The Cream of Letters

Southland Times, Issue 19540, 2 May 1925, Page 18

The Cream of Letters

AN INTERESTING DAY Cousin Colin Cameron, (9), 18 Pratt Street, New Brighton, Christchurch, writes:—l am going to tell you about the Chinese crew I saw on a steamer called the Ombilin that came from the Dutch Indies. It brought a cargo of timber. I saw the Chinamen eating with their chopsticks. They take a wee morsel at a time and oh, Cousin Betty, it was so strange to us to see them. The same day a party of us took the tram from New Brighton to the Square in Christchurch. Then we took the St. Martin’s car to the terminus and from there we started to walk to the top of the hill. On the way we saw the two Memorials of two little boys aged eight and ten years old. They perished on the Port Hills forty years ago. They were caught in a fog and. lost their way and died from fear and exposure. At the Witches’ Knob on the top of the hill there is another Memorial Seat erected for four young men who used to walk there every Sunday. They died at the war. We thenscrambled down the other side which was very steep. I sat down and slid at times. When we reached the foot we c into Rapahi, a Maori village. We went iato the quaint little church and grave-yard, and had our dinner on the rocks in the bay. From there we walked to Lyttleton where we saw the Chinese crew, then we took the train home. —3 marks. CORAL MOSS Cousin Elsie Amos, (11), Mabel Bush, asks: —Have you ever seen Coral Moss, dear Cousin Betty? It isn’t green like other Moss, but white,and in the summer time it is hard and shaped just like coral. The hills here are white with it. In the winter time it is soft and spongy and a little red berry peeping up here and there through it makes it beautiful. I am sending you a small box of it, and as its own berries are not ripe until the middle of winter I am putting a few holly berries in it to let you see how beautiful it looks. —1 mark FERNY DELL. Cousin Annie Playfair, (14), “Bonniefield,” Gummie’s Bush, writes:—One day, when we were staying at “The Rocks” last week, we went up to the bush. It had been raining the night before, so, although the trees themselves were quite dry, the pathways were muddy and slippery; but, of course that meant fun in plenty for us, so we were quite pleased. W went along the Borland Track till we reached the side-path of Ferny Dell where ferns both big and small grow. Ferny Dell in several places slopes steeply downwards, so you can imagine us often very nearly sitting in the mud. There is a peculiarity, about Ferny Dell, Cousin Betty. One cannot help but run down its leaf-strewn slopes. The reason for this must be that the ground is so springy with layer after layer of fallen leaves. Anyway, if we did not catch hold of the trees for support, I’m afraid we