COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9, 4 March 1905, Page 55

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

Dear Cousin Kate,—l have been waiting all the afternoon for the “Graphic,’’ but it has not come, and I am dreadfully disappointed when they are busy at the Dost Office, and then we don’t get it until Thursday morning. Thank you very much, Cousin Kate, for putting my letter in last week. Did you go up to the Domain last Saturday to hear al! the bands? 1 had a friend to spend the afternoon with me, so we sat on the verandah and watched the crowds and crowds of people going in, and listened to the music. At least. I don’t think it was much like mu-

sic, as it got so monotonous. Didn’t you think it was? Just fancy the one piece till the afternoon. Of course 1 suppose the marching would have been very nice to have seen. I received three more (study) music books yesterday from my Aunt Jessie in England, and a pretty little menu of the last dinner party she had given. It is such a pretty red one: quite different from the others I have. When are Winnie’s and Olive’s photos to be in the “Graphic,” Cousin Kate? They sent me one. and it is very nice. I wonder if yours is the same as mine? Oh, I forgot to tell you that with my musie Valerie got some (a dozen, I think) postcards—also from Aunt Jessie. Have you read 4 Fio,” by Max Pemberton? I have started it, so will tell you what it is like when I finish it. Do you like Boston cream, Cousin Kate? It is a very cool drink—just lovely this weather. Mother and father are waiting for this, so I must say good-night. With heaps of love to the cousins and yourself from Cousin Muriel J., Auckland.

[Dear Cousin Muriel, —Do you have your ’Graphic” posted out io you every week? If you do. I expect it often does not arrive until Thursday morning. No, I didn't go up to the Domain on Saturday. I was there on Wednesday afternoon, and though I liked watching the srowd 1 didn’t think the musie good enough to make me want to go again on Saturday. I suppose each band had to play the. same piece as it was a competition, but it certainly did get very monotonous. I heard that the marching was splendid on Saturday, and there seems to have been an enormous crowd of people there—between eighteen and twenty thousand people, 1 believe. What a grand collection of music you must be getting now. You will have to get it all bound, won’t you? It gets so shabby if it is left lying about loose. I’m afraid Olive’s and Winnie's photographs won't go in this week, as we have so much that has to be in, but J hope to be able to get room for it next week. I don’t think I have ever tried Boston cream, but it sounds delightfully cool. Have yon the recipe for it? Do yon remember telling me about “Victorina” in one of your letters some time ago? I wish you would tell me all about it next time you write, where it is to be got, and the price, etc. I had a letter asking me to find out dll about it, so I thought it would save time if you could tell me. —Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kato.—l have not written to you for some time, but as Mary and myself go to Prince Albert College now, there is nothing but lessons to do at night, so I have hardly any time for anything else; but I will try and get lime to write to you. Mary anil myself are both in the second form, but Mary does different sums to what 1 do. We were playing tennis to-night, and 1 am very hot. 1 am learning to serve the overarm way. I am used to serving underhand, so it is a bit difiicult at first. Yes, indeed, Cousin Kate, I will be glad when this dreadfully hot weather is over. It is true we are forever grumbling—if it is wet. we say how horrible and wet it is; if it is line and sunny, we say. “Oh, how very hot it is.” 1 am are J don't know when we will be satisfied. 1 don't know. I m sure, if Lilian Turner is any relation to Ethel Turner. I was just wondering if she were myself. Goodbye, Cousin Kate. 1 remain, your loving cousin, Amy S. [Dear Cousin Amy,—l have been wondering how it was I had not heard from you lately, but, of course. I can quite understand that you do not have a great ileal of spare time nowadays. It must take you so much more time to get to and from school, and then you say you have so many more lessons to do now. How is it that you and Mary are both in the same form? You were not in the same standard at the Remuera school, wore you? It is hard to change one’s style in serving, but I think one can get a much swifter ball in serving over-arm than under-arm: don’t you agree- with me? Did you ever hear that song in "Princess Ida” about ‘‘wouldn’t life be extremely fiat if there was nothing whatever to grumble at?” 1 think that is the way we all feel, and so we grumble about the weather whenever there is nothing else to do. Cousin Kate.] 4* 4* 4* Dear Cousin Kate.—Thank you very much Tor your nice answer to my last letter. Isn't the weather lovely. Cousin Kate? It is very hot. All the grass is quite burnt up looking. We had a lovely letter from my brother yesterday, lie is working very hard now. as it is his final year this year. 1 am longing to see him again. We have started school again, but we go to Prince Albert College. It seems so funny going in the tram every day. We. have a great many lessons now. There, is a nice tenuis court at school, and wo play nearly every day. i think that ’bus accident was very sad. 1 am reading a lovely book called “The Madcap'’ (by Mrs. L. T. .Meade). I love her books. don’t you? I think it is lime for me to stop now. dear Cousin Kate, as I have a great many lessons to do to-night. With fondest love to the cousins, and not forgetting your dear self. 1 am, your luving cousin. Alary N. [Dear Cousin Mary.— Fn one way we are having perfectly lovely weather, but 1 don’t like the heat a bit. Ft makes, me so lazy that I have no energy to do anything. Do you like it yourself? The grass is beginning to look very burnt up now, but I think we shall have rain soon, am! that will freshen it up. Have you seen the account of the “Village Eair” which is being held over at North Shore tin’s week? I went over yesterday evening. It was a lovely moonlight night, and the whole place is brilliantly lit up with gas. It did look so pretty. How you must all look forward to the ’Frisco boats. 1 suppose you get long letters by every mail. But however long they are. it is much more satisfactory to be able to talk to people, isn’t it? 1 hope you won’t

