as
capable of; and though he grew up to be a great donkey, to be sure, the
lessons of that day were never forgotten by him.

[Illustration: THE WAYWARD DONKEY AND HIS FRIENDS.--FROM DRAWINGS BY
W. H. BEARD.]

[Illustration: OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS.

I thought you would like to know how spring advances in this part
of the country. There are a great many snowy little bloodroots in
the woods on the island already (April 22), the mandrakes are
coming up, and the spring beauties are in bloom. The snakes are
here also, for a friend of mine and I saw a little garter-snake in
the woods the other day. It hissed at us in a vicious little way.
Yesterday I saw some pretty butterflies flitting about, and there
are numerous graceful dragon-flies in the air. Last Sunday, just
after a thunder-storm, I was on the front porch, and I saw about
eighteen worms, most of them of a kind that is called
"hundred-legs," but there were a few of another kind. They were
crawling up on the porch to get out of the wet. The robins,
bluebirds, cat-birds, woodpeckers, blackbirds, and others are
here. This spring some of the gulls from the great lakes were
fishing on the river. In YOUNG PEOPLE No. 24 Arthur L. H. wrote
about his caterpillar that turned into a butterfly, and I thought
he might like to hear about ours. My brother found a caterpillar
that had different-colored cross-bands on it, like a Roman sash.
He brought it home, and we fed it on leaves till it made a
beautiful cocoon of a thin veil-like material of a pale sea-green
color, with a line and a few dots of gold on it near the middle.
We expected from all this that it would be a very remarkable
butterfly; but it was only one of the common large brown
butterflies that we see almost every day in summer.

BESSY F.

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WOLVERTON, ENGLAND.

I am seven years old. My grandpa and grandma live in Canada, and
send me YOUNG PEOPLE. We have a donkey and panniers. My baby
brother and sister ride in the panniers, and my other brother and
I take turns in riding on the donkey's back. We call the donkey
Jinny. I went on a visit to Canada when I was two years old. I
would like to go again.

NONIE J.

* * * * *

CANONSBURG, PENNSYLVA