The next thing was to connect this with the barrel by pipes.  For this we used reeds, placing a small upright piece in the center of the middle basin, and joining to this a larger reed which ran beneath the board, and was let into the barrel near the bottom.  The spring was finished in the same manner, with this exception, that there was no upright piece in the middle.  We now searched the woods for moss, bits of twigs, and even some tiny pine and cedar trees, which we planted with other things in the earth banked upon the board.  We arranged a small rockery with vines trailing over it; we made paths covered with sand; and laid out tiny dells, and hills and plains.  We lined the fountain-basin with shells and the “spring” with moss, and made little water-courses for the overflow; and, after it was all completed, we filled the barrel with water; and, lo! we had the prettiest little garden imaginable, with a fountain spurting and plashing in the center, and a pretty little mossy spring in the corner.

    LILLIE F. FALES.

* * * * *

    Sitapur, Oude, India.

DEAR ST. NICHOLAS:  The people here live in little mud huts clustered together in rude villages.  They worship grotesque idols, wear very odd clothing, and eat strange food.  Carpenters, and tailors, and shoe-makers, use their toes almost as much and as well as they use their fingers, and men do the sewing and a great deal of the cooking.  Little girls very, very seldom go to school, and are betrothed when they are babies.  Little boys do not play ball or such games, but they are very fond of flying the kite.

There are monkeys here by hundreds.  They live in groves and eat fruits.  These are not monkeys which hang up by their tails at night to go to sleep,—­they live in the mountains,—­but great big fellows like plump dogs, only their fore-legs are short and their “feet” are hands.

The other day I saw a fight between some monkeys and about a hundred crows.  The monkeys wounded one poor crow, and it hopped about upon the ground unable to fly.  Then the crows settled around it and tried to carry it off; but they could not.  The monkeys charged down upon them, and then the crows charged the monkeys.  It was an exciting time.  Seeing the crows were getting the worst of the battle I came to their rescue, but the monkeys charged upon me, and I had to run.  At last, I carried off the poor crow, hoping to cure it, but it died the same day.  The other crows followed me home, and made a most dismal noise, as if they could not trust me.

    Here the squirrels are quite small and not at all wild.  I saw a
    little boy, the other day, walking along with a saucy little
    squirrel perched upon his shoulder.