uld float away. Farther on are
orange-colored ones, and some shaped like callas, translucent, and in
color a pale pink carnelian. Wandering on, we enter a grove of
pine-trees, in the midst of which a spring is bubbling up, and the
ground is covered with a carpet of ferns, mosses, and wild flowers. By
the time we are ready to go home, our baskets are well filled; and then,
after we get home, we have the delight of arranging the flowers and
ferns, examining the fungi with the microscope, and preparing imposing
baskets of specimens to send to two delightful members of the Academy of
Science in San Francisco, who are making fungi a specialty in their
researches.

One day last summer my brother came running into the house, saying, in
a very loud whisper, "There's a deer in the creek! There's a deer in the
creek!" We all rushed out in time to see Uncle George, up to his waist
in water, struggling with an immense buck. The dogs were there, too,
barking as loudly as they could. It was very exciting. My sympathies
were entirely with the deer, who made a noble fight before he was
conquered. Deer are plentiful around here. Often we are awakened by the
baying of the deer-hounds, and we can see the hunting parties on their
horses galloping over the hill, and the dogs running to and fro.

The boys catch a good many large fish in our creek, and my uncle once
caught a ten-pound salmon-trout that was very pretty; it had two
delicate pink bands running along its sides.

The hills are crimson, a little before Christmas, with a holly peculiar
to California; and we have many merry excursions in a wagon that we
children call our "chariot," in which we go to gather holly for our
Christmas festivities.

I have written too much, and yet I would like to tell more, our days are
so full of pleasant change.--Your affectionate reader,

MAY D. BIGELOW (fifteen years old).

* * * * *

Answers to Puzzles in the November Number were received, previous to
November 18, from Annie Longfellow, "Bess," "Isola," "Bessie and her
Cousin," "Helen of Troy," W. M. B., Nessie E. Stevens, "Winnie,"
Florence L. Turrill, James J. Ormsbee, Annie Forbush and Emma Elliott,
Grace G. Chandler, Carrie Speiden and Mary F. Speiden, F. A. G. Cameron,
Fred M. Pease, Geo. J. Fiske, Geo. Herbert White, "Sidonie," Louise
Gilman, Clelia Duel Mosher, Mamie L. Holbrook, Ellie Hewitt, Fannie W.,
"Croghan, Jr.," Anna E. Mathewson, Eddie Bryan, and