into a long cord; and as he ran away with Summer, he left the end of the cord trailing behind him.

Then the little folk, the fairies of Light, pursued him. They saw the cord trailing, and caught it. But as the Great Chief ran, he let the long cord run out, and left the fairies far behind.

The Chief traveled on until he came once more to the lodge of the giant, Winter. But now he could not be charmed. He was stronger than Winter; for he brought the Summer with him.

The giant Winter welcomed the Great Chief, for he hoped to freeze him again into slumber. But this time the Chief talked. And as he talked, great drops of sweat began to run down old Winter's face. The chief talked on, and the giant Winter began to melt. He melted, and melted, until at last he had quite melted away.

Then everything awoke. The snow melted and ran down the rivers, carrying away the dead leaves, the fairies came out and the grass grew. Then the Great Chief left Summer

with them, and went home.

From Glooscap, the Great Chief, by E. N. Partridge. Reprinted by permission of the Macmillan Company, publishers.

1. What do you think the Great Chief represents in this Indian legend?

2. What does the long cord typify?

3. What happens in your locality when the "great drops of sweat" run down old Winter's face?

4. At what time of year does "everything awake"? 5. What do you think is represented by the fairies? 6. What fact of nature is the nucleus for How Glooscap Found the Summer?

Oral assignment. Be prepared to tell an Indian legend to your class.

Written assignment. Write an original legend about some place of interest in your neighborhood.

123. SOCIAL LETTERS AND NOTES Everyone has occasion at some time to acknowledge the receipt of a gift or a favor from someone else. All such acknowledgments should be made very soon after the receipt of the gift or favor and the letter should be properly written. Everyone should know how to write social notes and invitations, both formal and informal, and how to answer them properly.

I

INFORMAL NOTES

In writing informal invitations the name and address of the writer may be placed either at the beginning or at the end of the invitation.

617 Plumstead Ave., September 28, 19

Dear Anna,

What do you think! Father has just come home with four tickets for the matinee performance of "The Green Goddess" at the Walnut Street Theatre, Saturday afternoon of this week. One of these tickets is for you. Drop me a note right away telling me that you will go.

Dear Mildred,

Sincerely yours,

Mildred

How good of you to think of me! Of course I shall accept your very kind invitation to see "The Green Goddess" at the Walnut Saturday afternoon. I understand it is one of the best plays of the season. I shall be ready when you call for me.

326 Howard Ave. Thursday morning

Sincerely yours,

Anna

322 Elm Street October 10

Dear Jack,

The boys of Scout Troop No. 3 are going for a hike Saturday morning and will be out all day. We want you to go with us. We are going to hunt, fish, swim, have Indian fights, and do all kinds of stunts. And we are going to cook our own meals! Doesn't that make you hungry? know right away that you will go.

Let me

Sincerely yours,

Henry

Suppose you are Jack. Write a note in reply to Henry's invitation.

Study each of the notes given in this group and see whether you think the writer has adapted his thoughts and language to the occasion.

What is the purpose of each of the notes?

How do the headings in these notes differ from those in the usual letter? Is it necessary to give dates? Why is it usually better to give the day of the month than the day of the week? The name of the street and the date are sometimes put in the lower left-hand corner of the page following the letter or the note. Does it make any difference where they are placed?

Exercise for practice. Madge accepts an invitation from Fred to a class party. Write her note to Fred. Betty sends regrets to Horace. Write Horace's invitation to Betty.

Suppose Anna could not accept Mildred's invitation. Write her note of regrets.

Write a note of acceptance and another of regrets to some one of your friends.

II

THE LETTER OF EXCUSE

Sometimes it is necessary to excuse yourself for not writing to a friend. It is best not to let the occasion arise. On no account, however, use the old excuse that you were "too busy." We all know that if we really want to write, we can find time to do so. Here is a letter of excuse which a girl writes a friend for her long silence. She makes it a story-letter.

Hot Springs, Virginia

August 15, 19—

My dear Mary,

This letter is going to be mainly an excuse for not having written before. If you are interested in excuses found in

letters, I will give you mine.

To make a short story long, for it took only a second to happen, several weeks ago I started for a walk in the woods. I had not gone far when I came to a small creek which was more mud than water. I found a small round log across it in one place, and thought that this offered the best means of crossing. When I was almost across, I began to congratulate myself on my safe arrival after a dangerous journey. So you may know that it was a great surprise for me to find my nose suddenly burrowing in the soft creek mud, with my feet still on the log. How I got up will have to remain a mystery to you as well as to me. The mud was not soft to any depth, so my greatest anxiety was whether my nose was broken or not. However, it was only scratched. Then my wrist began to swell, and I have not been able to use it for three weeks. Now you have my excuse. It is a good one, isn't it?

I shall hope for a prompt reply, telling me all about your doings in that beautiful mountain retreat where you are spending the summer.

Sincerely your friend,

Mildred Jones

Exercise. You are asked to take part in some program outside of school. You find you will not have time to do so. Write a letter of excuse.

You intended to go to a party to which you were invited. Something happened to prevent your going. Write a letter of excuse.

You find it impossible, on account of circumstances, to keep an appointment with a friend. Write the proper letter of regret.

Write your teacher a letter of excuse for being absent from a recitation.

Write a letter to your teacher, requesting her to excuse you an hour before dismissal time.

One of your classmates has lent you a book which you have kept overtime. Write a letter of excuse for your seeming lack of thoughtfulness.

III

FORMAL NOTES

In formal notes the writer speaks of himself in the third person as if the person mentioned were someone else rather than he. The formal note has no salutation or complimentary close or signature. Read the following model. The answer should be written in the same form as the invitation. Be sure to write carefully.

Notice the position of the address and date in the following notes: