A REMINISCENCE OF BY-GONE BAYS OF D.L.F.-DOM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2669, 10 May 1905, Page 73

A REMINISCENCE OF BY-GONE BAYS OF D.L.F.-DOM.

Jear Dot,— To-day (April 29), so many long happy years ago, I penned my first letter to you, and so to-night I sit down with pleasuie to pen you a missive -in memory of the day I first, greeted you, and thus renew my acquaintance with Do* and hex. loving friends* — indeed, so great ifriny pleasure that I run, surprised ibxt I- hays resisted so-long- the temptation to" write. " As.-X pen your- well-loved, name old memories .come crowding, in upon me. The page of the old days' lies, before me — olct'sceos®, " old wave; — axidr~ comparing the old with the new,- 1 "marvel rt the contrast IWwosn iheSi. There is- a mystic influence about Dot, and the ■very atmosphere of Dotland casts a magic spell upon.-iis" that behoves us when writing to oux beloved queen to do our very best, and lay only ova most laudable- efforts at her shrine. In "the old days it was an unwritten rule to do this, but so many of our present-day writers : seem to ignore the old' "w^y, else Dot's Page i vculd not have become such a harbour for criticsva-s-it di& a few months sgo. Latterly, I am pleased to node that wholesale criticism, which had become such a regrettable thing, is Jbams-hefL-andvtJia " spirit- of discord "' that tree-passed-so frcoly into our cthei wise -happy Dotland during, those, -weary, 'weaks chased away. M?Eh inks- these critics cannot bs-txue D.L.F-— that is- to say. Dot's myfitic influeac®- has not yet enshrouded them. Dear, loving r iriendsj take ■waa-rdng, falLnot awaj; from your leader. H«r influence is- all for gocd, end the- sweet spell she casts-uppji yoa^ia&y one -day. prove- a- golden key, unlocking- doors 'leading, to all thai- is gcod an-d tra«, and to fame and rfortune. As I raid- before, pages' of ihe oM days- lie. \ before me, aad'l'-aan -reaalliiig the dear, .familiair, i niimes. 1 Eirst? and forwerkostr ccanes 8.0.8 i, the- j famous bcyvmtsr^froui-iiet back blosksi whom"! ' present-day wrrteFs^haTcgood^rejtsanio lemembsr,- aa--it; %v»s^ he* -who -tras^ chieF^rciover in banishing -wKsi he called the "Maiy Smithstyle of letter^" G-lanciiig-' through* an old copy -of Pearson's Magazine T^come-upon an -illustrated' itrferview -with Mi Firmin Bouisset, a French artist, whore deligKtful' mingling 1 of cbildTen and fio-wers-looks bewitcbingly- lovely, even in black-and-white print. After -all, lowers and children should' go together, as^they TindoubtedJy aar« •the embodiment ai all that is- sweet", fair, and exquisite. Irf I«ncy I so& bis beautiful pictures in all their eloquent beauty of colo-nr, light, and shpide. and ft feeling inspired by baauty passes o'er me. Just -such a. delicious sense of loveliness always thrilled through tob ia the olef days whan reading Shan's beantifu-1 lendcring of the melodies ' •'hat were, as it see-mad, ever passing through him. His betters always -gave me the inrpression of a sweat and delicate perfume that pervaded the air and fTled my soul -with delicious odours Our good old ■yarn->spinner, Dicky Donovan, was another of the- old day 3. His- wondrous yarns always seemed to-me to be the outcome of -very powerful imaginative faculties. (Forgive me, Dicky ; being a meTa girl it was doubtless jealousy of you boys, who could sera-mole into such dear wild adventures, that made tc& doubt the veracity of yotrr entert airliner yarns.) Then there" was our darling scribbler Sybil Scribbles, whose pleasant missives shall always linger with, us in our thoughts of -the 'dear old days. . And Oon, ; dear, delightfrrl, old Con! Were- ever letters-! znora pleajstot.^ moi-e appreciated? And Beth, of spider-hunting fame. How ■ many presentday writers recall ' that inteiesting* episode? Also there was Bluebell — she who has travelled on before us. Even as I dwell on her pleasant missives I feel a mystic presence, and lrnow that Bhiebell is -with us -to-day, and e-very day, dim and shadowy, but still watchful and' loving, a-s also are those '-dear comrades who have jcurneyed on with her. And Shasta, who told us such- bright tales of the world that BaJlantyna ha« ma-de-?he scene of his delightful books. But her home was not io be in outr sunny clime. The fates ordered her footsteps away to her American home, there to dweK among the scnes of adventure she loved. Asia though she never writes now. per£aps there still lingers in her memory— like the scent of the rose long since faded, that in faacy we smell again as we wander past the bloomless rose bushes in out desolate -winter garden, — and whispers to hex in her quiet* moments of our fair young- land a swee-fc remembrance of Dot and her happy band. Boss was another old favourite, but lie vanished long sirce. Our darling Old Philosopher was al-ways with up, loyal -and* true. And there were Ttixie. Rita., Xancy, Ziska, A Chum, Devonshire Dumpling, Doughnut, Ismene. Coo-ec, our dear old* Boy, and, oh, who 2>ot? 8.0.8. and Dicky Donovan could not remain boys for ever, said the age limit, then quite a new feature, was reached at last, and they both said farewell. D-. D. vanished like a lainy-day sunbeam, and only appears no*w and again among O. W. ; but 8.0.8. seems to have flown for ever. Many, many members have come- and gone — Just paid a. transient visit and then vanished, swallowed' wp in the great wide world. But '

