A RACE WTTH TIME.

Otago Witness, Issue 2303, 21 April 1898, Page 51

A RACE WTTH TIME.

Wilt tliou waken, bride of May, While flowers are fresh and sweet bslls chime ? Lister), and learn from my roundelay How all Life's pilot boats sailed one day A match with Time !

Love sat on a lotus leaf aloft. And saw old Time in bis loaded boat ; Slowly he crossed Life's narrow tide, While Love sat clapping his wings, and cried ! " Who will pass Time ? " Patience came first, but soon was gone, With helm and sail to help Time on ; Care and Grief could not lend an oar, And Prudence said (while he stayed on shore) : " I wait for Time 1" Hope filled with flowers her cork-tree baik, And lighted its helm with a glow-worm's spark ; Then Love, when he saw her boat fly past, Said : " Lingering Time will soon be passed — Hope outspeeds Time I " Wit came nearest old Time to pass, With his diamond oar and boat of glass J A feathery dart from his store he drew, And shouted while far and swift it flew ! "0 Mirth kills Time!" But Time sent the feathery arrow back — • Hope's boat of Amaranthus missed its track J Then Love bade its butterfly pilots move, And, laughing, said : " They shall see how Love Can conquer Time 1 " — Yours truly, Mabel Laurie. Te Mahanga, April 6. [No, I hadn't forgotten you, Mabel, and I am glad to hear from you once more. You are well off to have two uoaiej. Ib Peggy v§ry .oldJeßcDoxJL , ' ,„ ; ,

Dbar Dot, — I read the little folks' letters in the Witaess, and like them very much. Igo to school, and am six year 3 old. Mr Fo&ler is our teacher, and he is very good to us. I have one yellow kitt?n ; please give mo a name fox it.- I send five stamps for the Kindergarten Fund. — Yeura trv.Jy, Mat Ottret.

