COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 10, 7 March 1908, Page 68

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

Dear Cousin Kate, —There are a lot of bush fires about here at present. One burnt about a square mile of bush. We were not far from being suffocated the other day. „ The smoke from the fire was overpowering. The Maori Assembly Hall was nearly burnt down. We haven’t had any rain yet, so the people still carry their water. The Terraces Hotel was nearly burnt down, too. The only thing tfiat separated the fire from the hotel was a valley. The people packed up all the things, so they could get away with them if the fire came too close. There was a fight here between two Maoris yesterday. One of them was drunk, so he wanted the other to fight him. The other man wouldn’t, because he knew he could beat him if he did fight. We can get plenty of water in the Domain here, from the windmill. The people in Taupo do not go out fishing as they used to, because when they do go, they don’t catch anything. Please Cousin Kate excuse the writing paper, because I have none at present. Good-bye. With kind regards from your “Graphic” Cousin ELLEN. Dear Cousin Ellen, —Tire bush fires have been really dreadful, haven’t they? But we are all hoping that the worst is over now that we have had a little rain, though people tell me that there has not been nearly enough. I met some people yesterday, who have been living in the midst of the bush fires for the past five or six weeks, and they all look so ill, I think. I suppose the anxiety and loss of sleep and the constant breathing of smoke has been too much for them. It was very lucky that the fire did not come right into Taupo. . Several places seem to have had very narrow escapes. The Maoris seem rather fond of fighting, especially when they have had a little more to drink than is good for them. Well, Ellen, I have rather a lot of work to do this morning, so I must stop now. —Cousin Kate. Dear Cousin Kate, —I hope you and all our "Graphic” Cousins are keeping well. I posted a letter to you from my Bister last week. I hope you will let her join our band. If you do. 1 will try to persuade her to write every two weeks. I told Cousin Olive to remember “Cousin Kate,” but she says she does not write because she does not get the “Cousins’ Page” from her own cousins. Oil, Cousin Kate, I received a postcard from an old ehum this afternoon. It was a very, very pretty one. This beautiful postcard was a photo, of four of my best friends, taken as Maori maidens. I notice the "Graphic” is altered a little. I don't eare what the “Graphic” is like, as long as there is a "Cousins’ Page” in it. As I have written more than one

page, I think I will look up my reading and dictation for to-morrow. I must now conclude my uninteresting letter with oceans of love to yourself and all our dear Cousins. I remain, your own “Graphic” Cousin TAI. P.S. —I think it is mean of Ellen not to write to you oftener. I would be ashamed to ask you to forgive me if I never wrote to you for a month; that is if lam at home doing nothing. Love from all.—Tai. Dear Cousin Tai, —I can answer for myself, and am pleased to be able to tell you that I am very well indeed, thank you, but I must leave the Cousins to answer for themselves, as I have not heard from several of them for a long time. I have just answered Jane’s letter, so now you all three belong to our band, and I hope you will take it in turns and write regularly to me. By the way, which is the eldest of you three girls? I am sorry Olive does not get .the “Graphic” now, but perhaps she will be able to persuade her people to take it again soon, and then tshe can commence writing again. Yes, there is a good deal of alteration in the “Graphic,” and I like it ever so much better, and there is still going to be plenty of room for our Cousins. Are you sorry to be back at school again? It is very hot for lessons yet, but the hot weather will soon be over now, I expect. I hope you got through your reading and dictation alright, and I am glad you did not neglect your lessons to write to me.—Cousin Kate. ♦ ♦ Dear Cousin Kate, —I have been so busy enjoying myself and getting ready to go back to school that I have never written to you since I got back from my holiday in the country. We did not have quite such a good time as I expected, and were only away about a fortnight. There didn’t seem to be very much time for enjoyment, and the people I was staying with were in a constant ■' state of anxiety lest the bush fires should come any closer. They were quite close enough for my fancy. The smoko made my eyes frightfully sore, and I looked as if I had been crying hard for days. I believe the fires were very much worse after we left, though I think we were lucky to get back to Auckland when we did. Well, Cousin Kate, we have started school again, and I have been moved up a step. The work is a good bit harder, but I expect I shall manage to scrape through with the aid of a few lickings and impositions, ete.; and now I think I must leave off and tackle a Latin lesson for to-morrow.— Cousin BERNARD. | Dear Cousin Bernard,—Thanks muchly for your letter which I received this morning. I am sorry to hear that your country visit was a disappointment, but under the circumstances am not surprised that your hosts had not much time for entertaining you. I hope their losses were not very heavy. So many of the farmers are rather in deep water just now On account of their losses through the bush fires. I was very glad to see by the papers that the Government are coming to their assistance; I’m sure they deserve all the help and encouragement they can get, for they have

a dreadfully hard and anxious time of it. Congratulations on your promotion, my boy, and I hope you Will manage to get through the year without any serious damage being done by the “lickings,” as you call them. No doubt you will deserve a great many more than you get; boys always do. —Cousin Kate.] •fr -fr + Dear Cousin Kate,—l am so excited that I can hardly write to you. Mother and I are in town for a week, and we seem to have so much to do and so much to see in such a short time. We have heaps of shopping to do, and we are very lucky, I think, just to have struck sale time, don't you? Last night we went to the theatre; just fancy, Cousin Kate, it is the first theatre I have ever seen, so you can imagine how I felt about it? The play was called “Peter’s Mother,” and Miss Beatrice Day was the mother; such a pretty, young looking mother; I just loved her, but I hated Peter, and thought it a great pity he ever came back from South Africa. Of course you have seen it, Cousin Kate, so there is no need for me to tell you about it. It was just lovely, and you cannot think how I envy the town girls who can go as often as they like. I suppose mother is calling me to go out with her, so I must run, but I will write again quite soon, and perhaps then I shall be in a better frame of mind for rational letter-writing.—Cousin ELSIE. [Dear Cousin Elsie, —I don’t wonder you were so excited about your visit to

town; I only wondered w y-rur being able to find time to sit down and write to me. I wish you could have managed to find time to look me up, but I CO pect nearly every moment was filled, wasn’t it? Yes, I went to see “Peter’s Mother,” too, and liked it very mueh'. I was there on Thursday; I wonder if you were there the same night? I expect if you could go to the theatre just as often as you like you would not care about it as much as you do now. Did you get any really pretty, bargains at the sales? I have not seen much of them this time. I have been so busy. Well, Elsie, I must stop; be sure and write a longer letter next time, giving me a fuller account of your doings while in Auckland. —Cousin Kate.] •b 4 + Dear Cousin Kate, —I take much delight in reading the “Cousins’ Page” and Buster Brown. Buster Brown is a mischievous little fellow, is he not? We had a farewell dance for Mrs Samuel Crowther and her family on Tuesday evening the 14th of January. It was a success, Cousin Kate. Tai and Ellen are my sisters. Ellen hasn’t written for a long time, now. We are having very hot weather here now. Would you kindly send me a blue badge, please? Wishing you the compliments of the season. —Cousin JANE. [Dear Cousin Jane, —I shall be very glad indeed to have you for one of my Cousins. Tai and Ellen are quite old friends of mine, and I hope 1 shall soon know your handwriting as well as I do theirs. I am very glad that you take such an interest in the ‘‘Cousins’ Page” and in Buster Brown. It makes it so much easier for me to write to you all when 1 know that you like reading my letters. I will post a blue badge to you immediately, and hope it will arrive safely. Write again soon. —Cousin Kate.]