COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 8, 24 February 1909, Page 68

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

i YOUNGER COUSINS' LETTERS. i * Dear Cousin Kate.—What a long time it is since 1 wrote to you. It was too wet to go to the picnic at Lint-in, but yesterday we went to the Esplanade for a picnic, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. 1 got a pincushion, a pussy, a Bible, a bottle of hundreds and thousands, a box of chocolates, a box of scent nndd soap, and a new blue dress and hat for C herry for Christmas presents. I have named the pussy Mollie; do you think it a nice tiamr! Two more little girls are coming to school with me here, and Kenneth and Brook are going to school. I must say good-bye as it is late.— Your loving little cousin DAKYNS [Dear Cousin Dakyns.—What a pity you had to give up your picnic to Lintin, but I expect you enjoyed the one at the Esplanade just as much; and a picnic on a wet day is always such an awful failure. What a number of Xmas presents you had; they couldn't possibly have got in a slocking all at once; I suppose you did what we used to do, hung up a pillow case. I think Mollie is one of the prettiest names there is, and quite too pretty for a cat; I used always save it for my favourite doll when I had them. You must be glad to have two little girls coming to school with you; you won't miss Kenneth and Brook so much now. will you? l ousin'Kate. | 4- 4- 4Dear Cousin Ka,te. —I suppose you think I have been very neglectful these last few weeks. In mv last letter you said that my grandmother would have a lot of trouble, but mother and my auntie helped her. On Boxing Day we went. <lown to the beach. I wont to North Shore for a week. One day during my holiday I went to Howick, and we had a grand time; we went down to the beach, but the worst part was in the ’bus. lam going away for a' holiday, so when I come back I will have a long letter for you. Hazel went to the Mercer regatta on Saturday. With love from Cousin NELLIE.

[Dear Cousin Nellie, —I expect you were too busy making the most of the last week of your holidays to find time to write. Hazel tells me you are in Standard IV. now; being moved up is the only consolation you can find in having togo to school t hese hot days. How is it that you are off for a holiday now, when school lias just commenced again; it will be lovely, of course, but won’t you get rather far behind in your work? I have not been out to Howick for ages, but we had a lovely time last time we went; the roads were laid enough when driving; we were rather jolted about,

