THE ‘GRAPHIC’ COUSINSCOT FUND.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue II, 14 July 1900, Page 94

THE ‘GRAPHIC’ COUSINSCOT FUND.

This fund is for the purpose of maintain ing a poor, sick child in the Auckland Hospital, and is contributed to by the • Graphic' cousins—readers of the children's page. The cot has been already bought by their kind collection of money, and now £25 a year is needed to pay for the nursing, fool and medical attendance of the child in it. Any contributions will be gladly received by Cousin Kate, care of the Lady Editor, ‘ Sew Zealand Graphic,' Shortland street, or collecting card: will be sent on app' 1 ca t ion. Result of Ingenuity Composition. This, you will remember. was for the l»est sentence coin|»osed of words ’> »eginning with the letters in the word Mafeking. arranged in their proper order. I should have given you the result «»f this Itefore. but the gentleman who consented to judge for ine has l»een at* ay. and I had to wait till he came hack. I think, however, all the cousins must have tried, ami many of the answers were very clever. The prize is awarded to t ill SIX GEORGE E.MI*SON. ROTORUA. whose sentence is: “Many a Faithful English Knight Is Now Gone.” I think you will admit that this is a really excellent sentence. l»eing simple. direct, am! at the same time appropriate and to the point. There was only one prize, but some of the other answers are so good that I think I shall ghe a few of them. This, for instance, sent by Cotnan Ueryl. was placed second in the order of merit i»y the judge: “‘Many African Friends Explain Kruger Intends No Guile.” Cousin Adelaide, of Whangarri. comes third with this: ” Mafeking’s \bhorrence For Eccentric Kruger Is Naturally Great.” she also sends another one: -Mafeking Appreciates Eun. Especial|v Kruger’s Ignorant. Noisy Grunt*. But. though it makes you laugh, this •* not so gMMxI. and d<te* not rank amongst the laest.

A really capital sentence is sent by (*ous : n Ella, of Wellington. Here it is: "Mafeking Aroused Furore: Even Krn"vr Is Now Gloomy.” I think we should give this fourth place. I shall not attempt to put any more in their order. but let you judge for yourselves. Cousin Vivian sends this. She is only ten. remember: "Mafekine’s Attitude Finally Ends Kruger’s Independent Nonsensical Here are a whole batch, all by one cousin, who has also forgotten to send his* or her name. Doubtless there was a letter with it. but I cannot remember whose it was. Some of these are good. I think: ’'Malicious Adversaries Fly. Energetic Kitchener Intends No Grace.” ''Mighty Armies Fight. Erasing Kruger's Impudent. Nefarious Game.” "Mendacious Antagonists Filled Every Kopje. Invisibly Noting Gataere.” "Mere Artfulness Fails. Egotistical Kruger Is Not Game.” "Many American Friends Evince Kind Interest. Never Guessed.” Cousin Gladys tries with the following: Mafeking Gained Final Egress. Khaki is Now General. There are a host more, many of hem very good, but I think these are about the best, and have room for no more just now. ® @ @ Another Ingenuity Competition. I think you all understand how it is done now. so I will offer another prize to the cousin who makes the •test sentence out of ROBERT S. Remember, the simpler sentence the better, that is why George Empson's took the prize. Now. all try again for this one. 1 shall keep it open till August Ist. @ © © Prize for Best Competition or Essay. Ail of you who still go to school have compositions or esays to write. I expect. OeUL I am going to give two prizes for the best composition sent me before August S. Aon may send one you have written in school or you may send a special one. but it should not more than. say. about 4’ ■ words. You must write on one side of the paper only. This is very important. You may choose any subject you like, but you must do it all by yourselves, except you may get your parents or teachers to give you a subject. Try and make your composition as original as possible. Say whatever you really think yourself about the subject you write about: I am anxious for all cousins to go in for thi> competition, and shall give very nice ImvoKs as prizes. One prize will lie for cousins over 12. anti one for cousins under 12. If there are enough good conijiosilions. I may give some extra prizes. All cousins old or new may go in for either of thoe competitions. so I expect a tine lot of work over them. The more you give the better I shall like it. Krtnember the da.e of closing is \iigust Sth. COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE. Dear Cousin Kale.— I was very pleased to see my last letter in the “Graphic.” and thank yen very much for accepting me as a cousin. I have not yet received my collecting card ami badge. It has been very wet weather here lately. To-day it has been

