LETTERS FROM THE LITTLE FOLK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 77

LETTERS FROM THE LITTLE FOLK.

Motto. — We write for the benefit of others, not for ouiselves. Dear Dot, — I attended the D.L.F. meeting last week, and enjoyed it immensely, as all the members are so amiable ; and 1 quite regretted when the debate came to an end. In fact, the proceedings were so interesting that I intend attending regularly in future. Although I did not have much to say on this occasion, it being my first appearance, I hope after attending for a while that I shall be able to contribute my mite towards the success of the club ; but being on^y an amateur at debating at present, I did not reveal my views. I thoroughly enjoyed the manner in which the subjects are thieshed out, showing that the progress oi D.L.F.-hood in Dunedin is "writ large" m the minds of the numerous L.F. who make it their special duty to attend, and so help to s-well the number. As I knew a few D.L.F. beforehand, I very soon bscame acquainted with most of the members, but unfortunately I cannot recollect all their jM.D.P.'s, as they became rather complicated in my mind, but I think with the assistance of a few D.L.F. mates, I shall soon overcome that difficulty. Dear Dot, as I do not wish to encroach too far on oiir famous page, I shall bring this effusion of gladness to an end. With kindest regards to all the D.L.F., not forgetting yourself and our popular editor, — lours truly, GRAPE NUTS. [I am sure Grape Nuts will make a valuable member of the club, and I feel satisfied he will quickly learn all the nomes de plume , of the different memberß.' — DOT.] Dear Dot, — I spent my holidays at Westport, where I was for seven weeks, enjoying myself Very much. I did not see any D.L.F. when I was away. There was a great exhibition for a week, and I went every night. A great many prizes were awarded to the children. Our annual school picnic took place on Saturday down at Hokitika. There were also four other picnics on that day. The train was a very long one, there being 30 carriages and picnic trucks. By the time we arrived in Hokitika there were two thousand people on the train. We had a glorious day, as it was a great treat for us children to go to the sea beach. We took our boots and stockings off, and had a nice paddle, and we were backward and forward to the park. The Hokitika people had boiling j water and tea for us at the park, so we all j took our refreshments there, and sat under « the trees. Hokitika is a splendid place for , a picnic, only it is rather far from where we ' t live. We were some four hours in the ' train, leaving home about S a.m., and it was 10 p.m. before we arrived borne again, j Wasn't it a long day? With love to the editor, not forgetting yourself, — Yours truly, JEANNIE DEAR. Dear Dot, — This is a beautiful day with plenty of clouds drifting across the sky — clouds shaded from milky white in colour ' to dark grey. The blue appearing between ; them is of a most delicate tint, far prettier . than it sometimes is. The sun seems to be having a game of hide-and-seek among the ! clouds ; a pleasant breeze is blowing ; and, I everything taken into consideration, it is a very pleasant day, although outside it is a bit damp underfoct. It was raining yesterday — not heavily, but more ,of a drizzle than anything else. This was the first time we had had any rain for nearly three weeks, so we were really needing some, for things were getting very much dried up. Last Wednesday night and Thursday morning, although it looked very threatening, there was only a slight drizzle, not enough to make the ground look thoroughly wet. It laid the dust, though, which was very welcome, for dust is by no means a pleasant thing. Last Saturday week the school picnic took place at Hokitika. None of us here went. We were busy harvesting, and could not have gone very well if we had wished, for picnicking does not agree with harvesting by any means ; does it ? As I was tumbling into bed in a decidedly sleepy state at a few ■ minutes to 10 o'clock that night, I heard the j picnic train going up country towards Ahaura. j I can tell you I did not feel the ' slightest j envy towards those picnickers. There were quite a few D.L-F. there, I believe, so you will get a good account of the day's proceediugs, I have no doubt. There are now nine or ten L.F. going to the Ahaura School. Your band is increasing very rapidly in this part of the world, is it not, Dot? Ivy Green, who is an old mate of mine, has come back to school again, after being away for over a year. Having been rather good friends and chums for a long time, I am very pleased to have her for a mate once more. We J D.L.F. often have talks about L.F. things j concerning us and the page. The fruit is getting ripe now, and as I am very partial to fruit of all kinds, you should see the quantity I consume. To tell the truth. I am afraid you would be so terribly shocked that you would not recover to tell it to anybody, and what would we D.L.F. do then? Fruit is very scarce this year in comparison with what it was last, and I expect it will be very dear. There is a large pea-ch tree trained up the sunny side of our house, and it has a good crop of peaches on it this year. They are getting ripe just now, and every now and then, ns I sit writing this, I hear something bumping against the wall and then fall on to the ground with a thump. It is those peaches tumbling off, for although \ not many of them aie anything like quite j ripe yet, they are coming off very quickly j now. There are plenty of ripe blackberries ! at present — such delicious ones. The birds have started on the fruit already. I found a couple of plums they -*iiad been dining on the other day. They evidently appreciate fruit as well as I do. Several weeks ago, one morning, I went out to feed two j calves shut in a little paddock at ihe back j of the cowshed. I got the milk there all right, and got Crooky — the calf with the -rooked neck — into her bucket, but the other would not come and get his. I had a bit of a cha=e after it. At last, I got it into the corner where Crooky was, and got it started drinking its milk. By this time

Crooky, who is four months old — iud,*ad?£' i I think uiore — and a great, bi^;, strong thing, had finished her o.vn milk, ana. catch.ii g sight of Tinj's milk, wished to get that albo. I had no stick, and ]t was only by n.ain force and hitting her with my hand with all my might that T managed to get her a bit away. Now, Tiny is rather a terror for bunting at the bucket, and I was bending down homing it, so that it wouldn't be upset, when that naughty calf Crooky came up behind nip and beg^n to bunt also. All of a sudden I found myself lifted up, and neirly off my feet. Crooky did not get an} 7 of the milk th^t was Tiny-,, but she got a f-?w hits for her pams. One night, a few months ago, I was going to milk a cow which I know , was not inclined to kick when being milked, i so I did nol tie her leg very far back, j All went well till I had more than half ■ finished, when she suddenly raised her foot and let out a tremendous kick. She hit the ■ stool I was sitting on, and upset, not only i me, but the stool and milk also. I had to ] get a clean bucket, but before I finished her I I tied her leg a bit farther back so as to 1 make certain I would not get another kick 1 With love to all the L F. especially the West Coast ones, yourse'f, ana tho kind old editor, —Yours truly, WEST COASTER. [It is indeed satisfactory to see the advance the L.F. band is making in Ahaura, West Coaster. Why, if you go on at that rate I should not bs surprised if some of these days there is a bi^ enough number to have a picnic of your own, and — who kno%vs? — perhaps a social, followed by the formation of a Literary and Debating Club. That would indeed be a great triumph for — DOT.] Dear Dot, — I thought you might like to hear about our D.L.F. picmc we had at the beach. There were 27 of us at it, and as it was a perfect day, we all enjoyed, our day's outing immensely. Wo left home at 9 o'clock, and we waited at the edge of the bush tor the others to come along, but as some of them were a bit late we started off through the bush without them. After about an hour's walk we got to the Chaslands Beach. We took off our shoes and stockings, and waded our way towards the caves. When we got to them the tide was a bit high, but we managed to get round the point, and we were well paid for our trouble .in getting over the rocks when, 'we saw the caves. They were beautiful. The first one we entered was like a long alley, with ju3t room enough tor cne at a time to pass through, and from the roof of this cave came great showers of water just like a shower bath. W followed our guides (one of -whom was Mustard Plaster) a good distance, but the atmosphere sot very damp, and our matches would not keep alight, so we turned and came out again. Further along we visited three more, and they were lovely. We also noticed that the tide was rising fast, so we bsat a hasty retreat to get around a point that goes out into the sea. We all got wet getting across, but we did not mind that. The next thing we came to was a creek, where we got some water for making our tea. Once more we plodded steadily on, and to our delight the rest of otir party had turned up, so we made for the river, and found a lovely spot in the bush to enjoy our lunch. Hard Case, Duffy, and Mustard Plaster boiled the bily, and made us a lovely cup of tea. After lunch, Smiling Lass, Holly Tree, and Ink Bottle got some pretty creepers, and decorated their hats, while some of the others j gathered up the baskets, etc., and put them I m a big tree, so that the dogs would not ' devour their contents during 'our absence. . We then made our way to the river, and ', had a splendid time, although Mushroom and ! I got soaking wet, and one girl fell into the water off a swing. About 3 o'clock we ! wended our way homeward, and as Eggs and Micky Drippon looked tn-ed, we proposed to boil "the billy about half way; so when we came to the bridge over the river, we stopped and were soon once more interested in our ! baskets. After a good rest, we gathered some • ferns and supplejacks to take home with us. 1 I was getting very tired, when I heard some- ■ one say, "We are out of the bush at last, i Tansy!" and I was not sorry, for there was , Hard Case and his mate (who had gone on j ahead to yoke up our carts) waiting patiently for the stragglers to come along. We reached home, sweet home, at 6 p.m., tanned, sunburnt, and tired ; but we were all happy after spending such an enjoyable day. Well, Dot, I think I have made this letter a bit too long, or perhaps I should have left the description of our picnic for a more able pen than mine. I must now close with love to all L.F. — -Yours tiuly, TANSY. P.S. — We bad Queen Fellow staying a few days with us, Dot, and most of the D.L.F. girls had a ride on" his bike. It was fun to see us tumbling off. Smiling Lass and Holly Tree were a bit frightened at first, but they soon got over that. I hope Queer Fellow's head is better. — T. [I don't think" anyone could have described the picnic better, Tansy, and I am sure ' your letter could not have been made shorter under the circumstances. What a wonderful j place Chaslands is for D.L.F. lam so glad you had so enjoyable a time, though you ' seem to ha^'e taken a, delight in getting wet. — DOT.] Dear Dot, — We are experiencing terrible ■weather up here in Christchurcb. jtist now. It has been raining for the last three days. I am in the Fifth Standard, and am one of the best girl scholars in my class. Ido not know any D.L.F., so I am writing to your page of my own accord. I should like to know the D.L.F. names that live in and about Alexandra, as I used to live there. With love to all the L.F., not forgetting j yourself and the editor, — Yours truly, j LADY'S SLIPPER. Dear Dot, — We have had rain for nearlj 1 four days, but it is all over just now. The spoits which were held in Colac 73e»v weie very good indeed, and I enjoyed thsm very much. The day was a bit dull, but a good many people gathered at the ground to enjoy themselves, but I cannot tell you how many people were there. The natives up at Colac Bay are busy preparing for their annual visit to the mutton-bird islands. I am not going to the island this year. There was a picnic to-day, about 1000 people coming to Colac to pass die day and enjoy themselves. On Saturday my cousins and I wont lonnd the point swimming. One of my schoolmates is over at Centre Island, about two ' miles from Colac, teaching the school as a i pupil tencher. With love to all the L.F., not forgettivg yourself and the editoi , — Yours ! truly, * ' MYSTERY ISLAND. Dear Dot,— The number of D.L.F. m Chiistcliuioh :s certainly increasing, tor since my sister staited to wnte to you eighteen months ago, pbout nine or ten girls who live round i heip have joined your bar>3. T am very i fond of reading, and mv fsvourite authors 1 are Rider Haggaid, Guy Boothby, and Marie Corel h. There 1= not much going on in Chnstchurch iu^t now, but I hope to have a grand time at the International Exhibition, which is to be held soo'.e time next year. Rather a long time to Trait, isn't it, Dot 9 We are coins to try to have a D.L.F. group

] photographed here in a few weeks. I have, only seen one badge in Chnstchurch, and that belongs to Gfenfeme. Last Saturday I paid a visit to Stunner, and had a pleasant time. It will be nice when the electric trams, start to run here. The " posts are nearly all m now, but it will be nice when th° elcctnc trams start to run here. The posts are- nearly all in now, but it will be a long tima befora everything is completed. What zapid progress the Debating and Literary Club.-, are making, and what splendid picnics they have. I only wi=h that we could have Debating Clubs here, but there arc not enough D.L.F. to keep them up. The three warships have taken their departure from our harbour, but I did not visit them once. 1 was so soriy, but unfor- . ti'iiately I had iiot the time to spare. I saw j the sailors drilling in Lancaster Park, though, ■ and they marched uke clockwork. Oh, Dot, | the Avon 13 looking so pretty now, for the leaves of the willows have not turned brown yet, and the banks are such a beautiful green. I went out for a row the other day, and stopped out for about an hour and a-half. j The rain is coming down very fast now, and I think I had better be stopping this letter, I for I am very cold. With love- to all tl o D.L.F., the editor, and yourself, — Yours truly, AVON WILLOWS. [It does seem a good time to look forward to, A. W., but it is surprising how quickly it slips away. Meanwhile yoii will be interested to ■« atch the erection of the buildings and the general arrangements being carried out to make the exhibition a success. It va.ll indeed be interesting to see a Chi.&tehurch. D.L.F. group.