Her lot, April 11. [How would Goldie do as * name for tha yellow kitten ?— Dot.l

Dear Dot, — I live at the Luggate, and it i! a very p-ctiy place. I go to school every day. Miss Tt&inoi.' is ou? teacher, and I like net very much. I have a mile and a-half to walk fco f chool. My brother and I have a <;uinea-pig each. — c/ae ia black and white and the other a {■ortoiseshell : please will you give me names foe fcl?em. My father is puntman ab'the Luggate punt, which crosses the Clitha about 30 railes from CromwuSl. Tfce pntib consists of fcwo boats placed *ide by side, wit-n a deck Above. It is worked by rudders. Luggate is a gold-miuing district, in which both alluvial aDf' qusrfz raining is carried on. There is also a flour iniil in Luggate, which grinds the wheat grown by the farmers round about.- I am in the Fifth Standard, and am 11 years old. X have gone for a year to jchon! withrufe missing a day. AU the school children and the teacher went for a picnic an Good JFriday up the Dead Horse Creek, and we enjoyed oureelves very * much. I fshculd like very much to write again if I may do so. Good-bye now, dear Dot. — Youra truly, Mina Smith. Luggate, April 10. [Of course you may write again, Mina. I am always pioaaed to hear from little friends. What a dreadful name fcr what I have no doubt i 3 a pretty little creek '. I think you childrau should all make np'yoar minds not to rest till it is given * better name than Dead Horse Creek. Call tha guineas Sp.ck and Span. — Dot.] Dear Dot,— l have got- a red and white calf. It is a heifer calf, and daddy says I can have it. Will you please tell me what to call it. We all went to ajpicnic up on the hills to-day, and could see the sea a" long way off, and we saw the horses galloping round the racecourse c.way down balow us, and they made such a t lot of dust. Ie was a nice warm day, and we had good fun. — Yours truly, Fbank Fairue Gillingham (aged 6 years). Fairlie, April 11. [I fancy it would »eed strong young eyes to see the ocean such a distance, Frank, with a field glass for older ones. I suppose you -were quite glad you were in ths green fields instead of on the dusty racecourse. Call th<s calf Areds, and try to fiad out where 1 took the name from.— -Dot] Dear Dot, — I livo iO eailea from Wanganui, up the Turakma River. I have three sisterg, whose names are Barbara, Madge, and Dot. We are taught at home by a governess. I have a laughing jackass and_a parrot. I had two of the former, but one died ; mother brought them from Australia. Madge and I have a pony. He \$ each a dear little thing. — Yours truly, J. M'Gbegor (aged 12 years). Keiiawarra, April 4. [I suppose the surviving laughing jackass w*s quite lonely without his companion, though probably the parrot would keep him laughing. Do :'ou , tide much on the pony ? —Dot.], . , ■' Dsas Dot, —l live at Orepuki, which is a very "pretty place in thVeummer titaei but it is very muddy in fche winter. lam -going to tell .you about our excursion to the Blufli.- We fitwied at 7 o'clock ia the morning", and arrived! at Invercargiil at half-past 10. .-We stayed there an hour and a-half, then «a went on board jfche train again and started on our way to the Bluff. We arrived at the BlurE at halfpast 12, going down to the beach at oace, and having ouc lunch. Then we went over to the whdrf, and saw come very handsome steamers. There were two steamers named the Waikara and the Wakatipn, and one sailing veisel Darned the Nelson. We only vrev.t on board the Waikare, for we had nob much time, and a very beautiful boat she is. We then had to go and get; on the train ones mtsre, and we arrived hosae at 7 p.m., and that was the end 'of our trip. Dear Do( : , have you ever been to the Bluff ? I think I must close now, for ii is bedtime. May I_ write again, Dot ? — Yours truly, " Maud Ettie FEETWEtt,. Orepuki, April 13. [That was a very nice oating, Maud, though perhaps you found the train journey a little wearisome. Of course you may write agaiu. — Dot] Deau Dot, — I am goiDg to tell you how I spent the Jubilee holiday. We had a week's holiday from school. My mother took me and my two brothers to Dunedih on the Monday. We had a lovely drive in. On the Tuesday we went to see the Governor go to Ihe levee, and then we went to the waxworks and saw the Punch and Judy show, which we enjoyed very much. On the Wednesday we went to see the procession. Was it not a grand 3ight? and what a crowd of people there were ! I shall never forget that, day. We also went to the exhibition. We came home on the, Sunday, after spending a vecy enjoyable week. New, dear Dob, I vull close. — "Jtours truly, Dais-y H. King (aged 8). Kuri Bash, April 11. . - [Ye«, indeed, Daisy, it was a grand sight, and many grown-up people will keep it in their mind's eye all their lives as well as children. I am glad you had a good week. — Dot.] Dear Dot,— l have been a long time in writing and telling you about myholidays and how I spent them. I enjoyed them very 'much with my cousins, bird-nesting snd helping hay« makiDg. Every day there was something fresh, going one day with them to the cheese factory in Woodville, and grandma and I came home after having a good time, though the bush fires were rather close to be pleasant. I enclose six stamps for the kindergarten fuad. — Yours truly, Johnny Cobkiix. Milton Road, Napier, April 12. (_Your trip must have been most eDjoyable, Jonnny, and I have no doubt you came home thoroughly refreshed, and fitted to pursue your studies at school with renewed vigour. Thank you for the stamp 3. — Dot.] Dear Dot, — The teachers of onr school got up an excursion to Tirnaru for the school children. The manager of the Timaru Woollen Mills showed us through the factory on the day of the excursion, and we were very much interested in what we saw. After we left the factory we went down to the sea-beach and had lucch. After lunch we gathered shells and seaweeds and played about the rocks for a time. We then went up on the wharf and watched the swimming contest between the Australians and New Zealanders. After this we went oat for a row on the harbour. It was so nice and cool

A parson stood in his pulpit high ; He'd lost his voice with cold well nigh. The thoughtless said: "Let's all rejoice, He'll have to stop, for he's lost his voice t "' But he took .some Woods's Great Peppermint Cure, " "' - , 5 j. Hjg voicergre\v;- strong, his 'remarks l "no\tgwg£j

on the see, as the. day was very hot. Wo then cania eff the harbour and waited aboub the ■hops until it was time, for the train to start. We reached home at 8 o'clock, having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, I seed you three ifcamps for the kindergarten fund. — Yours truly, Jessie Patterson. Waimate, April 15. [Frcm W»imate to Timaru was a good change for you, Jessie, and you must have passed a - happy <lay, and one which you will be able to look back to with pleasure for a long time to acme. Thank you for the stamps. — Dot.