DICKIE AND DEARIE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2151, 16 May 1895, Page 45

DICKIE AND DEARIE.

Written for the Witness Little Folks by Cousin Dobothy.

> Chapter 11. They go on an Excursion. "We are going up the river to-morrow In the steamer, and mamma says ' Please may Dickie go with us, Mrs Raynor 1 ' " That was the way in which the invitation iras given, and didn't Dickie just dance with (JelJghfc when he heard of ifc, and Daarie ran off with all speed to tell that the invitation was accepted. Such a lovely morning thsy had for their trip, and all weredown in good time, though the Pataki left; the wharf at 6 o'clock. Dickie was in high spirits, and as nearly as possible got knocked overboard in his eageraesc to see the ropes that held the steamer unfastened. When or.cc she was fairly off he began inspecting everything that came in his way. Finally he eat down on the clean deck and looked with great interest at the smoothly-joined planking. "After a minute or two he began after his usual fashion r " 18»y,1 8»y, please, Mis' Denniston." " Well, Dickie ? " " What etufi! keeps these boards together?" "They are catted, Dickie." " What's calked 1 " " That is," and Mra Denniston laughingly tapped the deck with the top of her sunBbade. " But what's calk made of 1 " - " Tar and hemp." Then eho added kindly, as Dickie still, looked rather dolefully at the deck, "Well, Dickie?" "I say, Mia' Denniston, please what's Imp?" " Oh, it grows by the river, Dickie. I'll show you some plant 3 by-and-bye ; but wo call it flax when it ia growiug green." Dickie instantly got up on a seat at the side of the steamer to look out for the Flax Swamp. But when Mr Denniston caught eight of him he lifted him on to the deck again, saying: 41 No, young man I You'll be oier amongst the little flahes before I cat) catch yon. Jnst go and stow yourself away with Dearie on that broad seat at the stern of the boat." And Dickie did as he was told. Dearie and he were very happy for awhile watching the wake of the steamer— that is, the white foam track left by the paddles. But na Dearie moved alittle she came against the back of a very fat old gentleman who wa» sitting on the seat also, but facing in another direction. However, he turned round quickly, and said in a jolly sort of way, as he drew his eilk ooat round him : " Now, my little duck, will you keep your feet off my Sunday gaiments 1 " Poor Dearie grew crimson, and at once palled in her small shoes out of eight belpw her pink dress. "Never mind, Dearie," said Dickie in a \rhisper ; " he* got too much puddln'." By which Dickie meant nothing more personal than that the old gentleman took up more than his fair share of the seat. They were gliding smoothly up the little tiver now, and ab first the children were wild with delight to see how very near the Fataki ran into theshoro.and also in watching for the bump with which she often Btrack the bank ia turning one of the countless curves. Bat at last as the morning wore away they grew tired of the flax swamps and the willows, and even of tho pretty white ti-tri and swee-tbriar that grow along the bank, and though they had eaten an alsrming numbor of gi»ger-mits, they wanted to get ashore and have lunch. "Perhaps it's round this corner," said Dickie encouragingly. " I've looked round a million corners," responded Dearie, in rather a weary tone, •' and I won't look any more." And she turned her face in another direction. And go they never just knew when the last corner was turned, for of course Dickie coold not look forward when Dearie looked back. But there they were, at the dearest little wharf, no fcigger than a bridge. And such a catching up of cloak 3 and sunshades ! And, of course, nobody forgot their lunch baskets. And they all went chatting and laughing into a beautiful grean paddock, with hawthorn hedges and weeping willows. And very soon Mr Denniston got up a grand fire, and Dickie helped to gather sticks for it, and went to watch Mr Denniston dip the billy into the fast- flowing river and then hang it over the blazing fire ; while Dearie watched her mamma lay the white cloth on tho smooth grass under the shade of the willows, and Jay out their lunch. When the billy was boiling, Mr Dsnniston and Dickie joined them, and they had a most delightful time. I am afraid to tell you how many sandwiches and tarts vanished at that meal. However, at last they were all satisfied, and then they went for a walk by the river, and up to the little township. Mr Denniston cut Dickie and Dearie each a beautiful feather of toe-toe grass>, and they marched on before in triumph, playing soldiers. When they got to the township a Native Lands Court was being held, and so there wero a very great number of Maoris about — the women with their babies slung in shawls upon their backs, and the pickaninnies running about with juct a little shirk on. Dearie was quite shocked, bat being a little lady she made no remark. One big Maori man had got off his borse, and I am sorry to have to tell it of him, was actually beating his wife with his horsewhip. It was dreadful, and before Mr Dsnniston could stop her, Mrs Denniston eprang forward and shook her sunshade in bi3 face, crying : "Bad man I Bad man to beat poor woman." I don't know whether the Maori understood English— l don't think so; but he knew he was doing a mean, cruel thing, and io he stopped for the time at least, and the poor woman went away.

