YOUNGER COUSINS’ LETTERS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 5, 29 July 1908, Page 68

YOUNGER COUSINS’ LETTERS.

Dear Cousin Kate, —I have not written to you for about Jive or six weeks. 1 suppose I was too lazy, but 1 made up my mind l I would write this week. lam reading a book, and the name of it is “ A Daughter of the Rich,” and it is a very nice hook. l.ast Friday night 1 went to a long-night dance, and I had one waltz, and it made me giddy. Nearly every boy asked me to go to supper with him, anil J do not know how many suppers I had, f did not count them; so you may think 1 am greedy. How do you like this eolfl weather, Cousin Kate? It is very cold in school, and we cannot play now while we have this cold. weather; and f do not like it. At school we are'working hard for the Inspector, who is coming to examine us very soon, — From Cousin ESSIE. [Dear Cousin Essie, —I don’t like the winter at all, but-I would rather have it cold and fine like the last three or four days, than that dismal rain, rain, rain—it is so depressing, 1 think. All the same, 1 think you ought to go out and' play in the fresh air as much as you can; even getting a little wet won’t hurt you as much as staying indoors all day. Surely it isn’t getting close to examination time again! It only seems like yesterday that you were working away for the last exam. You seem to have had a lovely time at the dance. I know waltzing makes some people giddy; isn't it a pity, because it is so lovely, 1 think. 1 have never read “ A Daughter of the Rich.” Who wrote it? and what is it about? f haven’t had time for very much reading lately, and what 1 have read is mostly of an improving character.-— Cousin Kate.] 4" 4" 4* Dear Cousin Kate, —I am sorry I did not sign my name at the end of my last letter; I wrote on a separate piece of paper, and in looking over it I must have mislaid it. We are having very bad! weather at “ llighbank.” It has been raining for nearly two weeks, and the snow is lying five inches deep on the ground. We had over four inches of rain in two days. A week ago we had our second test examination, and 1 got all my stuns and spellings right. We are going to begin school again next week. In this letter I intend to tell you a little more about England. We took a house in Maidstone, in the beautiful county of Kent. Father used to take me for nice walks, and we gathered primroses, violets and other lovely wild flowers. One day we went to the foot of the North Downs, a range of chalk hills which lie between Maidstone and Chatham. One of the hills is called “ Blue Bell Hill.” A great battle —the battle of Aylesford—was fought here between the Britons and the Saxon*

more than fourteen hundred years ago. On the slope of the hill stands “ Kit’s Coty House,” which is the grave of the British chief who was slain in this battle. “ Horsa,” the leader of the Saxons, was al-sp killed and buried on the top of the hill. Kits Coty House consists of four great stones, about 10ft. high and each weighing several tons. They are set upright in the form of the letter H, and the largest one on top, so that it looks something like a huge stone table. The Saxon banner had a white horse on it, standing upright. “ The Running Horse,” as it is called, is still the Kentish eoat-of-arms. You may see it on one of Aveling and Porter’s traction engines, which are made at Rochester, in Kent. I could tell you much more, but perhaps my letter will be too long, so I will close with love from your loving cousin, MARJORIE.

[Dear Cousin Marjorie,—l have been wondering who was the writer of the unsigned letter. You see, I have so many Cousins now, that 1 do not recognise quite all their handwritings. I expect you won’t care about going back to school again if this wretched l weather continues. I suppose it is almost impossible for you to keep warm, isn’t it? 1 am very glad you did so well at the test examination; did you come cut at the head of your class? Your letter is just a very nice length indeed, this week. I hope you will tell us more about your visit home in your next one. —Cousin Kate.] * * 4Dear Cousin Kate, —I should very much like to become a Cousin, and am sending a stamped and addressed envelope for a badge. I am not like some of the Cousins who have a lot of pets, for I have only one, a black cat, called Tibbie. 1 did have a black pup, but have lost him, I am sorry to say. I am going to make a garden, but will tell you more about it in my next letter. With love to the other Cousins, and to you, dear Cousin, from your loving Cousin, JACK HAWKES. P.S.—Please excuse pencil as I cannot write in ink, and this is the first letter 1 have written. My little boy is 7 years old, and has only been to school four months, but he is anxious to join the Cousins. So if you could print his letter, he would be delighted.—HlS MOTHER. [Dear Cousin Jack,—l am always glad to nave new Cousins, and will send you a badge at once. You write very well indeed; most children cannot write at ali at your age. Were you very sorry about the pup? We are all rather sad at home because our dog died last week, so now we have only one pet, a large white parrot, which climbs up the trees or gets on the roof and calls out to the people passing. I don’t think I like cats very much; the last two we had were such dreadful thieves, we could not leave the safe door open for a minute. Is your garden going to be for flowers or vegetables. Our flower garden is very weedy just now, because we are afraid of pulling up the bulbs if we start weeding, but next week we must do something to it, it looks so bad. —Cousin Kate.] •F + + Dear Cousin Kate, —I should very much like to join the Cousins’ band', and 1

would like a pale blue badge, please. 1 live in the town of Auckland. I would far rather live in the town than in the country. I go to the Parnell Public School, with my sister Duleie; we are both in standard three. I am eleven and Dulcie is ten. We are having our exam, at our school, and I think I will pass because I came second in the exam, by the headmaster. W’e live not far from Cousin Olive, and she plays with us. We are in tile same class. She is five days older than I am. I have got a little canary, and it is very funny to watch him have his bath. We are looking forward with pleasure to the coming of the fleet. It think it will be a grand sight to see the ships coming up the harbour, don’t you? We have just to go down on the drive, and we will be able to see them come in without going into town. 1 think the wharf will look very nice, don’t you? Well, Cousin Kate, I think 1 will close: so good-bye.—From MURIEL.

