THE SMILE CASTLE MAIL-BAG.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 February 1930, Page 17

THE SMILE CASTLE MAIL-BAG.

Hawfira. Dear Smile Queen, —1 never knew that the Castle was open again, cr I would have written to you so as to have had a 'letter in last week m tiie Castle page. I never went away for the holidays, but I may go away at Easier time, and that will soon be here, V- e have a lot of pretty flowers out in the flower garden. I suppose + lie Castle garden is all flowers now, Smile Queen. I am in Standard 2 now and Vie. is in Standard! 4. I have a little brother going now. He started school at ihe beginning of the year. We have a gramophone now, and I like listern.g to it. Well, Smile Queen, this is ail for now. so with love to yourself and all the Smiles, I remain, your loving Smile, Kathleen Robinson.

(I missed your letter last veek, Kathleen. I hope you will start now and aim at being among the prizewinners at the end of the year. Yes, our garden is lovely. How splendid having a gramophone. Love. —S.Q.)

Mieremere.

Dear Smile Queen, —The first thing 1 must -do is to thank you very much for the beautiful gift which I received from you this afternoon. Isn’t the weather hot just at present? I spent my six weeks’ holiday at home helping on the farm and in the house. We are all back at s c-hoi again, working hard at our books. I passed into the Fifth Standard. Our hens are laying fairly well now, but our ducks are not laying at all. Queenie is going to write to yon while w© are milliking. How is your garden. Smile Queen? My brother who was in the hospital with appendicitis is coming home to-night. How are you getting on ait the Castle ? 1 have all of my books now. I ie-. main, your loving Smille, Dora C-olt art.

(I am glad you liked the prize, Dora. I was t>] eased to hear you passed into Standard 5. That is good news of your brother. How -happy you will be to have him home again. Our garden is lokip.g so bright. Love.—S.Q.)

Meremere. Dear Smile Queen, —L am writing you this letter to thank you ever so much for the beautiful present you sent me. I like it very much, and it came in very useful to m-e. I spent all my holidays at home Smile Queen, which I enjoyed very much. I have left school jnow, but I am still going to write to you. I spent the afternoon- in the beach yesterday and! 1 liked it very much. During the holidays I went down to the beach with some of my friends and I went right through the river a good few times with my girl friend. Well, Smile Queen, the haymaking is alt over non', I think. Have you ever seen a “stacker” working, Smile Queen? I have, and it is great fun watching it. Well, this is all for now. I remain, your loving Smile, Queenie Col tart. (So vou have left -school. Queenie? You will feel it strange for a time with no school, won’t you. Yes, I -have seen a stacker at work and it- is quite fascinating to watch. Love. —S.Q.)

Meremere. Smile Queen, —I -think our summer has come at last. It has been so hot to-dav it makes us feel quite lazy. I expect the next thing is that we wil/i have to be carting water. It a P lfc y we could not have saved more when we had so mnc-h ram. Well, Smile, Queen. I went for a long motor drive yesterday and there was a lovely beach there and we all took oif our shoes and stockings and had a pad die; it- was lovely I have been to the beach only twice this summer so far. There are onlv two or three new pupils at our school this year and about three have left We have got quite a lot of little ,pir/s .again. Well, Smille, QueeaQ « wii!l diose. as it is miHcmgtnnel remain, vonr loving Smile, tinny Townsend. (You are not alone in feeling lazy these summer days. Ruby. I can <Ppbe understand your reelings about- saving the rainwater. What was’th-e name of the beach you went to? Love.—-S.Q.)

Hawera. Dear Smile Queen, —Now that the new year has begun I will start and write again. I never knew that the Castle was open again after the holidays or 1 would have nad a letter in last week. While I was away for my holidays I had a lovelv time on a farm. I went away the first Monday after Christmas and' came hack a week before school started. I learned! to milk while I was away and I helped; to clear ragwort out of the paddocks. Dad spent his holidays out on the farm at Riveriea. where I was too. Well, Smile Queen, I shall have to close as it is bed: time, but I will write a bigger letter about my holidays next time, so with love to all at the Castle, I remainyour loving Smile, Victor Robins. P.S. —I received your present to-da.v, and I ani very pleased with it, and I thank you kindly for it. (I am glad the prize appealed to you, Victor. You didi indeed' have a good long holiday. How would you jiko to lie a farmer? Love. —S.Q.)

Whareroa Rd

Dear Smile Queen, —We have been back at school for a week and l are getting nicely settled down in our new standards. Now I am going to make a fresh start to write to you and.' will try and do better than I did last year. F'ii'st, I must thank you for the parcel which I received to-day. What a surprise I had When mother brought ithome I I was quite excited wondering who it could be from until I opened it and found your card. I have not veiy much to tell about the holidays, as 1 did not go away to stay. Do you know the lakes off Manawapou Road, Smile Queen? We went to them several times during the holidays andl always enjoyed; a swim there. One thing we did not enjoy, and that was arriving at the gate near the lake and finding a bull on the other side. He did not chase us, but he made such a noise that we were all a bit frightened! until we found that he was scared of a. whip. I am in Standard sat school and have also started to Learn music, so I will be kept fairly busy this year. It is bed time now, so I will close with lov-e from Thyrza. Abei'ley.

(I don’t think even a swim would have tempted me to face that bull. Thyfza! I hope you will keep yo.ur resolution to write freguently. Yes. I know Ihe lakes, too, and can quite imagine how popular they would be on the hot days. Love.—S.Q.) Manaia. J Dear Smile Queen, —I am sorry I did not write last week as we all seemed in such a hustle getting back to school. Our old school seemed quite strange to us as it has been moved to make room for a new one. The men are working at it now. They think it will be ready for us to go into after the Easter holidays. I went away for a week in the holidays. I stayed with my two little cousins in Hawcra. I enjoyed myself very much, though the - weather was not very nice. The other night father tcdd: us th.a!t there wore t.w/O hedgehogs in the garden so we took the torch out. to have a good « look at them. As soon as father < touched them with the toe of his boot . they curled up into a ball and stuck out their prickles. I will try and , write next week; that will be after the Show. I will be able to tell you I all about it. With love to you and all the 'Smiles. Love from ’Mol a Franklin.

(School would- seem strange under those circumstances, Nola. There have been a lot of hedgehogs about this year. Have you ever heard the funny little “grunting” sound they make I suppose that accounts for their name. Love S.Q.)