LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 51

LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS.

Dear Dot, — I live ab Waimataku, a lonely little place between Invercaigill and Riverton, The farmers have had & bad jbarveeb ob account of the wet season , A sawmill has lately started in the bush, and we often go to see it on Saturdays. There has been a lot of shooting on the lagoons since the season opened. The beach is about five miles from here, and I often go with my mate* to gee it in the summer. My father keeps the poit office, and I take the mail to the station every morning. We hßve two cows and a calf;' The cows' names are Jess and Cherry and the calf's Fifzroy. I was once in Dnnedin, and I liked it very much, esp ecially the wharf. It wss a very lively place to what it is down here. While there I went down to Port Chalmers in a small steamer arid returned by train. I was not very long at the Fort till the train left, but I had time to look through a largo beautiful steamer made the year before. It is very amusing to see how Harry and 808 write to eaoh other through the Witness. If Harry lived down here he would know something about nheep ■ farming. There is a cheese factory here owned by Mr Stobo. I have six rabbib traps, which I have to set every night and look at every morning. The threshing mill is going round to some of the early farmers, several of whom are carting, and whenever some empty trucks are shunted off the carters make a rush for them. Some manage to put a bag in and then jump it), but others are not so lucky. Sometimes ifc ends in a row, which is not very nice to witness. I got a large prize ab school l&sb year for geography and one for well-learned lessons ab Sunday school. Winter has started, and ib has rained heavily for a week. There was one snowstorm, and ib could nob be much colder if all the country was covered in enow, Father says if SjQtvln and America had * fair fijjhjj at sea jSnajn,

would win; what do you think, Dot? The Queen would nob have -a very nice birthday, because Mr Gladstone is dead.— Yours truly, Windsob M'Kenzie.

Waimatuku, May 27. [Well, I don't know aboub ib, Windsor. You know at first ib was tbo geaeral opinion that Spain would have tbo best of the war, bufc that America would ultimately win ; bub Spain certainly hai"not done anything to be proud of. I think their commandants are the wrong men to do anything decisively or well, or they would have struck a blow before America had time to gain strength. Instead of doing so, they have apparently b*eo in hidhjg all the time. -Dot.] Dkab Dot,—? am going to teil you absub the pisce where vrn Hvs. The Watau RJrer is noibh of the toe, bcosh RloJig th« south, Ui* .Longwood Rf»nsij along-fine east, and the sea on tbs

we«t. On tfee Queen's Birthday ifc was raining, so .1 csouid not go to gee the football match — the Orepuki Stars against; the P«*tea of Invercargtll, , I do soft caro' about football, as J think tb» g«.ms if W-n rougl>. Cricket- is a ?*r nice? gJtroe. Do yon p>ay cricknt. Dot ? Have J you v,«ias had chilb]aii>e ( Doh ? for if you have { you will know what it is to hava y»ur feet ! C'f.«v»)»<s *»ftb *.a^n\. Would you be* kind enough to tell me •wfas.% will cure fcheui. — Yours truly, Orepaki. May 28. Matilda May. [No, JUatUe, I do not play cricket, and I don't think it a particularly nice game for girls fco play. Roundera are far more interesting. I find the best bhing for chilblains is bo sbeep ,the feet in very hob water before going to bed, putting more hob water in as ib cools. Give this a trial for a few nights. — Dot.] Dear Dot,— We live near bhe beach ab Orepuki, and we often go down the bench for a picnic. I have a nice garden w-ith'y lot of pretty floweri in it, bub the flowers" do nob look very'well juab now because the weather has be^n

so rough. They would have been nice if the storm badn'fc de&troyed them. Wecmught three poor litble mice in a ferap. Dear Dot, do you ever see any mice ? I don't suppose you do. I am eleven years old, my birthday being in June, and you may be sare it is very cold, so I do nob have a party as many children do. I i have been suffering from boofchache, wbioh is vary painful ; have you any cure for it ? We have a grey and white cab which my<brobher foand one night, so ha brought ib home, and it has never left us and it never comfas into the house. — Yours trnly, O-repnki, May 30, Rosebud. [Poor litble Kosebud ; I am so gorry for you with your aching teeth. The only real cu?e is to have them stopped by a denbisb. The aching is caused by the nerve being exposed to the air, and when a tooth is stopped the hole is filled up and the serve pub oub of contact with the air. — Dot]

Dear Dot,— Oar teacher, Miss M'WilHam, is going ttt leave, and lam very sorry. I have been at sohool for four years. It is very cold just row and the roads are very dirty. We have & c&fi nnmed Siyboote. I have two dolls ; please will you give me names for them. — Yours truly, Folly.

[I should have liked to have been toid how Slyboots came to get his name, Polly. Nexb time you write you mast tell me all about it. Call the doll* Daisy and Violet. — Dot.]

Dear Dor, — We are h&ving. -very bad weather just now. IS has bsfiD .snowing to-day, and it is very cold. • On May 24 two football matches were played ab Orepuki; in which the Pirates were' saetessful in beating the Reds of Orepaki, ,while the Star* of Orepnki beafe the Blues of Jnvorcargill. I have a dog whose name it Bob. I of ben go rabbiting, but seldom 'succeed, in catching them, a» they are very cunning. There are ferrets about our place at night time. They go after the hens and chickens. We managed to capture one by means of a rabbit trap. We oftea go alter • pigeons in the buah with : shanghais. — Yours truly, John Smith,

Orepuki, May 28.

[Now, I wonder if there ie a boy called Jobn Smith at Orepuki ? I have an idea thab this is not tee writer's name ab all, and if that is so, nexb tim& he writes I would much rather that he should pub his own name. This letter i* gcod enough for any boy to pat his name to.— Dot.]

