WALTHAM, MASS. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I greet you as an old friend, for I took you two or three years ago, and now take you again. I always have been interested in you. I am going to school here at Waltham, Mass., though my home is in New York; and there are several interesting historical facts connected with its neighborhood that are noteworthy. Paul Revere, in his famous ride, galloped "fast and furiously" down an old wood-road which ran along the site of one of our dormitories. The road in close proximity to the school grounds, which leads up to Lexington (about four and one half miles distant), was that on which the brave Minute Men joined their comrades on the way to Boston in pursuit of the British under Lord Percy. An old lady who died a few years ago could remember standing by her father's fence and watching the panting Minute Men go trotting by. Lexington also is not without many things of historical interest in and around it, among which may be mentioned two large field-pieces placed in the center of the town green; they were captured from the British. A white stone at one end of the green marked where Lieutenant Parker, with a handful of men, withstood the redcoats for over an hour. At the entrance of the green is a small tree planted by General Grant, in 1876, to commemorate his visit there. Part of the town hall is devoted to Revolutionary relics, and some exceedingly interesting ones may be seen. A walk of about half a mile will bring one to a cemetery, with a stone cannon in the center, mark ing the spot where one of Lord Percy's cannon was stationed. If the walk is continued a little farther, about the most interesting place of all may be seen: it is the headquarters of Lord Percy- a small brown Dutchroofed house with a tablet on the front describing it. It is very little changed, and is occupied by an appreciative family who do all they can to preserve it. Many other interesting features of historic fame are all over Lexington, such as cannon-riddled houses, and houses of famous Minute Men; and altogether it is an essentially historic town. I remain your interested reader, VINCENT V. M. B MEEKER, COL. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: We (my brother and myself) have taken you for the last six months. I am twelve years old, and my brother is nine years old; our birthdays come in April, just two weeks apart. We live in the mountains, and the town is called "Meeker" for the Indian agent who was killed here at the same time Colonel Thomburge was killed in 1879. My mama has camped on the ground where Colonel Thomburge and his troops were attacked by the Ute Indians; it is eighteen miles from Meeker, on a small stream called Milk Creek. We have lots of fun in the winter, sleigh-riding and sliding down hill, and "hooking on" with our sleds. There are many deer and elk here in the summer, but they all leave for the winter. We also have plenty of trout in the streams. We lived on a ranch awhile, and my brother and I went riding with Papa quite often; my brother went deerhunting with Papa, too. Yours truly, DAISY F WE thank the young friends whose names follow for pleasant letters received from them: "Pansy," Frances C. R., Anna G. S., Bertha C. D., H. Dorothy G., Mary E. H., Josephine C. S., Marguerite D. N., Thomas G., Helen G. E., Galt S., Lesley A. F., Alfred E. D., Reginald C. B., Lucile C., James R., Jamie, Kate, and Fred, Emily C. O., Viola McK., Clarence D., Mabel E. A., Helen and Lillie, Mary E. C., Reba L. H., J. H. MacD., P. J. H., Dorothea M. D., Edith W. M., Elizabeth L., Frances M. S. ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE AUGUST NUMBER. Box PUZZLE. Upper Square: 1. Love. 2. Open. 3. Vend. 4. Ends. Side Square: 1. Ends. 2. Neat. 3. Dare. Lower Square: 1. Stew. 2. Tile. 3. Else. 4 to 7, stew. 4. Week. The brilliant poppy flaunts her head And adds her voice to swell the song 4. Stew. DOUBLE ACROSTIC. Primals, Whittier; finals, Tennyson. Crosswords: 1. Wainscot. 2. Harangue. 3. Incision. 4. Trillion. 5. Topheavy. 6. Inspects. 7. Eldorado. 8. Rogation. HOUR-GLASS. Centrals, Preface. Cross-words: 1. Samples. 2. Sprig. 3. Beg. 4. F. 5. Fad. 6. Facet. 7. Emperor. ILLUSTRATED METAMORPHOSIS. Goat, coat, cost, cast, cart. Cube. From 1 to 2, leopard; 1 to 3, leisure; 2 to 4, divided; 3 to 4, evolved; 5 to 6, present; 5 to 7, palaver; 6 to 8, trilled; 7 to 8, reduced; 1 to 5, loop; 2 to 6, dent; 4 to 8, deed; 3 to 7, Emir. ZIGZAG. Hôtel des Invalides. Cross-words: 1. Helot. 2. colon. 3. haTed. 4. fan Es. 5. drilL. 6. gliDe. 7. grEet. 8. iSlam. 9. Imbue. 10. aNnul. 11. caVil. 12. dryAd. 13. loyaL. 14. draIn. 15. haDes. 16. fEign. 17. Spite. WORD-BUILDING. A, am, man, main, matin, inmate, miniate, intimate, intimated, intimidate. 1. P. COMBINATION DIAMONDS AND SQUARES. Seven-letter Diamond: 2. Hip. 3. Hiram. 4. Pirates. 5. Paten. 6. Men. 7. S. SINGLE ACROSTIC. Third row, Meissonier. Cross-words: 1. ar Mory. 2. drEams. 3. flght. 4. sister. 5. neStle. 6. shower. 7. caNdle. 8. shleld. 9. sh Ears. 10. boŘder. WORD-SQUARES: I. 1. Clamp. 2. Legal. 3. Agile. 4. Malta. 