LXV

LETTERS

(1)

Read this letter that Sir Walter Scott wrote to his daughter. Anne and the other children were his grandchildren.

MY DEAR SOPHIA :

ABBOTSFORD, May 3, 1813.

I received your letter, in which you say nothing of Walter's schooling. I hope that goes on well. I am sorry to say the poor Cuddy is no more. He lost the use of his kind eyes, so we were obliged to have him shot, out of humanity. This will vex little Anne, but as the animal could never have been of the least use to her, she has less reason to regret his untimely death; and I will study to give her something that she will like as well, to make amends, namely, a most beautiful peacock and peahen, so tame that they come to the porch and feed out of the children's hands.

They were a present from Mertoun, and I will give them to little Anne to make amends for this family loss of the donkey.

Give my love to Walter, Anne, and little Charles. Mamma joins me in kind compliments to Miss Miller, and I am always,

Conversation:

Your affectionate papa,

WALTER SCOTT.

What do you think of Anne's grandfather?
Have you a grandfather?

Which do you think Anne would rather have, Cuddy the donkey, or the peacock and peahen?

Written Exercise:

Copy the heading, salutation, closing phrase, and signature of the letter.

Write a letter to a real or make-believe grandfather telling about Anne and her grandfather.

Be careful that the heading, salutation, closing phrase, capitals, and punctuation are all correct.

(2)

Turn back to page 44 and read again Mr. Dodgson's letter to Isabel.

Imagine that you are Isabel, and after you have received the copy of "Alice in Wonderland," write Mr. Dodgson and thank him for it.

First write the present date and your own address for the heading. What salutation will you use for your new friend?

You may call him either My dear Friend or Dear Mr. Dodgson. Copy these forms.

How will you close your letter?

Here are several forms that are suitable: Your grateful little friend, Yours gratefully, Your friend. Copy these forms.

Talk over the forms for both salutation and closing, and then write the letter to Mr. Dodgson.

Note that when you write of a book, magazine,

or newspaper, giving the title, you must not only use capitals, but you should inclose the title in quotation marks.

Write a letter from Agnes to her father, General Lee (see page 94), answering his from the City of Mexico, telling him what you are doing at home, and also telling him that you will try to do as he asks.

(3)

Addressing Envelopes

After the letter is written, it is put into an envelope and addressed to the person to whom it has been written. Here are some addresses as they would appear on envelopes.

Miss Gertrude Brooks,

Andover,

Massachusetts.

Mr. Charles H. Gleason,

555 Summer Ave.,

Newark,

New Jersey.

Miss Alice P. Ray,

Big Lake,

Minnesota.

R. F. D. No. 1.

Mark off on paper three oblongs, each six by

three and one half inches.

Copy in them the addresses given above.

Notice how the words are placed and what punctuation marks are used.

The first address is for a person living in a small town, where people go to the postoffice for mail, or where everybody is so well known that it is not necessary to write the street and number.

The second is for a person living in a large city, and contains all the direction necessary to tell the postman where to take the letter.

The third envelope is for a person living in the country, where there is a mail carrier going about in a wagon and leaving mail at the houses. "R. F. D." means Rural Free Delivery, and No. 1 means the number of the mail carrier, or the route he travels.

All envelopes when addressed should have the name and title of the person addressed, the town or city, and the state, in this order -Name

Town or City,

State.

If the letter is sent to a city, the street and number should follow the name. If it is sent to the country where there is a mail carrier, the letters "R. F. D." and the number of the route should be put in the lower lefthand corner.

Write addresses such as you would put on envelopes for letters to the following people:

H. C. Atterbury, who lives in Windham, Maine, on rural free delivery route number two.

Mr. George L. Wilson, who lives at 364 Lincoln Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Miss Edith A. Scott, who lives at 274 East Avenue, Rochester, New York.

Miss Sarah C. Brooks, Principal of the Normal School, Baltimore, Maryland.

Long, long ago a ship full of people was sailing across the ocean to this land. These people were called Pilgrims. Pilgrim means wanderer, and these people were wandering from place to place in search of a home where they could worship God as they thought right.

Few

The ship was a sailboat and not very large. would think now of crossing the ocean in so small a vessel. But the Pilgrims were brave men and women, and were not afraid of anything when they thought they were in the right. So they made this long and dangerous journey across the wide ocean to the New World.

They were many, many days upon the deep. On one of those days a little baby boy was born. How the women all rejoiced, and what care they took of the new baby who had never seen land!