COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8, 24 August 1907, Page 47

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

My dear Cousin Kate,—l want to become your cousin. I have a beautiful little black Shetland pony, her name is Dolly, such a pretty little thing, with such a lot of mane; she is going in the show this year. I had a dear old cat, and she had to be killed. I was so sorry, she was such a dear old thing. We have a little fox-terrier, his name is Victor, but we call him Wickietor, and he plays tag and lets me pick up his paw, and he walks about on his hind legs. Our greatest friend is ill, so we can’t see her, and we are so sorry. My pony is so naughty, she won't jump, she goes ditch, and up the other side, so does Barbara’s pony. I must stop now. Good-bye, from WINIFRED. [Dear Cousin Winifred. —Of course you may become one of my cousins, 1 shall be delighted to have, you for one. What lucky little girls you are to ha.ve so many nice pets. 1 went to the show in Wanganui two years ago, did you live there then? I have been thinking of coming down to Wanganui again this vear if 1 am there at show time (it is in November, isn’t it?) 1 must look out for Punch and Dolly. Victor must be quite an accomplished wee doggie, I suppose your father taught him all his tricks. Whatis the matter with your little friend,'. I hope she will be , quite well again soon. Perhaps it is a good thing that Dolly and Punch won’t jump, because if they did, yon might fall oft and hurt yourself. —Cousin Kate.] •fr + * Dear Cousin Kate,—l should like to come to Auckland and see you; thank you for inviting me. My canary got out of its cage, and broke its leg; what little dHidings yours must have m>en. Yes, I .think canaries are very delicate little things, but they are very pretty. I know one of the cousins. Marjorie. Do you ever gqt tired of answering the cousins* letters’,>Our willows are growing quite green."again. We have a great number of [trees.' Have you ever seen the wild fly-catcher plant ? it dqes not grow very high; its leaves are shaped like spider’s web, and covered with a kind of gum. When the insects fly on to the leaves, they are caught by the gum and die. There are lots growing here. There are also many wild orchids growing in our paddocks. They are very pretty. Good-bye.—From DOLLY. [Dear Cousin Dolly,—l hope you will manage to have a trip to Auckland some day soon, and I shall be very pleased indeed to see you when you do come. Your poor little canary! How did it V manage to break its leg; did you get it •et, or had you to kill the poor little

thing? I like answering the cousins’ letters, especially when I know something about them, and have plenty to write about No, I don’t think 1 have ever seen the wild fly-catcher plant; it must be rather a useful plant to have about the place. I have seen what they call the codlin moth plant, which has a tiny white flower filled with some sticky substance, and when the moth settles in the flower, it just closes up, and kills the moth that way. We used to have a plant of it in our garden, and some mornings it would have numbers of moths imprisoned in it.—Cousin Kate.l ♦ ♦ My dear Cousin Kate, —Can I become your cousin? 1 have a dear little pony called Punch; he is going in the show this year. 1 have got a beiutiful cat and a big. bulldog, and they ar? both going into the show, too. My pony is grey, and he i -, so fresh that he d mees, though 1 use day when w? go round the sheep with did. an.l when we stop he paws tile ground; it is such fan. I. have three pets, and my pr>: y oats apples and off my hand: lie turned out mother’s work-basket one day. My bulldog’s , name is , Sally- an I her puppies’ n anies are .lock and Toby.; we had so many dogs though that we had to give them away. Good bye.—From BARBARA. [Dear Cousin Barbara, —T shall be delighted to have you all for my little cousins, and 1 hope you will write often and tell me more about your pets; about yourselves, too. Punch must be a perfect gem of a pony for a little girl. I suppose he has never thrown you, has he? Next time you write you will tell me how old you are. I hope some of your pets will take prizes at the show; arc you going to ride Punch yourself? I like bulldogs, though they are so ugly. I wish T had lived close to you. so that T could have had one of Sally’s pups.— Cousin Kate.] •fr + + Dear Cousin Kate, —I Would like very milch to become one of your cousins. We see the “Graphic” every week, and I take a great interest in reading the letters. I am collecting the postcards. Buster is very laughable. I am saving them all to send away. The weather is very cold up here. I ain in the fifth standard, and" hope to pass this year. I must close now. —With love from your loving Cousin KATHLEEN. [Dear Cousin Kathleen, —T shall be delighted to have you for one of my' eonsms, and hope to h<ar from you often. You don’t say whether you would care to have a badge or not. If you would, will you tell me next time whether you prefer pale blue or red? You must have quite a large collection of post cards. Are you keeping the stereoscopic views too? 1 hope you will pass into the sixth standard. Is the examination soon?— Cousin Kate.] ♦ ♦ ♦ Dear Cousin Kate, —I wrote to you three or four weeks ago, but my letter has not been in any of the “Graphics” yet. I saw in one of the cousin's letters that your birthday was in August, so we all wish you many liappy returns of the day. I think Cousin Bobs letters are very nice ones. I had a ride on

Sunday with my uncle, and we had a gallop on the Roeky Bay beach. Granny had a canary that sang very well. Its cage was hanging on the verandah yesterday morning, and a morepork flew at .the cage, and bit the bird’s right off. This is all T can say, so good bye — From Cousin FRANK. [Dear Cousin Frank, —Your last letter must have gone astray, for 1 have not heard from you for quite two months, 1 think. Thank you very much indeed for your kind wishes for my birthday; so many of the cousins remembered it, and wished me all sorts of nice things, so I ought to be very lucky all through this coming year, ought 1 not? I am glad you liked Cousin Bobs’ letters. Perhaps he will write oftener now that he knows other people like to read them too. Write again soon, won’t you? and I would like to know what part of the canary the morepork bit off. You left out a word, you’ll notice.—Cousin Kate.] F + Dear Cousin Kate, — Bobtail is a cat. The perch are not easy to catch. 1 have a dear little (loll; her name is' Bluebell. The jonquils are coming out ami so is the wattle. Baby has a black calf and a draught horse. We have four little chickens. They are so pretty. Have you ever been in a motor ear? The badge has not come yet. —Cousin GCSSIE. P.S. — 1 should like a blue badge, please. | Dear Cousin Gussie, —What a number of pets you all seem to have. Do you each have to look after and feed your own pets? You must be much later with your jonquils and wattle than we are, for ours have been out some weeks now; in fact, I think the best of them are over. 1 suppose Bluebell has got heaps of nice clothes, hasn’t she? Do you like sewing for her? Yes, I have often been in a motor ear, and I love it; they run so smoothly and go so fast. I will try and remember to send you a blue badge this week.—Cousin Kate.]