OUR YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1415, 24 November 1904, Page 4

OUR YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN.

OJJBMOTTO: Wintsoevcr tbj band fiodeth to do, do ii with all toy might. fiULES. AH Utters for the week's publication should reach «h» office not later than Monday ■Hwrnoon. 8. CorMpoodents should write on only one aide ol the £aper. Ati oomepsadeaia moat send their rea names, not necessarily for publication. Ail letters should be addressed thus : Press M.BB. UNCLE PHIL, Ehsign Office, ■ Gore. ■ Dear Boys and Girls,—As there is a large batch of correspondence this week, I will not take up any space and so leave room for as many letters as possible. 1 hope next week to give full particulars regarding the tent on the show ground. Uncle Phil. Dear Uncle Phil,—l now take my pen in hand to write you these few lines after an absence of such a long time. We have been having grand weather until just lately,, but it is raining and snowing to-day. AH the farmers about here have all their oats in, and are busy getting their grass feed in. Wc have all our potatoes and vegetables in. 1 know a good many of your U.P.X's. There is a great alteration in the trains now, isn't there, Uncle? We-arc living quite near the railway and roadline. There are only thirteen going to school, so the teacher will not be killed with hard work. The examination is on the 23th of this month. I am glad I left school now and have no examination to pass. I thought 1 had plenty to tell you, but when I started I had nothing worth writing, only a lot of rubbish. We have live cows milking and will have two more soon. We have four pretty little foals. T will tell you more news next time. I have written such a lot of letters to you and not sent them ; but lam going to send this one. You will have to excuse this scribble as it is bedtime now. I will now close with love to all the U.P.N's., not forgetting yourself. I remain your aff?ctionate niece Maurice. Arthurton. ' (The train service is greatly altered. You did right to send your letter, «nd 1 hope to hear from von soon again. -U.P.) Dear Uncle Phil,—lt is such a iorg time since I last wrote to you that yon will be thinking I was never coing to write to you again. Do you like reading, Uncle? lam very Tend of it and have read a good few books. I saw a letter from A Mother in Israel about a fortnight or three weeks ago, and that is true what she said about dancing, is it not. Un:le? It will soon be show day again, and I think I will be going down to Oore that day. It does not seem long since last show day, does it? I saw a letter from Violet last Thursday ; I see she has changed her name. As news is scarce up this way I will have to Jfrring this letter to a close. With love to all the U.P.X's. and yourself, T remain I.W.M.P. Balfour. Riddle : As I was ffoing along the road. .1 met a boy, he drew off his hat and drew off his coat ; what was his name? (Yes. I like reading, but have not much time for it. I hope you will not be so long in writing again.— U.P.)

Dear Uncle P4iil,—lt is nearly a year since I wrote my last letter to you, and I feci almost ashamed to start again. It is getting near examination tlmo again, and we are all working hard for it, because none of us •like to think we will be left behind. We have to do a paper and take it to school at the end of every week. and the best of- them are tacked up on the wall. The paper consists of drawing a map, transcriptions, or arithmetic. Our teacher told us to bring any work we were doing through the month, and this can be rither needle work or the same as >ve do for the weekly work. On Trafxlgar Day some of the girls brought their needle work (or monthly work, as it is called) to the school, and all the best weekly work that we had done before was put up on the wall We made some small boxes out of cardboard, and they were all arrayed out for the parents of the school children to see. The fifth and sixth standard children had done some very nice work, and T saw some of it. I think this is all I have to say about the school, only that it was a pity that the afternoon turned out wet ; but we had a good show all the same anVl a good few came to sec it. The weather is keeping fine just now. and it will not be long" before the nice summer weather is with us again. Doesn't the. time fly, Unci.-? 'We are getting near Christmas ag-vn, and it seems no time since the List. I was at Goro on October 1 and 15. and T liked it very much, although the roads were very dirty. I srot my photo taken up in Gore, and T think it will turn out all right. Some of the cousins hnve been hurrying me up to write again, so here I am. T hope it is not too late to thank yon for the card you sent me at Christmas. andl like it very much. Hurry up. Dnlcebella ami give us a letter, u* 1 have not seen one from you for a long time. As I have no more news at present I think I will close now. With love to all the cousins and voursclf, I remain, vours sincerely. A Lucky Packet. Mntaurn.

