LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2058, 3 August 1893, Page 45

LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS.

Dear Dot, — We have had a fortnight's holiday on account of the measles. The school took up this morning, but there were only 30 children in attendance ; so Mr Young gave us another week's holiday. I have had the measles, and am just getting better,' but I have not been out yet. The Bluff is very quiet just now, there being only one vessel at the wharf. This has been a very wet winter. One windy Saturday the steeple of the new Presbyterian Church blew down. A boy passing at the time nearly gob killed. They are getting on with the church. My brother and father are working at a large bridge a good way out of Sydney. We are very lonely without them, and will be glad when they are home again. They hope to be back in November. lam sending you a bit of maiden-hair fern which my father sent me from Sydney. I think that is all the news, so will close. — Yours truly, Bluff, July 24. Lizzie Babkeb.

Dear Dot,— l am a little Fox-terrier, and my name is Topsy. Do you think that is a nice name ? The boy who owns me s^ys I am a bit cunning, because when I am out rabbiting I go and sit in the hole till the rabbit comes and then I catch it. When I was a pup they took me away from my mother. I had a long J tail, and the boy to whom I was given got a big knife and cut it off, and tied a piece of cloth around it. I looked so queer. There was a greyhound pup here when I came, and he is here still. We used to play together and fight over a bone, and the greyhound would take me by the back of the neck and carry me about, and I used to howl. Dear Dot, do you not think that bad of a big dog to do P One day I .went into the hut and saw an old Witness lying on the floor, and that is how I come to write.— Yours truly, Topsy (aged 12 months). Middlemarch, July 22. Dear Dot,— l am an old Ferret. I wrote to you once before, but shortly after that I was caught and put in a box and never got a chance to write again till the other day, when I managed to get out, and the first thing I did was to commence this letter in order to give you the news. I have grand fun having a fowl or two a night. One day I felt very hungry, and went out to get a fowl. I got a grand fat hen, but she made a row and attracted a dog's attention. Of course I had to drop her and run for dear life. I reached the pigsty safely, and after I got under it a bo"y came with a spade and a dog and tried to get me ; and I heard him say I should eat no more chicks if he caught me and got a smack at me ; but fortunately he didn't succeed in his murderous designs, and I take all the more now for his cheek. I think I shall shift to a gorse hedge not far from here, as I heard a fellow say rabbits are very plentiful about there. I will write again and tell you how rabbits taste. — Yours truly, Olb.Ferbet. Feathery Nest, June 22. Deab Dot,— l am a Book. My name is Good Words, and I am very nicely bound, though a book who lies near me on the shelf told one of his friends that he was a far better book than I am, and that I was just a stupid old thing and had no sense in me. I think, however, that my name should tell you lama good book. My little master has just pressed some ferns in me. Good-bye till next time. — Yours truly, - A Book. • Invercargill, July 25. Deab Dot,— Middlemarch, where I live, is a very pretty place, but of course it has been very cold lately. I have chilblains ; do you know any cure for them, Dot? Our school was closed three weeks with the measles, but it has reopened this week. The examination will take place in three, months. The Rook and Pillar mountains are covered with snow. Dear Dot, you will have to come up and see them.— ■ Yours truly, William Neill. Middlemarch, July 25. [You will find how to cure chilblains in last week's Little Folks' page,— Dot.]

Deab Dot,— The mountains that surround Middlemarch are called the Reck and Pillar and Billy's Ridge. We have four ferrets, one guinea pig, a linnet, and a little pup ; please give me a name for the pup. I have three brothers, and their names are Thomas, William and Andrew. There is to be a concert up here on August 25. —Yours truly, David N. Johnston. Middlemarch, July 24. [As we are just commencing spring you might call the pup Spring.— Dot.3

Dear Dot,— Our school is closed on account of the measleß. We have, two cows, named Fanny and Maud. My sister has a kitten; please give her a name for it. The weather has been very bad lately, and the roads very soft and muddy. We have a little grey rabbit, and we feed it on grass and thistles. We have also a calf, and it eats bread and butter. Don't you think he is a very funny ,calf P— Yours truly, A School Girl. Orepuki, July 24. [I think it is a very sensible calf, s for it evidently knows what is good for it. Call the kitten -Tab.— Dot. J

Dear Dot,— l have to walk a long way ,to school. Our school is closed now because most of the scholars have had the measles. We have a lot of hens and ducks, but they are not laying any eggs just now. We have also two cows. One of the cows is white and the 'other is red and white. — Yours truly, Isabella.

Deab Dot,— There is to be a concert here shortly to raise money to get a drum and some other instruments for the brass band. We have socials here every week. There are two dredges working here and other mining claims. This is not a very big place, but it is very lively. I have a little white pup ; please would you give me a nice name for him. — Yours truly, Lizzie Beetenshaw.

Waipori, July 23. [Snow is a good name for a white pup.— Dot.]

