THE CASTLE MAIL-BAG.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 10 September 1927, Page 18

THE CASTLE MAIL-BAG.

Glover Road, Hawera. Dear Smile Queen. —As J June written tlie essay about the holidays, I thought I would write to you Ido not expect I’ll get the prize, because T have not done anything very into testing in the holidays. I expect you wilt laugh when you read about the fence. The wood-heap is just by our gardens, and we do not want wood tin-own on oi.r gardens so I thought I would build a fence. I wish we had some pets to tell you about, but we’ve only got a canary, and I have told you about it. A man who works in my father’s workshop has a pigeon which comes to work with him It is called Cooee, and is a very pretty bird with grey feathers and shining pink and green round the neck. I have often tried to touch it, but just, as I think. I have it it flies away. I came second in the essays in the Winter Show, and received ten shillings. As I had the mumps I could not go to the show, but mum bought me a doll. AVell. as I have nothing else to say, I will close, with Jove to you and the Smiles. 1 remain, your loving Smile, Elsa Flavell. [Thank you for the essay F.Lsa The pigeon sounds so interesting—sometime 1 .shall have to tell the Smiles about the pigeons at the Mansion House in London and in St. Mark’s square, Venice. I just love them Have you ever heard the pigeons in the bush up the mountain? I’m awfully glad you were so successful at the Winter Show Your loving S.Q.J

Normanby. Dear Smile Queen. —1 suppose you think I have forgotten you, but I have not arid I am not likely to either. I have i bail the mumps. We have had our second term examination and I came first. We are having our Spring holidays. "VVhat a. change it is now Spring is here. Everything seems to he wakening up. Our orchard looks a picture now for all the fruit trees are out. Well, Dear Smile Queen, I must close now wishing you goodnight. With love to you and your Smiles I remain, your loving Smile, Freda Ward. xx x x [l’m glad you have an orchard Freda, for I think at this time of year they are beautiful, f hope you are enjoying your holidays. Don’t he so long in writing next time please.—S.Q.]

Meredith St., Paten. Deal- Smile Queen, —1 suppose you think 1 am forgetting you. Although its my holidays, 1 have lots’ of practising to do. lor my examination in a lew weeks. I have not ueen able to go very lar from home these hoi relays, hut I had some nice runs in the car. 1 went to Hawera last I oesday and wem to the competitions. My little cousin

June got four first prizes. T was very peased. Some of the items were very good. Did you get to hear the oomjjc tions, Smile Queen!-' My two we< bantams are sitting, now. One i.s sit ting on hen eggs and the othor on duel eggs. Mv two wee dogs arc so please* to have me home with them; they !ov< me to take them for a walk twery day [ will close now. dear Smile Queen with lots of love, to von and all the Smiles. Your loving Smile Hindoos Fairweather. [ln spite of not getting away for youi holidays von seem to he having a de.’.igh.tftii! time. Hinemoa. I’m sim-c voui wee dogs are ever so glad to have voiti companionship. I think Id: fie Taiv ever so clever. I was sorry I could not see mop of the competit-iow. but ho|>e to have better luck next year. Do you recite? Love from the S.Q.J

Skeet Road, Auroa. Dear Smile Queen. —I am half ashamed to write to you. I am always making good resolutions, but am afraid I do not carry them out. We are hst\ ing our school holidays 'now, .so I have more time. I do hope the weather keeps fine, so that we can get outside and have a look round. Jt’s nice to see the place dried up a hit after all the water that’s been around. We had set era-1 big pools in one of our paddocks, and one morning when we went out. there was a goose dead on one. We couldn’t help but laugh to think of a goose drowning on water, hut we really think that a cow must have killed it. as several times we have seen cows making a fuss round them . i have a calf for the School Competition again tills year. Don’t hoys do funny things. Smile Queen? Two l.oys were riding bikes, and had a sledge full of carrots tied to their hikes. They did look so funny; they made us laugh. I. think the mumps are just about ail over now. Nearly all in Auroa have had them. Roth Amy and I were in lied a. fortnight. Ann- lias gone away for a holiday to her little schoolmate’s place. Well, Smile Queen, 1 think I have run out of news so I will close now, hoping the Queen and her Dairies have a good holiday. Love from. Gladys Bigliam.

[What an amuisitig letter Gladys! You made me smile at the thought of a goose drowning in the puddle. We had lots of water but not as much as that. 1 think the hoys were most original. What a good photograph one could have got. Love from S.Q.]

