts far better than the nuts that grow on trees.

Melvkrn, March, 1, '77. Dear Uncle Frank I want to tell the members of the Try Club about my visit to Topeka. One cloudy morning we started. Father said It was not going to storm, so on we went to the station, nearly fifteen miles away. Before we reached there, it did storm, and I think it was the worst storm we have had this winter.

When we got to the depot, the cars were snowed in, and did not come. The next day we took the train and went to Topeka. While I was there I called upon Uncle Frank and Aunt Lizzie. Uncle Frank took me to see the Young Folks printed. In his office he sat at the table reading their letters and writing stories for the members of the Try Club.

The table was covered with papers, and some were on the floor. In the room where they were printing, was a pile of Morrisani a N. Jan. 28, '77. Dear Uncle Frank: I was pleased to receive your last paper, because it had so many nice things in it.

I took my paper to my teacher and she liked it too. Between Christmas and New Years, we had our school commencement. The parents of the scholars were present. We all marched in, got in lines, sag songs, had calisthenics, spoke pieces, and did a good many more things At last we gave the visitors presents of the little things we had made. The next night we had our Sunday School entertainment.

We had supper down stairs, after supper we went up stairs and had our entertainment. We had real nice things. I wish I could tell you all about them Have you last year papers bound If you have let me know. Enclosed in this letter please find fifty cents for the paper next year. Yours respectfully, No.

309. Neddy M. Vandkrvoort. Uncle Frank is very much pleased to hear about Neddy's Kindergarten school, and the Try Club says, can't you tell us more about it Neddy, we have no extra papers for last year left. oung olks as mgn as my nead, and every time tne great wheel of the press came round, some little sticks laid aown a printed paper, At a table were ever so many girls and Doys and women, folding up papers, and putting them in great big bags, to carry them to the Post Office.

If the Try Club wish to see how Uncle Frank looks they must go to Topeka as I did, for I cannot describe him. I crossed the Kansas river on a bridge. The ice was breaking up and I liked to stand and watch it moving. I saw a great many other things while at Topeka, but I have no time to describe them now. Yours truly, No.

19. Maynard Thompson. Uncle Frank thinks Maynard has given a good description ot what he saw. Come again Dear Uncle Frank: I received my January number of For want of space a number of letters laid over to be printed next month. IF' VTl ine ioung jjolks; 1 tninK splendid.

1 have drawn the boundaries of the State of New York, and corrected the com- Sosition, and have calculated the cost of each nail in Nellie ones' question. Yours truly. No. 1. Fbank Pottbb.

Uncle Frank is always glad to hear from the first member of the Try Club. Frank is improving every time he writes. He should however Emporia, Mar. 5 '77. Dear Uncle Frank I was very glad to see my name in the list of members of the Try Club.

This is the first time I ever tried to write a letter. I am not going to school now; we have just finished sowing spring wheat. From your nephew, o. 4G5. Edwin S.

Newlin. If we were obliged to pay to enter into life, how many of us would demand the return of our money on departing.