thundering, lightening, and raining very hard. We are having our midwinter holidays now, but on Monday we are to start school again. I would like going to school very much if we bad no sums to do. 1 do not like sums. I have got one pet cat: her name is Tiny. My youngest sister has got two. an old cat and a kitten. 'Oie kitten is very young: it runs about the house, but it will net let anyone catch it. My cat is very old: she is twelve years old. I think I must take this letter to an end. With love to all the cousins. I must saygood night.—l remain, your true cousin. Bertha Keith. Maungatawhiri. [Dear Cousin Bertha.—l have sent the badges off to-day so you will have received them before you see this I expect. I quite sympathise fvith you about sums. I hated arithmetic at school. What colour is your cat*? Twelve seems a great age for a cat. does it not? Can she see well, or is she nearly blind, as they usually are when they get very old? Which is the elder, you or Alice? Write again soon and tell me all about yourselves. Mind you enter for the competitions. —Cousin Kate.] 3 fVar Cousin Kate.—l am entering for the Mafeking competition, but as we did not receive our "Graphic” until rather late I have not time to write more.—Ella. [Dear Cousin Ella, —J nope you will enter for the next ingenuity competition because some of your sentences were very good. You mayhave better fortune next time. Please xvrite me a longer letter scon. —Cousin Kate.] ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate. — I am sending you a lot of sentences made out of the letters in Mafeking. I found 100 xvords: some of them I cannot put in the sentences. I did not see your notice of the Mafeking competition. so I do not know if I have done it the right way. I should like you to give us another word.—Marion. [Dear Cousin Marion. —I am so sorry all your trouble was wasted. \ ou did not. quite understand how to do the sentences, but will now be able to pick it up and go in for the one made out of Roberts. Get some groxvn-up j»erson to explain from this week’s "Graphic” and try again. Perhaps you will succeed. One never knows!—Cousin Kate.] @ ® $4 I tear Cousin Kate. —I should like a collecting card: I have been promised one shilling, and I think that if I had a card I could collect a lot more. .Vs you did not send us a card I am afraid that you did not get Marion’s letter giving our address. I am glad to hear that Cousin Edmond keeps poultry: 1 shall l»e glad of all the information he can give about poultry keeping: we have about seventy hens, ami make a good deal of money out of them in the year. I think selling the egsrs pays better than rearing chickens for the market. Our butcher will never give us more than one shilling each for tine young roosters, and we live ton far axxay from a large town to send them in xvithout a great deal of expense. We are having our winter holidays now. It is very provoking to have so many wet days. I xvanted to put my garden in ?ood order before l»egan. but I have not been able io touch it: it is such dirty* work pulling the weeds xvheii the ground is wet. I have a few* calibage and caulifloxver plants put in. As soon as the ground is dry enough I intend putting in a fexx early potatoes. We are usiner new notatoes noxx- that xvere planted in March. What is that xvhicS is cut at I with ends and yet made longer? -From Cousin Rose. (Dear Cousin Rose.— I have just lo«>ked at the book in which I keep the names and addresses of all the cousins, and I find I have not either yours or Marion’s second name and address, so I cannot have receive*] the letter from her with them in. You do not give xour surname in this letter either. Please send it me soon, so that I may send you a canl. as you kindly promise

