OUR LITTLE FOLKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1885, 6 January 1888, Page 35

OUR LITTLE FOLKS.

By Dot.

TO OORBBSPONDBNTS. Dot willbe pb^^^SffiKS juvenile correspondents on any ™ 8 kthemselves-short .stones oi p amufle _ fione of < f'SSRii by the chilments, &c. Ihe letters i* > „ D fc of the &^SRWpUS3ff». P^voted to •♦Our Little Folks.'*

lEXTEBS FKOM IDW FOLKS ' I live au aiou»y ' welcomes me when I knee, and sing i its own v , done, I hope that they Sfflbe* kindVona another, overlooking each ii » K s . and that they will not use bad I other's faults , ana w / bat ' ZftCA^™ hle ' »nd true, ("Here is a letter from a bad boy whose name I express i a punishment to him for gloating over his misdeeds.]:r>TTAa Dot,-I live up here now. We don t Jffhl , Wtness. but we borrow it from a neigh?our f WhaU mean thing to do ! You don't boHOW your bread do you?-DoT.] I like reading tKffilks'letters: I can't tell them all I have got Is I ain't got nothing but an old top, and it 'm'trofo * uch - 1 have g0 T b a ?° ny> h* ' ♦ v ™ Mod- it only cost ss. Now I want to tell you howl nearly killed old Van the German S» drinks whisky before he goes to sleep, and I coUared is botfcb and slung away the whisky, and made some real genuine liquor like you desleribedfo the Editor's Wallet of November 11. 'It was to be made of stuff for cleaning the 1 mirror-turpentine, ginger, and painkiller, and \ this, it was said, would>ake whisky. We had ; not got any stuff for cleaning the mirror, but I cot some furniture polish. I could not find the turpentine, but I thought kerosene would dc > as well. I got the ginger and painkiller. I made the lot up to as much as there had been of whisky in the bottle, but I could not get the Ser to sink till I shook the bottle for a long time, and then it did. I put the bottle m the corner near Van's bed, and watched at night by the window to see what he would do. Van is 60 Years old, and when he went to bed he got a Jocoa tin and poured out the whisky I had made, and then put it to his mouth. But he did not drink the lot. He only drank half way, then he looked at the tin and then at the bottle, and he took very bad. He put his clothes on aU bat his boots, coat, waistcoat, and hat, and bolted up to our house yelling out "I am poisoned, I am on fire, lam dying." They gave him hot salt and water, and it made him very sick, then tßey cave him a lot of hot coffee with real whisky m it. and ho gob a little better. The skin is off his mouth, and he has not ate much during the past fortnight, but I do hope he will get better. Old Van always says he is going to remember me in his will, but I don't think he will doit i now Anyhow I don't think he has an awful lot of money. I only told two people about the whisky, but Yaa knows that I made it. I told him that I had seen the new way to make real whisky in the Witness, but he will not forgive me, aud I put all the blame on the Editor's W&U©t. y an sav3 "d e v ' s ky vos dot ba d dat jt would kill dree mens and one dogs for never, pever more, und dot pad poy vill ueffer do nodJngs goot somedimes for drying to pizen yon olt man. J ' I will never believe anything in the papers again.— yours truly, R.T. R. ; F (aged 13 years).

Taranaki, December 22.

Dear Dot,— l am just going to tell you about a lot of beautiful roses that a lady sent to we today. They are of different colours, and when you enter the room their fragrance w most delicious. J know there are lovely flowers in Dunedin, as people from the city often come to our place. The weather up here is so dry, and the days are so warm. I like to be down country, where it is wetter, I like wet weather.— Olivjs.

Yours truly, Ida Valley, December J. 9.

Dear Dot.— l am writing you just a few lines to tell you that we have gob our Christmas holidays. We broke up school on Friday last, and our parents gave us a nice picnic. It was held in my uncle's paddock. It was a beautiful day, and we had a good turn out. We had all sorts of sports, and I won four prizes for running. Wo had a very nice tea, and plenty of lollies, and nice sweet cakes and jam tarts. Ido not know what my teacher thought of it, but for my part I wish Christmas picnics would pome once a week, we all enjoyed ourselves so much. We have got four weeks' holidays. lam afraid my teacher will find it very lonely spending her holidays here.— Yours truly, Laura Parsons (aged 8 years.)