— DOT.] Dear Dot, — J have just been reading the httle folk's letters, and I think they are very interesting. I was at the Gore show, ' and enjoyed myself immensely. It was such a beautiful day — there was not a, breath of wind nor a clotid iv the sky, and the sun j shone out brightly. I went by the morning ■ train, at half-past 8, and my mate and I had I a good day of it. They were quite a num- . ber of D.L.F. at the show, but I pnly spok to one of them. Mr M'lSTab's farm motor j car was aoing round the grounds all day, and the barrel churns were revolving at a 1 s;reat rate. The Singer Sewing Machine I Company exhibited some beautiful work J done by their machines. There was also a ' graphaphone there, which whistled, sang, and. , did many other things. The school concert i was held hare on the 19th tilt. The chil1 dren did the wand exreise very nicely, and they also sang. The rest of the performers came from Gore. There was a, school excursion trip to Riv^rton, not long ago, but I was not at it, as I was away for my holiday. I shall tell you all about my trip m my next letter. With love to Violet Leaf, Allan-a-Dale, and all the other L.F., — Yours truly, SOPHIA. Dear Dot, — Since last writing to you I hove been amid pleasures of all sorts. 1 have been for a holiday to Miller's - Flat, and, needless to say, I enjoyed myself immensely. If I were to tell jou all the events which, occurred and the inntimerable laughs which I had while I was up there, I am afraid I shoiild fill tip all the space devoted to Dot's little folk. Nevertheless I shall try to relate some of the pleasures which my friends and I enjoyed. The first afternoon one of my friends and I took a walk down to a Chinaman's garden to see if we could yet some raspberries. On our arrival we were treated to some strawberries, which were very refreshing after our walk, and were afterwards shown all round the garden, which proved to be quite an extensive one, the greater part comprising strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and apples. Wheil ws reached the foot of the garden we heard about a dozen Chinamen calking in Chinese for all they were worth. This made us feel a bit dubious, and as our host had no raspberries for sale, we made our way out as quickly as possible. On our way home we called in to see a friend, and spent an enjoyable time. We waited till evening, . when we were taken on to the Golden Run dredge and shown all the mysteries of dredging. The dredge was lighted up with the electric light, and looked very nice. We were afterwards driven home, and slept soundly after our day's enjoyment. The next day's outing I had was with my aforesaid friend's sister. We were on a visit to her uncle's, and as it was still early in the day when we reached there we took a walk a little further along the road, to have a look at a pier which was being constructed across the river. Going on a little farther, we came upon two or three men shearing sheep under a clump of willow trees. As it was the first time we had seen sheep being shorn outside, we became interested spectators, till finally we began to feel amused, and strolled on until we came to a house, in which about half a dozen men were sitting smoking, and as we passed, two of them -ame out to have a look at us, while another two stood in the. doorway staring for all they were worth — and rough-looking tykes they were too, for they had neither coats, vests, nor hats on. At all events it was quite evident that youiig ladies were a rare sight in that locality. That walk was fated to be one of continual amusement to us, for when we were coming home we came upon an old man, a little rougher than the last ones, with a saddle which looked very small perched on die back of a very large draught horse, and supported by a piece of flax, which served as a girth. When we came across him, he was trying his level best to ,get on, but didn't seem quite sure whether he should face the horse's head or tail. My mate was just going to give him a leg on, when all of a sudden he hopped up, and was soon lost to our view. Yoli can imagine the amusement we felt as we retraced our steps to our friend's place. On arriving there we found tea waiting for us, which we greatly enjoyed after our walk. We stayed for about two hours after tea, and then we were driven home by our kind host. That night we went to the choir practice, which was held in the school, and it was no less amusing than our walk. You will be wondering at a choir practice being amusing. Dot ; but at this practice there was no choir master or "boss," and everyone was trying to "boss." which, of course, resulted 111 a feikire. If anyone was listening outside, I am sure they must have got a dreadful fright. But it was a very enjoyable choir practice for all that, and we ssng the hymns quite nicely on Sunday. Shortly after this eventful day, three of us went for 3 ramble up Judge Creek, and great was the fun which we had up there. We were walking quie+ly up the creek, talking very seriously and looking for a nice place to cross, when all of a sudden a man popped up his head from, underneath a bank in the creek, and called out, "Hulloa, there' There's a good footpath over there." Oh, Dot, you can imagine til-* start we got. We stool dumbfounded for about five minutes, and then pioceeded on our journey, shaking with laugbtetr. Wa had frightened the poor old man, and he had? frightened us. But if he had followed u<* up the creek, I am afraid he would have had 3 occasion to 'augh at us, for while I was stepping across a stone quite unconcernedly T» slipped and went plop into the middle of the* creek. . Oh, how my friends did laugh! bus'

'it was no laughing matter for me. However, I had the satisfaction of seeing them in the same plight before long. Shortly after this we returned home, none the worse of our dip in the creek; but the washing on the following week 'was a little larger than usual. One afternoon we were visiting some friends who lived a considerable distance away, and feeling rather tired, we called to see an elderly lady who is famous for telling fortunes. We asked her to read ours, which she willingly did. She told us many things, which I think will never happen, but some of the things which she told me have 'already come true. By the time we had had our fortunes read w* felt quite refreshed, and proceeded on to our friend's, where we spent a very pleasant afternoon. One evening one of my friends and I went to hear the Black Family of musicians, who were performing in the Athenteum Hall, and we enjoyed the singing and music very much. When we were coming out of the hall, or, rather, just as wo got out, we ran up against a very small man, and very nearly knocked him over. He seemed very small to me, and I don't know what he must have looked like to my friend, who was about twice my height. We gave the poor little fellow a dreadful bump, at anyrate. I thought we had knocked him over, but he regained his footing before he reached the ground. The next night we went to a party, and between the dancing and games we spent a very v pleasant evening. That was my last evening in ? Miller's Flat. There are many other incidents which occurred, and many happy hours which I spent with my kind friends, but as I have other "pleasures to write about I shall not mention any more. Suffice it to say that I spent three very enjoyable weeks, and returned home much fresher after my holiday. A short time ago my sister and I went to a picnic at Crookston, where I met Heather Bell, The Shepherdess's Fairy and another L.F. whose norn de plumo I don't remember. Pearl Queen was also there, and several other L.F. whom I did not know. It was a fairly good day, and I enjoyed myself very well. I especially enjoyed my long yarn with H. Bell. On the 24th of February there was an excursion from Edievule to the Bluff, and a large crowd of people took advantage of the cheap outing. The train left Edievale at 7 in the morning, arriving at the Bluff shortly before 12. I went with all my brothers and sisters, and had a very good time. The