(Your school certainly made a good display on Trafalgar Day. Let me know how yon got on with your examination. I hope you will not be so lontr in writing next time.—F.P.) Bear Unc'e Phil, —It .seems ages and ages since I wrote those three ittle words—so loii" that I feel almost ashamed to write them now. Although I have not been writing- to the pare my eyes poerrlv scan its contents each Thursdav in ihe hoi?e of secinsr some of onr dear old writers' .names at the foot of a nice loner letter. Whc-e have they all gone to. Uncle? Daphne. Dulce. Lois, Wallflower. Ben Tlur. end ~~Jack have been deserters for - long time now. I wish they would wite oftener. T always enjoy reading their letters so. It is a cold, rainy dav. and it looks anything: but -'-e-rful outside, but as I have no occasion to po ont T nertl nr.t grumble. Don't Ihe little lambs look nice snorting about in the green fields? I like lilt'- '■>ml)s. but one animal I cordially dislike is a calf. They make mc so cross. Tlioy come butting against you so roughly % that you hardly ore able to stand yonr own i against them. When T v ;is just a little girl T was given the nil's "" and fold I could feed one i> T •iked. I took the bucket and cautiously apnroached the ,calf. It was a str in<r. bijr' thinir twice the size of me. 1 put ■ tbe bucket so that the calf eo'ild \ drink easily, but it evidently wasn't thirsty, f< r it butted me and the bucket farther than I wished—m>t;-h further. Another time when I was a .'-'diild-T'WnV a little.toy bucket " at *- the Christm*:? tree. Now, J ;jwib very proud of this liit'e toy. and one ev-

erring when the cows were in the yard I knelt down beside one ami began to uiilk into it. The cow didn't seem to care a bit what kind of a bucket it was being milkod into, for it coolly kicked mo and my fancy little toy nearly into the next paddock. It made me feel terrible, but it didn't sp:>il my bucket, so I didn't mind, and I have had worse experiences since then. I was nearly drowned once. A deep hole of water was covered with a layer of chaff, blown there by the wind, and I was playing about when all at once in I fell. 1 had sunk and risen tiwico when my sister caught me. I often tell her she deserved a medal for saving such an important person as me. What do you think, Uncle? Another time I was sitting- on the hob—a very favorite seat of mine—when I caught on fire. My brother was in the room at the time, but did not exert himself in tiie least io put the tire out. He walked into another room with his hands in his pookets and called out to my sister: "I say, Maud's on firo out there." My sister jumped up and came and put my clothes out. T had on a new dress, too, and when my mother came home I walked about sideways, holding the two widths together so she wouldn't see it. Another time, not so many years ago. I was stauding with my back to the fire when my light, loose dress caught. One of my numerous brothers was sitting reading and my mother was busy with something at the table, but when she heard my yell she turned round to behold me all in flames, i-'hc put my clothes out as quickly as possible, then turned to my brother and asked him why he had not trird to put me out. "Oh," he said. "I always read in books to keep perfectly cool during a fire.'' It was very easy to keep cool that way, but mother's hands were not very cool when she had finished. It is only a month till Christmas now. Mow quickly the year does fly. Show Day is still nearer. What, a splendid idea i the U.P.N, tent is. It will be a ;>'aee to go and sit in if you feel tired, and moreover, if it is wet, the U.P.N's. will bo able to amuse themselves fine. I think it will be grand. Was it you suggested that, Uncle? Dear Uncle, isn't there to be a U.P.X. social this year? Dear R.E.S. and Victoria, howare you keeping-? I hope you and yours are all well. Dear Wallflower, I heard you were very ill. 1 felt so sorry for you, poor old girl. 1 hope you are quite well now. If so, hurry up and answer my letter. I was down to the contest on the second day. but it wasn't nice. The first day was the best. The people in Gore will ;-a'c had enough of bands to last them for a long time, but 1 don't suppose they will be troubled with another such time for many a year. Did you I'ke it. Uncle? A friend of ours who was ill in Gore at the time said the bandsmen paraded the streets all night, and T have heard said. "Enough's es good as a least." .I'm afraid tne lieople would be sick of it. T had a friend staying with me the other day who had a long way to walk hone, and as the horse and gig were' away we started off. more for the fun of it than anything else, on the slclve. Oh, dear ! what a time we had. One of the younevr boys was driving and a beautiful driver he proved to be. He took us into all the ditches he could find, and to crown all we had to pass a lot of fierce-looking catt'c, and had to scout away through gullies to get out of their way. However, we got safely to our journey's encl. and I must say I wasn't sorry. Dear llr Dick, how are yon n-clting on? I meant to come up, but T really, can't be spared. It's terrible to be such an important person, isn't it? What has become of Mispah and the rest of the Wendonside U.P.X's.? Dear Yellow Rose, how are all your people getting on? You must try and come up some time, will you? How- are you getting along, Hosilind? l All right T hope. Now, dear Uncle. I will have to close or you will be wishing T had never taken it into my head to write. So with very best love to Jack. 8.E.5.. Pretoria, Tom. Snowdrop IT., ■Mr Dick, Heatherbell. Chirps and Pecks, and heaps to dear Uncle and Auntie Phil, I remain, vours sincerely, Little Dorrit. Pyramid. P.S.—Dear Uncle, will you be expected to bring your own cups on Show Day? It will be rather unhandy for the country ones to bring them all the way to our U.P.N. tent.—L.D. (Yours is a welcome letter after such a long interval. Perhaps some of the older writers you mention will write now that you have called their attention to their forget fulness. 'You Certainly had some trying experiences in your younger days, and apparently you still manage to get into awkward situations, as witness yuur sledge drive. I hope next week to make a definite announcement regarding the tent on the show grounds. Do n.-t be so long in writing again.—U.l'.) Dear Uncle Phil,—lt is such a longtime since J last wrote to you 1 thought I might as well write you a few lines. I am going to thank A Mother in Israel for the recipe of Eno's Fruit Salt. Dear Uncle, I would very much like to know when you will have the badges in, as I would like to get one. I have not got much news this.time, and I think it will be the last letter till Christmas. We are not having very good weather for summer are we. I think 1 will have to stop now as I am going to send a riddle. With love to all the cousins, not forgetting yourself. 1 remain,

