A PEEP INTO EMMELINE’S POST-BAG.

Otago Witness, Issue 3017, 10 January 1912, Page 72

A PEEP INTO EMMELINE’S POST-BAG.

My Dear Comrades, —Cosy Corner Clubbites, and fellow-members of “The Guild of Unknown Friends,” Hail!

A happy New Year, and many of them. It seems the most fitting and the pleasantest thing in the world that one of our first meetings in 1912 should be devoted to the happy friendships of 1911. Friendship is the silken thread that binds our lives with lovely links, and we cannot either do it too much honour or prize it too highly. Those pleasant foregatherings over my postbag are reunions of friends dear, but unknown, in whose communion I hold my self happy to be the medium. Before proceeding to the general contents I should like to acknowledge with loving thanks and appreciation the following gifts:—A generous and kindly “carte blanche” in the book world from Sweetbriar; “The Nobility of Work,” a delightful Rosemax’y booklet from The Silent Member; “Cneer,” a Wilcox booklet from Girl Friend; and cards from Eve, Countrymouse, Heartsease, Rangiora, Alpha, Shasta, Native Fern, Wallace, and Roslyn. And, of course, true to life’s little ironies, what I want to fffiow first is not about the dear unknown friends who remembered me, but about the dear old friends who forgot me! Lex and Val, it does seem strange that Xmas, and New Year too, have both passed without a word of remembrance! Still take my kindest wishes, deal- friends, for a happy and peaceful year, full of growth and development.

SHASTA, whose pleasant pen is - busier than of old. I think, writes; —“Though I often think about Emmeline and the dear C.C.C. members, and ©end them nice little telepathic messages, my kindly feelings seldom materialise in the practical form of letters; but the Christmas feeling is relentless, and takes hold of even dilettante people like myself. Could you, therefore, please, dear Emmeline, forward the cords enclosed'. I send hearty greetings to all Unknown Friends next time the post-bag is emptied for our benefit, and most of all I desire to send friendliest greetings to dear Emmeline.” Thank you, Shasta; you know how heartily I re-echo your kind wishes. I have been glad to read one of two articles by you in tlie Witness this year, and compliment you upon them, dear. VIOLET, our dear Violet of many a pleasant year’s association, writes;—“l hear still sometimes from Sweetbriar. How true are these lines from her contribution—- “ Yet from the cradle to the grave Our loving Lord gives roses too.” But for the truth of that the illsavoured, acrid, would strangle faith and hop©—perhaps even Love itself. These few hurried lines come with greetings for each comrade, and many wishes for Emmeline.” Thank you, dear Violet. We Cosy Corner folk, and, indeed, all readers of our comer of the Witness, have in remembrance so many tender and beautiful words of yours in the past that you, dear, need never pray, “ Lord, keep my memory green.” It is always green and fresh among us. HEARTSEASE writes Emmeline, I wish you and all the C.C.C. momlwre d very merry Christmas and health and prosperity to all in the coming year.” Thank you my dear girl. I am sure we all join in kind wishes to you. What a wonderful time of year this is! How the influence of that one perfect life lives on, and on His birthday wakes us to sweet remembrance and unselfish desires! ALPHA says:—“l trust that the members of the C.C.C, will assemble again next veer in a of pleasant, meetings.”

I hope so, too. Alpha, and that you personally may often be one of the circle. Salutations and all good wishes.

NATIVE FERN’S kind and! cheering letter runs thus: —“Accept my sincere thanks and appreciation on behalf of yourself and all tlie members of the C.C.C. for the very helpful and entertaining session just closed. Every year but strengthens the link that unites your readers with you and the club. Among the various meetings held I enjoyed most the members’ meeting and the one on books, while the various subjects written on by yourself are very instructive and useful, and so wide in range as to appeal to all. “ By Garden Ways” and “ Fireside Travels " were very good, while the one about crochet was a capital idea. I was pleased to see Girl Friend taking part again, and think the lines she sent in very touching, and well calculated to remind us of their lamented author.”

Thank you sincerely, Native Fern, for your truly pleasant letter. Every year for a long time now you have rent me the kindly appreciation which is the most precious reward the writer can win from the reader. Again, thank you.

ROBY sends the following message through Dot: —“ J ust to give my love and remembrances to Emmeline and her cosiest of Cosy Comer Clubs, and tell her that I am world-weary, and want to come back to old friends, old faces, and: snuggling down in some cosy, out-of-the-way corner, watch her happy club, or perhaps sometimes join in tlie smiling throng and chat and laugh with them.

I cannot resist giving a big extract from Taffy's sweat, kindly tetter, so gliad 1 do such words make the heart:—“l want to ■send you my truest thanks for all the pleasure you have given me during this session, of our Cosy Club. In the country such interests mean more than you dwellers in the town can guess. And for the good friends I have made through the club my thanks are to you.”

I often feel, my dear Taffy, that my thanks are to you, and every one of the loyal friends and comrades who make my work on the Witness truly “a labour of love.”