Bluff is a pretty place, but there is not much of importance to be seen there. There seems to be a great deal of shipping done there. There were no steamers in that day, only two or three cargo vessels, and one small passenger boat. I was on one of the cargo vessels, the Norge, and the passenger boat, the Theresa Ward; but I didn't see very much to interest me. While on the wharf I ran up against A Manx Girl and Sunshine, and A M. Girl and I went for a walk together. We also saw there one of the world's smallest wrestlers, Tonimie Edwards, whose portrait recently appeared in the Witness. A Manx Girl, Sunshine, and I came home together, and we had a lively time, as some of the men were rather merry, and every little thing we passed seemed to amuse them, and especially some bathers at Gore. The train reached its destination at 9 o'clock at night, and by that time it was very dark. We got out at a siding two miles below the ■■ terminus, and had a great hill to scramble up and then a paddock of oats to go through ■ before' we got home. But we reached there | in due time, very tired, but otherwise none j the worse after our day's outing. With love to all my D.L.F. friends, and an extra share for yourself and the editor, — Yours truly, ANTHEA. Dear Dot, — I am going to tell you of a pleasant trip I had up to Lake Te Anau. I started on my journey at 15 minutes past 2, and did not reach my destination till half-past 8. When we reached one of the stations, I saw True Blue. Our next stoppage was at a boarding house, at which we had a cup of I tea. We again proceeded on our journey, not stopping until we reached the lake. My brother was there to meet me, but he did not know me at first sight. I went and spoke to him, and he laughed and said that he did not know me when he first saw me. I went to bed fairly early that night, as the steamer left a bit early in the morning. I j had a good night's rest, and woke up bright i and fresh next morning, ready for the sail ; but I was very sorry to see that it was raining. However, we went down to the steamer, and went into the cabin. After we again started ihe rain slightly faired off, allowing us to go up on deck. There were some beautiful sights to see on each side of the lake. Our first stopping place was at the Te Anau Downs Station. We at last reached the Head of the Lake. The steamer stayed about an hour up at the Head, then we started for home again. It turned out a beautiful afternoon to go back again. We reached the foot of the lake at half-past 7at night. Next morning the coach left at 6 o'clock, so we had an early rise that morning. Dear Dot, you should take a holiday up to the Lakes. With love to True Blue, Queer Fellow, and Two Shy Little • Ducks, — Yours truly, SOMEBODY'S SWEETHEART. [I have no doubt 1 should "enjoy myself immensely," as our L.F. are so fond of saying, dear, but, then, what would become of our page during my absence? — DOT.] Dear Dot, — I have been to Riverton for a holiday, and I enjoyed it very much, although I did not go out in a boat. I went around to the beach nearly every day. One day we caught a penguin, and then we had a good time putting it in the water and making it swim about; but some fishermen came along with their nets, so we let it go, and went to help them to catch some fish. They let out their nets, and we helped them to pull them in again. After doing this several times, we found that we had caught a great many fish. The fishermen then said they had enough, and offered to take us out in their boat for a row, but we were not allowed to go, so the fishermen then went without us, and we had to go home for tea. The next day we went to a farm, the owner of which took us to see all his ducks and fowls and cows. He had some darling little ducks and chickens, numbering about 200 altogether. Then we went home, and had tea. About a week after this we returned home by the afternoon train. I went to the Invercargill regatta last Wednesday, and there I saw a number of D.L.F., but I did not speak to them, as I was with a lot of other children. I intend to go to the Avenal regatta next Wednesday, and I hope it will be as good as last time, for it was very enjoyable then. They had a greasy pole and all kinds ot races. Mr Mime had his motor boat there, and gave the ladies rides in it, and then he gave us afternoon tea, and a good many enjoyed it. With love to all the L.F., yourself, and the kind editor^-Yours truly, URSULA. Dear Dot, — At present I am having a month's rest at home, and "th,e weather god" being propitious, lam having a splendid time. One day last week I went to a picnic at Clifton Beach. On our way we passed "The Grange," or "Canvastown," as it is called in the camp- "' ing season. As near the beach as possible some two score tents were pitched, each bearing '. come such ridiculous name «,s "The LpUies,"

1 "The Sleeping Beauties," "The Devil's ReI treat," "The Muldoons" — each name, I supj pose, being a description of the tent's mI mates. The campers spend the day chiefly j in boating, fishing, and bathing, the river Tuki Tuki affording ample room for aquatio sport , while in the evenings the strains of mouth organs and sundry other .instruments of refined torture enliven the air I had an invitation to camp down there, but mother didn't approve of it, so I had to let the golden opportunity slip away. Well, to continue about our picnic to Clifton. When our party arrived there the salty air had sharpened our appetites to such an extent that it took 40 minutes' solid eating to blunt them again. In the afternoon I had a row in a boat for the first time. Oh, Dot' it was jolly, especially when we pot up alongside a boatload of friends, and after nearly capsizing them, drenched them to the skin. Of course we got our share of moisture too, and afterwards, when I told mother, she damped me afresh by saying I should never be trusted out again. I spent a most enjoyable day altogether, and after biking home in the evening, a distance of IS miles, and getting soundly scolded for it, I was pretty thankful to fall into the arms of Morpheus. "The Lawn," a large house lying on the road to Canvastown, is at present being pulled to pieces, in order to disturb a "ghost" which is supposed to have been haunting it for years. I do not as a rule believe in ghosts, but I think there is something queer about that house. The timber of the house is to be made into stables and cowsheds. I wonder if the ghost will be slain "by the division, or will, on the other hand, be multiplied, and terrify the occupants of each shed with its shadowy presence. That fascinating problem time will solve. I should be grateful to anyone of the L.F. who would give me information about the legend of Lako Wakatipu. This will be interesting to all, so it won't be against rules, will it, Dot? What a de'ieiitful letter from Red Rnt-i aDpeared in the Witness of January 4. With best wishes to all. — Yours truly, THE ZAGABOG. [No, Zagabog ; I shall be very glad to hear about the legend from anyone who knows it. Many "ghost" yarns have a very simpk explanation, and probably that of the "haunted house" which is being demolished could be easily explained if it was thoroughly investigated. I have heard of a case in which footsteps could be distinctly heard in a house, to the terror of the residents, being explained by a species of telephone existing through a boggy subsoil, which carried the sound of the footsteps a considerable distance to the house in question. Numbers of other cases are quite as easily explainable. — DOT.] Dear Dot, — We were stacking hay lately, and we had to bring the coils down a rough hill for about a mile. I thought it grand fun, as I was helping to drag them down. I tied my own coil the first time, and started off quite content, but before I got very far the coil came to pieces, and I could do nothing with it till I got help. The horse I had was a bit lazy, and as I passed a field of. oats she quietly stopped to take a nibble. Sometimes I ride her barebacked, though I cannot ride very well yet. We are cutting thistles now, and, oh! the thorns! I work from morn till night, except when I am doing nothing.