There's nobody knows," said the old tin sheep, "till he 's old how an old toy feels. "I used to trundle about the floor; But that was when I was young and new; It 's something that now I could not do. No; I shall quietly rest myself on this shelf behind the door. "Creak!" said the sheep; "what's gone amiss? Some one is taking me out, I know. They 're pulling my string, and away I go. Stop! oh, stop!" cried the old tin sheep; "I never can go like this!" But Tommy pulled the sheep around; About the nursery it went so fast The floor beneath seemed flying past, While creakety-creakety-creak! the wheels went round with a doleful sound. Then Tommy left it there on its side; The wheels moved slowly and stopped with a creak, And the wax doll heard it faintly speak. "There's nobody knows what he can do," said the sheep, "till he has tried." REPORT UPON THE PRIZE PRESIDENTS." THE "Century of Presidents," printed during March, the inauguration month, brought forth almost a thousand answers. This puzzle was more difficult to solve than similar puzzles previously printed; and, therefore, a much longer time than usual was allowed for its solution. But it was none too long for some of our correspondents, who asserted that they barely completed their solutions in time; and the great number received on the last two days of the competition was additional evidence of this. Lists prettily decorated with various patriotic devices were received from Caroline Sewall, Harold W. Bynner, Floretta G. Elmore, Bertha M. Wheeler, Ellen B. Townsend, Selma Schricker, Amy J. Einstein, Claude Hoen, and Dorothea Faraday. Several careful correspondents have called attention to the misstatement in No. 34. Caleb Cushing was called "Secretary" because he had been a member of a President's cabinet: strictly speaking, however, an Attorney-General is not a "Secretary." He was sent, in 1843, as "Commissioner" to negotiate a treaty between the United States and China. The correct list of names is as follows: 1. James Buchanan. 2. William Learned Marcy. 3. John Adams. 4. Lewis Cass. 5. James Abram Garfield. 6. Albert Gallatin. 7. William Henry Harrison. 8. Edward Everett. 9. Rutherford Birchard Hayes. 10. Salmon Portland Chase. 13. James Monroe. 14. Jefferson Davis. 15. Thomas Jefferson. 16. William Henry Seward. 17. George Bancroft. 18. Andrew Jackson. 25. John Caldwell Calhoun. 27. Chester Alan Arthur. 29. Daniel Webster. 33. Andrew Johnson. 34. William Harris Crawford. 36. Benjamin Harrison. This is one of the pleasantest fea A large proportion of the solutions were accompanied by friendly letters. tures of the ST. NICHOLAS competitions, and it seems only fair to share a few of these letters with our readers. "Whenever I see a new puzzle in your delightful magazine I almost shout for joy, I am so glad. This last puzzle has been particularly interesting and difficult. I am sure I have looked over more than fifty books in search of information. I am so proud of the thirty crimson books- ST. NICHOLAS—which decorate my shelf." "I live twenty-five miles from a town, and have nothing to get my answers from but Barnes' Brief History of the United States,' and a 'Life of Jackson'; but I hope they are all right.” "I wish to express my interest and pleasure in the good work your prize puzzles are doing. My daughter sent in her answers yesterday, and the amount of help which the effort has given her, for future use, is very great. She has proved for herself how many difficult and apparently impossible things may be learned by persistent inquiry and searching; and I feel very grateful to you, inasmuch as through you she is developing qualities which are not very prominent yet-those of patience and perseverance. We have delighted in your magazine many years. This year it seems better than ever. "When I took up the March number I could not answer more than one or two questions. This puzzle has shown me how much I do not know about United States history." LIST OF PRIZE-WINNERS. First Prize, Five Dollars: Floretta G. Elmore. Two Second Prizes of Four Dollars each: Marshall Coxe and Blanche Huffman. Five Third Prizes of Three Dollars each: J. Watson Dwight, Boyd Marshall, Florence McKusick, Edmund Bassett, and Edwin Jones Carleton. Ten Prizes of Two Dollars each: Townsend King Wellington, Sara A. Wardwell, Abbot A. Thayer, Milly G. Sykes, Ada Claire, Francis Randall Appleton, Jr., Charles Lanier Appleton, Karl Donald Kimball, Clara M. Lathrop, and Louise McDonald. 