LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 57

LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLKS.

Dear Dot, — Our term holidays are drawing to a close, and I have enjoyed them immensely. I spent them in visiting, exploring, and attending lectuies and meetings, visually in company with my friend. I went down tc the Oaversham Church to hear and roe Dr M'l^arlane. He looked handsome in his picturesque dress, but how inconvenient i v would be for us boys to wear a long skirt over our knickers ! I would like lo Fee my brother footballers and cricketers in thai dross. It might suit me better, as lam neither, bui how awkward and inconvenient it would be for mo to scramble over hedge* and barb-wire fences. I'm. afriad I would carry my skirt ii 1 my pocket. I have beer ghing myself exercise in culling dowr broovr and gorse and acting gravodigger for a nittnbei of potato sets. 1 don't like consigning the potato to the earth, even though it is foi o brief x' el 'i°d- None of my dear old ri\al« have yet sent a letter in for me. I love my rivals clearly, and feel surprised whei) I read of malice between rivals. Perhaps rivalry in lessons is cliff ei ent from rivals in love ; but I don't know. I havo no end of rivals— so Cheer up, mate.". "Ar Enthusiastic Girl" wished lo know the book I last read. It wae " Young England," bui I've read scores since tnat question was ceked. I generally like th. Kcime type of book. I have often read in lh< Wifnes* of a bachelors' ball, but have never reid of a bachelois' dinner or tea. I wonder, 100, when there is an " Old Boys' Dinner," why there should be no " Young Boys' Dinner " also. But I suppose thai some folk believe boys do not know when they have had

