LETTERS CONDENSED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 68

LETTERS CONDENSED.

Harhy's Love is b&ing found out on all sides, but she has no intention of changing her norn de plume foe all that. "I am used to getting tea=ed, as I have six brothers. Sometimes they tease most unmercifully. When at Elandsfontc-ni, Nut gave a Seventh tiooper (Hearty Lassie's brother) a Kaffir bracelet to give to Jessica. He managed to bring il safely, and now Jessica wea rs > it with pardonable pride, although her bioihers sometimes call h<=r 'Kaffir' and 'uchlike names. We usually get one of the boys to drive us up to church, etc., so you see boys are very handy, and therefore we have to bs good chums with them. When it is rough weather here the sea is very rough and makes a terrible noise, but we are used to it now "

Mischief would like Ivanda, Gaillardia, Alpine Princess, Bert, Troub'.csomp, Clyde, and. Wild Daisy to exc.ha.ng" autos with her. "Okl Writers' Week was very good, but not as good a3 I expected. Whenever I wear my badge I hardly ever see a D.L.F., but when I was. out to-day I saw two D.L.F., ju«t because I didn't have my badge on, I suppose."

MesembryaNTHEM decs not annd her letters Lang condensed, but intends to try till she writes «uch a good letter that it will have to «o in m full. "I live in the country, and) although I am able to g"t a ride I would sooner ii.c in town. My brother gave me a pretty, white iabb:t, Which he caught while out shooting Dear Dot, do you like getting up eariy, :n fic-ty wcathei/ 1 do not. I am milking tw o cows. '

Li:;da Abair's teacher gives her pupils a. card for those who are correct m spelling all the week, nr.d Linda often get= it. "We wero all at a soiree last night to welcome our news minister. They air putting up a new manse, and it will b» \erv nice when it )■? finished. Wo h..,\e thiee. cloy, 'three can, and t-'o-guinea-pigs." The Ilkl\ i s\>S' would like to exchange autos w th Boy, Lind<\ Jack, Blue Violet, and unv other DLF. A'ldre«i "The Helmsman, care of Mrs T. M'douthcr, Green Valley, Waihemo." "I w.-s at a ball lately given in. honour of three lc'iin^d troopers The place was dccoratpcl w it! fh-es urd rversp-eens, and looked vi' v pirtt<- r ln> rii=t put of the night v.aT? a, wacsrU au/ 1 speecb.es weie made and