Sandy. Why is a hen on a fence like a penny ? (I cannot tell you when we shall have a fresh supply of budges. Do you intend being in Gore for the show ■?— U.P.) Dear Uncle Phil,—l now lake the pleasure of writing you a few lines to let you know that I think a booth on thcShow Ground would be very nice, and we would get acquainted with a lot more U.P.N.'s. We would take our own lunch. Von might please, let us know before :Show Day if you can get one. I am very sony I lost my badge about a week ago. Will it matter to go without one ? I don't suppose we can get one before Show day, althoiiuh I would very much like to have one. This won't be a very long iettei,,as I. had one in lastweek, und this is only in answer to your note al>out arranging a booth. If wc take our own lunch I suppose we will get tea. I think I will close now as it is getting late, and the cows ate to be milked, and I tell you they are wild lo Rcl into the bad. •We have }l race after them for half anhour sometimes : they arc not so bad now as they were at first. With love to all the U.P.N.'s, esueciullv lien Htir and Ike. J remain, vour loving niece. Blue Hell of Scotland. Wandeville. (The idea of having a tent on the Show Ground appears to have given universal satisfaction. Write a longer letter next time—U.P.)

Dcar Uncle I'hil,—l am going to write you a few lines to let you;kno\v I am not dead. T suppose you will he thinking I aui dead, because for so long I never wrote to you, but T was so busy that 1 had hardly any time to do anything in the way of writing. We have a new teacher : his name is Mr Holiert lin.ni.. I like him for a teacher very well. He is very joyful and happy. The weather has been very disagreeable. I will now con-

elude with kind regards to Melrose and yourself. I remain, yours truly, Stockman. Tokonui. (Don't let the time run past .for so long again before writing. I am glad you like your new teacher. I know him and am sure he will,be very much liked by his pupils.—U.P.)