have too many lessons to do at your new school. Do you think you will like it as w« 11 as going to Remuera? Com-in * 4. 4. Dear Cousin Kate, —1 am making another start to write to you. I must tel! you that I have another dear little cousin. J went up to see him on Sunday. I think that his name is to be Alex. Wesley. 1 was home from school the week before last with a bad eold. I spent the end of the week at Mount Eden. I went, up to the Domain on Wednesday and Saturday to hear the bands. We sat up on the grandstand, so we “aw everything very plainly. When the next. English mail goes out f will send some post cards to that little eripple girl, and perhaps I shall write a short letter. I am going to Cambridge at Easter just for a few days with ray Bister.' I must close now.—Cousin Muriel. 1 Dear Cousin Muriel, —I suppose you are very delighted at having another eousin, and will always bo going off to nurse him. I am very fond of nursing babies, aren't you? that is if they don’t commence crying directly one takes tbcm. 1 am sorry you have had such a bad eold; they are wretched things to have in the summer time, and one seems to take, so much longer to get rid of them in t|ie hot weather. I have just got over one too, so I am speaking from experience. Did you enjoy yourself at

the band contest? I went <>n Wednesday, but thought it was lather monotonous. ) liked watching the crowd, though. There is an outward English mail, via Suez, nearly every Monday. if you would like Io send the post ciyrds to \ iolet fate before the next F:i>co mail, and (hat does not go out for nearly three weeks now. It i* very good of you to m*ivl the post cards, and I am sure poor Violet will be delighted at getting so many. TliPv will be such a surprise to her, too. What a lucky little girl you are tn be going to Cambridge for your Easter holidays: it is >u< h a pr> ity place. I wonder if you will see (*ou«in Beatrice; she lives in Cambridge.—Cousin Kate. | T 4, 4. Dear Cousin Kate. I was -o pleased to see my letter in the “New Zealand Graphic.” I will sere! you sone* mistletoe v hen it is pressed: it. is not pressed properly yet. When I saw my letter in the “Graphic” I was going to answer it (he next day, but I kept forgetting it, bul I made up my mind to write to-day. I do not think Arthur can answer, cousin Doreen’s last puzzle, so 1 am going to put a puzzle at the end of my letter. Ido not titink Arthur has written to \ou for a long time. We arc having lovely weather here now. but ii is sometimes very hot. Dear cousin. I do not think I will be able to write you a very* long letter, as I have not got any more n< ws, so I must say good bye. (Jive my lovo to all the other cousins, an<l the rest to yourself.—Cousin Quuenie Karioi. THE rt’ZZLE. A man had a fox. a goose, and some t orn to convey over a brook. He could only take one at a time, and could not lease the fox and the goose together, nor the goose and the corn. How did he got them over? | Dear Cousin Queernc,—-You art' quite right; Arthur has not written to me for a very long time now, not since h« answered Cousin Doreen's puzzle. Will you tell him that I should like to hear from him again some day soon? Thank you so much for pressing the mistletoe for me; I have never seen any; I am quite looking forward io getting it. It was very good of yon to think about iL You say you are are having lovely weather, but very hot sometimes. 1 wonder if it is as hot at Karioi as in Auckland; it makes us all so lazy and sleepy, and sometimes Fin afraid a little cross, too. »am going to put your puzzle in

ilie “Graphic," but I don't think many of the cousins will be able to guess it; but, perhaps, some of them have seen it before. I haven’t and can’t guess it either. I saw one something like it before, and the answer was, “Gave it up like you.”—Cousin Kate.)

Dear Cousin Kate. —I was so excited when the “Graphic” came this morning to read that 1 had gained the second prise for the competition. I think you must have misunderstood my age as I am not yet thirteen, and will not be so until May next. Last Saturday I went to stay with Cousin Kuby until •Monday. I had simply a glorious time, and never enjoyed myself more. Gwen collects postcards, and she says she will send some to Violet Tate. 1 have just read such a lovely book called. “Mollie’s Prince,” by Kosa Carey, and have just commenced another by Katherine Tynan called “Three Fair Maids.” Have you ever read a book called “A Naughty Girl’s Dairy?” It is so funny and rather clever. 1 hope you will excuse my not having written to you for such a long time, but 1 have been very- busy with lessons. Now, dear Cousin Kate, as there is no more news. I will end this letter. With love from Cousin Stella, Auckland.

[Dear Cousin Stella.—-I am sorry 1 made a mistake about your age, but I’m afraid it is too late to make any alteration now. 1 had forgotten that you had told me your age, and was really going by the letters themselves, and yours are so well written and well expressed that 1 thought you must be quite fourteen. In any case I don’t think it would be quite fair to put you in the same class as little Doreen, who cannot bo more than nine years old, if she is as much as that. I suppose Cousin Kuby has quite settled down after her holiday. She seemed to be away from Auckland such a long time. What did you do, when you were staying with her. that you enjoyed yourself so much? I am so glad that some of the Cousins are going to send post cards to Violet Tale, it must be so dreadful to be quite helpless and dependant on the people for everything. I have read “Mollie's Prince,” and liked it very much indeed, but I haven’t read either of the other books you mention. I think 1 should have to read day and night and never do anything else, if I were to try and read all the books the Cousins’ tell me about, as well as all the ones I want to read for mvself.— Cousin Kate.]