SWEETBRIAR writes.—"l thank you, dear Emmeline, for all your kind attention to us in' our dear C.C. Club, and may you be long spared to be our beloved president. Please give my best wishes for a happy Christmas to” ell our dear comrades, and with much love to yourself.”

I am.’ euro, dear Sweetbriax, that there have been many hearty echoes to your .good wishes among our club members, for your quiet constancy through much personal loss and sorrow has endeared you to us, and I hope that you will be with us as often as possible during our 1913 session—all being well.

MARGARET writes:—“l look forward with much pleasure to the club’s next session. I am sure to enjoy the meetings, even though I am umabte to take an .active part in them. 1 have little opportunity cf reading, so that I am afraid l I shall not be much of an acquisition. But never mind—you will know that I am one of a large circle of admirers, for there must be very many who are interested in, and l who appreciate, your work and that of your club members, yet who neglect, as I did for so long; to tell you eo.” v Thank you, Margaret. My club has been qp loyal to me .and to itself that I am always glad when some aiasuranee of outside interest and appreciation of the work of members reaches me. Always a busy woman, with many varied and sometimes most conflicting interests to carry on, I am personally able to appreciate the gift of time and honest intelligent work which members of the C.C.C. make, and I love to know it is shared by others. I hope you will often be with us in the pen, as well as the spirit, Margaret.

Garden lovers in our little circle will be glad to hear how JACK is keeping the flag flying in her garden at Tanna, New Hebrides. She taya: —“ I wish you could pop in one of these lovely days (only 80deg to 85deg, and we don’t feel it too warm) nnd see my garden. Our roses are lovely. I have been experimenting this cool season, and many of my annuals have done so well—balsams, coreopsis, antirrhinums, nasturtiums, and summer chrysanthemums; but my phlox drummondi excel all the others. They simply grow in masses, and every lovely shade; I am delighted with them, and ©ay that next year I shall get phlox, and nothing else. Then we have some wonderful native shrubs—at least, wonderful to me, with their leaves marked and streaked with gorgeous yellow, white, green, and red. I expect wo shall soon have our hot weather again, but at present the days are so pleasant. though it is often chilly at night. I do hope you will have a good summer in Otago, with plenty of rain for man and beast, not to mention the Land. It is getting near the end of the year again, to you might pam on my New Year greetings to all our C.C.C. members.” Thank you for a most interesting letter. Jack. I could not help smiling at your novel experiences in the first part of your letter—we never know what wo can do till we try, do we? Accept my kindest gcod--wishos for the year 1912, Jack; how I wish I could just " pop in ” and see your English flowers blooming in their tropic setting. I think the lovely foliage plants you mention most be " crotons.”

Next comes a most interesting letter which you.will find in another column, as it is of such general interest that it deserves a more prominent place than our dear Cosy Corner. The covering note, however, you will bo interested in, as henceforth we may consider the writer, far away in Brazil, one of our own members. He writes: —“Dear Emmeline, —I should like to become a member of your C.C.C. if I am eligible. Kindly writ© and let me know. I am on old Otago boy, and enclose my somewhat lengthy address. If you should happen to meet the writer of ‘ The Gulden Ship,’ which appeared in a Witness of March, 1911, pleas© congratulate him for mo. ‘The Golden Ship’ was All” You are moat eligible, “ 7th N.Z.,” and as soon as the programme for the 1912 session is drawn up I shall post you a copy, 1 loping thus to ensure your attendance at as many club meetings as possible. Your interesting letter is published in another column, nnd I am truly pleased to welcome you as a member of our cosiest of clubs, and proud to think of the dear old Witness, in its familiar blue cover, being road in far Brazil.

EVE writes:—“Before I close I would like through you to send a Christmas message to all my club comrades. Will you please, dear Emmeline, give them Eve’s very hearty greetings and her sinoerest wishes tliat each fgc may find happiness in the coming year?”

A wish, dear Eve, that many others ■will join me in expressing for your own dear self. It gives me much pleasure to know you axe back in New Zealand, though in view of the disgraceful way the weather has played us false these holidays, one can only say, “ With all thy faults,” when we enthuse about our dear land!

IjEONIE.—I have much pleasure in accepting you as a member of the Cosy Corner Club, and shall have much pleasure in introducing you to our little circle at the first meeting of the 19X2 session. Wo shall probably begin work in Miay or June, and the full programme of the session will be issued .a month previous to the date of tbe first meeting.

hast, but not least, come a few Imes fro our dear comrade G irl Friend She how busy she was before Christmas ond how- much she wished to send a card of i membranoe and kind wishes to bex comrad'es, had time and opportunity permitted “As it is,” she continues, “I will leave.it to our dear Emmeline to give tnem c, loving, message from me. I hope, dear, that you are beeping well, and will have a bright Christmas. Christmas is coming with sad. and beautiful memories that axe drawing us closer together, and nearer to Ham who keeps the day in a fairer world than ours. A sweet and thankful thought to have and to hold, dear Girl Friend B( & eur o that many thoughts were with Boy Friend and his loved ones this Christmas. The post-bag is empty, sweat friends, but the fna.gra.noo of its messages of iove anx* friendship will mingle with our thoughts and lives throughout the year. EMMELINE,