Omuturangi Hoad. Lear Smile Queen, —I thought 1 would write to you as I am on my holiday from school. Just before we broke up from .school we had our exam. Another hoy and I came first with 21>2 marks. 1 am glad the holidays have started but we will soon have our Christmas holidays now. I am going ..•a enter for the competition. I think it is rather easy for there is such a iot of things to do in the Spring holidays; looking a ter calves and gardens 1 think Spring is one of the must beautiful seasons with such a lot of lovely ilowers out. Ha\e you many flowetvs in the Castle gardens. We have a good many. 1 have got some new hooxs for the gift cupboard, which ! will send as soon as Christmas is drawing near, and. if we do not send things there will be none for the sick children. Well.. Smile Queen. 1 will i;a.e to close. 1 am your loving Smile, Delia Stone.

P.S.—Dad came in and told me one ' the pet sheep has got a little lamb D. S.

[T hope you wished for luck, Delia, when you heard of the first lamb. How I shall look forward to getting the hooks for the cupboard. J love packing it. The flowers in the Castle are exquisite—Hyacinths, cowslips, all kinds of bulbs, anemones, rhododendrons. flowering currant and all kinds. 1 o. e from S.Q.J

11 Skeet Hoad. .Matapn. ,n v Dear Smile Queen. —I’lease may 1 .v become a member of your Castle? 1 i*- promise to smile every time .1 can and ■c to chase all the frowns into the dark t- cave whore the Smile Giant wi.j kill k them with Magic Sword. Happiness, d | will lie nine on November.”), and it e is on Guy Fawke’s day so I think myself very lucky. I am in standard 111 '• at school, anil 1 skipped Standard I. 0 | think I will ho in standard IV next :l year. Smile Queen, did you see the aeroplane leave Hawera on Sunday? | think I will close now. From your -■ New Smile*, Axis A. Cioaver. r [We are so happy to welcome you Avis and wo won’t forget your Guy ? Fa wire’s birthdav. No. I missed the ' j aeroplane. I think you are most lorn ward at school. Write again soon dear. —S.Q.J

Kakaramea

Dear Smile Queen.—We have all been in bed with the mumps, they are not very nice 1 can tell you I missed the last week oi school, and it was the examination week too. Mr. Wiley has put up a. wireless set in the lvaUaramcu Mali. There was a radio dame the other night and there is gone to be another dance on Ihusday ni<dit ia in going to enter tor the Essay" on “My Spring Holidays seeder that J entered for. the poetry competition. Our hens are not laving very well because we only get U and 10 c <r,rs a day, and we have got 25 hens. l = have planted some of my seeds already. l have a little garden of my own bv the side of the house. 1 think this is all the news, so I must close wit.i love to you all, from, Marjorie j-tardaker. [1 think Kakaramea is one of the most up-to-date places l know 1 m sure no other p.ace quite so small has such wonderful events as radio dances and wireless sets in their halls. 1 '' ils delighted to know you had a garden iVH \our own 1 hope the seeds grow well'. —S.Q.]

Skeet Road, Matapu. Dear Smile Queen. —We have two geese, upon our dam, who made Friends with two of our neighbour s „ ee ,e. They are laying very well, ours are sitting now. We have 41 cows in now and 15 calves, so we arc doing weli All the Spring bulbs are out and look so pretty in the gardens, we have a. number out of all different kinds, it has been raining a good bit here. Has it where you are I have had the mumps. There are only two in our family who have not had them, flow manv Smieles have you Smile Queen? As 1 hfive no more news to tell you, 1 will close with love to you and all your Dairies, from, Zena M. t.leav er.

[Your letter does sound prosperous, 2^-ena.! It- must. b-e lovely to- hat e geese Oil the dam. Do you help feed the eal.es? i hope your family has finished with the mumps. They are wretched things aren’t they? We have hundreds of Smiles now Love from S.Q.J

Whakamara. Dear Smile Queen. —As I have not written to you for a terribly long time, 1 am writing to pass' the time away. There is to be a fancy dress ball in Whakamara on i'fid-ay night, and two cousins and 1 are going in fancy dress. Tommy as Sleepy Sand, Lorry as an Absent Minded Beggar. My cousin Lorry Milham wishes me to thank you for the beautiful card you sent him foi his birthday. I forgot to tell you 1 am going as Carnival on Friday night. As this is all 1 have to tell you, I wil* close with lots of love, from, Peggy Alaule

| \\ hat a lovely time you would have at the ball, Peggy! Do write and tell me all about it and tell Lorry to write also. Don’t be so long in keeping me waitin'*- for a letter next time—S.Q.j

Glenn Road, Kapuni. Deai- Smile Q.ueen. —l s iea;se excuse me for not writing to you tor such, a long time. How are you and your fairies keeping? We have 1.1 little calves, and i kelp mother + o feed them. 1 have not been away tor any Spring holidays so 1 do not think L will go in for the competition. Does it have to be about. Spring, or only about the .Spring holidays? We have a good lew Ji,lies' growing in our creek, and a few primroses, but that is a.l Mother is putting in some ol her vegetables in the garden, and then she is going to put in some flower seeds. Haven t we Had wet weather ior a long time. Well, 1 must close. With a big Smile to all the Smiles and yourselt, from, Margaret Lindsay. [I think you could well go ill lor the competition. Margaret. It is on the holidays, but I think you could write ever so interesting an article oil helping with the calves and the garden and your writing is always so neat and ticlv. Love from S.Q.]