- (Pity me, won't you') I was at a picnic lately, and ran in one of the races, but I could not maka my legs fly fast enough. Poor me! always bad luck! But, never mind, better luck next time, I hope, or it won't ba my fault. With love to all D.L.F., also Dot, — Yours truly, A LITTLE FARMER. Dear Dot, — The weather is so hot at present that it makes one tired out before the day is half over. The other day I went and sat down in the garden under a large elm tree, but I was not long before I was fast asleep, and while I slept I had a dream, which was very exciting. When I woke up, these were the words I was shouting, Hurrah ! hurrah ! for the Bunkum Brothers!" When I stood up I" turned round to look for my hat, but I cculd not find it, so I went round the garden three or four times in search of it, but still I could not find it anywhere. When I had given up searching for it, I went back to my old tree again, and just as I was going to sit down I heard someone laugh, and immediately looked up, and to my great surprise I saw Mercantile and my brother sitting in the tree under which I Lad been sitting, and my brother had my hat on. They began to tease me about my dream, for they had heard it all. The^next thing I did was to run inside and hide, because I knew they would tell everyone in the house what I was dreaming about, and I did not want to be present at the time, as I knew they would all tease the life out of me. It was a most awful dream. Igo regularly to the D.L.F. Literary and Debating Society's meetings in Invercargill, and it seems to me that it is getting better every night. Last night we had about 10 papers, and all were very good, especially Willow Brook's, which was on "Lamp-life." If you had heard it, you could not have stopped laughing the whole time. It was the best paper I have heard for a long time. The members are beginning to roll up in full force just now, and everyone generally has something to say or a paper to read, which makes our meetings very interesting. After I went home last night from the meeting, my brother and a number of other boys were outside in the wor-kshop, and I went out to see what they were doing. To my surprise they had made a hangman's knot with a piece of rope, and had it tied to the roof of the shed. One boy put his head in it for a bit of fun. He was standing on a barrel, as he was not tall enough otherwise; but one of the other boys kicked the barrel from under him, which was a very wrong thing to do, because the other boy was left hanging by his head in the rope. My brother at once caught hold of the poor fellow who was hanging, and he had to hold him there for about half an hour until someone came to cut him down. Wasn't that a narrow escapp for him, Dot' The poor fellow might have l>een hanged had there not been someone tall enough present to stand and hold him on his shoulder. I guarantee that they will not play at "hangman" again. I must stop now, as this is not a motor pen. though I wish it was. Goodbye, Dot, with love to all the L.F., not forgetting yourself and the kind editor. — Ynms truly, ZEPHYR. [That was indeed a narrow escape from a tragedy, Zephyr, and the boy who kicked away the barrel will frequently get hot in after life when he thinks how narrowly he escaped taking a playmate's life. They all deserved a whipping for playing such a gruesome game as that, independent of the hair-breadth escape from such serious consequences. — DOT.] Dear Dot, — We are having lovely weather just now, and I hope it will contim-e. I enjoyed my holidays very much, especially the scenery round about Waikawa and Haldane. The Invercargill South School picnic was held here last week, and I saw Pakeha among the crowd. We had a great D.L.F. chat. lam going mutton-bird ing this year, and this will be the last letter I shall write until I come "back again. We are busy preparing for the mutton birds novr,

and I have only time enough to put in » few words. "With love to Geordie's Mate, Cow Spanker, the editor, and yourself, — Yours truly, SOMEBODY'S SAILOR BOY. ' Dear Dot, — Although it is nearly two years since I last wrote to you, yet I have always taken a great interest in the D.L.F. letters. The page seems to be increasing, both in quantity and quality, every week. What a, I number of writers have retired lately' Ife is a. blessing that we always have Old "Writers' Week to look forward to. If the letters keep on increasing as they are doing now, the dear, kind editor will be remarking that Dot and her little folk had better start to publish a paper of their own. Dear Dot, have you many L.F. writing from Hokitika? I was speaking to a B.HSSr the other day, ' and he suggested that the West Coast D.L.F. should meet at either Hokitika or Greymouth, and have their photos taken. As there baa never been a picture of a group of West Coast D.L.F. in the Witness, I think it would be a good idea. With best love to all the D.L.F., , the dear editor, and yourself, — Yours truly, j S. R. H. C [I do not think there are many writers ia Hokitika, S. R. H. C. Ahaura is the strons;t hold of active members of the page on the I Coa3t. Greymouth at one time provided a. number of very good correspondents, but some t of them have retired, .and the others are cvi- . dently taking a long rest from their literarylabours. I hope you manage to arrange for , a group of West Coast L.F., dear.— DOT.! ' Dear Dot, — We have had lovely weather lately, but it has taken a turn at present. The people about here have been cariyiug I water for a long time past. Since ]a««t writing, I have been away from home. I went away for a holiday, but instead of staying a week I stayed six months, and neediest to say I had a good time of it. I did not go away for Christmas ; but I intend to go to Invercargill at Easter, and I hope to see a number of D.L.F. there. W. Y. H. and I intend going to ths Literary and Debating Society's meeting the first time we go to TnI vercargill. The local annual sports took place on the 22nd, and they were » great success. The prizes mostly fell to the local men. I met Tomboy at the sports, and I can assure you her name Suits her. The South School held their annual picnic at Colac Bay on Friday, the 24th, there being: a great crowd just for one school. I had the pleasure of meeting Pakeha at it. I saw A. S. S. too, but did not speak to her. Two other picnics are to be held up here this week. A number of people have been up , here this year. Well, Dot, what an amusing I photo that was of Darky. I am sure she must feel honoured at Easter saying it reminded her of ToDsy in "Usele Tom's Cabin." What a lovely piece of poetry that was that Jessica wrote about "Deuarted Comrades." I always take a great interest in Jessica' 9 letters and poetry- lam very pleased to sco w> have friends writing from dear old England, and I hone before long -we may hava —still more. With love to all the D.L.F.. the editor, not forgetting our Dot, — Yours truly, | ORNA j Dear Dot, — Here lam again, sitting m the same place as when I first began to write to ' you. But what a long time it is since I , last wrote! As I was thinking of my last trip here, I thought I might as well do as ' I did then — write to you. I have been very busy lately gaining knowledge of the ins and. outs of farm life. Great excitement reigted in this part of the country yesterday, \h& ; occasion being a marriage between two of our [ acquaintances. All was bustle and stir for such a quiet place, and each asked the other !,"Are you going to the wedding?" I have made many attempts at preparing a dinner, and haven't failed yet. The crops round here are mostly ready to toe cut on Monday if it is _ »fine. Ido like the harvest season, with its early rising and carrying out lunches in We morning, and helping (by keeping out of the 1 way) in the afternoon, when the house work is finished. What peculiar weather we ha^e j had lately. To-day was hot and cold by , turns, and such thunder ; but to-night my sister and I were ou*> quoting Shakespeare, j etc., about stars and moonlight. The sky I was really very beautiful to-night, with its . background of blue and its glittering stars j peeping out everywhere. It really makes o i i<* . feel quite poetical. Have you ever stood I watching the stars and moon ? When writing out an auto is it necessary to state where born? I was asked the other ' day, and said I had seen some with and some j without it ; but I suppose it dewends on the j writer. With love to Lady Isabel, Vane, I Longdale Lassie, Pineapple, and all the others, i not forgetting yourself and the editor, — Your 3 truly, THISTLE, ROSE, AND SHAMROCK. [Yes, T. R. S., it is very much a matter of taste. Personally, I think it makes the auto more interesting to put in the place of birth, but, of course, it is not compulsory to do so.— DOT.] Dear Dot,— About a dozen little folk live in this township (perhaps there are more, but I only know of 12), and they write about ones a year, so they are not very distinguished correspondents. Our oats are getting ripe, I but they are very patchy, and will have to be cut little by little. I have two cousins writing to you — one 13 3-ears old and the other 11. I v/as at a church social the other night, .' and enjoyed myself very much. The church j was crowded, but as there was a good pro- * gramme, the few who had to stand did not I mmd very much. I saw six L.F. there, bvz • only spoke to two of them. lam very fond 1 of reading, and have read a lot of the book's in the school library; but I am afraid I won't get through them all, because there are c.x or seven hundred. I am learning to play the piano, and I like it very well, probably because my teacher doesn't rap me on the knuckles. Ons of my mates 3iid I were at a, friend's house a few nights ago, and, it being too dark -to ride her bike home, my mate left 1 it there, and I went for it in the moraine:. ! I took a short cut, and went along the rai!I way line, and I can tell you I had some | fun getting it over the erodings. Our small ' fruit is' all done now, and I am sorry, because ' I am very fond of cherries, raspberries, etc., i but the apples and plums are beginning: to ' get ripe, and I hove to have plenty of them before they are done. With love to the little folk, yourself, and the editor, — Yours truly, AMISEL. | Dear Dot, — Our Sunday School held its an- ' mi a I picnic at Puketeraki on Saturday. I ! was present, and enjoyed myself very rmichNearly all the children were wading m tho sea. I only saw two L.F\ — namely, A Wild Duck's Feather and Ea9ter. About a fortnight ago the school teachers took their scholars down to Port Chalmers to see H.M.S. Phoe'h", and T enjoyed myself very mn.-h. T6 was the first man-o'-war T had Tseen on. With love to the editor and yourself, — Yours truly, KITTY. Dear Dot,— Have not we had rough weather 9 To-day, however, is a pleasant day. It is not nice going to school m wet weather. Wo have about 25 cows milking, and I milk four or five of them. My sister used to

write to you, but she has not written for a ■ long time. I have four sisters and one ' brother, the latter of whom goes to the High i School, coming home every Friday night. The : flowers are looking pretty just now, the dahlias and the gladioli being in bloom. The roses ' have passed away, but there are some pretty | carnations out. We used to get about 20 hens' eggs a day, but we are only getting three or four now. All the people here had [ to cut their Canadian thistles, and we have all ours cut. With love to Dot and the editor,— Yours truly, ALTHEA. ; Dear Dot, — The weather we have had these . last few days has been misty and wet, but ] , to-day has been a beautiful, clear, sunny day. ; . I have a little kitten — such a tricky little , thing. It will stand up on its hind legs for i . you, and when my fajy^r is sitting at his j ; meals it climbs up on to his shoulder. I have also a calf, which I call Beauty. The - farmers have been very busy here lately, cut- i ting their thistles. What a work they have : had at them; but I think their time is . up now. We have a lot of pretty flowers out , : at present, comprising lilies, pansies, phlox, marigolds, 'carnations, and a lot of others. My i favourite flower is the carnation. During < the holidays I stayed in town, where I had , < the pleasure of speaking through the tele- j phone for the first time. With love to all j the L.F., the editor, and not forgetting yourself,—Yours truly, VIETA. Dear Dot, — I play marbles at school with my mates, and I lose- a great deal. My cousin is coming down at Easter, and we -are "going to have a good time. My mother keeps ' eight cows milking. When I came home . from my holidays I went down in ih.e boat ; to Broad Bay, and it was a lovely day. In ! the master's room at school .the ceiling needs , repairing, and is in danger of falling very j soon, so we have been moved into the teachers' . room, My little pup is tied up just now. I gave it a ride on the sledge the other night, j and it seemed well pleased. When I let it . loose it goes and carries the cat about, and I fancy it hurts it sometimes. — Yours truly, SHAMROCK. Dear Dot, — Last Christmas my sister, Morepork, went down to Invercargill, and she teems to be enjoying herself immensely. I went to Stewart Island for ten days, but, j owing to the bad weather, I did not enjoy i myself as much as I expected. Going over it I was very calm, but coming back we experi- j enced a severe storm. I attend the Literary j and Debating Club's meetings, and I think j Harry and T. D. A. fill their positions in a business-like manner. Wishing prosperity to the page, — Yours truly, 808. Dear Dot, — I am going to give you an account of my holiday. Well, to begin with, I left Cromwell at half-past 4 one morning, and reached Omakau in time to catch the train. Going down the Otago Central one passes through some very rough country. By the time I reached Dunedin I had had enough of it for on. day, and was not sorry when I stepped off the train on to the Dunedin. Railway Station. As this was my first visit to the city, you may guess how strange everything seemed to me after having been used all my life to a quiet little up-country place. My visit to Dunedin lasted for a fortnight, but I'll only trouble you with a few of my experiences. Of .course I went to the Museum, and on Sunday afternoon some friends and myself went down to the wharf to see the Wimmera sail. We were too early, so we went on board, and had a look round. Everything is so nicely fitted up. We were also on the Victoria the same day, but she is not such a new boat as the "Vfimmera. I was down at Port Chalmers one day, and saw ILM.S. Phoebe salute one of the big boats as it passed her. The night before I left town I was at a band concert in the Gardens. Well, so much for Dunedin. My next stopping place was Gore. _ Here I spent