songs sung. After that we had supper while ■the floor was being cleared ofr dancing, which. was kept up for several hours. I got home -bout 8.30 a.m., after having enjoyed myself greatly." 'AIBDAXE waa away for a holiday to O. the year before last, «ud enjoyed iherself very much. "We are having terribly rough weather here lately, with rain and wind, and it is blowing to-day. I have read 'Alice in Wonderland/ and I think it is a very fnnny book." Siiilee would like to exchange autos with any D.L.F. Address: "Smiler, P. 0., Heriot." Moss Rose sends me the pretty lines "We »re Seven," but I think all D.L.F. have read them already. Fairy Queen tells me about the weather. At the time of writing it looked very like enow. "There was a soiree held up here to ■welcome home one of the Seventh New Zealand era, and the people of our district presented him with a lovely gold albert." Myrthertidvtlite has a good many autos, but she would like other D.L.F. to exchange with her, especially Florodora. " "I was in Dunedin a short time ago, expecting to see the Coronation, but it did not conic off. It was raining most of the time, but, for all that, I enjoyed myself immensely." Tin Tacks is enjoying herself between pingpong and the quadrille assembly. "I was at a concert on the 24th ult., and enjoyed myself very much. I was also at a ping-pong party on the following Monday night, and it was most enjoyable. I like ping-pong very much. We had friends with us here last week, and we played it every night. Evangeline w?s down on© night, and we had some fun. We went up to Evangeline's the next night and took the ping-pong apparatus with us, and we had some great sport trying to give each othei a black eye." ' t Bramble goe3 to school every day, but she does not like it. "I shall be very glad when spring comes, because I don't like this cold ■weather. We live close to the seaside, and so it is often, cold." Frvis Loves tells about what he terms "a "bit of fun." »"The boys tied a tin disli^on a dog's neck, and the dog did kick up a row." I am afraid the poor dog- would not see much fun in the proceeding. { Beingke Breeze is learning the piano, and she tries /to teach her little brother how to dance. "Mother has gone out, and I am left in charge of the baby. I have a lovely bunch cf violet 3 for the teacher to-morrow. We have a greenhouse, and another one being built." Childa has found out a great many L.F. since she last wrote. Sho would like Florodora, Boadicea, Black Watch, and any other D.L.F. to exchange autos with her. Address : > "Childa, care of Mr J. Williams, Waiareka Junction." "There is quite a craze on piugpong here, and there are two or three tournaments every week. ' WESJXA has 6G autoa now, and they are steadily increasing. "I was in at the winter show, and I thought the Taieri court wa3 the ' best." Jack the Rippeb has a good distance to walk to 'school, and he and his little brother are very tired when they get there. "I go fishing sometimes, and I always manage to get one or two perch. I set about 100 traps, and get always about 80 or 90 rabbits every day. I sometimes go out ferreting, but I hardly ever get any rabbits that way. About a week ago another friend of mine and I went to the bush to get some ferns, and we got as many bs we could carTy." Camellia I makes some trite remarks on ihe spirit of criticism which has evinced itself in our page lately "Why, Dot, we shall soon ' liave to call our page 'The Critic Paper.' The ' letters should get enough criticism now. I think it waa jnuch nicer when we only had our Critic Club We have lately had three— namely, D. 0. C, D. L. F. Civis, and the C. C. I know several people who went to Dunedin, Invercargill, and many other places at Coronation time, just to return home without enjoying tfiemselves. I suppose it will take a goodsized book to hold such a number of D.L.F. autos as you will get for Con's auto. book. Can you tell me the correct number of present-day writers, Dot?" — [No; but I should say there have not been les3 than 2500 letters during the past 12 months.] White Lead tells me about his midwinter holidays, for which they have had lovely ■weather. "We have had a fall of sr_ow, which has lasted for two or three days." Dandelion Bingles goes to school, but sho has a lot of work to do when she returns home again. "I have a number of mates at school, and I like one better than the rest. We always come homo together. We were out visiting last night, and we had 9uch fun, singing and playing games, only it was very cold coming home. I was ordered off to bed at once, but I didn't go until I had a cup of tea\" Joe Fong finds our page very interesting. "In one letter I see where a boy is complaining of having too many sisters, but I have not got a sister at all. I have not been ia this district very long." Violet tells me of a fancy dress ball held in the- township in which she lives. Sho thought the dresses were very pretty. "I shall give you a sort of description of what kind of a township I live in. It is vcrv small, an s ia situated on the Waimea. Plains and is surrounded by mountains. There are very few houses and not many people, but for all that j it is very lively sometimes." I Pube Gold has found a new name for tho , condensed column — "spud-slicer." It is ndt very elegant, and could only have been thought of by a boy. "I always grab the Witness to Bee who has a letter in. My father says there is no such person as Dot, but I think there is Why doesn't Dot come out and stand m the middle of the D.L.F. group, and get her photo, taken along with the rest?" Celia has played ping-pong severe' limes, and she thinks it very interesting. "The district where I live is on the coast, and in uunuoet many _eo_le come torn town to __.oy