3 Council Houses, Sussex. Dear Smile Queen.—Thank you for your nice letter and the paper you sent me. You will have quite a lot oi .■smiles in England for Evelyn’s friend has written to you, and lots more want to. We are living temporary here at j love llrighton. it is a lovely place, and we see lots of steamers on the sea. i took your paper to school and our teacher read it, and they all said it was nice to have a paper from so far away. Now, Dear Queen. 1 must close. My birthday is on May the. 19th, so it .has gone. Your loving Smile. Ronald Wilfred Parsons. June Bth.

[How we love to get our overseas letters, Ronald. V e feel quite proud to know our paper was read in Hove. Yes, it must be interesting to see the steamers go by Do you imagine stories about each one? Love from S.Q.J Kakaramea. Lear Smile Queen. —As it is such a long time since 1 have written to you, i tnought i had better write now .1 am alt right, Lear Smile Queen ana hope .>o.i are the same. Gin Guides aie still flourishing, in Patea. On Tuesday last the Guides went for a ..ike the Leach, and tne Scouts went too. Last Saturday, we Guides moved to new quarters. vJur quarters are in c.,e forester’s Hall. I have lett tin J aides now because I am out working' ana ..aven’t got the time to go. i felt oo sorr>- to have to leave the company,

t Captain says J. can he a it anger so 1 am going to join the Rangers as soon as 1 possibly can I only left on Saturday, and I think I fee, dreadful for not ceing able to keep on attending the parades as 1 have been doing ever since the movement has been started here, and 1 am going to try and he as much as 1 can at Rangers as I was at Jirl Guides. There is to he another hike on Tuesday for the Guides and my sister, who is one, is going. AVell, as tais is all I can say just how, I will •I. se. With love from, Gwen Jury.

[Dli, Gwen, I feel just as sad as you do to think you are leaving the column'. lint think of the joy Gwen oi putting all your Guide laws into practice. i’m sure you will he a success in your wo.k because you have been a good Gu-ide. It will he lovely if you n he a Ranger, but duty first anti Lingers afterwards. Fond love Ironi vQ.'J

Auroa Road, Auroa. Dear Smile Queen. —I am going to write to you, because 1 have not written for a long time. I hope von will excuse me. We have a lot of Spring flowers out now. I am having quite an enoyable holiday We are milking ■'!* cows ito.v. As it is bedtime I must chi o. \ourv isiirerelv, Eunice Lyndon.

[You must he busy. Eunice, with 30 cows in How many valves have you? i am glad you are enjoying the holidavs. Did you come into Hawera at all? Your loving S.Q.]

Riverlea

Dear Smile Queen. —May I become one of your Smiles? I will smiie every time 1 can and chase all the frowns into the dark cave where the Smile Giant will kill them with liis Magic Sword Happiness. 1 am in the first standard. My birthday is on the 3rd o;' August. 1 will close now. AA ith love to you and your Fairies, from, Bert. Chapman.

[Welcome Bert! How oid are you? Do please write me a long letter next time and tell me what you are interested in and if you have any pets liom the S.Q.J

Norinanhy. Dear Smile Queen. —As it is a long time since 1 wrote to you, 1 thought 1 would write to you to-day. AYe have Soft Alton and have come to Normandy. We have got 3G cows in now and we have kept 10 calves so far. I am going to sell some tickets for the Church Anniversary Concert, which is to be held on the 17th of September in the Normanby Town Hail. On Sunlay the llth is the Church Anniversary About 3 weeks ago J had the mumps, hut am now better, and J tell yo i they are painful things. Our fruit trees are coming out now and it looks pretty when they are all out doesn’t it? 1 will close now as news is scarce. With a big Smile to you and your Smiles. I remain your loving Smile, Emily Ward.

From Gladys to S.Q. xxxxxxx P.S. — I am going to make some tilings or the Gift Cupboard. E.AA T . [I am glad you tiro thinking of making something lor the gift cupboard. Kmily. Whatever you make will he o v welcome. I hope you are able to <*ll lots o ti'kots for the Church Anniversary Yes. I know how painful the mumps are and I’m sure you are glad to be better.—S.Q.J