CHILDREN'S CORRESPONDENCE COLUMN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue XXIII, 7 December 1895, Page 727

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 \oz, Jrf; not exceeding <loz. Id; for every ad di tional 2oz or fractional part thereof, \d It is well for correspondence to be marked * Commercial papers only ’ Dear Cousin Kate. —I am writing to you at last. There were excursions from Wellington to somewhere past Masterton, which lasted from Saturday until the following Tuesday. A friend of ours came up from Wellington and paid us a surprise visit. I did not know her at first, for she had come so suddenly upon us that I had forgotten for the moment who it was. During the young lady’s short stay with us we all had a game of English and French. I suppose you know how to play that game, but, as I had not played it before, it was quite new to me. We played it all the afternoon, and after tea we played it again. We thought it was delightful. But didn’t we suffer next morning ! We were so stiff that we did not know how to get about. Well, we played it again that evening, and another young lady and her mother came to our place, so, of course, we asked them to join in our game. We chose the young lady’s mother on our side, and her daughter went on the opposite. It was more fun than ever then. The young lady did nothing but stand and laugh at all of us others until she nearly fainted. One of us put our hand into a bog hole, and another of us put our foot into the same hole. As it was getting late we all went inside, and had some music. Dear Cousin Kate can you do macrame work ? I made a pale blue bracket some time ago, and it looked very pretty. lam at present making a mantle-drape, and have got it half done. I think it will look very pretty when it is finished, lam making one scollop pale green and another pink, and so on. I will have to hurry up, as I want to get it finished before Christmas. I think I can answer Cousin Gypsy’s and Cousin Fergus’s puzzles. lam also sending a few riddles. As I am afraid my letter is getting too long, I must now conclude with love to you and all the cousins.—From yours affectionately, Cousin Jessie No. 3. Masterton. [I used to be very fond of French and English, and once tore my cheek across by jumping into a bush to avoid the ball. Luckily, it healed up without the slightest scar. We never play now. All the girls I know care for nothing but tennis and dancing, and despise the nice old-fashioned games. I hardly ever do fancy-work, and have not tried macrame. The blue bracket would be lovely. I hope you will get the drape finished, for it also sounds pretty. Tell me how you get on with it. I have just been making some caps for a bazaar, intended for boys’ wear. Will you help with the Cot Fund ? Thank you for the riddles.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate. —I am willing to help the ‘ Cot ’ all I can, and I think it is very clever of Cousin Muriel to think of such a good idea. I see the cousins are beginning to write more regularly now. On Sunday mother and father and I drove to Brighton, and I stayed till Monday afternoon. I played on the beach, and I enjoyed myself very much. We had a geography examination on Friday and a grammar examination today. I did not try for the story competition as lam not good at it.—With love from Cousin Amy. [Thank-you tor saying you will help with the cot. Before you read this I hope to have sent you a card. There was some delay in reproducing them, as the first attempt was not a success. Perhaps next time we have a competition you will be able to try for it. How did you get on with your examinations ? I see Dunedin was very high in the rainfall list last month. You were lucky to have such a nice outing.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate.—l wrote to you once before and you were kind enough to print it. I have time now again to write and tell you about my trip to Pine Island. Last Saturday I went on a small steamer called the Waitoa. It was blowing hard, and made me feel a little queer, but I soon got better. When we arrived at the island we went for a walk, and saw lots of pine trees and a beautiful garden, and some boys drove a donkey in the middle of it, destroying many plants. lam enclosing six penny stamps for a badge.—Cousin Sinclair.