another two weeks of my holidays. One morning my cousins and I packed our baskets, and set off in the direction of the Hokonuis. Before we starfed to climb we had lunch, and then set out. The track wasn't one of the best, but we reached the top at last. , Our trouble was well repaid by the view we had from the top. Away in one direction we could see Riversdale, then turning round we could see in tlie far distance the ocean, ■with Bluff Hill and Fortrose just visible. Coming hack we had an awful time between mud and "biddies." You would have latighed had you seen us cutting away across some paddocks to avoid meeting people. On March 1 the Gore schools had their excursion to Riverton, and of course I went. We •weren't long out of the train when I met Blue ' Bell, and later on, as I passed some boys, one of them called out, "Hullo, D.L.F.!" but none of them were wearing badges. I enjoyed myself splendidly that day, for the wea- j ther was all that could be desired, and the j place an ideal one for picknicking. Invercargill looked very nice as we passed through it, for it was the day of the Governor's visit, and the streets were decorated for the occasion The day after the excursion I went down to Mataura to stay for a while. While there I was. shown over the paper mills and the freezing works. The roads dowtn there are fine for cycling, so every chance I got I had the bike out riding, sometimes alone and sometimes with another girl. I was about a fortnight in Mataura, and then I went back to Gore, where I stayed all night. Next day J I was off again~ this time homeward-bound, j We reached Queenstown that night, and next I morning I took the coach down to Cromwell. We reached the City of' Sand (otherwise Cromwell) safely, after having had a good shaking, besides being "nearly smothered in dust on the road. Before closing I should like to ask the D.L.F. I saw on Athol station to tell me her N.D.P., shoiild she recognise this description. She had on a dark skirt, pink blouse, white pinafore, and sailor hat. Love to all the D.L.F. and yourself, — Yours truly, ORIENT. Dear Dot,— We are having lovely weather here at present, and it is first rate for picnics, etc. I went to the Oamaru sports, and saw a great number of L.F. A group of ns had our photos taken. lam quite sure there were over 20 in it. The Clothing Factory had their ' picnic yesterday; I did not go to it, but they ali came home looking very happy. lam ' going for a holiday next Friday, and I hope to enjoy myself. My sister and lam going to Dunedin very shortly, and we shall very likely pay the Witness office a visit. The harvest seems to be getting on very well abotu here, for one can see nothing but stooks or stacks standing. I had my photo taken to-day; but I do not know what I shall look like, for there were two girls standing and making me laugh all the time. I see by the .Witness that Giulia has lost her mother. I am sure all the D.L.F. will tender their sincerest sympathy to iier in Her sad bereavement. With love to all the L.F., not forgetting yourself and the editor, — Yours truly, ALLISON. Dear Dot, — We are playmates, and play together at school and at home. From where we are sitting we can see men harvesting and some boys playing cricket. We live in a country district, and the nearest railway hi&r tion is about five miles away. A great number of hills surround this fcinall district. la

the fine weather we go wading in a - large dam not far from the school. We live oi.ly a short distance from school, and it is all right walking to it on a summer's -morning, but in winter it is far enough, tor it is - cry cold. We were at a picnic about a fortnight ago, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. \\ c have had very rainy weather here lately, but we had a fine day for the picnic. We are fond of reading, and have read a number o[ books, included in the number being Alice m Wonderland," "Captain of the School," 'Tne Island House," "Truth is Always best, "Little Women and Good Wives,," etc.— all of which are very nice. We have 98 autos sacn, and know a few D.L.F., and there are 21 writing from here. There is a phucing claim up here, and the men work shifts of eight hours a day. We like to see the nozzle playing, and we often watch it. One afternoon we went for a walk, and as we were near a claim we thought we would go up to see the men sluicing. We went up, and a man turned the nozzle on us. We did not get very wet, as we ran quickly away. The birds are not laying now. When they were laying we would go out bird-nesting, and get close on a hundred eggs. We did not go anywhere for our Christmas holidays; but, for all that, we enjoyed ourselves. Some of our mates were in Dunedin. We are longing for winter to coma so that we can have sliding. With love to all the L.F. and yourself,— Yours truly, I PLAYMATES. ' Dear Dot,— lt is rather lat= now to start givm" you an account of how I spent my Christinas holidays, but I shall perhaps wine again after my next holidays, which I div now looking forward to. My mate and I wont into town last Saturday with the intention of getting our photos taken, but on arriving in Dunedin we suddenly changed our minus (just like girls, as my brother would say), and took the afternoon train to Waitati, where the coal miners' picnic was held. On arriving there we felt quite strange, as it was our first trip to that place, but we soon got o^er that feeling, for after walking along some distance we met some of our friends, who had gone up earlier in the day, and they invited us to afternoon tea with them. Needless to say wo did not decline their invitation, as we Lad come up minus baskets. We came down in the excursion train with the picnickeis, and got off at Dunedin, and after strolling along the street for a little w-ile, Isalene met two D.L.F., whom she introduced me to as Awkward Ned and Brother Bill, and quite a lively conversation passed, the chief topic being D.L.F. Although this is my first letter to the page, it is a long time since I started to read the letters, so I did not feel so inujh out of it as I would otherwise have done. I was in Dunedin last Saturday, and of course kept a sharp lookout for familiar faces, and who should I meet again but Brother Bill: but I fancied he limped a little, and discovered later that it was no imagination, but reality, so beware of coming in contact with metal roads next time you come to Mosgiel, B. B. What a pity it rained on Sunday, when they intended having such a great demonstration in tht Gardens, as rain aiways damps one's ardour, and so spoils our enjoyment. I hear that the D.L.F. are intending holding a picnic at Waihola on Anniversary Day. Ido not know whether I shall be ab.