DAISY PRIMROSE'S FAREWELL LETTER. Albany, W.A., Feb. 25.

Otago Witness, Issue 2504, 19 March 1902, Page 68

DAISY PRIMROSE'S FAREWELL LETTER. Albany, W.A., Feb. 25.

Dear Dot, — As we expect to be leaving Albany for England very shortly, I have decided to write this, my farewell letter, as I find I have not the time to carry through the work I began last year, that of detailing to your readers my experiences whilst travelling through West Australia ; and, even if I might succeed in doing so, it appears my narratives would not be welcome in some quarters, to that ere I suffer anyone to read what is considered undesirable, I resolve to forthwith end them.

It had been niv intention to give you full details of the eighth contingent's week's sojourn here, but as your space cannot be spared ono so inefficient, I leave that to the imagination, although I feel sorry for those (and they aro not a few) who would have appreciated them, which, on the whole, would have been interesting reading. However, that's as may be, and as 1 have no wish to trespass upon your space with ray last letter, and thereby evoke the ire of the worthy Critic Club, while thanking you. Dot, and our editor — my good friends— for all past considerations and kindnesses, and ou_ little folk for their sympathy to oiyseif, allow me to take my leave from the band wherein as a membci I spent many a happy hour, and 111 the futuie shall look back upon with many » pleasant thought, by wishing you all a last faiewcll, and trusting some may remember Daisy primrose.

[I am soriy Daisy Primrose has taken so Miious a \:ow of the criticisms some of her Jetters have met with at the hands of some of our correspondents, and personally I regret very much her retirement from our page. I wish her every success 111 the Home land, and trust wo fchall yet henr of her well-doing. lam sure her am.ouncement will be received with very general regret, as her letters have afforded! pleasure to most readers, and criticism at least shows that there was something in them worthy of attention at the hands of even the most critical. I regret very much Daisy's determination not to give us an account of the; eighth contingent's sojourn in Albany, as J had lookeel forward to an interesting letter on the subject. Thank you, Daisy, for the good! woik you have done as a member of our band, and on behalf of myself and the little folk I again wish you a successful career. —DOT.]

CORRESPONDENCE CONDENSED. Eeta apparently does not approve of a D.L.F. in a group smiling too broadly, and to one who .shall be namelesi she suggests that next time bho is taken she should put the grin in her pocket and sit on it. "From where I live I can see the sea, and after rough weather I often watc-h the breakers sp'ashing over the rocks. 1 am very fond of watching the sea, and I have a great fancy to go for a trip round the world iv one of the' big steamers. I had a good laugh. at the Clutha D.L F. group; I thought it would have turned out better than it did. I once thought of showing myself off in that group, but I am glad now that I did not, as i would o»ly have made it worse. In Scapegrace's last letter he told about a girl throwing milk over a cow ; that was ju9t the way I christened a cow once , I was sitting milking the cow and singing at the same time, when the cow qu'elly lifted her foot and popped it into the bucket, and commenced washing the dnt off it (foi it wan \cry dirty) by dabbling it 111 the milk, and when I got her foot out, I didn't take tbo trouble to run round to the pig, but thro tha contents of the bucket over her head " Camellia May has a D.L.F fuend, whom she sees almost every day. "When my sister was at the school picnic, she laid her hat under a tree, and when she wen" to get it, the badge was lying on the top of her hat, biokeu to pieces My s'stcr and I put our school sewing in the art union at 0., and we both got second przei. Our school took most of th_< prizes. I was up at N. for my holidays, but I did not enjoy them very much, as I had to nurse nearly all the time. Some of the girls talk about their brothers— what teases they are. Well, I have a brother, and he never teases us at all. We have a Bible class here every week, but it is nearly over, as the minis* ter has to go away in two or three weeks." The Helmsman has only two auto 3, and h^ gaiitam.Qie.attd esjjeciaiixJjiose af BflJcv WuliiV. •

Harry, Bert, Sol Slow, and Daisy Priinro-e. "Is it not sad about that terrible disaster t.o the seventh contingent? One of the killed (Trooper MT<ew) and two of the wounded, lived only a few miles fioni here. A few days ago a jmrty was given here in honour of the marriage of a returned trooper. Dancing was held in the barn, but everyone went to the liouse for tea. Is not a rainy day a dreary thing, Dot, when you have to 6tay inside all the time?"

Enwoodite has settled c'own to "straightforward work" again at school. "Wejire having such lovely weather just now— too hot for any white man to my fancy. How sad it \sas to hear abou. our Seventh Xew Z?alandei<;' Just fancy another one of our D.L.F. going away m the ninth contingent! Ido wi^h the war was brought to an end."