788 [JULY, REPORT UPON THE PRIZE PUZZLE, "A CENTURY OF PRESIDENTS." Twelve Prizes of One Dollar each: Daniel C. Fitz, Will Allis, Ruth Peirce, Ethel Alton Rockwell, Grace Matthews, Helen M. Wallace, Gladys W. Baldwin, Edith R. Hill, Bess Kelly, Ariel Parish, Bradford Sturtevant, and Mary F. Kneeland. ROLL OF HONOR. Sixty-one correct solutions were received. Out of these the Committee of Judges selected the thirty that showed the most accurate and painstaking work, and to these the prizes are awarded. It will be seen, therefore, that all those whose names follow have done work of special excellence. Louisa L. Burrows, Charles McCausland, Willie L. Kiernan, Aldrich Durant, Mary R. Bergstrom, Carl H. Phillips, Elizabeth B. Piper, Annie E. Thacher, Hazel R. Hyde, Grace Van Ingen, Joseph B. Eastman, Lucia K. Dwight, John L. Stettimus, Jr., Deane Edwards, Marguerite A. Marney, Julia M. Hoyt, Chauncey B. Garver, Agnes B. Wylie, Seth E. Hodge, Grace C. Norton, Helen R. Coggeshall, Ralph W. Deacon, Anna V. Kisinger, Anne V. L. Orvis, Lewis H. Tooker, Clarence H. Sutherland, Margaret Spencer Wilson, Helen M. Stott, John C. Parish, Sadie Donaldson, and Walter Clark. Margaret D. Rodes, Susan D. Williams, Mary Stockton, Charles D. Harmon, Margaret W. Stone, Frederic H. Taber, Albert H. Pratt, Morgan W. Jopling, Marguerite Stott, Florence A. Wilson, Marie L. Slack, James J. Forstall, Harold W. Bynner, Nellis M. Crouse, Frank S. Preston, Harold J. Staples, Elma M. Eaton, Lois A. Reed, Harry F. Morris, Eunice Wead, Ethel Pike, Janet Dana, Rachel Phipps, Hilda K. White, Dorothy Wright, Gertrude G. Vroom, Julia B. Thomas, Norman G. Conner, Kenneth White, John C. More, Emma J. Pratt, Annie P. Weekes, Edward L. Lincoln, Esther L. Swartz, Charles E. Moore, Bertha Carleton, Rex G. Post, Ona C. Gibson, Alice E. Dyar, Jessie McClatchey, Kathryn A. Fisher, Charles S. Pillsbury, Edna L. MacLellan, Lucy A. Maling, Elsie Green, Mamie Johnson, E. E. Kimmel, Henrietta W. Drury, Mamie Blaikie, Ruth Farley, Dellie R. Bartlett, and Evelyn Jenkins. THE LETTER-BOX. CONTRIBUTORS are respectfully informed that between the 1st of June and the 15th of September manuscripts cannot conveniently be examined at the office of ST. NICHOLAS. Consequently, those who desire to favor the magazine with contributions will please postpone sending their MSS. until after the last-named date. CITY OF MEXICO. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I am a Texas boy twelve years old. We are now visiting in Mexico. This is a beautiful city, and we have seen many wonderful things. The old Cathedral, which is said to be built on the ruins of an Aztec temple, cost millions of dollars. We go there nearly every day to see the crowds and hear the music. It is filled with kneeling beggars, mostly women and children. The flowers here are very beautiful, and at the flower market on Zocalo Square you can get nearly every kind of flower that grows. We went to a bull-fight, but we stayed only till the second bull was killed. I would have stayed till it was over, but mama could not stand it. I have a banderillo that was used in a bull-fight. We have taken ST. NICHOLAS all our lives. We saw the statue of Charles IV. It is the largest equestrian statue in the world. It is said they killed the sculptor to keep him from making another one. I remain your interested reader, FRANK B. ELSER. BERWICK, ILL. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: My father was a soldier in the late war, and I went with him to the encampment at Louisville in 1895. From there we went to some of the old battle-grounds, namely: The battle-field of Nashville, where my father fought. From there we went to Chattanooga; there we went over the battle-field of Chickamauga. This is a very large battle-ground. It took us all day to ride over it and Missionary Ridge. SYLVESTER D. MATTESON. DETROIT, MICH. DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: This is my first letter to you. I write to tell you about our cats. We have three. One is "Pompey," aged six, "Tito," aged three," Binco," aged six months. Pompey had a birthday March 20, and we celebrated it by giving him a party. We had a little table for them to eat on and boxes to sit on. There were plates heaped with stewed kidneys and liver and a small cake with six candles. We invited in some girl friends to see the fun. Each cat sat with his forepaws on the table, and ate down the dainties as fast as they could. The small kitten did not have as good manners as the others, and now and then would retire under the table to gulp down a particularly large morsel, but most of them behaved very well. I forgot to say that |