Deak Dot,— l have the misfortune to be one of those'animals which all people detest — a'Rat. I have had many ups and downs. I have shifted about from place to place, and at last I am settled for the rest of my life. I live in a pantry, so you can guess that I always get a good feed. The cook is very neglectful. She generally leaves puddings, cakes, &c, about on the shelves, and, of course, they always come in grand for me. Only the other day I heard the mistress scolding the cook for being so negligant. I heard her say, ' ' You know well enough that there is a monster of a rat in the pantry, and you just encourage the beast by leaving such dainties within his reach." Well, Dot, the next day the mistress sent for a trap ; and that night the trap was put on the shelf with a nice piece of cheese fastened to it. I could not but laugh at the picture it presented. They thought I should be fool enough to put my foot in it ; but not I. I just hopped over it and started looking abont for something to eat. All at once I came across a dish of boiling hot

soup. It had just been put there to cool. My mouth watered, for I was very hungry ; and fool that I was I jumped into it to get a better mouthful, forgetting 'at the time that it was hot. Oh, Dot, you should havebeen injit just to know the feeling of pain that went through me. Didn't I jump out of it quick, with all the hot stuff sticking to me. I rolled about to try and get it off, but I had to go to. my hole. I rubbed myself all over with salad oil, and that eased the pain a bit, butrafter this, Dob, I shall'always mind where I go. I feel quite sure that you will print this letter from a weary, troubled Old Rat (aged 6 years). Deab Dot,— l am an Old Dog, and my name is Crosar. I have met with a few accidents. I was caught in a trap one night, and oh'! what pain I endured, but I am better now and have caught a good number of. rabbits since. The other night when I was coming home from rabbiting I was caught in another trap, and I squealed out, and my master came running down to me and opened the trap. My master is very kind to me and feeds me well. Dear Dot, I cannot go rabbiting just now because my toes are very sore, but I hope they will be better soon. My colour is black and tan. If my toes are better soon I will write you a longer letter.— Yours truly, An Old Dog. Mosgtel, July 21. Deab Dot, — I live at Maungatua, and we have a mile and a-quarter to go to school. Yesterday was very windy, and did a lot of damage. We have beautiful wattle trees at our gate, and the wind blew half of one down ; it was the prettiest tree that we had. We have one calf, which we have taught to eat porridge ; will you please give me a name for it.— Yours truly, Agnes B. Meston. Maungatua, July 26. [What a pity about the wattle, especially as it was no doubt all in bloom. How will Wattle Blossom do for the calf's name ?— Dot.] Deab Dot,— My brother ,has a greyhound; will you please give me a name for it. We had a hen with six little chickens, but she killed them all. She scraped the earth and straw out of the nest and smothered all the chicks. —Yours truly, Jeanie Meston. <• Maungatua, July 26. [As the calf is to be Wattle Blossom call* the dog Acacia. — Dot.] ! Deae Dot,— We have a little brown pup ; please will you give me a name. for him. We have two cows and a calf. Their names are Daisy, Strawberry, and Bea,u€y. We are going to have a picnic on August 4. Dear Dot, we have a cat named Top»y, and she was caught in a trap,' and she lost, three of her feet.— Yours trnly, • ./ • Harby Chard. Kawarau Sandhills, July 25. [Surely she is not still alive with only one foot ? Call the pup Carlo.— Dot.] Deab Dot,— Our school is closed on account of the measles. I have not had them yet, but most of the school children have. I have two pets, a calf and a parrot. The parrot is just

beginning to speak; but I think my calf will die, because it has got the ringworm. Deaf Dot, could you give me a cure for it? The weather is getting fine again, and the roads are drying up. lam going to leave school soon. I am in the Fifth Standard. My sister is going away this week. I read the little folks' letters every week, and I like them very much. It is getting late now, so I must stop. — Yonrs truly, Orepuki, July 25. Elsib. [Try one part of carbolic acid dissolved in 10 or 12 parts of linseed oil.— Dot.] Dear Dot,— l am a Dog, and my name is Floss. I like 1 running after my master, who sends me after the sheep. There are some sheep that run about the house, but I do not touch them as they do me no harm, and indeed 1 | like them. My master is very kind' to me, and I always do as lam told. I get plenty of bones when lam good. I see letters in -the Witness from different animals, so I thought I should like to write to you also. There is a lot of horses here, and I like barking at them. When I bark they kick at me, but I don't like that.— Yours truly, Floss. Otautau, July 28. Dear Dot,— l am a Pup, and my name ia Possum. I am going to tell yon my history. When I was very small I was brought up to a place called Heriot. There I lived for a while with my mother Topsy. My back is the colour of a possum, I have a black face and a white streak down my breast, and that is how I got my name. I have a companion called Fly. She is a collie dog, and when my little mistress takes her out rabbiting I go too, but she runs so fast that I can't keep up with her. Once when we went out together we had to cross swamps, and as I was going across the ice it. gave way and I went all under water. My mistress pulled me out, but it was very cold, and now I jump over them. — Yours truly, Heriot, July 28. Possum. Deab Dot,— l knew the answers to all the riddles in last week's Witness except one or two. We have such a funny clock. It will tell the time, the day'pf the week, the- month, and the date. I had a/double tooth pulled out last Thursday, but I went under gas. That is the second time I have been under gas, but I have had a lot of teeth pulled out. lam collecting stamps of all sorts, and I have got 1790. I was going to send them aw&y, but I did not know where to send them to. Could you please tell me where to send them P Please, Dot, could you give me a cure for warts? — Yours truly, Bessie. Roslyn, July 30. [For the warts keep a piece of washing soda in your pocket, wet the place and rub the soda on it. Do this as many times a day as- ybtt can think of it, and the wart will soon go. About the stamps, look for the Philately Column on page 34, and you will find two firms advertising for stamps. — Dot.]

(Signed) MARIE ROZE.