"'I wish you could see the children as they start for school this morning. Fred, with his black plush cap, green tunic, black vest, gray pants, striped mittens, and his new comforter, which he bought with his own money. Samuel carries the dinner-pail this morning; it is filled with bread and butter, apple pie, and gingerbread; and Fred has his slate, reader, spelling-book, and Testament--and he has not forgotten to go down to the cellar and fill his pockets with apples. "'I am not very well, and I make bad work of writing. I am afraid you will not find out what I have written. "'Fred often speaks of you, and of his dear sister Jane. He wants you to tell Mr. Brace how you get along, and get him to write to us all about it. "'With desire for your welfare, "'I subscribe myself your friend, "'Sally L----.'" THE PRISON-BOY. "The boy of whom this is written was taken from one of the City Prisons:-- "'H----, Oct. 12, 1865. "'DEAR SIR--Yours, making inquiries about F. C, was duly received. His health has been generally good and so far as his behavior is concerned, it has been as good as could have been expected from the history he has given us of himself, previous to his coming to live with us. We soon learned that very little dependence could be placed on his truthfulness or honesty; in fact, he was a fair specimen of New York juvenile vagrancy. He has wanted a close supervision, and we have endeavored to correct what was wrong, and to inculcate better things, and, we think, with some success. He has learned to read and spell very well; besides these, he has attended to writing and arithmetic, and has made some improvement in them. The first winter that he came to live with us, we did not think it best to send him to our Public School, but kept him under our own personal instruction. The last winter he attended our Public School five and a half months. He has been in our Sabbath School from the time he first came, and has usually had his lessons well. He has, from the first, been glad to attend all religious meetings, and we think that his moral perception of things has much improved, and we can but hope that, with proper attention, he may grow up to be a useful and respectable man. He seemed quite satisfied with his home. "'Yours, most respectfully, "'C. S. B.'" "This, again, is about a poor friendless little girl, sent to a good family in old Connecticut:-- "'N----, CT., Oct. 11, 1855. "'MR. MACY: _"'Dear Sir_--With regard to Sarah, I would say that she is a very good girl, and is also useful to us, and, I think, fitting herself to be useful to herself at a future day.