5. Pleas. II. I. Coat. 2. Ogre. 3. Arcs. 4. Test. TO OUR PUZZLERS: Answers, to be acknowledged in the magazine, must be received not later than the 15th of each month, and should be addressed to ST. NICHOLAS Riddle-box,' care of THE CENTURY Co., 33 East Seventeenth St., New York City. ANSWERS TO ALL THE PUZZLES IN THE JUNE NUMBER were received, before June 15th, from "The McG.'s"-Josephine Sherwood-Mama and Jamie-L. O. E.- Chester B. Sumner - E. M. G.-Alice Mildred Blanke and Co.- Jessie Chapman -" Uncle Mung"- Ida Carleton Thallon - Bessie and Freddie - Ida and Alice - Rosalie Bloomingdale - Zada Dow. - Mary L. ANSWERS TO PUZZLES IN THE JUNE NUMBER were received, before June 15th, from Stuart, 1-Emma Schmitt, 2Thomson, I Helen and Almy, 3-Charlotte E. Scovill, 1-Ammon High, 1-Stubbs S., 1-Paul Reese, 11-Mary R. W., 1L. H. K., 3- John Halifax," I -"Broncho Harry," 2-L. Wiles, 1-G. B. Dyer, 11- Carrie Chester, 1-"Mama," 11- Maude E. Palmer, 11-H. M. Landgraff, 3-"The Peterkins,"11-Minnie and Lizzie, 1— Geo. S. Seymour, 7- Virginia S., 1-Alice M. Parks, 1William E. Verplanck, 3-No Name, Cleveland, 1 — Laura Storrs Hopper, 1- Dot, 1 - Harriet E. Strong, 2-Constance Trowbridge, 3Florence and Lorraine, 3-Beatrice House, 1- James R. J. Kindelon, Milton S. Garver, 2" Lovenita," 3-" Piggy H.," 1- Hattie Sterling, 2- Helen C. McCleary, 11- Gertrude Hughes, 1- Clara Mayer, 1 — Anna Dunn, 2- Arthur W. Crisp, 2-"The Dictionaries," 8 Hazel, Julia, and Beatrice, 4- F. W. Patterson, 1-Gussie and Flossie, 4- Violet Jonstone, 2- - Stephen O. Hawkins, 11Melville Hunnewell, 8" Midwood," 11-“June," 8- Lillian A. Macdonald, 2-Edna May Winchester, 2- No Name, Littleton, Col., 9-Elizabeth McConnell, 2-"Merry Family," 4-Gail Ramond, 10-" Three Blind Mice," 8- Arthur Barnard, 8- Vincent V. M. Beede, 3- Maud and Dudley Banks, 9-"We Girls," 9- Mama and Charlie, 11-Jo and I, 10- Laura M. Zinser, 7—“Suse," 9A. J. Johnson, 3- Angus T. Duncan, 9. FROM 2 to I, runs swiftly; from 4 to 1, rends; from 6 to 1, the east wind; from 8 to 1, falls gradually; from 10 to I, otherwise called; from 12 to 1, critical trials; from 13 to 2, flies aloft; from 13 to 12, is used up; from 3 to 2, images; from 3 to 4, motionless; from 5 to 4, implied, but not expressed; from 5 to 6, yours; from 7 to WHEN the names of the authors of the following quotations have been rightly guessed and placed one below another, the seven initial letters will spell the surname of an English chemist and natural philosopher of great eminence who was born in September, 1791. 1. Vessels large may venture more, 2. A day, an hour, of virtuous liberty 3. Cowards may fear to die; but courage stout, 4. The man forget not, though in rags he lies, 5. Truth has such a face and such a mien, 6. Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, 7. At thirty, man suspects himself a fool; DOUBLE ACROSTIC. My primals name a distinguished author, and my finals, an historic town. CROSS-WORDS: I. Moral. 2. A maxim. 3. Consumed. 4. Anything preserved in remembrance. 5. A nickname often given to a young colored man. 6. A carnivorous animal. 7. One of a race that has no fixed habitation. "BETSY TROTWOOD." extent. ALL of the words described contain the same number of letters. When rightly guessed and placed one below another, in the order here given, the central letters will spell the name of a popular American novelist who was born and who died in the month of September. 10. A mas CROSS-WORDS: 1. Greater in number, quantity, or 2. Easily broken. 3. A punctuation-mark. 4. Cheerless. 5. Covered with fine particles. 6. Having great height. 7. A fresh-water fish. 8. A law or rule. 9 To crush into small fragments. culine name. II. Honorable fame. 12. Ghastly pale. 13. Having a low price in market. 14. A beverage. 15. Extending far and wide. 16. A proportional part or share. 17. A military station where stores and provisions are kept. 18. A whim or fancy. 19. Perforates. PI. L. W. EHT shuh fo brelsum sters poun het reath; Eth vilesyr stelith-wond si glithly grindfit; Dan flagchune scolor weeps eth cadpanels ero, Kile gimac curipest no eht snacva stifhing. ANAGRAM. AN American man of letters: COME JOIN ME FOR A SPREE. ZIGZAG. ALL of the words described contain the same number of letters. When these are rightly guessed and placed one below another, in the order here given, the zigzag, beginning at the upper left-hand letter, will spell what Alexander the Great replied when asked to whom he left his empire. 8 19 30 From 1 to 12, a sorceress; from 2 to 13, a small animal; from 3 to 14, a claw; from 4 to 15, to exalt; from 5 to 16, intense pain; from 6 to 17, an aromatic spice; from 7 to 18, retains; from 8 to 19, a village of Surrey, England; from 9 to 20, proportion; from 10 to 21, a nut; from II to 22, to afford. From 12 to 23, an organ; from 13 to 24, mold; from 14 to 25, to push gently; from 15 to 26, a bird; from 16 to 27, a river of France; from 17 to 28, to furnish with a fund; from 18 to 29, a philosopher of a certain school; from 19 to 30, a maxim; from 20 to 31, hatred; from 21 to 32, to tend; from 22 to 33, takes off. From I to II, a famous novelist; from 12 to 22, and from 23 to 33 each, name a work written by him. "PHILA." THE DE VINNE PRESS, NEW YORK. |