LETTERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12423, 17 April 1926, Page 16

LETTERS

Dear Fairiel, —Fiji glad you liked my poem. As a matter of fact almost everybody liked it. I went to the Zoo to-day week ana had a jolly good time watching the lions and seals being fed. I also saw the alligators and turtles. They are queer things. f I shall try to make a verse or two about the grotto as you asked me to. Hy the way, the grotto is big enough to seat you and two others. There lias been a common visitor to our plaoe of who is none other than a fantail. If you leave a window or door open you can bet your buttons Mr or Mrs (I don’t know which) Fanny will step iqside!. Other visitors have been the mouse family. . . four of them have been caught within a' fortnight, only they are by no means wiped off the map yet. At the farm opposite our place there is going to be a sale on Tuesday, and to-day they are baling a stack of hay, -so when I went to buy some milk I interested myself for a few minutes watching them. My brother Jack saw Barber and Wfhetton.’s ’bus shop get burned—it was a rather disastrous fire, as not only did the garage get burned, but a new ’bus and a car also, including the wall of a neighbouring . Chinaman’s shoo.

We’ve had our car registered for this year, > and we have new number plates which I think are a nicer colour than the others. I suppose I have told you before about my pet bantams, one of which will stand upon ray shoulder and feed out of my hand at the same time. Oh! Another thing! I forgot all about tell-, ing you of my cousin’s pet parrots. He used to have three—Peter, Baby, and Paul, but Peter died—he was such a dear. Baby came from London on the Kemuera, and he says: “I came out on the Remuera.” “Hullo Paul,” “Hullo boy,” and “Where’s Lionel?” (Lionel is his master.) Oh, Fairiel! there’s such a lot of news I could tell you, but I’m 'afraid I’ll have to leave some until next week. I hope you had a happy Easter, Fairiel, 'causd I did. I am very sure of thnt. What with) going to thf Zoo, as ► said, and to the pictures—well I went almost everywhere, so I couldn’t, verv well help enjoying myself, could I? Hasn’t our ring grown treinendousiy, Fairiel ? Why! we occupy one page of the “Times,” nijd yet we need more. Soon we shall use the whole paper I suppose. . . but I hope not because that would be too much I am afraid, aren’t you? If that did happen we should have to have a monthly system, not weekly. ■

You’ve given us a rather hard puzzle this week, I’m thinking. I did that drawing last night and this morning I thought it might be all right for'our birthday. I will try to think of something else as well. That story about the cards seems to my mind rather good. Isn’t Montmorency Kitchener Jenks a very funny fellow—he doesn’t care what he breaks or damages, does he? Why it was only last week that he broke his bottle "when killing a blowfly.—Your dearest elf, KEITH, < Keith Hutcheson, Tower Hutt. • • • . Dear Fairiel,—l received my prize this afternoon, and 1 want to tnank you very much for it. I do like it so much. It is such a lovely book. I never thought I would get such a lovely prize. I was so surprised when I saw my story had won a prize, for I never thought I would get one. I have been so excited wondering what I would get, and when I got it this afternoon I could not get home quick enough, and I was so excited I left mv school bag in the post office, hut the post boy gave it to me to-night. I have read one story already. .It is called “A Little Too Clever.” Mother says she thinks we . are very lucky little girls and boys to belong to snch a lovely fairy ring, and to have such a kind fairy godmother.—Your little friend, , _ ' GWEN. Gwen Garner. Porirun. * • • . Dear Fairiel,—l am sorry to say that Needles has died. We thought he had gone to sleep for the winter, but he only slept for five days, and lie waked up and had a little drink of milk and curled up in his bed again. He woked up the next day, but he would not drink nor eat, and the next day we found him dead. Mother said she thinks he was too young to leave his mot.heT, and did not have enough strength stored up in his little body. I felt so sorry, and I still feel sad when I think about him, for although lie wasn’t very cuddtv as you said, I loved him, because he was such a funny little fellow.—Your lovinv friend, GWEN. Gwen Garner, Porirua. e«- « * Dear Fairiel. —Last Monday we went to the Z9O. One of the tigers seemed very savage. When the keeper went to give it it’s meat it snatched it from his hands. There was one ladv there who wanted to take a photo of either oqe of the tigers. When she went up to the cages the Prince was lying ‘in a wav that said as plainly as anvthing: “Come on. Take a snap of roe do.” She went to take a snap, and the tiger started to walk round and round. She went to take a. snap of the other, and it, too, started to walk round and round. The alligators are only about, three feet long, and the water they have is onlv about six inches deep. Some of the birds that had the beautiful feathers in the summer are moulting, and they do look a sight.—From your loving fairv, MOLLIE. Mollie Day, Ngaio.