Smiler finds that a great many D.L.F. write from the district in which she lives. I have one cow to milk, and one pet lamb and two calves to feed night and morning The little folk have progressed very well in collecting for the Cot fund. It will not be long before they have collected enough money to pu: chase a cot ior the Oaniaru Hospital too."

Sapphire -,3 very fond of writing and diawing. "The first school I went to was a private kindergarten school. Now Igo to the Middle school. I got a pi:ze lor writing and attendance. My sister and I joined the Mimsteruig Children's* League on Friday last We wei.t out in the tramcar to Avenal to the piesident, iviere we had afternoon tea, and ye enjoyed ourtelves very much. ' Scotch Bex tells me about the weather, it having been raining all day. "We have a very quiet horse. I often go loi a vide on hei.

Tea Rose 13 coming to Dunedm at Easter, and she is looking forward eagerly to her vi'-it. "One of my brothers is at the war. He went away with' the first contingent, and was invalided home on account of having enteric fever. He is a lieutenant in the sixth, and we- received word the other day that he had received an appointment in one of the home corpb. ' SuKNYvrsw only want about eight miles from home 101 the holidays. "Th -re is 3 c'u.m straight in front of our dwelling, nd I cun hear the water roaring very plainly. - Htlda sees someone has taken her 110 md? plume, and she wishes the other girl to hud a iresh one. "There are abjjt 23 D L..F. wriurg from here. I hs>ve 37 autos, add I fchall exchange with any D.L.F. that will send me theirs."

Lydia coriesponds with D L.F.. ar.d has 3G autos,. She would like more, and if sent to "Lydia, care of Mi T. Gawn. ilo'.mhcßd, Mosgiel," they will leacli her. ' I ha\p lead Alien m "Wonderland,' and I thought it \e.y interesting. I am at piesent reading Ascutiioy Street,' and I think" it is \ pry nice. Some oi vhe books I have lead lately are * Ai .ia Lee, •Lights and Shadows oi For.s'.ei SqitP'-e, •Little Women,' 'Good Times,' 'Day ot llccompense, ' Wooed and Married, 'Agnes Gu'.v, * Ina,' and ' Kitty,' etc. ' Lallie axd Floss arc- two relations. " Tiie place where we live is '. cry quiet, but we have to make the best of :t, and go riding \\hene\er ■we get the chance, wh.ch, )_ am sorry to = jv, is not very often. Was not that teinble about the seventh contingent We had a relation julled. He was only 21. My word, _t was a terrible blow tc his parents. They aie getting his photo m uniform enlarged. ' Orange Lily's school is breaking up for fi.e weeks' harvest holldi'vs. "I 'hall lie e''*<i to have a spell from bchool, as I will be able to help mother. 1 weht fci a picnic iip the bii-h tlie other day. It was d ver> lough load up to \he bush. "When we got up there we had our <- inner, and then we went aw.v up the busb i\"e say/ a water raco which was about threequarters cf a mile Ici'g. The urn-vest is coming vii very quickly now.'

Masel's sisters wrote to the page at one time, so she is following their example. " J ... iarmers are busy harvesting lound heie. Th.s is a very nice place to live in, but it is very qi.iet. Our holidays are all over now. We liave three cows and one UUle calf — it is such a pretty wee tiling. The fruit :s <<11 getting Tipe about here, and we Kie bu*y nuking jam

PEGGY would. 1 ke to charge auto? wil'i J<?=sica, Kimbecco, aiid Black Watch. "It -- r.wilEg to-night. It h.!b bepn >a,i. ug Mice Thursday morning, and it is horub'e. l-Vuc;. C«n being back trom the var, and Nut -a rg ;iv..-y Well, I hope he will writ? v mcc Liter, as Con did, because nearly ereiy DL r. leads them, or ought to, anyway. ily brother i-j away to ths war, but he will soon bs home, as he leaves thne this month, 1 thi.il-. He w.s captured with some other Xew Zc<tl:>udi-i5 not long ago, ai.d they weie stupped cf everything they had, and allowed to free a<i. in. Wa= not that a r.airow escape, Dot > He '<?nl m.• Bister a silk h?ndkcicl..cf v.itli a Un.on J.ick m the conic. and the vo.cl* 'A pic =. t fi< ii Pietoua on it. \Y.;o no 1 , tli.u :'\. ful :>U>iit the seventh contingent' .M> \.oid, i\,<-\ mu'-t lia\e b-;eu brave to fight pgm.i't ."-90 Boci "

Snowdrop a=ks il i' has bjeii rair.ir-* in Dundm, "lor." she pays, "we l.a\e luid it r.nr.mg lor two days. The last letter I wrote I w.i« a^!--:ng you for a name foi *ny kitten, but it died, ac i:ol have no pet now. 1 ' Clematis writes "I always dioad a v.ot d.w. s the house gets m such a state when tnerf it a crowd of children, and they can't get outside. There are eight of us besides mjodf, ai:d we are all at home, so \ou can guess that mothci has a very hvelj time of :t among us all. 1 Bee by some of the letters that same girls reqaic! their brothers as a nuisance, but I don't I think chat boys ar2 not any worse thai; gal-, but of course thc:e ure bad boys> as well as La 1 girls. I ha\e got five brothers, and I wcii.d iiot like to be .vithout them."

