LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS,

Otago Witness, Issue 1899, 13 April 1888, Page 34

LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS,

Dear Dot, — I am sending a little story for the little folks— THE OLD GRANDFATHER AND THE GRANDCHILD.

There was a very old man, whose eyes were dim, ears deaf, and limbs almost incapable of carrying him. When he was at table he could scarcely hold his spoon, his hand shook so much, causing him to spill his soup on the tablecloth, and sometimes he was not able to swallow what he had carried to his mouth. This disgusted his son and his 'wife, and they obliged him to _ sifc in a corner behind the stove, giving him his food in an earthenware dish, and not always enough of it, which made him look wistfully towards the table with tears in his eyes. One day his trembling hand not being able to support the dish, it fell to the ground and was broken, which annoyed his daughter-in-law very much, and she expressed her displeasure at the poor old man. He, however, made no reply, only sighed deeply, and they bought for him a wooden dish, of the value of 2d, out of which he was obliged to eat. While doing this, the little grandson, a child about four yea,rs old, began to drag about pieces of wood and collect them together. "What are you doing there, my child," inquired hi 3 father. "I am going to make a little trough," answered the child, " that father and mother may eat out of when I am a man." • The parents looked at each other for a moment, and then began to weep, at the samo time replacing old grandfather at the table, and from this time they showed all possible kindness to him, and were indulgent to wards those infirmities whioh were the effect of age and weakness. w N

Dear Dot,~-I must tell you how I like this place. I like it far better than the snowy monntains, near where I used to live, 40 miles from Cromwell. My aunt was so pleased to see me, and I stayed with her for six weeks. lam now home with papa. We are living in a nice little three-roomed house, which goes by the name of Rose Cottage. We have a nice garden and plenty of fruit and flowers. lam sorry to tell you that since I came over here one of my little cousinsia dead. He was killed by a buggy accident four miles north of Melbourne. I was ao sorry, « for he was a dear little fellow. He was eight yean old, his name ww Berty Pearce.

His poor ma and pa were broken-hearted at their loss. He and I were great friends. Whiles I was staying with him he used to show me all his toys; and one day we went bird hunting, and saw a lot of different birds of all colours and all sizes. Poor Berfcy ! I hope to.meet him one day in Heaven. I will send you a verse that is on his tombstone : —

Iv loving memory of our Dear Berty, only son of J. and A. J. Pearce, who was accidentally killed on January 3, 1888. Aged eight years. When we see a j w 2<rious blossom That we tend id with anch care, Rudely taken from our bosom, How our aohiiiir hearts despair. Round his little grave we linger, Till the setting sun iaJow, Peeling all our hopes have perished " With the flower we cherished so.

Dear Dot, I hope you will put this letter in the Witness for me. lam going to'send it over to a friend in Otago, whom I mentioned before, and he will post it for me to you. He is also going to send the Witness to me when nhis letter is printed in it. I wish he would come over and live with us, as I usad to like him so much. I will write as often as I can. I have a lot of lessons to learn, and pa says it's getting bedtime, so I must now bid you good-bye, with love to all the little folks.— Yours truly/ T. P. P. J. Bennett.

Melbourne, March 9.

Dear Dot,— We are having our Easter holi- v days now. We have got two weeks. It is coming near winter now ; it is so cold in themorning. It was raining all day yesterday and snowing the day before. It is more like winter now than summer. It has been such a cold summer. We will soon get our winter holidays, for it is gefctine so cold. — Yours truly, Harriet Brown (aged 8 years) Naseby, April 1. '

Dear Dot,— We have two miles to go to school, and it is a very swampy road. I like our teacher very much. There was a great flood last Saturday in the Waikaka, and the sheaves were floating down it, and rabbits, rats, and mice were riding on them. A lot of the sheaves were landed in other people's paddocks, but as they were not branded the owners could not claim them. — Yours truly, Annie Osborne White.

Mount Joy, April 3. Dear Dot,— We take theOfcago Witness, and I always read your stories, and what I read I ■ like very much. We have a little dog called Topsy. We thought we bad lost her, but three days after she was missed we foand her iv the office, locked up. We have got a pet lamb, and she is very fond of us.— Yours truly,

Wallacetown, Southland, April 3.

Deab Dot,— Our home is in Gore, and I have come to Tokomairiro to spend my Easter holidays with my grandparents and my little twin sister Katie, who lives with our auut. We are nine years past, and are both in the Third Standard. Katie got first prize for sewing at two examinations ; this last year it was a fine doll called "the bride." Mr Golding is my teacher at Gore, and we all like him very much My brother Campbell goes with me to school! George and Arthur are my two other little brothers. I am going to get a doll home with me. Mother will be glad to see I can write a letter.— Yours truly,