Dear Uncle Phil,—Well, here I aiii over in Melbourne. I didn't think I ; would be here so soon. Accompanied ] by a friend I started from Port Chal- I ruers by the s.s. Moeraki on Monday, ' October Gth. All that night things went all right ; some were happy ana singing, and some were walking up i and down the deck, while some of the : poor wretches were lying about sick ; and helpless. It is awful to see people seasick, as they look very miserable and helpless. Wo anchored off the ISluir heads next morning at 4 o'clock, and 1 can tell you the ship was rolling about when she was anchored. Lhe boat got to the wharf about half-past nine. My friend and I took the train up to Invercargill. Everything seemed to be moving, and we seemed to be going ,up and down all the time. After we had something to eat, we had a look round the) town and up the water tower and through the gardens. The Invercargill gardens are very nicely laid out, and they have some very fine parks too. We took the :!.:10 train back and caught the boat, which sailed at 5 that night, and-'it was just teeming, j Everyone was saying, '"I wonder if it is going to .he rough," and an officer would come along and you would hear them ask him what the. weather was gloing to .be. I stayed up on deck till aDout eight, and then rolled into ! bunk. My mate was in his bunk sick all the time, so I couldn't enjoy myself much. We landed at Hobart on the 21st after a very calm passage from the Bluff. Very few used to turn up to their meals : they had to got it taken to them, as most of them were helpless. I never missed mine, so I think I^fared pretty, well. I We were in Hobart for about seven hours, so we took, all the trams to the different parts and saw what was to be seen. Hobart is a very pretty place with plenty of bush about it, and the flowers grown about arc something lovely. They have electric trams running to all the suburbs but they are pretty old-fashioned' cars. The time went round too .quickly ami' it seemed only an hour that we were ashore. Five o'clock came and we were again making out to sea. It takes about an hour and a-half to go down the huubor as it is a very long one, and a piettier bar bor you couldn't wish for. Hush covers the hills the most of the way and here and there you could see a farm house, and the sun was just going down, which made everything look quiet, and peaceful. We had a pretty rough passage across from Hobart to Melbourne, but, nevertheless, we ar- i rived at the Melbourne wharf at five o'clock on Sunday morning. The only fish that wc saw on our way was a shark, but we saw any amount of albatrosses, which followed us all the way over till we came in sight of land, then they left us. The mom- ' ing we arrived we got up at half-past five and went up on deck to see what : the city looked like in the early morning. Everything was quiet, and all that you could .hear was "Cab, sir." from the cabmen oil the wharf. They nearly worry you. After we had lireakfast we got our ■ H'igg'age and went and gv>t a place to stay at. We got a suita'bje place, and then we strolled round the town. On our round we passed the Catholic Church and we watched the procession, as it .happened to be High Mass. The church is a lovely stone building and it took.some years.to huiUL.it. Afterdinner we took the car to the Zoological (iurdenß. These gardens eontain a very large and valuable collection of wild animals, gathered from all parts of the world. Melbourne is a lovely laid-out city. The principal streets are wide and spacious, running at right angles to each other. Nearly every street has large oak trees growing down the footpaths, which help to make the place beautiful. There are three railway stations, from which frajuciit trains run to the numerous and attractive suburbs of the. .city as well as to the country districts. The several parks and reserves are well laid out, the principal being the Botanical Cardelis, distant one mile from the city, and containing a large assortment of choice plants and trees. These; gardens contain 100 acres. There is no end of amusements here. Every day there is something new and every day you have some new place to go. Melbourne has a population of 477,790 so it will give you an idea how big the place is. At night the streets are as light as day. as they are lit up all night with electricity. On Sunday night the streets are like a Saturday -night, as,all the refreshment rooms are open and people are rushing about. There is one good thing about thfs place, viz., you see very few drunkards about. I have seen more in Dunedin in a day than I have seen here s nee J came. The drink can't be as strong. We went to see that great event the Cup, and what a sight and what a crowd. There were all the colors of the rainbow that day. No doubt, you saw enough about it in the papers. We went to I'allarat, but 1 will leave a description of» that till next letter. In a fortnight's time we will be going to Sydney and will be staying there for a. month, then going home by Auckland. While in Auckland we shall go to JSotorua then home. 1 will write later on. .Hoping this finds all the cousins in good health. I remain, with best love to the cousins with whom lam acquainted. Yours truly, Ike.

