COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 25, 22 June 1907, Page 43

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

Dear Cousin Kate, —I would like to join your band, so I thought I would write you a letter telling you so. We are starting our midwinter holidays in two weeks, and I hope to have a good time. 1 think I am going to town for a day or two. 1 am going to try to write you a letter every week. We, have a pretty bird called a goldfinch, and also a canary. It is yellow and grey in colour. This is my first letter, so I have not very much to say. I will close up now.—l remain, yours sincerely, Cousin MADGE. I would like one your badges very much. | Dear Cousin Madge, — Of course I shall be very pleased to have you for a cousin, and 1 will post you a badge directly you send ine your full name and address, which you have forgotten this time. I hope you will have a good time during your holidays, and have fine weather.” Holidays are not much good if it rains alb the time, are they? Have you got names for your canary and goldfinch? We have a canary and a parrot, for our pets. The parrot talks and whistles beautifully when he is in a good temper, but when he is displeased he shrieks horribly, and must disturb our neighbours, I think. —Cousin Kate.] ♦ 4> ♦ Dear Cousin Kate, —I would like to join your band, and I am going to write about the little white kitten. It is a. pretty little thing, and is playful, ami has a black speck on its head, and has green eyes. 1 wonder if you have ever been to Henderson for a picnic. We have such crowds of people. I hope if you come out next summer that you will come and visit me. I am nearly seven years old.-.-I remain your sincerely, Cousin EDNA. I would like one of your badges. Dear Cousin Edna, —Of course you may become a “Graphic” cousin, and 1 shall be very pleased to have you for one. I cannot send you a badge, though, until you send me your full name and address. Will you remember to send them next time you write? You have written such a dear little letter that I can hardly believe you are not yet ceveu years old. I have often been out to Henderson for picnics. It is a lovely drive in the summer, and there are such pretty places for picnicking when one gets there, so I don't wonder, that so many people drive out during the summer months.— Cousin Kate.] Dear Cousin Kate, —I am afraid I have been very neglectful again. When I am in Auckland time goes so quickly that I really forget I have leters to write. I remember you asked me who my singing master was. Well, I have learnt for over two years, and am still learning, from Mr. Arthur Boult. I am getting on very nicely, I think. I have been to several plays since I last wrote. Did you see Andrew Mack, and don't you

think he had a sweet voice? I also heard Blanche Arral. I think her voice is too lovely to describe. 1 was told her name, too, the other day. I really couldn't spell the second one, but the first is Claire. Last Saturday my brother and 1 went with some friends to Lake Takapuna. It was just a 'glorious day, and we did enjoy ourselves. My brother and a friend took a lot of photos, too, which 1 believe all turned out very well. We have sueh a mischievous pug puppy here. It is always running off with everyone’s slippers. 1 generally look in the yard for mino when I want them. They are nearly sure to be out ti’.cre, with the tassels pulled off or sucked into a pulp. Well, really, there is nothing to write about in Auckland, so I will briefly close this uninteresting letter, —Cousin PHYLLIS. [Dear Cousin Phyllis,—lt is indeed a long time since you wrote last, and I was beginning to think that you must have left Auckland. Mr. Boult had a pupils’ concert last week, didn’t he?. Did you sing? Yes, L thought Andrew Mack's voice articularly sweet, and think he must have had a tine voice' when he was younger. 1 heard. Blanche Arial several times, and liked her voice better each time. 1 did not care for her rendition of English songs much, though. Did you bear her sing a little Spanish street-song? It was really delightful. and she sang it as though she thoroughly enjoyed it, too. 1 have been told several times who Blanche Arial really is, but each person told me a different name, so I am not very much wiser now. I remember what a perfect day the Saturday you wont to the Lake was. Did you notice how close the Barrier looked? I don't think 1 have seen a clearer day; I should like to have been on the top of Rangitoto. What a magnificent view one would have had, wouldn’t one? I am afraid I should get seriously annoyed with that pug of yours. 1 do hate to have my slippers mislaid. especially in cold weather. —Cousin Kate.] ■b -b + Dear Cousin Kate, —I would like to join your band. We have a little kitten whose name is Toodles. He sometimes crawls up the wall to get our canary bird. lam writing this letter in the dining-room. lam in standard HI. at school, and my birthday is the 11th of this month. My youngest sister is in standard 11. and Elsie is in standard V. I was reading your letters in the “Graphic,” and a friend of ours told me 1 should write to you, and so I said I would. If we pull our kitten’s tail he will either scratch us or bite us, but it is all in play. He is the most playful kitty I ever say, and will play with almost anything you give him. Please will you send me a badge. —Cousin PRANCES. [Dear Cousin Frances, — 1 shall be very pleased to number you amongst my “Graphic” cousins, and I have already posted a badge to you. I put both yours and Hazel's in the same envelope, and hope you will get them safely. I must wish you many happy returns of your birthday, did you have a nice lot of presents? You must tell me next time you write what you did all day, and how you enjoyed yourself. I'm afraid Toodles must be rather a spoilt pet; you will have to be very

