DEAR ST. NICHOLAS: I want to tell you about a girl we had. She was a German girl, and she asked my father, who is a druggist, for a label. She wanted to send it to Germany, so her friends could direct the letters. On the label was printed, "Dr. Siddall, Mantua Drug-store, Tinct. of Myrrh, No. 3526 Haverford St., W. Phila." She sent this label, and when the answer came, the direction read, "Care Dr. Siddall, Mantua Drug-store, Tinct. of Myrrh, No. 3526 Haverford St., W. Phila." We had a good laugh over it, to think that anybody would put "Tinct. of Myrrh" on the direction of a letter. I thought I would send you this to put in the ST. NICHOLAS, so that everybody who reads this could have a laugh over it.--Very respectfully, J. R. SIDDALL. * * * DORA'S HOUSEKEEPING, by the author of "Six Little Cooks," is a handy little book that tells about the troubles and triumphs of a girl fifteen years old, who is left unexpectedly to take charge of a house and provide daily meals for its six inmates. The story itself is pleasant, and it introduces useful hints about household duties--such as bed-making, sweeping, care of lamps, etc. The book is adapted to beginners, for its recipes contain fuller detailed directions than cook-books usually give. Solids and sweets are treated of in common-sense proportion, and waste is guarded against with tasty dishes prepared from remnants. The book is illustrated, and is published by Messrs. Jansen, McClurg & Co., Chicago. * * * CHILD MARIAN ABROAD, by William M. F. Round, is a little book with eight full-page pictures. It gives a lively and interesting account of a bright little girl's adventures during a tour in Europe with her uncle and aunt. She sees many great people and grand sights, plays with a princess, gets into comical scrapes,--some with the help of a little American boy named Harry,--and, altogether, has a delightful trip, very pleasant to read about. * * * A CORRESPONDENT, having read in the November number the poem "My Girl," by Mr. Adams, sends us this clever imitation: MY BOY. A little crib in "mother's room," A little face with baby bloom, A little head with curly hair, A little woolly dog, a chair. A little while for bumps and cries, A little while to make "mud pies," A little doubting wonder when A little pair of hands is clean. A little ball, a top to spin, A little "Ulster" belted in, A little pair of pants, some string, A little bit of everything. A little blustering, boisterous air, A little spirit of "don't care," A little tramping off to school, A little shrug at woman's rule. A little odor of cigar, A little twilight talk with Ma, A little earnest study then-- A little council grave again.