COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue IX, 1 September 1900, Page 422

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

Dear Cousin Kate,- I am writing you a short letter to ask you if I may become one of your numerous Cousins. We have a funny -old cat named Woody; rather a queer name is it not? My little sister named her because she used to scratch the trees a great deal when she was a kitten. We used to have a pair of opossums. They were such dear little things. Father had a large cage made for them, with bars in it. and they used to swing on the bars, holding on with their tails. One evening one of them got away, and as some people down the road were having dinner. Brighteyes (that was his name) walked in. One of the gentlemen seized the poker, thinking it was a large rat, but he soon put it down, for funny Brighteyes had no intention of going away. They gave him pieces of meat, which he greatly enjoyed. We were told where hr was. so went down and brought him home. I must close now. hoping that I may become a Cousin. 1 remain, your loving friend. Kathleen

| Dear Cousin Kathleen. Your letter about the opossums and your cut Woody interested me ever so much. I would dearly love to have owned Brighteyes. I have never even seen a lame oppossiim. What did you feed them on? I think Woody was a very good name for that rat. but she must have done a lot of mischief scratching the trees. It will be very nice to have you for a Cousin. Mind you write regularly. Cousin Kate. | ® © ®

Dear Cousin Kate, I am writing to you because I should like to become a Cousin. I think I have a little news for you. I have one sister, and no brother. My sister is eight years old. and I am eleven. I am in the fourth standard. while my sister is in the second. Iler name is Kathleen. Almost every Saturday I go out to the range to watch tin* men shooting. I have a pony named Topsy. and a cat mimed Tom.—. Oscar Wright.

| Dear Oscar. You are heartily welcome as one of our Cousins. What a large, happy band we are getting. It is funny your sister’s mime Iteing Kathleen. for we have nnotlier new Cousin called so; you will see her letter just before yours. It must be very good

fun watching the men shooting. Do you mean to lie a soldier when you grow up?—Cousin Kate.) ® ® ® Dear (basin Kate.—Doth Lily and 1 have decitied to have a collecting card between us. Mother says that I must indeed be like your sister, for 1 am so fond of all kinds of fun. Rollie and Nigger, my two dear little cats, catch a lot of birds, but no mice or rats, for there are none about just now. lam trying for the geographical prize and hope 1 will be successful. — 1 remain your loving cousin. Freda Sim. | Dear Cousin Freda, —1 am glad you are fond of fun. I don’t like stiff, prim children at all. They never seem like proper children to me. Some day I must tel! you all about my Freda and what a little scapegrace and tom-boy she was. This week 1 have not time to do so. I will send you a card. — Cousin Kate.J ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate, —1 suppose you think me very rude for not answering your letter, but very likely you will excuse me as it was our examination time, and I have been very busy. 1 am sure you will be very glad to hear that 1 have passed and am now' in the fifth standard. I am ten years of age, and will be eleven on the 31st of December. I have two dolls of which 1 am very fond. Their names are Violet and Gladys. 1 have received my badge and collecting card and have collected 2/(5. Now. dear Cousin Kate, I must enclose this letter, as it is bedtime. — I remain, your sincere cousin, Vera.

| Dear - Cousin Vera, —Of course 1 would not expect a letter during- examination time. I am, indeed. glad you passed, and hope you will continue to get on quickly. Fancy having your birthday on the very last day of the century! That is what it will be this year. Thank you very much for collecting. You seem to have been very successful already.—Cousin Kate.] ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate, —It is a long time since you have had a letter from me. I suppose you think I have deserted you. but I have been so busy with my lessons or else I would have written before. I have been trying to collect for the cot, but everyone is giving such a lot to the war fund and Indian famine that I am only able to get 2/6. I am very sorry I can’t get more, but it is better than nothing at all. We don't take the “Graphic" now, so 1 am not able to see your letters. I hope you will forgive me for not writing before, and I am so sorry I could not collect more. I think this is all 1 have to tell you just now.—Hoping this will find you quite well, as it leaves me. I remain your loving cousin. Mary. Wellington.

| 1 am very sorry that your letter got put on one side and covered up, so that to-day is my first chance of answering it. I am just as grateful to you for collecting 2/6 as I would be if you had collected £2 2/6. The kindness was there just the same—Cousin Kate. | ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate, — You will be thinking that I have forgotten you, but that is not so. My mother and father came home last Monday, so all hist week we have been eleaning, and I did not have much time for writing, but I will try and get my card full soon. What terrible weather we are having lately. Last week we Imai some lovely days, but to-day it is raining and blowing something awful. 1 did not. see my last letter in the "Graphic,” but my sister did, so she told me all the news. I would like to go in for the new competitions, but 1 don’t know if I will be able to or not.