to collect. What sort of fowls do you keep? If you have really good big table birds, you ought to be able to gel far more than a shilling for the roosters. Write to the Stock Department. Government Buildings. Auckland, and they will send you a book telling you bow to prepare poultry for freezing and sending Home. You can also learn from it about a new way of keeping eggs for winter. It is dreadful weather for gardening, is it not? I. too. want to get some weeding done, but it is far too wet. The slugs, too. artfearful ly Ixtd this year. Have you many in your garden? They destroy a terrible number of plants in mine.— Cousin Kate.) © @ <5 Dear Cousin Kate. —1 would be so pleased if you would accept me as a cousin. I thought as my sister has become one of your cousins you would have me for one also. I have been staying with some of my relations at Tamaki West for about eighteen months, and I enjoyed myself very much. The house in which I was staying at was very close to a beautiful shelly beach and a sea. When I had any spare time my cousins and I used to go out boating or fishing. Sometimes we would see who could gather the most shells. In the summer time we went for a few trips in a large sailing vessel to the Thames. Bay of Islands and Tauranga. I thought the places all very pretty. I was very glad to return to my proper home about two months ago. — With love to all the cousins. I remain, your true cousin. Alice Keith. Maungatawhiri. [Dear Cousin Alice. —Welcome to our band of cousins. A'ou will get your card before this appears, as I [>osted it to - day. with a badge. You art quite a traveller, are you not? I should have tremendously enjoyed such trips as you made all round the coast. Are yon a good sailor? I think you must be. or you would never have ventured a second trip. Collecting shells is very interesting. I think. Have you ever tried covering eigar boxes with them? They look so pretty. —Cousin Kate.] © ® @ AN EMPIRE CITY LETTER. Dear Cousin Kate. —One night recently I had the pleasure of being present at the performance of the "Grand Duke.” It was in every way highly creditable, and the Amateur Operatic Society should feel proud of their production. The scene is laid in a German State, and the period is the middle of last century. A plot exists to dethrone the reigning Duke, the members of a theatrical company being a party to the conspiracy, and their manager is looking forward to filling the dukedom. In the meantime the leading comedian. Ludwig, discloses the plot to. of all persons, the Grand Duke's private detective, who is so taken back by the information that he fails to arrest the conspirator. Here is. indeed, a how-do-you-do affair: the exponents of histrionic art are betrayed, and something must needs l>e done. Dr. Tannhauser. a notary, suggests that Ernest (the manager) and Ludwig fight a statutory duel. Sword or pistol neither uses. Playing card he lightly chooses. And the loser simply loses. Some prefer the churchyard mould: Strange the views some people hold: From a pack of cards Ludwig draws an ace. and Ernest a king, which being the lower card is the loser, and accordingly considered as dead. Ludwig then goes to the Grand Duke to make a full disclosure of the conspiracy and to throw all the blame on the dead man. Duke of Rudolph, who is a frail specimen of humanity, set up on a pedestal for ridicule, and to be poked fnn at in true Gilbertian fashion, is in mortal fear of his life, and is looking for some painless mode of exit from the world. Ludwig seeing this suggests the statutory duel. Rudolph agrees, knowing that the statute providing these duels, having not been renewed, expires the next day. ami the loser can. when he pleases, come to life again. The duel is fought in the market-place, and the cants having l»een arranged, Ludwig draws the act*. Rudolph drawing the king is deemed dead. Ludwig becomes Grand Duke. His first act is to extend the statute relating to duels for 1«» years. ami thus assure his position. The Grand Duke ami his court appear in Greek costumes made for an intended performance of "Troelus and Cressida.” Then

.-omplicatioiis begin. Ludwig has to set aside Liza, to whom he is engaged, for Julia as leading lady Haims Grand Duehesa— Ludwig's wife. They are hardly married when the baroness arrives to press her claim, she being betrothed to Rudolph, and Ludwig having taken over Ills responsiputs Julia aside and marries the baroness. Next the Prinee of Monte Carlo and his daughter arrive. This young lady was wed to Rudolph in infancy. She having the prior claim. Ludwig is about to marry her when Rudolph and Ernest eome in with the notary, who has discovered that in statutory duels the ace counts as lowest. This enables everyone to get back to their original positions, and the audience has had their fun.— Your loving cousin Jack. [Dear Cousin Jack.—You letter about the Grand Duke is very interesting. but I can only gtve a short answer, as your letter takes up a good deal of our space, does it not? Mind you enter for the essay competition. [ am sure you would do very well. Next time you write tell me about yourself and your likes and dislikes. —Cousin Kate.]

