COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 4, 26 January 1910, Page 58

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

Kai tuna. /f\BAR Cousin Kato. - May I become I B one of your cousins? 1 like readI 9 ing the cousins’ letters in the 1 / •’Graphic.” 1 am 13 years of ( y ag»\ so I will be a junior cousin. I go to the Kai tuna School. I ®m in Standard Vi. We are having our ChrisKmas holidays. 1 have a pet guineapig. Please will you give me a name for it 1 have four dolls. One is a very large one; its name is Violet. I have a cat and -two kittens. I call the cat Topsy. 1 am Bending an addressed envelope for a navy blue badge. I will now close, with much love. Prom Cousin EFFIE. [Dear Cousin Effie.—Yes; you certainly may. I hope y»u have had pleasant holidays. How would Zampa suit your pet? You are well off for dolls, are you not? i’lease write me again.—Cousin Kate.J * £ * Ka ram u. De.tr Cousin Kate, 1 have nun written you for a long time, so 1 will write now. We have two dear little kittens. One of them is all grey and the other is grey with white feet, and we call them Burns and Johnson. because they are always lighting. They do not hurt each other, as they light in play. As I am not going away for any holidays, 1 will not be able to write to you about how I spent my holidays. We had a hen sitting on 13 eggs, and she has only three chicks out. We began our school holidays on December 15. There were only «ix children at school on -the last day. Dear Cousin Kate, is the answer to your puzzle, “Read up and down, ami you will see that 1 love you and you love me”? We had our examination alwuit a week before the holidays, and I passed into Standard VI. I will close now 7. Hoping you are quite well. Ivove to all.—Cousin LENA. [Desir Cousin Ixuxa, —I am so pleased to hear from you again. 1 am sorry you could not <‘ii ter for the com pet ft km. I wish to thank you ami Cousin Ethel for the cards you kindly sent me. What a very unsuccessful hen. Thai i* »Jip answer. I am pleased to hear that you passed. —Cousin Kate.) •fr * * Collingwood. Dear Cousin Kate. I saw my letter in print last week, *u> 1 thought I would write. We have a lovely garden now. I Kid has peas, loans, put.itoes, cabbages, and many other things. Mother ami 1 hive flowers. We have cornflowers, pansies, violets, sweet william, ami carnations in flower now. We all went to the New Year sports, un<l 1 was in the booths with 'mother all day. My sister is in West Wanganui with grandmother now. We have two creeks around our house, and a large willow tree in the ctiriwr wheye 4he two creek* meet. 1 am raiding a book called ••Imogene,” by Charles Garvice. Have you read it, coushi? This is all this time. Jxive to all, not forgetting yourself.— From Cousin MATILDA. P.S. 1 have n doll 4ft long. will yuu fleam* give me a name fur her A—C.M.

[Dear Cousin Matilda,--Success 'to all your flowers and vegetables. You must have had a jolly time on New Year’s Day. That willow will give you a dreadful lot of trouble when its saplings begin to grow. 1 have not read the book you name. How would Rosalind do for your doll? — Cousin Kate. P.S.—Thank you very much for the pansies.—-C.K.] i 4 Oka ram 10. Dear Cousin Kate, —T am pleased to saj that I have receiveci my badge, and 1 liked it very much. I was a little disappointed at not seeing my letter advertised in the “Graphic.” but hope to see it in the next issue. The annual sports were held here on the Ist. in my father’s paddock, and it was very nice indeed, for there were amusements of all kinds. It has been very wet these* last few days, and we thought the weather would be miserable for the sports, but. however, it kept fine. We live in a hotel in the Marlborough district, and we keep cattle, such as sheep, cows, pigs, and horses. Every morning I go out in the Holds and fetch the cows, while my father milks them. Dear Cousin Kate. I had better dose now. with love.—Cousin CLARA. I Dear Cousin Clara, —I am pleased that you liked your badge. Your letter appeared just after you wrote me last time. I am sure you must have been glad the weather cleared up for the sports. What a busy life you have. Well done, Cousin Clara, I can see that you are a help to your lather. —Cousin Kate.] i i i Da rga ville. Dear Cousin Kate,—Three weeks of our holidays have passed. lam having a really good time. I went up the line on New Year’s Day, and down the river in the ’bus last week. We clean our desks at Christmas and at Michaelmas. Our school picnic is to be held a few days after we return to school. I will close with a riddle: ‘‘Why is an elephant like a wheelbarrow?”— Cousin CECIL. [Dear Cousin Cecil, — What, a lovely way of going down the river. I should love to try a sail in a ’bu # s myself; it would be better than the “Three Old Men of Goshen, who went to sea in a bowl.” What a good idea to keep that picnic until school reopens. “Because it carries a trunk.” — Cousin Kate.] £ i 1 Tin ui. Dear Cousin Kate, —Thank you for the pretty badge you sent me. I went to the South Island for a holiday, to see my grandmother and aunties. I like the South Island very much. Our pet dove went away about three weeks ago, and has not come back yet. There was another girl in the same standard as I am, but I don’t think she is coming back to school again. It looks as if it is going to rain to-day. It will do good if it does, because the grass is getting dry.— From Cousin JESSIE. [Dear Cousin Jessie, —I am pleased that you liked the badge. By some mischance J have forgotten to enter your name in my register, but 1 take it you are sister to Cousins Alice and Lizzie. Am I right? I will return the stamp when you let me know, acs there was no need to send it. Our dog ran away two days ago, and only came back to-day. We were quite worried about him. I fear you will not recover your dove. —Cousin Kate.J i i * " Tinui. Dear Cousin Kate. —Thank you for the badge >ou sent me. It was very pretty. I wore it on New Year's Day to the sports. It was wet here on Christmas Day. I am going to Masterton for a holiday next week.

I called the kitten that played the most Trixie. I have read nearly all Ethel Turner’s books. There is a pretty bush a-bout three miles from where we live. There are two lovely waterfalls in the bush, and all kinds of ferns, flowers, and birds. There are four pigeons there. I wish you and all the cousins a bright Now Year. With best love. — From Cousin ALICE. [Dear Cousin Alice, — How nice of you to wear our little token to the sports. I do hope you have had. or are still having, a nice visit. Let me know all about it. What a pretty bush that must be. Thank you for your good wishes.—Cousin Kate.] 4 i i Tinui. Dear Cousin Kate, —Thank you so much for the pretty badge. It was very nice. My father gave me a little pup to look after until it was old enough to work. Its name is Bob. I had four pet sheep, but two are dead. We have got three or four prizes that our teacher gave us, but we do not get any now. I like reading very much. Do you, Cousin Kate? I have got a lot of Ethel Turner’s books. They are very nice. I wish you and the cousins a bright New Year. With love to all the cousins and yourself.— From Cousin LIZZIE. P.S.—My cold is not better yet. [Dear Cousin Lizzie, —I am so pleased that you thought the badge pretty. I should love to see 80-b. We once had a collie called Bob. How unfortunate about your sheep. I like reading, too. Many thanks fox- your bright wishes.—Cousin Kate.] [P.S. —I am sorry to bear your cold is still there.—C. K.J i i i Okaramio. Dear Cousin Kate, —I am sorry I did not write before, as I have been fox- a holiday, and have just returned home. I was glad to see my letter in print. My birthday was last Saturday, and I was nine years old. At the last examination at school I passed into Standard IV. We have plums, apples, and mulberries ripe now. We have been having very hot weather up here lately. My father lias his wheat in the stack, and he is carting in the oats. Then he has his peas to cart. I know another one of the cousins that writes to “The Graphic,” and she goes to the same school as I do. I was very delighted with my badge. I will now close, with love to all the cousins.—From Cousin FLORENCE. [Dear Cousin Florence, —I wish you “Very many happy returns of your birthday.” A long life and a useful one. dear cousin. You will soon be in “Six” at this rate. Is that Cousin Clara? I am glad you liked the badge.—Cousin Kate.]

Ponsonby. Dear Cousin Kate,—Thank you very luueli for the pretty badge you sent me. I am very sorry I did not write before, but 1 have been busy making a table centre foe mother for Christmas. Have you seen orchids? I have seen several kinds, which are very pretty. What is your favourite

flower, Cousin Kate? Before I close I wil* ®ive the cousins a puzzle: “Flower of England, fruit of Spain, met together in a shower of rain?”—From your loving .Cousin, GWENNYTH. P.'S.—l will ask some of my friends in [Australia to join the Cousins’ Society.— £G. [Dear Cousin Gwennyth.—l quite excuse you. though I am very pleased to hear now, but you haven’t told me how the table-centre looks. I have seen orchids. I love old-fashioned flowers best. Thank you so much. We should love to have some Rhttl" Ai»<irr”nns” write.—Cousin Kate.]

Pirongia. Dear Consul Kate, —May I become one of your cousins? I like reading the cousins* letters. I have a horse called ••Sirius.’’ The other day he jumped a wire fence. It is my school examination tomorrow. I am now in standard VI, but 1 hope soon to be in standard VII. I have three brothers. namely. Jack, Horace, and Laurie. We had a good time on November sth. with Guy Fawkes and a box of fireworks. Is not Buster a funny boy. always ’’•» ’•» tricks of some sort? Please, will you send me a red badge?—Cousin EDWARD. I Dear Cousin Edward. — We are mocit happy to welcome you as a cousin. What

a fine name for your horse. No wonder he tries to do some feats to act up to it. I do hope you have passed. Please let me know. I also have three brothers. Brothers are a great institution. What should we do without the sth? Cousin Kate.] * * fr Oa niaru. Dear Cousin Kate. I take pleasure in writing you -a few lines. I am working in a bookseller’s shop, and I read the “Graphic” every week, am! so interested was I with the children’s letters, that 1 thought I would like to write. Would you please send me a blue badge? 1 do not know how much

I have to send for it. but you can lei ma know when you semi the badge. The Oamaru trades picnic is going to be held at Moeraki on the 201 b. and I am looking forward for a really good time. 1 think I will close now, with much love. From Cousin ALICE. [Dear Cousin Alice, We do not use nom de plume. 1 hope you won’t mind. I am very pleased ineed to welcome an Oamaru cousin. Is it not very interesting being in a book shop? I am glad you like the letters. I hope you had a pleasan-t day al the »icnic. L.et me know, won’t you. Cousin Kate. I’.S. We don’t charge for the badges. • — I.K.J