I Crystal Cafe, 200 Bourkc street, I Melbourne. I (We arc very pleased to Bear from you, and hope you will follow up this interesting letter by further accounts !of what you see. I have attended to the niatter you referred to in your private note.—U.P.) Dear Uncle Phil,—This is the first I time I have written to you. I read , the U.P.N.'s page every week, and I : thought I would like to become one | of your correspondents, if you will accept me, as you have a lot of letters r to look pver. I noticed in your, last letter you were trying to get o i U.P.N, booth on the Show Ground, | and 1 agree with it, as I think it ; would be a good idea. Wc could Hiring our own lunch, l'will he going ii it is a fine day, but it is very hard to get a fino day just now ; it is either raining or blowing every day. If it is a line morning it is raining 'before night ; you are not safe to leave without a coat. Is it not terrible weather for summer, Uncle ? I hope it will be fine before the Show. As this is my first letter it won'it be a twg one. I will write a longer one next time I write. 1 think I will close now, with love to all. I remain, your loving nephew, Engine Driver. Mandeville. (1 am pleased to have you as a Correspondent, and hope to hoar from you again soon.—U.P.)

A TRIP THROUGH AMERICA. (By .Miss White.) Continued. Sometime before reaching Baltimore, day dawned and we could see the country wo were passing through, For miles we glided through forest or woods glowing with the mellow lints of autumn, then passed orchards with luscious looking apples hanging on the trees' ready to -jdrop, tomato and pumpkin gardens, tobacco patsies and Holds of maize, most of which was cut. About 8 a.m. we reached the capital city, Washington, on the Potomac. We immediately went to a restaurant, where we got refreshed with a good wash and had breakfast. It was a hot, sultry day, but we started to have a look round the town. Washington is a most beautiful city, built of brick and stone, with broad, wellshaded streets, there being a row of trees down each side. These; trees are deciduous, and at the time of our visit every breeze caused a shower oi : leaves to fall. At the intersections of the streets are statdes a S famous American men. The population of Washington is nearly 2N0.000. but as the political centre of the republic its importance is not measured by population. The city is in the federal district of Columbia, and is governed directly by Congress. The Capitol is one of the handsome buildings of the world and, standing on the brow of a hill, commands the entire city. It is surmounted by a great dome crowned with a huge statue of , Liberty or Freedom. The. Capitol is*situated in the centre of the city, and the main streets, which are called avenues, radiate from it like the spokes of a whe:L In the afternoon we went to see the Congressional Library, which is >aid to be without doubt and without ipicstion the most beautiful buil.ling in the world. It is H-lOl't by -170 ft. and from an aesthetic point of view contains the greatest architectural triumphs of the nineteenth century. Not only are its lines superb, but the frescoes and other interior decorations are exquisite. A great deal of white marble has been used in its construction. The main stairway is solid, pure white marble, the vestibule has an artistic mosaic door, and beautiful, marble pillars support the staircase. The building has a large cupper dome.. I was informed by an American lady that the best artists were engaged to decorate the interior. We walked round the White House, which is a comfortable but unprrlei-i----tions looking structure. It is beautifully white. The Statu Army and Navy building is another fine edifice, covering four and" a-half acres of ground. It is built of iron and granite and is said to bo entirely lireproof. Among other striking buddings in Washington are the Treasury, the Post Office, and the Smithsonian Institute. Another structure that attracts attention is the Washington Monument, a lofty shaft ooijft, in height, said to be the highest masoni ry structure in the world. Inside it is an elevator by which visitors, ma}' ascend and view the city. Amongst the trees and plants growing in Washington I noticed many specimens of the same as I have seen in Napier, Hawke's Bay. Magnolias and cannas were common. While in Washington we decided to have a real American dinner. On taking your seat in a restaurant in America the first thing handed you is a glass of iced water. Then the menu is handed you and the waiter, who is generally a colored man, takes your order, after which you sit patiently, or rather impatiently, and wait till he brings it. Americans may be •smart at some things, but serving in a restaurant is not one of them. When your patience is nearly exhausted the waiter returns with your order, or if you are having dinner he brings you everything at once. No matter how many may be in the party, each person gets each vegetable on a separate little dish. For instance, you get your meat on a large plate, your potatoes on one little dish, your beans on another', your stewed fruit on another. You are furnished with a teaspoon for each little dish. For tea or colVee each person gets a little jug of milk, not much larger than a thimble, though there is just one basin of sugar put on the table. Each also gets a tiny pat- of butter, about the size of luilf-a-erown, on a tiny white plate. In Washington we lust saw people eating corn oil the cob. They took up the boiled cob and. after shaking a little salt over it and putting on a little butter, they took the cob in both hands and worried it. Katun this way. the corn is rather nice. The cobs arc boiled before being (pule ripe. Sometimes the bill-of-fure handed you is a huge affair, ami you can get almost anything you like to mention, from tried frog-legs and tartar sauce to Sourcrout ladies' lingers and French kisses. Each item is charged seoeratcly. the orier being put in cents. The common drink is colVee, not tea. and really the tea is vile, scarcely any but green tea ■being; procurable. The American hotels are run differently from the British. You gel your room, but it is optional whither you get your meals or not. You "'jyvr gel your boots cleaned, and there is a notice put up in the bedrooms •.valuing people not to nut their boots outside the door. On the streets are numerous stands and seats where a man can sit down and get his boots polished, and read the paper at the same time. Eive cents, i.e.. '2U\, is the usual price, but in San Francisco it is 10 cents, or sd. We left Washington tor Pittsburg in the morning at ten minutes to eight, traversing us far as Baltimore the same line an from New York to Washington. Then we struck off through fresh country, gliding by farmhouses, dairy farms, orchards, fields of Indian corn, etc., past men ploughing with mules, and up the valley of the Susquehanna river to Harrisburg. where we had to disembark and wait for nearly an hour for another train. Then we passed up the valley uf the .luanila. passing through the town of York and several other places. la many