The First Day of the Holidays. A STORY OF THE SILVERTON CHILDREN. "And now, what shall we do?" inquired Nellie, when the garden gate was reached. The Silvertons had been “seeing Fraulein, the German governess, off.” All the previous day they hail been examining boxes and portmanteaux of that curious manufacture which somehow makes it impossible to take a foreigner's luggage seriously. “I say, what a funny bag!" I heard Jim exclaim, strolling into Fraulein's room, where, flushed and voluble, she knelt on the floor, almost enveloped by clouds of assisting pupils and surrounded by Teutonic wearing apparel of a thoroughgoing appearance. “Aeh. leave ze bag!" cried Fraulein in exasperated accents, as Jim, in tho character of a porter, run up and down between piles of stockings and stout petticoats, the bag in one hand and the dinner bell in the other. "Leave ze bag! Anil all you children go into ze garden. So. 1 pack better.” "Oh, no! No. Fraulein!" came in a protesting chorus. "Send Jim out. He's such a little idjut, always coining and spoiling everything. Jim. do you hear? Put down the Ijag.” "I don't want the silly old 'bag,” declared Jim, as with a last deafening crash, the bell was finally wrested from his grasp. “Looks as if it was made of i-ardboarri. with bits of shiny black paper gummed on for the straps."

I had barely time to recognise the accuracy of the description when, after much scuffling and considerable flow of language. Jim was forcibly ejected. He walked slowly backwards down the passage, hurling insults at the feminine sex and the German Empire till pulled up short by the rail at the head of the staircase, it occurred to him to slide down the bannisters, and the rapid movement not being favourable to its continuance, rhe monologue •■eased.

Peace had been restored and again broken twenty times between then and the thrilling moment of departure. The cardboard portmanteaux and the purple-mottled paper boxes were fin» ally placed on the cab containing Fraulein anil a great many Silvertons. Then, amiiist last words from Mrs Silverton as to sandwiches, amidst handshakes from Mr Silverton, amidst excited squeals from the rest of the family, the cab drove off stationwards conveying Fraulein on the first stage of her vournev to the Fatherland. “Idle wohl! Td»e wohl!” she ••rird. potting a beaming face ont of • he <*arriage-window at the station.

"In one month 1 return. Be all good children, so that the - ran Mamma—' Hir las: admonitions were drowned in the shriek of the engine, and a rather depressed and saddened little group turned from the platform to wend its way towards home. It was ridiculous to be depressed, of course. since ail Fraulein’s were beasts, and for weeks paeans of joy ha<l heralded their coming freedom. Still, somehow. Fraulein had a pretty talent for cutting out paper dolls. Nellie remembered this before the train was out of sight. She confided the ludicrous reflection to Madge the same evening, and Madge sighed. "She used to tell jolly fairy tales." was her reflective remark. It was o<ld how silent the consuming hatred they bore Fraulein kept the entire family on the homeward journey. anil it was with some sense of inconsistent behaviour that, Nellie forced ..erself to give utterance to the question as one who would prove to all the world that she. at least, was no poor-spiritei. child. After all. it was the first day of the holidays, the others refieeted. "Let's go into Unde John s." said Norah.

“Back garden*” ol*served Jim. laconically. "Yes! yes! assented the others, beginning to « righten. “What aoont the handkerchief trick?” inquired Jim. An appreciative girn went round. “ What’s tne time?” was Jim’s next question. Nellie ran in to see. “Quarter to twelve.” she announced, w. n satisfaction only comprehensible to the initiated. “All right.” said Jim. “We’ve go? half an hour to prepare. Now. who’s going in to Uncle John’s?” “Mange!” everyone shouted. ’Madge and Phil!” “I always go!” protested Madge.