[Dear Cousin Muriel, —I shall be very glad indeed to have you for a Cousin, and 1 will post a blue badge to you immediately. I, too, prefer the town to the country, at all events in winter, but 1 love spending a month or two in the country during the summer. You should be able to get a very good view, indeed, of the fleet anchoring in the harbour from the Drive, but you won’t he able to see the ships coming round North Head, which , will be the prettiest sight, 1 hink—Cousin Kate.] 4> 4 1 4> Dear Cousin Kate,—l must begin my letter for this week, but I have not much news to tell. We are having very nasty wet and muddy weather at Avondale; it has been going on for over three weeks. We have a horse grazing in our place, and 1 ride it every day, it is such a nice, quiet one; and we have also a cow belonging to the same people. I suppose there will be a great crush when the American fleet comes; I hope I will be able to get a good view, when I go. I suppose there will be plenty of accidents, but I don’t want to be amongst them. Do you collect postcards? I have 160. 1 notice they haven’t put postcards in the “Graphic” for a good while; I put them in my album as well. Well. Cousin Kate, I must close. From your loving Cousin LEONARD. [Dear Cousin Leonard, —There is not much news to write about just now, is there? I think everyone prefers to stay at home and read when the weather is so horrid, and when one does not go out one doesn’t hear much news. Yes, I believe there will be a great crowd of people in Auckland during Fleet Week, but I don't see why there should be a”y accidents; if people just use a little common sense and keep their eyes open there should not be. 1 hope you will have a good view of the fleet coming in. Where do you intend seeing it from? —Cousin Kate.] •F ♦ + Dear Cousin Kate, —I received my badge on Wednesday; it was very kind of you to send it so soon. I was very pleased to see my letter in the “Graphic.” The Band of Hope has been put off on account of the Sunday-school examinations. so we have not yet recited. We have found it very hard to find a suitable

piece t» recite; eould you tell me ■ nice book to get. Our school cadet corps are drilling hard to be ready when the fleet comes. I hope 1 will be able to go; I think I would enjoy it very much. I have made a new house for my pigeons, and I painted it white; I think they like it very much better than the old one, because they never go in it now. I am going to get my photo, taken in my cadet uniform some day this week. Dear Cousin Kate, this is all I have to tell you in this letter.—Cousin NORMAN.

[Dear Cousin Norman, —I was very glad to receive your letter this morning; I have been wondering how you got on with your recitation, so don’t forget to tell me about it when it" does come off. Do you mean a -book of recitations, or just an ordinary book for boys to read? I haven’t come across any noy’s books lately, but I will ask some of my other boy cousins to let me know of any particularly good book, they know of. I hope your photograph will be a good one. —Cousin Kate.] 4? 4" 4> Dear Cousin Kate, —I will start to write to you again. We have begun our examination, but we have only had about five subjects altogether. This examination is not the proper one, it is just the second quarterly examination, which Mr. Gray takes us for; I suppose that we will get our marks some time next week;; I will write and tell you when we get our marks and where. I come. I could not help laughing when I saw Cousin Myrtle’s letter in the “Graphic,” and that she had not put her name at the bottom of it. Dear Cousin Kate, what are the new badges like? have you got them yet? I would like to see one. I ant going to our school ball next Friday; -I will tell you how I enjoyed myself in the

next letter that I write. I am selling tickets for the schcol ball; 1 have nine to sell, and have only sold three so far. I hope I can sell the other six soon. A great string of motor cars passed through Bulls yesterday (11th July); there were about sixteen of them, but they did not all come from Bulls. They were going to Wanganui to see the British-Welsh team against the Wanganui team; the British team won, they got nine points, and the Wanganui only six. I went for u ride on a pony to-day, and two boys caught hold of its tail and were pulling at it like anything. As soon as we got down to the paddock that it was kept in, it would stop and would not go any further. Cousin Myrtle was on in front of me and it did kick up. Well, I cannot think of any more to tell you, so 1 think I must close with my best love to all the cousins and yourself.—Cousin MARY.

[Dear Cousin Mary,—lt is a splendid plan to have quarterly examinations I think, because then one can form a very good idea of how one will come out at the .end of the year; I hope all my cousins from Bulls will do very well. I haven’t got the new badges yet, because I must use up all I have first, but they .won’t be very different to the old ones, only I w:n try to get stiffer ribbon for them and have the badges printed on them, lengthway instead of across as they are now; they will make rather nice additions to a hat band, won’t they ? I wonder how you all enjoyed the school ball? I shall expect to have a regular budget of letters next week, telling me about it. It is a wonder you did not get a spill off that pony; it certainly had enough to make it restive, with two riding it and two more hanging on to its tail. —Cousin Kate.]