[I posted your badge the day after I received your letter, and hope you have it safely. lam glad you have found time to write, and hope you will soon be in the same position again ! I have not been to Pine Island. It is up the harbour, is it not ? How naughty of those boys to destroy the plants. Don’t you think they looked as if they were brothers of the animal they drove ? Did you send any plants to the Children’s Flower Show ? By-the-bye, when next you go to sea, eat a good meal just before you start, and a hard biscuit on board. This often prevents sickness.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate.—l think I have a suggestion for the ‘ cot.’ Don’t you and the cousins think it would be a good idea to choose the child and to give the ‘ cot ’ to the child for a * Christmas present.’ I think I could help the ‘ cot ’ a little if you send me the card, as I have had a lot promised to me already. On Friday night I went to • Our Toys.’ There was a concert to begin with, and after the interval there was a dance by four little §irls as fairies, who performed a very pretty ance with wands, and white stockings and shoes with glistening dresses and crowns. There were also the dolls of the nursery imitated by ladies. There were Red Riding Hood, 80-peep, the Wooden Soldier, the Lady Hostess, and the Gentleman Host, and Noah. Red Riding Hood was very indiguant at being thrown in the waste-paper basket by the children, who

had the new toy Noah, all of whom, having been naughty children, were changed by the fairies into dolls. lam going with mother and father to the ‘ Case of Rebellious Susan.’ Did you see it when the Brough and Boucicault Company passed through Auckland ? We are going to have a Scripture history examination to-morrow, and an arithmetic examination on Thursday. With love to the cousins and yourself, hoping my letter is not too long. —From Cousin Amy.

[I should very much like to have the ‘cot ’ by Christmas, but we could not give it to any one child, as when that little one got well we should at once put another sick child in. I hope to have the cards to-day, and will send them off at once. If we get the /12 odd by Christmas we will certainly have the cot then. I did not see ‘ Rebellious Susan,’only the ‘Second Mrs Tanqueray.’ Everyone seems to like naughty Sue very much. Your ‘ Toy ’ amusement seems to have been capital fun. I wonder if anv of the other cousins have seen that sort of thing I—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate. —I was very surprised and pleased to see that I had won a prize for the best story. I received it on Wednesday morning, and I thank you very much for it. Dear Cousin Kate, are you going to print any of the unsuccessful stories? I should like to see Cousin Elsie’s very much. I postponed writing to you for a week as I wanted to tell you about the Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s Show, and also the Wellington Kennel Club's Show. The Agricultural Show took place at the Petone show-grounds on Wednesday and Thursday. Ou Wednesday afternoon mother took me to the show. We went out in the train. There were no horses there the first day, only sheep and cattle. There were some very big Hereford bulls and cows. One bull, a very wild animal, tried to get into the next pen. There were a lot of nice fat sheep and pigs there. The second day we drove out in a carriage. The second day is the best, because they have jumping and riding competitions, which are very interesting. Father entered his horse, Mont Serrit, and it took second prize for the best dogcart horse. There was a steeplechase competition, a polo a driving, and a riding competition. There was a tug of-war between the Wellington schools and some of the country schools. The team from the Mount Cook school in Wellington won the prize. There were about seven thousand spectators on the ground in the afternoon. His Excellency the Governor, Lady Glasgow, and Mr Seddon were present. I will now give you a description of the Dog Show which took place yesterday and to-day in the Drill-shed Lady Glasgow visited the Show yesterday afternoon, and was received by my father, who is President of the Wellington Kennel Club. Our dog, St. Elmo Roy, took second prize in the St. Bernard class. There was a very large show of collies, and one very pretty bitch, which took first prize, had a litter of eight dear little puppies. There were also seven cats, mostly white, and one poor little thing was so frightened. Ido not object to your printing my full name in connection with the prize announcements. The Flower Show opens on Tuesday. I will tell you about it in my next letter. I am going to make my bouquet of red and white roses and maidenhair fern if I can get any. lam anxiously waiting for to-day’s Graphic, as I want so see if my story is printed. I was very disappointed to see that there was no children’s page in the Christmas number of the Graphic. Our yearly examinations are to begin in a fortnight. I must now close my letter with love from your affectionate cousin, Laura E. James. [A good many children have expressed regret that there was no children’s page in the extra Christmas number. However, we must make it up in our ordinary number, which will be issued the Saturday before Christmas. I hope to publish therein the three prize stories, and in the following number (the New Year’s) the three next best. How will that do ? Your letter is very interesting. I congratulate your father on his success. Tell me how you get on with your bouquet.—Cousin Kate. P.S. —Do not close up your envelope. We had to pay threepence on the letter.']