perhaps even their little missive may,have done some good; who can say? Many a bright little sunbeam, has glanced in+o a dark attic, smiled one moment on the soull -within, and then darted

"off. But it left some of its brightness behind it and cheered the lonely heart within, and spoko hopefully of brighter things. And who knows but what thoso letters did not leave a anark behind them ; who knows but what they did not brighten and chafer some lonely heart, and theor-eby perform their little task. When one thinks" of how the L.F. have improved in composition, ets., since first they penned a missive to Dot, one cannot help but know that, even apart from the aid Dot has given £0 deserving funds, she has done a great deal for her country by helping to enlarge and improve th« minds of young Maorilanders. There- - tfore 1 think that if those L.F. who from time % io time are inclined 1 to be unruly and disloyal i- to their leader would only try to imagine what vast amount of good Dot has done and' is -'^continuing to do for them they would be a kittle more thankful to her, and more coitof her feelings. •"& By tho way, Dot, in a secret recess, far from the every-day world-, there rests contentedly a '-; kittle packet, and 1 on it is scribbled " To be ""Opened August 23, 1905." Ah! who can guess contents; and how many others have just Biich aix-ther packet, for in it is enclosed our "first dear Old Writers' Week, treasuring up Jfle] jg£t;frrl stores of good things. -In ourjeoond

O. W. "W. there was a letter from and she said she had been collecting the page for 10 years, and that in three more years she vas going to get them all bound. Wouldn't a glimpse through that collection be gloriotis ' ? And bow, ere- I close, lot me ask what has beccme of Silas Wsgg? His letters were &uch a treat. And Darky— where is the lingo that mingles with ba-njo strains? Dot must indeed be a. wondrous teacher, when you so readily le&rnod our gentle English. Love to ail my c-d comrades, Cot, and tl*e kind editor, who has moved so <*ood a friend to D.L.F.— Yours nuly, v ° ROBY.

[How delightful to get =0 long and interesting a letter from Eoby after a silence of 1 dcoi't know how many yeais. And such a collection of old-time- D.L.F. reminisoances of L.F. who aie now gTown' into man and- womanhood; it is enough to make Dot feel that she has spent peveral lives in D.L.F. Land, ins+epd of the best part of one. Roby is far too complimentary over my poor efforts in the cause of our twge. though I cannot deny that my heart goes out to it when I think of all the members who have come and gone during the past decade, not to meotion the previous one. It is, indeed a Ira-ppy moment when some old ■vrriter suddenly turns up again like. Roby hsus done, and sends the names of numbs-rs of frievid3 of the page who are only known by repute to most present-day writers. — DOT.]