Dear Dot, — We have swings at our school ab Orepaki and also a seesaw. We have nob had any accidents on the uwinge so far. It is very cold weather just now, as ibis the winter. I have two dolls ; pleate give me names for them. We have five cows, and we are milking three at present. I like reading the little folks' letters. I have one black and wkite kitten; will you please give me a name for him. We have also two pigs. Our flovrer garden is a very nice one in summer. la ifc we have roses, lilies, daffodils, primroses, violets, fuchsias, stocks, p&nsies, snlvia, wal'noners, poppiaa, and a great many more flowers.— Yours truly, Jane. Orcpuki, May 28. [Take two flowers from your garden for the dolls' names, Jane — Rose and Lily. The kitten you might call Mirchief, for I am sure he is in

mischief often enough.— Dot.]

Dear Dot, — I am & pet lamb, and my name is Nanny. I mnsb (ell you of my early' life. Ib is about sever) month* ago since I was found in a rabbib burrow, and when I was found I was two days old. While I ■ was walking about to ■ look for my mother, I slipped into the rabbib

bureow, and I was so weak that I could not.get out. There wtre other sheep around me, bub they did not take any notice of me. While I was bleating a lady enme to my help, and she took me out of the labbib burrow. The lady

book me to her home, and she was very kind to me. She gave me some nice warm milk to drink, and made me a nice bed. I think my mother is dead, because I could nob find her. I became very fond of my rsistress, and I follow her everywhere she goes. One day I followed her through a paddook where the rabbiters had laid poison. The pollard looked so tempting that I ate some. My mistress hurried me home, and gave me ilb of carbonate of soda in a pint of new milk, and that saved ray life. — Yours truly, A Pet Lams;

Coal Creek, Roxburgh, May 28.

[That was a narrow escape for the jjet lamb, and it should be very grateful to its mistress. — Dot.]

Dear Dot, — Ib is some time now since I Wrote to yon, so*T thought I would write again. I expect you remember me : my name is Long Ears, as I told you before. I have been into some more trouble since I last wrote to you. A while ago my master was driving me to town with the trap full of potatoes. As I gob tired of pulling the load I thought I would have some fun with the boss, so I ran off the road at & very narrow part and tumbled the old man into the ditch. He gob on the top of the lead and made me pull ib oub again, and ho didn'b give ma any supper bhab night. So, Dob, I don't think I nh&ll be bad to my master again, Good-bye, Dot. — Yonrs truly* Wanganuj, May 28. Low? Eaes. [I should think nob, Long Ears } ib doesn't pay, does it ? — Dot.] Dbar Dot,— l baye beerj reading the Jittle folks' letters in the Witness waft thought I wouW

like to write to you. lam nine years old,' adTv have a little brother "four years of age, who.se name is Cl&r«Kce. We live on a station, and I ride abcufc four miles to school on a pony named Donald. Sometimes Donald won't let me c&tch him, bhen I have to walk to school. Our school is nob a big one — only four girlo and seven boys 'go to it. I gained first prize last year. My father has chree sheep dog*, whose names are Darkic, Fanny, and Crib. Vanny took two prizes at the dog trial.' — Yours truly, Romarua, May 31. Noeman Gibson.

[You «rere very suoceFsful with your dogs at the trial, Nortaas, and I should bh'ink you are very pcoud of them. — Dot.]

Dear Dot,—! am writing this letter to thank you rcr she ntuie you gave me ; bab my- coaster thoujgbt I should bare *, longer name, and as hi Ifked Cuba he called sn& Captain Cuba. 1 am yno mt>L>th old. • I am black with white paws. autJ Aose and a wfejte collar round aiy neck. I **R fftuding you thres^ stamps for th» Kiadcc(tarten Fund. Dtar Dob t I musbclo&e my letter now as I am tired. Good-bye, Dob. — Yours Muly, Orepnki, Juno 1. Captain Coba. [Thank you for . bhe starapn, Capbsia.' Do they call you Captain or Cuba ? You can't gst" your Sunday name always, surely ? — Dor. J Dear Dot, — We are having very froity weather, and last week ib was hailing. Two ■ more hotels are being built here. In one there are going to be 27 rooms and in the other 37 rooms, so you can see Orepuki is increasing ia size. I have a little pup ; ib is a white one with a black sppb on its head and one on its back ; would you please give me a name for it.— Youn teuly, . ■ ' Lizzie Shabp. Orepnki, May 31. • . [What better name could you have than Spot, Lizzie?— Dot.] Dear Dot, — About six months ago, when Mr Eaesell wan liberating the opossums' at the Black Clengb, ib was found that one of them had a sore leg, so he gave ib to mother bo keep till it gob better. I aeked Mr Russell if I could take ib around and show ib so as to get tome money for the Kindergarten Fund. He eaid it would be a very good idea, and I gob 12s. A few weeks aga I came into Lawrence, ani one day when my brother went to feed bhe opossum he found ib was gone. It had gnawed ibs way oub o£ the box and had gone into the bush. Dear Dob, did you ever see an opossum ? As ifc is getting late I will clo«e, wibh love to all the kindergarben children and yourself.— Yours truly, Jambs Tyson. Lawrence, May 30. [Wall, James, you have done bhe libtle people of the kindergarten » service. Ib is such a handsome donation bo bhe fuads that I shall send ib to the treasurer by itself, and I have, no doubb she will wribe bo yon personally thanking > you for what you have done and your kind wishes to the children — Dot.] - LITTLE FOLKS' BIDDLES. By Matilda May, Orepuki :— (1) "What xaaji always does his duty by leaving his post? (2) When is a door not a door ?