COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIV, Issue 14, 8 April 1905, Page 55

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

Dear Cousin Kate, —I am very sorry I did not write to you before. 1 had no time. lam very busy at school, studying for the examination. Our gardens were ail dry by the time we went back to school. Mother is in Rotorua. We still go in for swims nearly every day, when we come homo from school. There is going to be a play to-night. lam not going. There is no more news, so I must close now, with love to you and all She eousins.—l am, your loving cousin, Dolly, Whakataue.

{Dear Cousin Dolly,—Thanks very much for your letter, which I received this morning. I know you cannot find time to write very often if you are studying for the examination, so I must be content to hear from you now and then. There has been no rain for such a long time now that Everyone’s are beginning to look very dried up, but it can’t be line very much longer, and then we shall all be grumbling because we have too much rain. Is you mother going to make a long stay in Rotorua?, It is horrid when one’s mother is away from home, I think. I hope she will have a pleasant trip. You will soon have to leave off your swims, I expect, because it is beginning to ge t quite chilly in the mornings Kate.}

Dear Cousin Kate, —Will you please Send me a cousins’ badge, as I wish to become a member of your band? 1 am in the third standard at school. Karioi is a very lonely place, so there as not yery much to write about. I live on a farm called Tapnarau, and I have three brothers and three sisters. We have fifteen pigs, and there are sixteen cows to milk every day. I like milking, though. I can only write you a very short letter this time, but I hope I will be able to write a longer one next time. —I remain, your loving cousin, Jack Stubbing.

[Dear Cousin Jack, —I shall be very glad indeed to have you for one of my cousins, and I will send you a badge by [he next mail. I don't suppose tnfri is very much to write about in such a small place as Karioi is, but I hope you will write sometimes and let me know how you are getting on just the same. Have you far to go to school? A nice long walk morning and evening in the summer-time must be very nice, but I don’t think I should like walking any distance through the rain and mud in the winter.—• Cousin Kate.} •F d? •F

Dear €k>nsin Kate, —There is no news, but still I thought I would write you a. few lines as I had a little while to myself. I thought I had told you that I spent a lovely few days out at Hillsboro’ with Cousin Ruby. The bush out there, Cousin Kate, is really beautoiful. In one part you go down a little way and come to a small spring, where Rn said they might put some gold fish. The view is simply perfect. You can see all the Mauu-

kau Harbour and all around there. Have you ever read a book called “A Bad Girl’s Diary,” Cousin Kate? It is so funny. Gwen and I have one by the same author, called “Peck’s Bad Boy,” but I have not read it yet. I am at present in the middle of one of L. T. Meade's school stories called, “Girls New and Old.” It is very pretty. I thought we were going to have a few wet days this morning, but it seems to have cleared now. We cannot complain, can we, for in the last two or three mouths we have not really- had more than two or three wet days? We had snapshots of our little niece a few weeks ago. She has grown so big, but has not altered much. I would love to see her now, as I think babies are sueh darlings from one year till they are about four. I would have liked very much to take up linking this year, but it was really fearfully hot in the summer. Perhaps we shall go more in the cooler weather. The first time 1 skated I fell about every minute. "Whenever I felt as if I was going to fall I let myself fall. I find it is the best way, as then you are not so apt to hurt yourself. By the end of one morning I got on quite well. Now, dear Cousin Kate, I think my stock of news has run out, so I will have to end for this week, with Jove to you and all the cousins.—l remain, yours sincerely-, Cousin Stella, Auckland.

[Dear Cousin Stella, —It was very good of you to take advantage of your few spare moment to write to me, and though you say you have no news, yet you managed to write a rather longer letter than usual, and an interesting one, too. I never hear from Gwen now; I suppose she thinks you can tell me all the news, though. Hillsboro’ seems to be an ideal place to spend a holiday, and it must be very pretty. I have had so little time for reading lately, I don’t think I have read more than a dozen books since Christmas, but I have read lots of magazines. I am very fond of magazine-reading, aren’t you? We haven’t had much to grumble about as far as the weather is concerned lately, but then we had horrible weather up till January, so we deserved a month or two of good to make up for it, didn’t we? Margot must be getting quite a big girl now, and I suppose can run about and say almost anything; they are much nicer at that age, I think, than when they are very young. Have you heard the Bavarian band yet? It is lovely to have them back again. They- were playing in front of our house yesterday, and they played such a lot of “The Country’ Girl” music.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate,—Thank you very much for that lovely purse you sent, and that dear little handkerchief; it was the very thing I wanted. I went to town on Saturday to get my photo taken, and 1 took my little purse with me. 1 have got my little cousins with me; Doris is seven, and Noel is thirteen months old. Noel is such a dear little thing. Doris comes to school with me, andTs in the third primer. On Saturday Doris and I went to a little girl’s to play, and her name is Gretta; we bad lots of games and swings; we played ladies, hide-and-go-seek; it is such a grand game. Noel went with father and mother and auntie for a drive on Sunday, and enjoyed it very much. Thank you very much for your nice letter. lam going to have Gretta over

to play with me next Saturday, and I hope we will have a good day. At school the teacher is giving sixpence to the one who says a piece of poetry called “Two Little Stockings” the best, and 1 am trying very hard for it. Noel went for his first motor ride on Wednesday, and was very good. I must now stop, with lots of love to all the other eousins, and lots to yourself.—From Cousin Doreen.