Boadicea would like Rowena to exchange sutos with her. "Dear Dot, along with Ma:d of Athens I went to Dunedm a few weeks ap;o, and we went to see our famous D.L.F. Cot. The little patient had left about three hours befoie ■we went down, and we were awfully soiry vie didn't go ixx the mornn.g, foi if we had wo would have seen her. It •»■• a nice little cot *'itk ' D.L.F. Otago Witness Cot ' wjuUsiu aucve

it in gold letters. The nurse showed us =ome other little children who were about to leave that day. Fancy another of our famous bai.d gone to the war! I hope this terrible war will poor be over. It 13 taking away so many of our brave men who have good homes aud firesides to sit at. I went for a ride to Mosgiel on Sunday to hear tho band playing &?cred munc, mid they played "The Dead Al^rch' for the rcventh contingent boys who were killed. Maid of Athens is away at Palmer3ton staying with Clarissa. I think Clarissa has such a sweet-tempered face. '

Fleda. was unfortunate v.i rot beirg able to get to her Sunday school picnic. "Our school picnic also was last Wednesday, but :t came or. to rain in the afternoon. It .5 a terrible day — laming, snowing, and blowir g, etc. 'Ihe ai'ple dumpling is ieadv, and my teeth are watering rer a bit, so good-bye.

Gelert gives me a description of the p'ac? she hveT in. " Well, to begin with, we have hills 01 or.c side, and on the other side we have mountains lourd about. Iheie is a small creek riu.mng through here— namely. Swift Creek In tho summer time tiie cieek i<s very low, and near'y all the children go swimming 111 it. I foi one am veiy for.d of snmming.

Lady Peggy Phimkose— l woiider if she >s the second or thud of the name — wrote oice or twice, "but that was a long time ago, so does not count for much, does if The place I live in is a small township, though tliere are three churches, two halls, two hotels, two stores, and a post office .n it. We are going to get up a new factory eooii. Deai Dot, we aie having temble weather for harvest just now. It has been raining since Wednesday, and this is Sunday. We iiad some very heavy rain to-day, and if it does not soon eiear off I'm afra.cl we shall be singing a ' pony song ' I think the K. nvcr 13 111 flood, as. it is very high and dirty to-day.

M'ftxOLiA has found out M C. H. '"I should like to exchange autos with Boadicea, Boy, Zoe, and any other D.L.F. As my fuend Oryza is kcing '.01 a trip to Napiei, s.'ic nr>ay meet some JJ.L.F., and pcrhaijs Dot herself, but ] doi.'t think she will be so kicky, eh. Dot > Some of my favotuite books are ' Beulah,' 'The Wide, Wide World,' " Robiii c on Cruso?/ and ' Dombey and Son.' My favourite writers are Aqme Swan, D'ekcns, and Darnel Detoe "'

Dictator wiiics — "I bad five vreeks' holidays at New Ycir, and I went down to f.ee my old home with my mother, sister, and baby brother. My father met us at the station, and we went to the sports, and father got first prize in the chopping. Dear Dot, the looming that we left here to go away our mare Bessie had such a pretty little fo.il , he j° a lovely grey. We have i'iiothcr hor^- now, and a trap, as niy father is rabbit.ng, and he g^ts a pood many labbith. The Blacksmith's Daughter knows a good many D.L.F. "My fa\ourite writer^ ai" Kuatara, Dai=y Primrose, Lottie, and a fe\. lnoie. We have six cats aid twi dogs.' ANSWERS TU KIDDLES By Paiiah — A cow. LITTLE FOLK'S BADGF.S Badges have been sent as follows —Ethel M. Ashton, Annie M'Lean, Alta, Bel), James M'Grouther. Agnes Currie, Maiy B. Currie, Chrissie Taylor, Alice Fletcher, Leslie Fletcher, Elsie Black. OAMARl T COT FUND * Pievious'y ac knovvledsrd J.C, 1! 0 Pietona. 0 '2 0 Camellia May .» ... ..........010 £6 10 0