their holidays here. Dear Dot, are you fond of violets? We have got a lot out just now, and 1 think that they are very sweet. I am very fond of flowers." j Little Dodger knows a, little baby boy called Cecil, which she thinks is a very pretty name. "A creamery is being buih here, and no doubt Eomahapa will be -quite lively next summer, with the milk carts going to and from it. There was a flaxmill here, but it has , been shifted. The Glen twinemill is not far from here. There is a great noise in the mill when all the machineiy is working. I sometime^ have a game of draughts with a friend of mine." Pepper Pot has found out several D.L.F. in the neighbourhood in which she lives. "I was at a dance the other night, but it is not very good weather just now for dances, as it is terribly wet and the roads are very muddy. I shouldn't like the job of going up them on a bike just now." i New Zealander tells me about her cats, which are called Bobs and Tibbie. "I was away for a holiday this week, and I had some grand fun. Just a few weeks ago I was up the gully with some friends of mine, and after we had finished our lunch we went up to a cave which was a good way up, and if you ever come up I will take you up to it." Queen of the Town tells me about an experience she and her sister had after visiting a friend. "Well, we had about four miles to go before we could reach our friend's house, and I can tell you we were pretty tired by the time we reached there. About 5 o'clock we started to come home again, and just as we were nearing home we saw something black in the hedge. Myft sister screamed, and we had to go back a mile and go right round the town before we got home. And, dear Dot, what do you think it was? Well, it was a i horse." Bluegum has four sisters and two brothers, but they are all big now. "We have a large house, and there are large trees round it. I learn my lessons every night, and I hope to pass into the Third Standard thi3 year. I like going to school very much, Dot." Smiling Gwen has a sister who used to write to our page from the north over the | norn de plume of Mountain Maid. "We had i a picnic up here last May, and we had gTeat fun. We went to look at a dredge, but we did not go en board, as the river was flooded, so we had to go back. We looked for some ferns, but we couldn't find any. We were very tired when we got home, so we went to bed eaily. We are having a very good winter up here. They say it is the best winter known for a good many years. ' Kalbe lives in a valley surrounded by hills. ■ "There are not many houses in it, but there is . a largo stream running not far from the houss, and we call it a river Not fai from where we live is a bush, called Canada Bush. We havo a large garden and orchard round our house. Our school was shut for two months, as there was no teacher." ' Bus* has left school after passing tho Fourth Standard. She was to go to the High School, but the plan was changed, and she is stopping at home, helping in the housework. "We got a week's holiday at Coronation tune. We were going in to the Coronation, and when we were half-way in we heard that it was postponed, and we turned back and went home again. Don't you think that was the beat way, Dot?" N. E. L. had two sisters who at one time wrote to our page. "I have a flower garden, but the frost has killed nearly all the flowers. I do not know any of the D.L.F. except Arthur ■ 1 X., who used to live close to where wo live ; ' but the school was shut for two months be- ■ cause there was no teacher, so he went down south." Love-a-Duc: came to town for the Coronsvtion, and did not sea what sha came for. "I wa-a away for nearly a week, and, my word, if ! I didn't get a teasing when I came back. Dear j Dot, did jou ever read the book entitled I 'Poppy'? It is by Mrs Isla Sitwell. I have lead it nearly through, and I think it very nice. I have just finished reading 'Dorothy's Story,' but I did not care for it very much." ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Cineraria. -Yes, dear, I should like the description when you can find time to write it. I Heiress op Thobkleigh. — I am glad the badge turned up at last. The substitution in the address of "a ' in place of "ko" made all the difference, did it not? There is nothing to pay, dear. Aileen. — Thank you very much for the kind invitation, dear. It would be very pleasant to convince that doubting brother of yours, would it not? I am glad you have such a busy life, for it must therefore needs be a happy one , but I hope you will spare a little time to write for next O.W.W. at all I events. NEW RIDDLES. By Ceha —If you were on. top of Knox Church steeple, sitting on a goose's back, and there was no ladder, how would you get down ? By Celia — Pluck it from the goose's breast. By Airdale — -What 13 the most dangerous bat that flica in the air? By Teasing Kiddy. — What is it that passes , '. so quickly that you cannot see it I ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S RIDDLES. ; By S. M —(1) TII3 sun; (2) when the "i " \ i= out the "o" is in, (3) a letter. By Grandfather —Because it has ears. By Alpine Princess —(1) A road; (2) none, the crow has to carry them, (3) an egg. i ' H W. Scott «ends answers to uddles by P. M. (1 and 2), Grandfather, iu:d Alpine ' Prmcoss (1 and 3). ' _ i LITTLE FOLKS BADGES. \ Cadged have been seat to Ja_e Hwim, Wr_. (

Reid, Joan Green, Hugh Wilson, Sydney Ladb.ook, and Irene Peake.