Dob, we send you six stamps for the Kindergarten Fund. We are very glad to see by the little folks' letters that you have started the third pound, and hope the poor children will be made warm and comfortable for the winter. — Yours truly, Clyde, May Everlasting Daisies. [Kind-hearted litllo Everlasting Daisies ! The little kindergarten peoplo will, I am sure, always love you after this. All life has its compensation*, aud wh-.fc you lack in s:ze and colour is made up to you b/ tho time you retain your apparent freshness.— Dot.] Dear Dot, — We are blooming in all our glory just now, and since we were planted where we now are we have prospered so well that we own nearly all the flower garden, and are looking very gay indeed. Wo hear ourselves admired very much, but that does not ni'.ko us vain, for our beauty may bo blasted in a single night. We overheard ouc irmtresssay that she wished she bad a bigger house to decorate. Dew Dot, these frosty nights have made us tbink of the poor little waifs of your kindergarten. We are glad that tbey will not have ' to Euffer from the effects of the frost as we stall. We are sending you bix stamps for the fund. — Yours truly, Clyde, May 4. Chrysanthemums. [And the [Chrysanthemums tco think of the little ones of the kindergarten ! This is iudeed a pleasant world to live in after all. — Dot.] Dear Dot, — I am a little kitten, and I stay with my mother, Jsncb, and my big brother, Toby. My little mispress is ill with her throat, and I like to go to sleep with her, but last night her mother burnt sulphur in the room and it made me sneeze till I thought my head would drop off, and then they pub me out in the washhouse. Is nob that too bad, Dot, whoa I lie quiet ? My mistress's name is Nina, ar,d she i 3 going to write to you when she gets better. I must stop, as they are going to burn sulphur again, and I am off. — Ytuts, with love to Dot, Ashburton, May 3. Jumuo. [Well, I don't know about it being too bad, Jumbo, for if your little mistress had diphtheria you might take the infection to some other little girl, and of course that would never do. I hope Nina will soon be well enough to write. — Dot.] Dear Dot,— Our school h&d a trip to Wai- \ mate last Tuesday. The Catholic School from | Oamam went up the came day, and there were 500 children besides parents and friends, there being about 1000 of us altogether. We had a fine day. Waimate is a pretty p!ac?, with very nice buildings. I was through the Catholic church there, and I saw a lot of pretty pictures inside the church. There is one sawmill and one flourmill in Waimate. There was a paddock afe the b&ck of the chuvch where children were running races and playing footbill. Prize 3 were given for tho races. We had a long ride in the train, and we cloyed it very much. Wo

the kindergarten I thought I would like to help them too, so I am sending six stamps, and I hops I shall be abe to send some -more sooa. Our school is b^ing enlarged just bow, bub ib will soon be finished, 'audj am sure our teachers will be glad, as half of the children are being taught in the public hall at present. The town I live ia is very small, and it is very cold here in winter. We have five fun skating on the ice. Tho men have curling matchea and cud for trop'iics, and they get very excited sometimes. Dear Dot, did you ever see them curliug ? They have big smooth stones with bandies to them, which are made and polished just fur curling with. Some of them are very pretty, as they are granite stone, red or grey, and a pair of these stones sometimes cost as much as £5. I will write again when the curling stirts and tell you how they play if you will let me. I will 6ay good-night now to dear Dot End the little folks.— Yours truly, St. Bathaiu, May 5. Violet. [Thauk you, Vio!e\ for your promise to write and tell us abcut tho curling, and aleo for your contribution to the Kindergarten Fund. Very few children have the opportunity of seeing curling, bo a description of it will be very interestiug.—Dot.] Dkar Dot,— lb is a long time sines you heard from me, bub I have not forgolten you. We had a limelight entertainment in the schoolroom last night, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. There were views of Christchurch, Quoenetown, Lake Waihola, Mount C.ok, the Sutherland Falls, and .Kingston, and also Borne comic views at the end. We have a large yellow cat which is very fierca ; would you please give me a name for it. We also have a black and white cat which we call Nigger. We were at Green Island at Easter, aud went through the tunnel which leads to the beach. Ifc is about four miles each way, and it is a lovely placo. I must now conclude. — Yours truly, Linda Johnson. Melville street, Dunedin, May 4. [For a fierce yellow cat I don't think a more suitable nann could be got than Tiger. I hopo he docs not fight with poor Nigger, who I fancy will be a very quiet cats. The beach at the end of the tunnel is very nice, Linda, but the tunnel is a little bit dirty and also dark, isn'6 ifc ?— Dot.] Dear Dot,— l am going to tell you about the place in which we live. Ifc is c tiled Milford, and is three miles from Temuka. Ifc is bounded on tho east by a part of tlw Ninety-mile Beach, and our house is about (wo miles from ifc. MUford is an agricultural disbricfc, and the land IB good. A great part of Milford was probably at one time a black pine forest, as there are still many acres of stumps of black pine trees. The river Opihi, which is the southern boundary of Milford, ia a splendid fishing ground. There are a lot of trout in it at the right season. I attend the public school, and am in tho Seventh

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As thetown was two miles from the paddock the visitors could not stay long. When they gofc back to the willow trees the billy had to be boiled again for tea; and at G o'olook the Pataki blew her whistle to call them all on board again. Dsarie thought it was riofc co pleasant as in the morning, for the river looked smooth as glass, and reflected the strange shadows of every tree and bash upon its banks. So she nestled close to her mamma, and looked rather foberly up at the eky. But by-and-bye up frem behind tho dark trees came the great silver moon, and everything looked more beautiful than it had done by day. Someone on board of the steamer began to play the violin, and very soon a lot of the young people were dancing on the deck. But a sadden shout of "Fire! FjreJ" [brought the dancing to a sadden stop. The ladies screamed, and Mrs Denniston hugged Djarie bo tightly that she nearly squeezed the breath out of her poor little body. The men all ran about crying, "Where is it?" and just then the Pataki turned a sadden bend, and there— all the bank of the river at that part was ablaze. After they had got over their scare,- everybody began to admire it. Dickfe was greatly excited in watching the flame tongues go racing up to the very top of some great kauri, while the climbing plants and supplejacks, all on fire, linked the trees in fiery chains. But after a bit the steamer hurried them away down the river, and the bush fire was left behind ; and when at last they got back to the wharf, I think yoa will not wonder that Dickie and Dearie were two very tired and sleepy little folks. But for many a day after they talked and talked with great delight of " when we went that 'gcursion."