Luggate, December 17.

Deab Dot,— We have moved from Purakanui to Waitati. It is a very pretty place, and I think you would like it if you were to see it. The school broke up on Friday, and we are to have six weeks' holidays. 1 get quite lonely sometimes. I suppose it is because I have no :one to play with ; and unless Igoon a yisit I [don't know what I shall do. We went out for a ■walk one day, and the cat got Bhut in, and it [caused such damage that when my sister got in she thought that some robbers had been in the jhouse.— Yours truly, Fbank Young t (aged 10 years).

Waitati, December 27. Dear Dot,— l thauk you very much for the recipe you sent me for checking the ravages or the rats among the chickens and ducks. The little ducks are getting on well now. We have got more since I wrote to you last. We have four cowb. Their name 9 are Mary, Beauty, Nannie, and Kirsty; and eight calves, all of which have also names. They are Donald, Samuel, Ben, Fanny, Jeanie, Nelly, Daisy, and Sandy. We are having our Christmas holidays now. They are to last a week and two days. Santa Claus paid me a short visit, but he did not put much in my stocking. I had no time to write before Christmas, but I wish you a Happy New Year.— Yours truly,

Kate Monagan.

Te Houka, December 29. Deab Dot,— l write you a few lines about my pets. I have a pet cat, and his name is Tom. He catches mice and birds. We have also a pig, and his name is Dennis, and a bird whose name Is Joey. When father tells Joey to dance he says, •' Play the fiddle ! " I have two brothers but no sisters, I goto echool, and am in the

Second Standard; but we are havingour holidays at present. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.— Yours truly, Ethel Cooley (aged 11 years). Mungaroa Valley, December 24. ' 1 Deab Dot,— l was at a friend's house on Tuesday lost. They have got a nice garden, m which I saw figs growing. lam staying down at grandmother's just now for my holidays. A picnic is to take place next Monday. We have three little kittens, three dogs, and three pigs. Please will you give me a name for my kitten i —it is a black and white one. It has been very wet this last week. Aunt Lizzy got a very pretty Christmas card to-day.— Yours truly, v Jessie (aged 7 years). Bodsbeok Farm, Ferndale, December 28.

DOT TO THE LITTLE FOLKS.

Ruby, Ida Valley, sends me a pressed flower from her sister's geranium, which is loaded with flowers. She also offers to send me some pressed ferns if I will accept them, which of course I will Annie Butler, Bald Hill Flat, tells me about her little ducks and chickens, which it is necessary to lock up every night, in order to save them from the rats. She has a pet dog, for which she wishes me to give her a name. I think Flo is nice for a retriever, or Gip fora terrier, but then, perhaps her dog is. some other breed, and, if so, I must wait till I hear some further particulars. ... ' „ Annie Packwood (aged 9) lives near the sea beach at Kakanui, a very pretty spot indeed, which I wish she would describe as fully as she can. A nice flower garden with lots of pretty flowers in it must make her homo in such an attractive spot a very happy one. She sends the correct answer to Ida Thompson's riddle.

All manners of funny little boys write to me. Sometimes their letters appear, and sometimes they don't. Among these latter is one who writes, I think, from Riverton. I am afraid that a very old head directs his pen. The following is his last productian :— I am growing bigger now. I walk on the bridge with Sid., and I take mv walking stick with me— such a nice one, with a dog's head on it, but the mouth does not bite. I feel quite a man now, and my papa and mamma think so.

nOW THK DIMPLES CAME. " How came," I asked a little maid, " Those dimples in your cheeks ?" And bent my head low down to hear The little maiden speak. •' (Is* dimples in my cheek," she said " Would 'on really like to know ? 'Ihey surely waßii't always there, An' yet they didn't grow. •' 'Twas when a little girl I sat Boueath a g'eat big twee, A little bird tame do #v an' sang A pretty song to me. " 'An' just before he flew away, He fcissed me one, two, fee ; An' every time he tissed so hard He left a hole in me. " But 'en I didn't tare, 'ou know, It didn't hurt a mite; I wish the bird would turn ftdin An' sing to me to-night."