careful or one of these days he will get the canary; we have lost one or two lately, and we are quite sure that some cat must have climbed up to the cage and managed to get them through the bars somehow.—Cousin Kate.J 4* 4* 4.’ Dear Cousin Kate.—l would very much like to join your band. We have got a little kitten named Toodles, which is very playful, and sometimes scratches us. 1 would very much like you to send me a badge. We had a dog named Sailor, and we sent him away *o Newmarket. There was a cat came into our place, and it would have stolon the milk, only that mother came in ju<t in time; when she saw it she chased it out. I had better not say too much, because you might get tired of reading it. 1 will write you another letter soon. I send you my love and some x x x.—l remain, yours truly, Cousin HAZEL. [Dear Cousin Hazel, — I shall be delighted to have you for one of my cousins. 1 have posted you a badge, and in return you must write as often as you can. Was Sailor a collie or a Newfoundland, and why did you have to send him away? I am sure he would much rather be at Henderson, where there is plenty of room for him to run about and play, than at Newmarket, which is always so dusty and crowded. Is Toodles the only cat you have? It was a good thing your mother came in just in lime to save the cream, wasn’t it ?—Cousin Kate.] “4b 4? * Dear Cousin Kate.-—Our holidays are over and we have gone back to school again, we had three weeks’ holiday. My father took me to see "Tom Moore’’ played the other night, and I thought it was just lovely, there were such a lot of people there: did you go *.o it when it was in Auckland? What kind of weather are you having? W * are having rather nice weather. We missed getting the "Graphic*’ this week becaus.* we were too late when we went down to get one. they were all sold out. so 1 am afraid that 1 won’t bp able to answer any questions that you have asked me. I hope that you won’t mind. Please, Cousin Kate, would you tell me when your birthday is? Mine is on November 18. 1 collect cigarette pictures, and 1 think that 1 have got about 300. Our garden is as bare as anything: it hasn’t got any flowers out at all: they are so hard to got down here just now. We did not have a holiday on the Prince of Wales' Birthdax : don’t you think that it was a shame? lam afraid that you must think that I am a very bad letter-writer because 1 hardly ever have anything to say. Will. 1 must say good-bye. with much love to all the other cousins ami yourself, from MARJORIE. [Dear Cousin Marjorie,—You seem to have thoroughly enjoyed your mid-winter holidays, and even after three weeks you wanted more. Didn't you have Empire Day as a public holiday? Most people decided to keep that instead of the Prince of Wales' birthday. W\» have been having some really perfect days in Auckland, so that we cannot grumble if we have some bad weather now, and it looks as though we are to

have some, as it is raining hard to-day. I am glad you liked ‘**Kom Moore” so much: we al! thought it very good, and liked Andrew Mack’s Unghig so much. What a pity you were too late to get a ‘1 •’r.iphic,” you should persuade your father to order it fur the year, then you would be always sure of getting it. My birthday is on the <>th of August, you see 1 shall not have to wait nearly as long as you will for my birthday presents. I enjoy getting your letters very much indeed, ami I think you write very nice ones, so I hope you will write often.—-Cousin Kate. 1 ♦ 4* + Dear Cousin Kate,- Mother bought a “Graphic” to-day, and, as I was looking over the pages it contains I saw sonic of your letters, and I thought I would like to write to you too. I would very much like to become one of your “Graphic” cousins, and would like you to send me one of your red bulges. About nine months ago I came with my two sisters and my three brothers and r.iy mother in the steamer called the Rarawa from Wellington to Auckland, Wellington is a much cooler place than Auckland, although we have had some very cold mornings here lately. I like Auckland very much better than Wei lington, although I was born there. I was thirteen years old last November, and I am in the fifth standard. This month we are having our examination to see who is going to pass into a higher standard. I have three brothers and two sisters, their names being Willie, Charlie, ami Stuart, Ethel and Ruby. We have living with us a little niece, and she is just starting school, and she is a funny little thing. Every tea-time she tells us what she has been doing during the day. I think 1 must soon be bringing my letter to a close, as *• cannot think of anything more to say. -- I remain, your loving cousin, 1\ Y. [Dear Cousin ivy,—l shall be pleased indeed to add you to my list of cousin?, and J will post a red badge to you at once. We have had some very cold mornings here lately, but I expect they have had even colder ones in Wellington. 1 was so astonished when I read that you preferred .Auckland to Wellington. Of course, 1 do too, but then 1 have lived here for years. Didn’t you miss all your Wellington ii bends ‘very much at first? You must toil me next time you write why you like Auck land best. 1 hope you will pass your examination thife' month; do you think you will find the sixth standard work very difficult? 1 have so many letters to answer this morning, Ivy, that I am afraid 1 must write you a short me this week, but will try and write more next time.—Cousin Kate. |