enough, and are afraid that they would be voracious enough tr eat the dinner ware, knives, forks, and spoons, elc. Bui I assure you we wouH t''y to behave properly, even if we failfid. We would not be so particular as the Uid 13oys are, owing to our inexperi- ™°, c'™e '™ wo should mis-name e^ery eatable. Uld toolomon thinks a great deal of his master, but the song 1)6 altered was scarcely suitable for a master. Considering the mas ter 8 comments on his exercises, I think 8H is better naiured than I would be. " Kindnoss covers a multitude of erroi-o." Solomon is not quite so slow over lessons as he is going errands. It's something like my mathematics. By (tie way, could cny reader toll me whether tlw Latin word for a letter is spelt with two I'd" ->r one? I've been extremely puzzled seeing it spelb both ways, and I don't know which is classical. lam very particular about correct spelling. On Monday evening I went with my friend to hear the Rev. Mr Hewilson discourse on '"Wordsworth." I enjoyed it thoroughly. 1 like these lines of Wordsworth : . . . For I have learned To look on Nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes The still, sad music of humanity. — I conclude with love to all, Mornington, September 15. Harry. Dear Dot, — I think you will forgive me for n>fc wriling oftener, as I am very busy learning my music lessons. lam learning to play tho organ, so I have not much time to write, and I am kept busy with school lessons, too. Dear Dot, I don't milk just now, as the cows are not all calved srel,5 r el, so I gel a long sleep in tho mornings and so dees my sis-ler Minnie. Miss, Morgan is my teacher, and she is very j kind to us, bui of couise sometimes I get the strap. Dear Dot, lam going to tel l you all j about my pets. I have a cot with five kittens ■—three white, one gray, and one black. My pat rabbit Jip is, alive yet, and so are my two swans. They have ne\er laid yet. We have such a lot of quiet cows, and they are such pets. We are milking 36 eow< vist now. We ie^d them on cabbage, mange/s, and sheave?. We cart thcfe out to the field for them. Our dea* old licse Donald pulls them out in the dray. We have four horses, Donald Dinme, Lion, Tom, and Teddy. Tom is our springcart horse, and dear little Teddy is James's pony. My sisters would like to ride him, but he would buck them off. Ho does not like girls to ride him. We have also got a dog whose name h Jack. lam sending Is for the kiudergaiten. — Yours tiuly, Henley W., Sept. H. Janet Sir ail. [II must be quite a relief to have a spell from, the milking, Ja.net, especially as you are kept busy with your muHc and lessons. Thank you for the money for the kinder garte i fund. — Dot.] ' Dear Dot,— We aye Four Playmates, and we live at Henley, which is a yerj prelly place in summoi. Our examination "fas not come or yel, but wfc hope we shall all pass when it does come. We are going to learn club-swinging at our school soon. Would you like to learn, Dot? There are plenty of cows to milk in Henley in the summer time. We have had very bad weather down heie latelj . We have four Jombs ; will you please give us names for them. Dear Dot, we shall have to sloxi now as it is gelling Isle, so good-bee. — \ouis truly, Henley, Aug. 31. Four Schoolmates. [Call tho lambs Matlie, Pattie, Polly, and Peg. The rouidi weather must have been very tiying on the poor little things. — Dot.] Dear Dot,— l am a little girl only eight years old, so you cannot expect a 'scry large letter from me I hope that you will excuse my mistakes. lam going tc get a pony soon, so that I can have nice long rider in summer. We are having nice fine weathei just now.^ It was buch a relief aftei weeks of rain and wind. Wa have had plenty of snow this winter, but not much skating. This k the first time I have written to you. I have a friend at school who is also wriling to you this week. I cannot write any more just now, so goodbye.—Yours truly, Cecily. [Though not a very "large" letter, Cecily, it is by no means a bad letter, and when you get a lillle older I am sure you will write \xs some very interesting letters. — Dot.] Dear Dot,— l am Rending you these -\erses, hoping they .ue worthy ot your space. I would be so plea&ed to see their in ycui page : LITTLE SWEETHEART AND I. We wandeted onwards, hand in hand, Little sweetheart and I, Through mazy paths of " wonderland, In happy days gone by. "While you whistled, 1 would sing, "Wo never thought to sigh, For I was queen and you were king, Happy sweetheart and I. Fondly now my memory turns, As I watch the sunlight die To when we rambled through the ferns, To see tho fantails fly. Or sat beneath the rata tree, All crimson-capped. so high, ■"Where you would tell strange tales to me, Or teach me some bird's cry. We chased our childhood's days away Too swiftly, you and 1, Now parted are our lives for ayeLittle sweetheart, good-bye! —Olive W. Invercaigill, September 10. Dear Dot, — I am going to describe to yov tho beautiful sunset 1 admired so much tonight. The sun had just set, and the clouds, piled up in the west, were of a pink coloui lined with the most beautiful gold. There was a rent in the clouds, and it just looked like a lady's torn garment, with the ragged ends of the lining showing above the teai. Ifc afterwards changed, and the rent in the garment was transformed into a lake, with the bun shining on ifc, and bleak, ruprged mountains all around. (The mountains were tho inky piles of clouds farther up the sky.) As it got darker the clouds changed tc pale mauve, which looked just exquisite. They were all reflected in the river below, which added to tho beauty of the scene. Priscilla and I were sitting on the bank of tho river contemplating this lovely scene, and we turned around to watch some rowers farther down. When we again turned to look at the western sky, tho reflection in the rivei below us and the lovely clouds had all vanished like a dream, and nothing was loft but masses ot dark clouds, which had slowly begun to course across the sky. Dear Dot I wish you had been with us to see thip glorious sunset.— Yours truly, Pauline. [I wish 1 had indeed, dear, but youi de scription is so graphic that I can almost imagine I sco the picture you have painted. 1 hope you will write to us agaju soon. — Dot.] Dear Dot, — I believe that it is three weeks since Pauline and I wrote to you. I have been reading such a nice story lately, and what do you think I read it in? Well, it was in a Boy's Own Annual — a strange book for a girl to read, was it not? Ois never wrote another letter. I think it was such

a pity, for her letters were so interesting. I hope that you will have room to print Ihis, but the little folks' page is so large nowadays that you might not have any. I wi-h that 1 could write such nice letters as Tiixie oi Sibil Scrybils. I like H-irry's and Simla's letters very much. Last Monday evening, as Pauline and I were strolling down tha bank of tho river enjoying the lovely spring evening, four boys came sailing down the river in a boat, and when we asked them to let us have a row, they said that it was too lale and that they must return to their tea. New that wa<s nonsense, for ib was only 5 o'clock. Werci they not horrid? So Pauline and I went to the back of the saiden among tho trees and watched them. Then they went up and down the rivei for about half an hour, till at last they let themselves drift into shallow water, and there they stuck till a gentleman came and rescued ihein. Pauline and I got on the fence and laughed at them. That was rather cruel, was it not? But " revenge is sweet" sometimes. They then began to row home up-stream, and I think ifc must have been quite dark when they got home. Dear Dot, wren" the wild flowers begin to bloom on the hills again Pauline and I are each going to press a little bouquet of buttercups and send to you. — Yours truly, Pbiscilla. [Thank you. dear, it is very thoughtful of you. The boys were certainly very selfish in keeping the boat all to themselves, but I should think you were very glad you were not in it when they' got stuck in the mud. — Dot.]