Mother said that 1 ought to get iny photo, taken soon, so 1 will be able to send you one. 1 must say good-bye for the present.— With kind love, from Cousin Alice, Opunake. | Dear Cousin Alice, —I do hope that you w ill have your photo, alone, so that I may have one for our children’s page. I am sure if a few cousins would start sending me their pictures others would follow, and we should soon know just what all the cousins were like. It would be nice, would it not? The weather here is still very rough anal boisterous.—Cousin Kate. | ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate, —1 hope you will excuse yam nw calling your attention to the sentence of “Roberts” by" the prize winner. It reads thus: “Roberts’ Officers Brought Eleven Prisoners to Springfontein.’ Prisoners, 1 think, is hardly the correct w’ord, as there is no “P” in Roberts. However, it may only be a printer’s error. Flossie and I have not yet received our badges and collecting cards; perhaps they have gone astray. On Saturday afternoon next, if it is a very fine day, we are having our photos taken for the “Graphic.” 1 am sure you will be pleased to receive a letter from my cousin, and when you read his name I am sure you and the rest of the cousins will be amused. I will just give you his initials, as his name will appear in next week's “Graphic.” They are: G.M.D.W.O.M.—With love to ail the cousins, from Cousin Gladys.

[ Dear Cousin Gladys,—l am sincerely gratefid to you for pointing out the error in the Roberts competiton. It gave me a fearful fright at first, but I was glad to find it was entirely my mistake. In copying the sentence out I put "prisoners” instead of “rebels.” It was very careless of me, but 1 shall be very careful next time. Again thanking you for this, as well as for bringing me a new cousin.—Yours affectionately. Cousin Kate.]

® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate, —I hope you will allow me to eall you cousin, although up to now 1 have not had the pleasure of knowing you. I will tell you how I happened to discover the “Cousins’ Corner.” There was a stray copy of “The New Zealand Graphic” on the table the other day, and we were so pleased with it that father is thinking of getting it regularly for us. I have made out a sentence on “Children” as well as I can, which 1 enclose. I hope you will not think my letter too long. One thing T have forgotten to say is, that I am twelve years old.—Elsie Whyte.

| Dear Cousin Elsie. —It will be delightful to have you for a cousin, aud I hope, indeed, your father will see his way to take the “Graphic” regularly for you. The more cousins we get the more pages we can give them and the more competitions we can have.—Cousin Kate. | ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate, —I am staying up in Te Aroha for a while; it is very wet up here, and 1 cannot enjoy l myself very much. 1 am so glad spring is coming; the w'illow trees are coming in leaf already. 1 think Te Aroha is a very pretty pretty place; the Domain is being made larger, and a great many pine trees are cut down. You wanted to know all about my collection of stamps. Well, there is not much to tell. I have stamps from nearly all over the world, and some of them'are very pretty. I am going in for the Geographical Competition. I must now conclude with fond love to all the cousins and yourself.—Cousin Jessie. (Dear Cousin Jessie, —1 know' Te Aroha very well, and, like you, think it a very pretty place. I should think cutting down the pine tree i will be a big improvement.—Cousin Kate.] ® ® ® Dear Cousin Kate. —1 am very anxious to become a- member of your increasing band of cousins, ns my two cousins, Gladys and Dorothy, so enjoy spending a few minutes in writing to

you. that 1 am quite jealous of them. I am eleven yearn of age, and in the Sixth Standard. I attend the Nelson Street School, and on Friday the unfurling of the flag is to take place. Great preparations are lieing made to make the ceremony a great success. Next week I will send you further particulars.— I now close with love from Gaston Morel Desire Windsor Osborne Martin. | Dear Cousin Gaston, —I really do not think I can write the whole of your name, it is such a very, very long one. 1 hope you will often write. This week vour letter arrived rather late, so I can only give a short answer. -Cousin Kate.] ® ® ®