CHILDREN’S CORRESPONDENCE COLUMN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue II, 13 July 1895, Page 55

CHILDREN’S CORRESPONDENCE COLUMN.

Any boy or girl who likes to become a cousin can do so, and write letters to ‘ COUSIN Kate, care of the Lady Editor, Graphic Office, Auckland.' Write on one side of the paper only.

All purely correspondence letters with envelope ends turned in are carried through the Post-office as follows :—Not exceeding ioz, id; not exceeding 4oz, Id; for every additional 2oz or fractional part thereof, id. It is well for correspondence to be marked • Commercial papers only ’

Dear Cousin Kate.—l suppose you think 1 have forgotten you, as I have not written to you for such a long time. I will ask you please to send me a badge, and I will enclose stamps. I think the badges must be very pretty by the description you gave of them. How much would it cost to have the pin on it, as you told one of the cousins last week ’ I think it would be very nice, don’t you ? I think I can answer Cousin Dot’s puzzles, and I hope they are right. Yesterday we heard that our dog * Sailor’ was dead ; he is up the country with my brother. We are all very sorry for he was a great pet. Now, dear Cousin Kate, I must say good-bye, so with love to yourself and all the cousins, I remain your loving cousin, Muriel Thompson, Auckland.

[I am so glad to find that the cousins are remembering me and each other. About the pin for the badge, I think you can get one with initials for Is 6d, but am not quite sure. I have sent you one like the others. You could take the safety-pin out, and sew the ribbon round the brooch, if you liked. I think as you have the opportunity, you would rather choose your own pin, would you not ? I fancy along Karangahape Road you would be sure to see just what you would fancy. lam sorry about ‘ Sailor’ ; it is very hard to lose one’s pets. I have not the answers to Cousin Dot’s puzzles, so must ask her to send them up. As a rule, Ido not put in riddles until I have the answers.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate.—l was very pleased to see my letter printed in the Graphic this week. I do not ride. I am such a coward, I am frightened to get on the horse’s back, and another thing, I do not think it would carry a lady. Referring to the riddles I sent, you may use them as you like. lam sending you a few more riddles, and you may put them with the others. The weather was frightfully cold here a few days ago. The ice in some places was more than a quarter of an inch thick. We have a little canary. It is of a bright yellow colour with not another coloured speck on it. It does not sing much, but it is always chirruping. Whenever any one of us talks to it it answers ns back again. I will relate to you a little anecdote which happened the other day. My brother has a pair of pigeons, and one of them mysteriously disappeared. We missed it for several hours, and came to the conclusion it had been trapped. A curious sound like fluttering was heard several times in one of the bedroom chimneys, we little thought it was the missing pigeon. On entering the bedroom shortly afterwards, to my astonishment I found the pigeon perched on the iron rail of the bedstead. There was a screen in front of the fireplace, which after going down the chimney, it must have had a difficulty in getting past. But it was very tame, so I opened the window and it flew out. Hoping this letter is not too long, I remain, Cousin Jessie No. 3. Masterton.

[Thank you for the riddles ; I will keep them. Try for the story competition, which will come off directly, I hope. We have no ice, only one morning we discovered a thin piece about as thick as a sheet of paper. We were quite pleased with it. What is your canary’s name ? lam glad you got back your pigeon ; it would have been a pity had it died of starvation in that chimney. Your letter is not at all too long, and I hope to hear from you again, and from all the cousins.—Cousin Katb.J

Dear Cousin Kate.—l am seven years old. I go to school, and am in Class 11. The snow is very deep, and I put some crumbs on the window sill for the poor little birds. When the man came with the letters we threw snowballs at him. Goodbye.—From Katie. Dunedin.

[I am very pleased, dear little Cousin Katie, to put your name on my list, especially as it is the same as mine. How nicely you write for your age ! Be sure you always throw out plenty of crumbs for the poor little birds this cold weather. They must find it very difficult to get food. How did the postman like your snowballs? I don’t suppose he bad time to stop and throw any back.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate.—lt is a long time since I last wrote to the Graphic, but when I saw that we wrote so seldom

and were to ‘ wake up,’ I thought that I would start by writing to you. It is snowing heavily in Dunedin at present, and at intervals when the sun struggles out, it makes a most beautiful picture. Have you ever seen it? My little sister, Katie, is writing to you. It was very slippery going up the path, and I got hold of Nero’s collar for him to help me up. When halfway he turned and ran the other way. If I hadn’t caught hold of a tree I'm sure I would have rolled or slid down the path. As it was, the snow off the tree went all over me. Nero, a collie, is our dog. I think his name has appeared in the Graphic before. I think the riding gallery that Cousin Maude mentioned is the same that was in Dunedin a little while ago. I had a great many rides on it. lam sending you stamps for a badge, if you will kindly send me one. lam also sending a few puzzles.—Withjlove from Cousin Lesa. Dunedin. P.S.—I vote for the ‘ Puzzle Competition.’ [Yes, Nero is quite an old Graphic friend, and 1 am glad his mistress thought of writing again and mentioning him. He is not very reliable as an ice-friend, is he ? Rather too slippery himself, I fancy. Yes, I have very often seen snow, though I have only been in Dunedin in the autumn or summer. We used to call the riding gallery a merry-go-round. I think it was here, too. I have posted your badge, and I hope you will like it. The puzzles I will keep. The voting was largely in favour of the story competition. —Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate.—l received the badge, and think it is very pretty with the gold letters on the red ribbon. I have not got any pets of my own, but I live with my grandmamma and aunty. My uncle had a nice dog. It is what is called a water spaniel. When my uncle was in his room reading the Star the dogused tolls at his feet, and when he had finished, the dog took the paper upstairs in his mouth to the dining-room, and aunt gave him a biscuit, but he would never eat it till he got downstairs again to his master. My only companion is my doll’s house. It has four rooms, a kitchen, bedroom, dining-room, and drawing-room. The dolls are all ready to work, but I think they are very lazy, for they do not get on very fast with their work. I go to school, and like it very much. I shall be having my holidays at the end of August. I sometimes go away, but Ido not think I will this time as it is too wet. I have not got any more to say just now. Good-bye.—your affectionate cousin, Agnes.

lam so glad you are pleased with the badge. What a clever dog that was! Is he still with you ? And has be a name ? Dolls are really excellent companions, though one sometimes wishes they would make a remark about something—even the weather ! But they sit and stare, and never even wink as if they understood what you are saying to them. Now, a dog gets quite excited if you talk to him about things he understands, a bone, or rats, or cats ! and if be doesn’t understand he tries to look as if he did! Write again when you have something more to say.—Cousin Kate. ]