Maggie Morrison Prance. Birkenshaw, April 3. Dear Dot, — Ifc is a long time since I wrote to you, for when I am at school I have not much time, especially as we were preparing for the examination, which took place tho day we got our holidays. Since I wrote last my little brother Robert's pet lamb died. He was very sorry when he saw it dead. But he has got a white calf, which he calls Snow. We have got three tame birds-a goldfinch, a blackbird, and a thrush. We caught a good lot of rabbits during the holidays.— Yours truly, B «r i JHJ H0 ff A s Norman (aged 10 years). Wmton, March 30. ' DBABDoTr-We have had our harvest holidays, but it has been very wet weather all the time, so we could not enjoy ourselves very much We have not much fruit this year, but the flower garden is looking very nice. We have a lot of difterent kinds of pansies. We will start to so to school again on the 3rd of April. There are four of us going. My little sister Ann is going now. She says she is going to write to you a! soon as she learns how to do so.— Yours truly ™- * «* ii A n F> Nobm an (aged 8 years). Wmton, March 30. Dear Dot,— l have not written you for such a long time. Sometimes Ido not know what to write about, and at other times I am busy with my lessons. To-day is so wild and stormy that my brother and I had to stay from school, and as I have ti ne lam writing you a few lines. I live very near the bush. On Saturdays I have such long rambles through the bush looking for flowers and ferns. My brother and I sent some wild flowers to the Gore flower show. I did not get a prize, but my brobher got a second prim I would hUo to send you & oine ferns if you would take thorn, for I see the little folks send you Plenty of ferns : but perhaps you never got any from Croydon bush. Once I v.ent to the top of the Hokonuis, and had a good view of all the country rouud j Gorr- and Malaura seemed quit© near us.— Yours truly, h«*«° n a 3 i? TTI ? M - g «aw (aged 8 years). Oroydon, March 2T. '

Dear DoTr-I bavo very little news to tell you ; that is why I do not write to you oftener. Once we had some white brahmas, and although the henhouse was some distance from the house, they would come up to the door every moraine * We did not want them near the house, and we drove them back a good many times, bat it wasof no use ; b o one day we oaught them and tied their legs and put them into a wheelbarrow and ran them down to the fowlhouse, but oa the way we upset them, and had to pick then* up again. Since that tbey have never come na again;- I suppose they did not like their ride. My black cat Kitty has six little' kittens-two black ones and four tabby ones. We are nob going to drown them, for we can fino" them homes. lam going to have a tabby kitten, because I have lost Tibby. One evening he • came inside for his tea as usual, and after that; he had a warm at the fire and went oufcside ■ In the morning he did not come in for his breakfast., nor for his dinner, and as he never came in again. we think he is dead. Here are a few ferns I send you. # Would you give me a name- for my kitten 1 ; it is a torn one. — Yours truly, . , _ Laura Marx Danvebs* Awatea, Hastings, H. 8,, April 2. Dear Dot,— l have got a nice flower garden, and we have a nice vegetable garden. I i, aye - lot of playmates. Our examination wffl take place on the 2nd April. I go to school regularly, and am in the Second Standara.~You» truly, Annie Loonet (aged 11 vearsi Maharahara, Hawke'a Bay, MaVch isf h

Deab Dot,— ln reading over the little folks' letters I si w a riddle given by Robina Bishop. I will give one now-Why is a plumrpuddiug. !*f «"****»»« ehe? I kept lookfog iri°sf Witness every week to see if yon wouM tett tod

where to send the peaches, and now they are all done. We are so sorry you did not come to ««e us when you were out at Outram. We only live a mile from the village. With love from Alice Shand.

Abbotsford, March 30.

Deab Dot, — I like to see the little folks' letters in the Witness, and I thought I would like to send you one too. I have not long left Palmereton, and I don't like Tinkers half so well as I liked Palmerston. lam pleased with the teachers in the Matakanui school, and I hope I shall get on well. I suppose if I don't it will be my own fault. I will give more news next time I write.— Yours truly, , " Lizzie Todd (aged 11 years).

Tinkers, April 2.

Dear Dot,— We are having a week's holidays. I was to have gone to Kaitangata, but my little cousins were ill, so mamma thought I had best wait till next holidays. We all went up to the cemetery on Good Friday and got wet through. We have got a little garden up there, and mamma went up to tidy it. I have two little brothers and two little sisters dead, and I am bo sorry, for now I have got no sisters. I have got a pretty Chinese flower in a glass box ; I got it as a birthday present from a friend. I have a nice album. There is plenty of room for your card. I would so much like to see you. We have had such cold wet weather up here. I would so like to send you a pretty card, but ma only laughs at me when I say so. I think I know the answer to the riddles, and here are two others^ for the little folks to find answers to : What is that which everyone can divide and no one can see where it is divided? Why is an antrry boy like a clock at 59 minutes past 12?— Yours truly, Sophia M. Stbachan.

Tapanui, April 5.

P.S. — Answers to riddles. — (1) Because the dog is stronger than the tail. (2) When the cow jumped over the moon. (3) A man ploughing.

Dear Dot, — I am writing to let you know that I have got a lot of pets to tell you about. I have five pofc lambs. Their names are Loba, Topsy, Daisy, Polly and Peepo, and I have a dog which I call Tiger. He is a cattle dog. I have a little kitten which I call Tibbie, but he is a lazy cat. I have two big cats, which 1 call Sandy and Drab. I read the letters from the little folks in the Witness, and like them very much. Our examination took place on December 6, and everyone failed. I have a lot of playmates, among them are Annie, Mary, Ellen, and Kate. Annie has written to you. Good-bye, dear Dot — mother wants me to nurse the baby.

ours truly, fi Maharahara, March 27.