i am taking this occasion to thank all of my readers, boys and girls alike, who have been so kind as to write to me. sometimes your letters have gone unanswered for a long time, i fear; and it is possible that now and then, entirely by accident, one has been lost sight of entirely. if so i am both sorry and apologetic, for your letters are always a real pleasure to me, whether, as is so surprisingly often the case, they are filled with praise for my stories, or, as is sometimes the case, they call me to account for mistakes made. your criticisms, always just, are perhaps better merited than your praise, and are quite as well appreciated. my thanks and my compliments, then, to all my correspondents for their kindly expressions, and my thanks and compliments to all my readers for their kind allegiance.

very truly yours,

ralph henry barbour.

“journey’s end,”

manchester, mass.