LETTERS FROM THE BACK BLOCKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2318, 4 August 1898, Page 51

LETTERS FROM THE BACK BLOCKS.

My Dear Cousin,— l suppose by this lime you have quite settled down to school work again, and that you are going in for prized of all soVts. We are having very cold ,wealher ; everything seems fro/.en — frozen mullon, butler, milk, water. I don't j;,ot a chance to get frozen, as I have to chop the wood to melt everything. tt is 'only those who have to do that can imagine how much wood it lakes to keep three fiies going all day long. I don't think much of either Pinus insignis or willow an a firewood. It burns away 100 fast altogether to please me; and 1 don't coll it a cheap wood, either, even if you do grow it, when a poor boy has to slave away to cut it up. I know a gicat deal more about coal and firewood than I did when you left. You will be uuvprifed to hear that I have been in the Irada since then. I was a coal -cart man for a week, and had a most delightful time. Bnl I had bettor begin at the beginning; and tell you all about it, There wasn't anything particular to bo clone abcut the place while the snow was here, bo dad said if I cut up plenty of wood I couH have a holiday for a week. I didn't want to go to Timaru, ?s all the boys I knew would be in school, so I rode up to the township one day oml went into the olnee of a gentleman I knew just to have a look round and to warm my Ice-, i hoard him say he had three Uucks of coal at the station, and badn t enough help v get unloaded, so I ottered lo d> it for nothing if he would take me on as a cadet. I thought I might perhaps be intended by Nature for a coal merchant. He said he would be very glad of my valuable assistance, but he didn't think I would slick lo it moro than a few hours. 1 raced ott ! home to gc-t on uy oldest clothes, awl then ! I mounted a tiuck and commenced filling ba«s. By Jingo, it vas hard work, and the dust ouL of Iho -:oal was something- to talk abcut. It was great fun. though. Lots of people went by that I knew, but nobody poemed to notice Ihc coal men. I got pretty '.ired rbout aflsnioou tea lime. Mother and the children Anne by. but they didn L know me _J W as so black— until I cooeed. Mother brought some oranges, which refreshed me very much. I got home that night just in lime lo have a bath before dinner. The next day we finished unloading the trucks, and I was allowed to take round some of the coal to different people who had ordered it. 1 liked tint part even belter than the unloadin". It was such fun, to see how people stared at the new cadet when I went lo the back doors. One lady I knew .stopped me in tho street and asked me if I was taking orders for Smith and Co., and when 1 said 41 Yes ma'ni," she laughed and ordered two bags. ' But I told her it wouldn't be any more trouble to bring half a ton than two bags, bo she took it. At. first I used lo bit down to drive, but after the second day I could stand up in the tail of the cart just like a proper coal man does. One day T drove up to Undo Ted's with some coal. He didn t seem at all surprised to see me. He asked me whether business was good, and if I had many .bad debts, and whether 1 guaranteed full weight. To all of which questions I answered yes. I learnt a lot about coal that week, 1 know the different kinds of New Zealand coals, and the prices of each. I used to be quite sorry when 5 o'clock came and I had to leave off work. If I can't be a war correspondent, I believe I should like to be a merchant. Dad was asked in the train tho other day if that hard-hearted editor had lelenled jet and sens the special away. For my naW. » h^'c ?i" ■ up reading the war iel-^ '"i - ,(I'.",'", (I ."," ' " l ' read one day that ihe W >». >' * I< "' "• '* very gieat, and two days . '< >\ i .< n • ' man was killed at Manil. '»'' " '») " " •"' •

reading such rubbioh. Another thing I didn't believe that some youug New Zealanders v\ere in charge of tho cable oflice at Manila, when the Americans walked in and cut the rabies. I'd just like lo see any colonial clearing out for an American or anybody else. Not much ! We have only h:id ona footall match biucb I wrote last. We won, but I had better not say anything about it, or I may be accused of '• blowing" again. We were to ha\e commenced the return matches last wetk^ but there v.as 100 much snow on tho grouncie. I hear that we are going to play tho Timaru High School Second. That will be a game worlh playing, a- it is said they hu.\e ihe Canterbury ivp. coaching the:. 1 .. Gemid R. has been staying with us lor a f-JU d;i>s. He says Christ's College has been beaten by the High School again. It's a funny thing that that school can't get up a footall reputation. It seems to do very well at cricket. I don't think your colleges can be doing much either, oi eiie >oii would ha\e written about it. Yon can't beat iho high schools Cor good solid work. Gerai'i i* coiner lo England in December for sis years, lie is going to be a doctor. Theie'a another young New Ze.\!ander oft. I *>uppote you will be Ihe next to go, and 1 shall be left stuck in the 35ack Blocks. KLie left Du'iclin eight days ugo, s,o fehe musl becomewhera near Capo Hoiu now. She said sho didn't want to meet any .Spanish or American yrait-hins, or have any adventures of any kind —not even an iceberg. Fancy that ! All she wauled wa^ lo soil quietly away fioin I'oit Chalmers, and get to London without any fu?3 or bother. Sho didn't v.ant to he Li»£>t in a stale of excitement by pirates and batllb&hips when the/ get into the Noilli Atlantic or anywhere el-^e. 1 suppose being a giil &he can't hrlp feeling 'like that, but I should wan' half the passage money teturned if nothing happened on the voyage. I might have beci in Cuba by this lime, and able to send full ant! true particulars of all that is happening at the seat of war, but the editor doesn I seem lo think " a trumpery boy " woo.ld be wor'.h much as a war correspondent. I ha to had an invitation from a genlleinar. to tal.e some lessons in flash-signalling. It might con.c in useful if I ever do get lo Cuba or Manila. There's a girl been writing to Dot wcnliug to go to (he war as hospital muse. I niippooe ihore Isn't anything to prevent hpr going if she wants to, but I hope to goodness she won't want to make out thn.t I am wow cbd or ill, ard send 1-er own despatches to the editor Did you ever hear of hares swimming.' A follow wrote lo the Witness last week from Cheviot, and said his brother shot two while they weie swimming a river. I never heard of &uch a thing before, and was very glad to get the information. It shows that people glicnidn'i do-pise the childicn's page Anothei fellow wrote to Dot, and seemed lo think that I was a conceited blockhead becan^ I happened to mention a good day's shooting T had had (It was the day before you Ietl). Great Scot! fancy calling me a good r-hol, when I only came cut third in the school Cup competition 1 What I call good shots aru Ihe men that went to England with Captain Robin; and the man who won £80 at the pigeon match at tho time of the Jubilee m Punedin. When l can &hoot like that, i shn'.l be &l;v.t. I hope your new gun is workir-g all Yliavftn't anything special to write about tiiis week, ,o must conclude with love from all the kids.- -Your chummy tou&in, 15. 0. B. f [Nothing special lo write about, b. U. b. , an-l yd look -d nil yon hnvo told \iv. Wh-/, vour* week's experiencp in the coal li^e is good enough without anything eUe.— Dot.J