-e to be present or not ; but I hear that some of the Mosgielites are going, so I suppose they will give us all the particulars of the day's out-ing. I imagine that some one will waiit to look on at the regatta instead of playi-igc games, so I am afraid there will be a good number getting lost until tea time. Of course they will raake an appearance then. However, if I don't get down, I shall endeavour ' to see them when they are passing through on the train in the evening. Isalene says thai she will take me into the Debating Club some night soon, so I hope I shall soon become acquainted with a good number of our band. With kind regards to all my L.F. i acquaintances, — Yours truJy, ELNORA. Dear Dot, — Last time I wrote I t'.ld you about cooking on washing days, with puddings half out of the door of the oven. W ell, I don't do that sort of work now, because one , of my sisters is at home, and she can woik like a Briton. Well, Dot. I thought I vould hang up my socks on Christmas live, but I forgot there was a hole in the toe, andi all that was put in came through tie liole and fell into the coal bucket; and I think mv sister started the fire wibh the presents, because when she gets up in the morning hei eye are half shut, and she doesn't see what slie is doing. One evening my two sisters were out for a walk, and they came across some traps which I had set on the hills They 1 tried to reset them, and I noticed o' c of my sisters 1 with her foot on tihe spring, a* d the other one opening the teeth of the trap to try to set it : and. to make matters worse, ■ they covered the chain instead of the ] 'ate. so 1 I think it will take them a long time to catch | rabbits. With love to all the little fdk and the editor. — Yours truly. A YOUNG BACHELOR. Dear Dot, — My mate (Fox Hunter) and I have parted, and. I now live about 30 miles from him. I never see a letter from Fox 1 Hunter in the paper now. He must be as lazy as I am, for it is once in a twelve month 1 tihat I take the pen in my hand to write a letter. Well, to-night I was out after youna: rabbits. I caught one. and was carrying it along, when it scratched me, so I gave it the j happy despatch. I have come across several ! D.L.F. since I last wrote to you, and I shall j soon know a good many. There is a great number of gold mines about rtre. All the school children every Saturday go and make houses in the sand, so they -iave great times of it. The harvest is in lull twing about here now, and everyone is is busy as a bee — so busy that they ' haven't even time to smoke or to eat their meals. The 'abbit factory is just about starting here no»v. When it does I shall be working like a nigger ing everything with fur on it, ond sending it to town. With love to all the little folk, not foigetting yourself — Yours truly. DEER HUNTER. Dear Dot, — This is Sunday, and 't is raining very heavily, so we did) not go out. My sister and my mate and I were going c\ev the river for a walk. I went away for a holiday at Christinas, and had a very enjoyable time. We have such a dear little pony, I and we are training it in for lidin-^. A Sunday school picnic is coming of? ( n the 17th of March, so we hope it will be v. fine day. Dear Dot. would you mind teliip^ mo when the D.L.F. photos are to appear in the Witness again. With lovo to jourself and the L.F.,— Yours tru'v. ana FORSAKEN 111. [I cannot say. Forsaken, as I have not enough in hand 'for ti group at present. Probably it will not be for a good long time yet.— DOT.] Dear Dot, — I sui3po<=e you wall be expecting the second instalment of my letter. After leaving the train, where my friends met me, I proceeded to the Arcade, where I was to spend my holiday, and after refreshing "the inner girl," I went for a walk with my friends up and down the Arcade. Everything was new to me, as I had never been in Dunedin before. I we>s very tired with my day's journey, so I went to Blanket Bayearly, and was soon sound asleep. The next day, being fine, I went with, my friends lo one

of the warehouses. On entering the building I was a bit astonished at the sight I beheld. It was a furniture warehouse, and was fairly well stocked. The next day my cousins left for Riverton. It was the first time they had been down south so far. I felt a bit lonely after they had gone, but as soon as 1 got to know the streets a bit 1 went out by myself. I got lost one day when I was returning from the Octagon, where I had been visiting Dr Ferguson. My cousin took me, but left me to come home by myself. I thought I knew the way, but I did not know that Dunedin possessed two big clocks, so got mixed up, but after asking the way I reached the Arcade safely, and I did not get lost again. I met a good many L.F. on Christmas and New Year's Eves, among them being The Duke's Amuser and Tangles, and the day before I left Dunedin I met Grirnby, the only L.F. boy I saw. One day one of my aunties took me to St. Clair beach, and it was crowded with people. I went round as far as the beach goes, and then cainc back, and after having strawberries and cream, wo continued our walk round to Ocean Beach, and then took the car back to Kensington, and after having tea walked backed to the Arcade. Another day I went down to the wharf, and saw a ship for the first time. I also saw one come in — the Zcalandia, from Melbourne. Another time my auntie took me to Kavensbourne, visiting. We went by train. It was the day of the Port Chalmers regatta, and the train was packed with people. After lea-sir.g the train we had a short walk a'ong a very dusty road to our friend's house, and after climbing a hill we reached the house, which was built on the hilltop. On reaching the house we sat down on a seat under a weeping ash, the branches of which were touching the ground, and it was lovely. Our hostess brought us a cooling drink, which we were very glad of, and after resting I went for a walk round the garden with my hostess's little daughter. The garden was lovely with flowers, and there were bunches of roses. Ihere were seats here and there m the shade to rest upon, and I enjoyed the quiet after the bustle of the town. Then we returned to the house in time for afternoon tea. After that we all went down to the sea, and were wading in the cool water. We spent an hour or two at the beach. Some of the boats v/ere returning from the regatta before we went back for tea. After tea we went for a stroll up the hill at the back of the house, and watched the boats returning from Port Chalmers until it became too dark to see them; but still we sat on, as it was very pleasant in the calm, peaceful evening. The occupants of some of the boats were singing hymns as they passed up the bay, and it sounded beautiful ; but as night was creeping en, we retired to the house, and had a fruit supper. We then donned our hats, and after thanking our kind friends, we took the train for Dunedin, reaching there about 10 p.m.. thus ending the most enjoyable afternoon I spent while on my holiday. The day before I left Dunedin I went out to the Kaikorai "Valley in the cable car, and then walked to the Roslvn Woollen Mills, but as they were closed, I had to be content with looking at the outside of them. It was a, very windy day. We returned in the car, which I prefer to the electric cars, as the rush and bustle of the latter always gave me a headache. And thus ended the most enjoyable holiday I ever spent. Mv return joumev was much the same as going up, only I had three hours to wait at Invercare-ill instead of one, on account of late trains. — Yours truly. AN AMERICx\N HEIRESS. Dear Dot, — I have been a constant reader of your page for nearly two years, and I am at last going to write to you. We are having some fine weather here at present, and I think we need it, after all the rain we have had. We have a fair-sized farm, with everything on it but a horse. We always get bad luck in the month of February. On the 1-lth of February, 1903, our house was biirned down, but happily no one was burnt. I do not live far from Stuart's Gully, where the D.L.F. picnic was held, but I was not a D.L.F. then, so I did not go. My mother is in bed very ill just now. Have you many pets, Dot? I have a dog, a cat, three pigeons, a pig, a Calf, and a prize rooster. 1 am 12 years old, and I am in the Fifth Standard. I have been learning the violin for about six months, and I am getting on splendidly. Lord Darlington and I are great chums, and we are always together. I shall be going to Edendale next week, and will be stopping at Wyndliam. for a little wlu'e. With Jove to Lord Darlington, Jean Gerald, yourself, and the editor, — Your« truly. ST. IVES.