[Dear Cousin Doreen,—l am so very glad you got your prize safely-, and wasn’t I lucky to choose just what you wanted? I think a little fairy must have told me, don’t you? If your photographs are good I hope you are going to send me one; I should like it so much. I heard quite a lot about you the other day. .Some friends of mine have been staying with your little friends Marjory and Jean, and though they didn’t see you, because you were away-, they had heard a great deal about you. I wish Marjory and Jean would be eousins too; don’t you think you could persuade them to join? I expect you like having your cousins staying with you. Doris is a little younger than you are, but she is not too young to make a good playfellow, is she? 1 used to like playing hide-and-seek too when I was your age. I haven’t heard “Two Little Stockings,” and I should like to hear you recite it. I hope you will get the prize; you must be sure and let me know if you do.—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate.— Please excuse me for not writing before. We have been having rather exeitisg times here lately, what with picnics, dances and then the carnival. We have had fine weather for over a month, and water is getting rather scarce. Dear Cousin Muriel, 1 hope your feet will be better soon. Cousin Carle, 1 have not seen any of your letters lately; do write soon. And what has become of Cousiu Dora, too, Cousin Kate? What a dear little girl Cousin Norma is, don’t you think so, cousins? Cousins Winnie and Olive, you remind me of my two youngest aunties in your photos. I am still looking forward to getting my badge some day, dear Cousin Kate. Dear Cousin Amy, do yon know a girl called Lizzie Climio going to Prince Albert College? 1 think this is her first term. She used to go to school here, and I know her very well. She is a very nice girl, I think. Our flower garden is looking so pretty just now. I must stop now and go and practise. I have had nothing but scales this last term to practise, so my fingers are getting that they simply fly over the keys.—With love to all, from Cousiu Jenny.

[Dear Cousin Jenny,—l don’t believe I have heard from you since the New Plymouth Exhibition, and that is quite a long time ago. so I was very glad to get your letter this morning. You must have been having quite a gay time in Stratford, and you have bad most lovely weather for picnics. Several people have been complaining that the water is running short in the country districts, and though we had a little rain this week I am afraid there was not enough to be of any use. I am so sorry about your badge, dear Jenny, but I can't send it to you until you send me your full name and address. I have asked you for it several times, too. Next time you write put it on a separate slip of paper, and I promise I will send you a badge by the next mail. I am afraid, “Jenny. Stratford,” would hardly be a sufficient address. What do you think? You are more fortunate than the Auckland people if your garden is looking nice; ours are all so dried up. and there is hardly a bloom to be seen. —Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate, —It doesn't matter how much I try, I can’t keep up a regular correspondence. I have just come from the dressmaker’s, so I will have

to hurry and get this finished before bedtime. Next Thursday 1 am going to an excursion to Cambridge. Wo are running rather abort of water, and the ruin looks as far off as ever. The three photos in last week’s “Graphic” looked ■very nice. 1 think. All the blackberries are done now. The Jubilee Singers and •Montgomery's Entertainment were both here during the same week. My sister’ went to both, but I only went to Montgomery’s. Yesterday I went to a garden party in the church grounds. The band was supposed to play, but not half of them turned up. Towards evening, and in the morning, it is beginning to turn quite chilly. There is not a bit of news (there never is up here), so t will close now, with love to all the other cousins, not forgetting yourself. -—From Cousin Ida, Te Arolia.

(Dear Cousin Ida. —You are beginning to write more regularly now than you used to, so perhaps in time, if you persevere, you will become one of my most regular correspondents. What is there at Cambridge on Tliursday that there arc excursion trains? It is sueh u pretty little place, I think, but I expect you have been there often before. I hope you will have a day as nice as this is for your trip. We have been having simply delightful weather, but it surely can’t last much longer. I suppose you hope it won’t, as you are getting short of water. I hadn’t heard of the Montgomery Company, but, of course, the Jubilee Singers were performing in Auckland for some time, aud they were very good indeed, 1 thought. What did you think of them?—Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate, —Aren’t we having perfect, weather at present? I think today has been simply glorious; but it is far too hot to go for walks, don’t you think? Were you at cricket, yesterday, and the day before. Cousin Kale? Mother and I went across on Friday, but I didn’t care for it very much, so

I spent Satmday at Remuera. I am anxiously looking forward to next Saturday, as I am awfully fond of sports, and hope they will have a day such as to-day. Will you be going, Cousin Kate? How nice to hear from Dole again; it seems ages since one of her letters was in print. It is dear little Gretchen’s birthday to-day, and she is two years old. She is going down to Cambridge next month with her mother and baby brother, Jack, for a month or six weeks, so we will miss “dear little Gretchie.” (as she calls herse’.fj. Will you excuse this short note, Cousin Kale, as I really have no more news, so will say good-night, with heaps of love to the cousins and yourself?—From Muriel J., Auckland.

N.B.- —Will enclose a puzzle to make up for my short letter. Love.—M.G.J.

[Dear Cousin Muriel, —We certainly are having a spell of most lovely weather, but I wonder how much longer it will last? We deserve it, I think, though, don’t you, because we had absolutely no summer until after Christmas? It is too hot for walking in the early part- of the day, but after five it is just right, only it gets dark so much earlier now. I went up to the cricket match on Saturday afternoon, but a very little time was long enough for me; it was very slow and uninteresting. I thought. lam looking forward to Saturday’s sports too. There ought to be some good racing. I hope they will have a fine day too, and that a crowd will turn out. - I don’t suppose you can remember what the Amateur Athletic Sports were like a few years ago, when they used to have thousands of spectators; uow hardly anyone goes at all. You will miss Gretchen very much I expect, but six weeks passes so quickly that- she will be back almost before you notice that she has gone. Thank you very much indeed for the puzzles; I cannot make them out at all; I must just wait patiently until next week, when you will tell us the answers, I sunnose. ■ —Cousin Kate.]