but it must be much worse in a ’bus; however, it is quite worth it, isn't it. We had lunch in a gully full of willows and fern trees; I wonder if you went there. —Cousin Kate.] •fr ■fr •fr Dear Cousin Kate, —I hope you will forgive me for neglecting to write, but 1 have been for a holiday, so I will be able to tell you about it. I was staying near the beach, and went in nearly every day for a swim. One day we went out in a boat fishing and we got one bite, blit no fis'h, so we were rather disappointed. 1 also spent some time in town, and came home last Saturday. We have four cows milking now, and there is a little greyish pony in the paddock, so we sometimes have a ride. There is a bathing place not far from our house, and it is lovely and cool in the water this hot weather. Cousin Huth and I often go down around there, because there are some good blackberries. I must stop now. With best wishes from Cousin LUCY. [Dear Cousin Lucy.—l love a beach, too, though I don’t care much for seabathing unless 1 can have a fresh water bath directly after. I think the salt water makes one so sticky and uncomfortable; it perhaps wouldn’t if one went in regularly, but 1 never will. Our house is almost on the beach. Fishing is great fun, I think, but I don’t suppose I would like it much if I only got one bile and no fish at all. There would be no excitement in that, would there?? How delighted you must have been to have the pony. I expect you want to be riding all the time now, don’t you? I know I should. Ruth says she is very much scratched, so I suppose you are too.—Cousin Kate.] 4- 4- 4Dear Cousin Kate, —I expect by this time that my name will be scratched off the roll, but I must ask you to excuse me this time. I spent my holidays in town, and I had a nice time. Has it not been hot these last two or three, days? It nearly roasts you. I see you have not many cousins; how is it that so few write now? I went gathering blackberries the other day, and my legs are still sore from all the scratches I got. My badge is lost, and I must ask you to send me another one if you will; I do not mind what colour it is. I must leave off now, and I will write you a longer letter next time. Dove to yourself and cousins, from Cousin RUTH. [Dear Cousin Ruth, —I never scratch any names off my book till the cousins themselves tell me to. I always hope they will remember some time and write to me again. 1 certainly thought you had forgotten all about us. Very few of the. cousins have been writing during ■the holidays, but that is quite to be expected. Now they arc back at school you will see that they will all write again, and you will have plenty of letters to read. What did you do with yourself when you were in town, and what did you enjoy most? Blackberry prickles are awful, aren’t they? The scratch is bad enough, but I think that horrid itchiness that comes afterwards is worse. The blackberries are lovely to eat, I know; but 1 often wonder if they are worth the trouble of picking.— Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate, —You will never think 1 am going to write to you again. We have gone back to school again. I am in Standard 11. now, but I think I am going to be put up into Standard 111. My sister Nellie is in Standard IV. It was my birthday on Tuesday, and I got a lot of presents, and they were very nice. We had our photos taken out at grandmother’s—my cousin, and my sister and I. Smutty had six kittens, but lias only two left. We are having very hot weather now, aren’t we? Don’t you feel hot sitting in an office all day? I find it very hot at school. I think 1 have told you all this time, so good-bye, from Cousin HAZEL. [Dear Cousin Hazel. —Now the holidays are over. I expect to hear from you often. You had a beautifully fine day for your birthday, didn’t you? It always pours with rain on mine—always—but I generally get rather nice presents so 1 don’t complain much. What, presents did you get? The heat is really awful. I really don’t know how you ever manage to do any lessons at all; it is hot enough in the office, which is quite large, and ■as a rule I have it all to myself. What I should do if there were lots of others in it I don’t know. If you are moved up to Standard 111. does that mean you will have had* tAo moves this year instead of one? Are your photos good; some I had taken a little while ago were awful.—Cousin Kate.] 4- 4* 4* ..Dear Cousin Kate,-—! ought to have written to you before. We went to the Esplanade for a picnic yesterday, and we had a real good time there, but at first we thought we would not be able to go because the weather has been so bad lately. I hope you are not getting the same weather in Auckland that we are getting here. We had our paths asphalted, so it is not so puddly and muddy. I am going to school to-mor-row for the first time. I have been having my holidays and to-day is the last day of them. Did you get the postcard I sent you? On Christmas Eve we went down town to spend our money and get presents, and we had a ride on the merry-go-round. I got a nice Bible in my stocking, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, a tennis ball and a nice box of chocolates.- —Your loving Cousin, BROOK. [Dear Cousin Brook, —It seems so strange to us to think that you are having such wet weather when we are having such hot, dry days; the gardens are all so dry and the grass is burnt brown, and people who are interested in their places say we want rain badly, all the same I hope we won’t get it, 1 hope you will have fine weather now till the asphalt on your paths dry, or they will be as bad as ever, won’t they? 1 wonder how you will like school; it won’t be so bad I suppose, because you will have Kenneth with you. Yes, I got your postcard and liked it very much, thank you. What nice Xmas boxes you all got. Xmas Eve is a lovely inglit in town always, isn’t it? But I can’t say I like a merry-go-round myself, they always make me giddy. As for those oceanwave ones they make me quite ill even to watch. —Cousin Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate, —I have been rea4ing your letters in the “Graphic,” and I should like to become a cousin, and have my letters answered in there too. We had a very happy Christinas this year. 1 went down to the port yesterday, and sat on a seat and watched the boats; they looked so pretty on the sea. I haven’t much more to say, but I will try and have more next week. Will yon please send me a blue badge.—Love from Cousin MYRA. [Dear Cousin Myra,—l shall be very glad to have you for a cousin, and will post you down a blue badge at once. 1 have never been to Nelson, I am sorry to say, because everybody who has seea it says it is so lovely. I was going there to stay once, but went to Picton instead, or rather I meant to go on there from Picton but left it too late and had to come home sooner than I expected. However, I hope to go down there again some day soon, and L will see it then.—Cousin Kate.]