plaoM along- tire line armies of men were at work retaining walls, excavating, laying- down another line of rails, or doing other work. Jt was the same all through the Stales. Prom Washington to Pittsburg there is a double lino of rails all the wey. From Now York to Baltimore there are four lines of rails. The country was oftea very pretty, some of it rough and .hilly and cjotihcd with natural bush. At frequent intervals wo met and passed long freight trains laden mostly with coal and -oke. When ascending the Alleghany mountains.wo came to the town ' of Altona, where all the rolling stock for the Pennsylvania Railway Company is made and repaired. A little past the town we came to the famous Horseshoe Curve, which at the time of its construction was considered a wonderful feat of engineering. One prong of the shoe, is much higher than the other, and inside the curve are the reservoirs which supply the town of Altona with water. We gradually ascended till we reached a place called Cresson. at an elevation of 251)0 feet above sea level. This place is considered very healthy and was, a f-'W years ago, a favorite holiday resort for the millionaires of Pitts-burg. A soft kind of coal is mined here. After passing Cresson the line stmts to ascend the western slopes of the Alleghanys, and soon the iron mining country is reached, when the atmosphere gets smoky. Near a place called Johnstown Ave saw some dirtylooking objects—(he first sheep wo had. observed in America, though we had seen numbers of cattle. At Johnstown we passed several furnaces ■and from this place right into Pittsburg are indications of the iron industry. Wc reached Pittsburg exactly at seven o'clock, having taken eleven hours and ten minutes- from Washington (including the stoppage of about, an hour at ffarrisburg). a distance of 375 miles. At most of the stations along the line there was indicated, by moans of a fingcr J board, the distance from Pittsburg. This city at once gives one the impression of being a very busy place. The railway station wo landed at was a large building, several stories high. The waiting rooms are crowded- all the time. 'lhc Americans seem fond of rockingchairs, and there are a few dozens in most of the waiting rooms, especially in the ladies' waiting rooms. What amused me was to enter a room and see the occupants all rocking themselves as if their lives depended :>n it. They seemed as if they must be ''going" even when sitting down. (To be continued.) ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S PUZZLES. A Merry Traveller's. Because the train rims over the sleepers.