“In one month I return. Be all good children, so that Frau-mamma .’’ Her last admonitions were drowr.ed in the shriek of the engine. ’You shou.dn’t have such a silly, affected manner, then!” returned Jim unguardedly. Rrlitiuns w -re often little strained between Madge ami Jim: but no sooner were the words uttered than he felt t'hat. from motives of self-in-terest. hr had gone too far. “Silly, affected manner!” his sister repeated, blazing up at once. “What are you. 1 should like ?o know ? A little clumsy bear! Everyone says so: ami a conceited little donkey, ami Norah ami NelFe here- interrupted with soothing words. “Don’t pay any attention to the little idjut! they cried. “He always goes on like that, just liecanse he couldn’t go in to Uncle John, and manage so Iteaiififully as vou «o. Madge. You will go. won’t you? You might just as well! You can ask for the

key so splendidly—how the vines are getting on. and tue cucumbers. yon know, and the fowls, and all that! You remember what to say. You manage splendidly!** 1 no*, with feminine cajoleries. they at length succeeded in pushing Madge gently out of the front gate on her mission of diplomacy. Jim meanwhile had stood sulkily apart, forced to hear himself deseriled as a silly little idjut. without a protest, ami conscious that the moment Madge had departed with the blandly, smiling Phil, the two girls would turn and rend him. To have rendered himself powerless to return scorn for scorn was galling, but inevitable; unless, indeed. he should refuse to play. Rut the sacrifice was too great, lie braced himself up for the onslaught, therefore.which, owing to ‘ the excitement as to the result of Madge’s mission, was mercifully brief. Uncle John’s garden adjoined the garden of the Silvertons. A stately gentleman of the old school devoted to his roses, his vinery, ami his poultry-yard, his grandnieces ami nephews were practically unknown to him. With the unconscious adaptability of the young, they always appeared Indore Uncle John in the guise which he expected—that is to say. as quiet, well-behaved. deferential young folks, whose awakening intelligence he loved to train. Uncle John was kindness itself, but he was curious. There was. for instance. a certain ritual to lx* observed in asking for the key of the fruit garden. You could not. for example, explain to him that the rockery which extended the length of one wall commanded the road down which the school children were wont to pass, nor that rhe straight, narrow paths of the garden lent themselves admirably to the chase of fowls, nor that cherries in summer time were refreshing. No. your interest in a fruit garden was. naturally, of a totally different nature, as Madge was now on her way to tesShe kmwked at the study door. •’Come in.” said her uncle, looking up from his writing. •"Good-morning. Uncle John!” exclaimed Madge brightly, running up to l>e kissed. ""Good-morning!” echoed Phil, raising limpid blue eyes. If Uncle John haul owned to the weakness of a preference among “such excellent young people” it would have Iwen for Madge and Phil. -Nice, intelligent children.” he was wont to observe, -whose manners are above the ordinary standard of courtesy which this general ion apj>ears to exact.” •‘We’ve come to ask you for the key of the back garden. Uncle John.” said Madge. “It is such a long time since we looked at the vines.’’ —Ah. ves! Well, you will find the grapes are colouring nicely. I should also like you to look at a very lieautiful little Calophyllnm. which you will find on the right hand side of the <mall glasshouse. Its habit of growth is most interesting.” Madge’s expression became more markedly intelligent than ever. •‘Oh. we will. We must look out for that. There are the fuchsias, too. How are they getting on?” —Admirably, admirably! before you return, go also into the hothouse. I should like you all to see two orchids there —a latifolia ami a globosa. Magnificent specimens! You know which is the latifolia? I pointed it out to you some three weeks ago.” —Yes. Uncle John.” returned Madge a little hastily. “Thank you so much.” as he put the key into her hand. ‘•Yon will bring it back, of course: and in case I am not in. replace it on this nail. Good-bye for the present, then. I think yon will find much to interest you in the garden to-day.” The faniil.v was evidently of Uncle John’s opinion, for Madge found an excited group waiting for her outside the gate. (To be Continued.)