COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 2, 13 July 1910, Page 58

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

1 lororata. XfA EAR COUSIN KATE,—You will I U think I have quite forgotten you, I B but you in us i really forgive me, I / nH Ibbigs have been rather uny settled in my home. One of my sisters died seme time ago, and plnee then another sister has also been ill, but 1 am pleased to say is getting better, and will thlfl week be coming out of the hospital. I, too, have had a very severe cohl. Colds have been very frequent in our district. My mother has a very bad cohl for this last month, but is gutting a little better. Since my sister’s death my mother has been for a trip to the North Island for three weeks. Dear Cousin Kate, •Inc© my last letter to you. I have two more kittens, one a blue and the other a black and white, and also a little pup. Now I think 1 will stop, with fondest love to

all the cousins.—l am, your sincere cousin, MARY. PS.—When 1 got up this morning it was snowing hard. [Dear Cousin Mary,—l am indeed sorry to hear of your trouble, and I don’t wonder that you have not felt inclined to write letters. I hope your troubles are over. Is your blue kitten a Persian; they are such lovely things? With love.—Cousin Kate.J * * £ Hastings. Dear Cousin Kate, — I was pleased to see my letter in the “Graphic.” Thank you very much for the badge; I liked It very much. I have a bicycle of my own, which I can ride. I have two cats as well. One Is called Patsy and the other Kitty. We have a Jersey cow called Grade, and a Jersey calf called Daisy. Our school is going to have a fancy dress ball, and I am going to it. Bast (Sunday we all went for a ride to Havelock in our motor-car, and I enjoyed the ride very much. It was a very cold day to-day, and it finished ui) with rain. This is all I have to say. so I will close now, with love to you and all the cousins.—From WINNIE. [Dear Cousin Winnie, —Thank you for the nice letter. I am glad you liked the badge. You must have lots of fun with your bicycle; I think I like motor-cars better. You are lucky to have both. You must tell me about the fancy dress ball. Wo have just had a lovely fancy dress carnival at the rink for children, and it was such a pretty sight. Most of the children skate so well, and looked sweet. With love. —Cousin Kate.] * * £ Wharerata. * Dear Cousin Kate, —I hope you will forgive me for not writing to you; we have a largo house, and our girl had left us. My mother nnd I were by ourselves for three weeks. I was always too sleepy at night to write. I was very sorry to hear that the good King died, were you not? They say that whenever a comet appears a crowned head goes under. We are having very bad weather up this way. Little Mervyn has been with us over four months; he calls my mother mummie. He was two years old last month. I saw the comet on the 16th of May; it is getting very faint now. I send the “Graphics” with my letters to my sister in Gundagal, N.iS.W. She is very pleased to get them. I will say goodbye.—With love from Cousin IDA. (Dear Cousin Ida, —I am glad you have found time at last to write; you must have been very busy, doing housework. Your little Cousin Mervyn must be a dear wee man. I expect you would like to keep him with you always. With love.—Cousin Kate.] i i i Kaikohe Hotel. Dear Cousin Kate,—l would very much like to become one of the cousins. The first thing I will tell you about is my three pet dogs. One is a bulldog and the other two are pugs. The bulldog’s name is King, the eldest pug is Bobs, and the other is Cheeky. 1 am fond of animals. I put the dogs io bed every night. Bobs can do some tricks. The three dogs are great chums, and curl themselves up on the hearthrug in front of the fire, as they seem to feel the cold very much. I am fifteen years old. and I would like to receive a badge. I hope you will write to me soon. With Iove.—EMMA. [Dear Cousin Emma, —Thank you very much fbr your nice letter. I think your

three dogs must be dears. I am just as fond of dogs as you are. Pugs I know feel the cold very much. I hope you will write coon again. With love. —Cousin Kate.] i :t £ Takahiwai. Dear Cousin Kate, —I am very fond of writing essays. Yesterday I wrote an essay entitled “New Zealand’s Scenery,” and I got excellent for it. Were you fond of writing essays? This afternoon, Paki Pirihi, a Maori man, found Ruapehu, my pony, after being lost for about seven months. I am very surprised she is so tame. I en close a lock of her mane. Don’t you think it is pretty hair for a horse? Can you ride, Cousin Kate. lam sure you would’like It if you have not. I have a large black and white eat. Could you give me a name for it? We have some beautiful violets and jonquils in our garden, and they are making this room smell so sweet. With much love. —From Cousin WINNIE. [Dear Cousin Winnie, —I enjoyed your nice, well written letter. Yes, I was rather fond of writing essays. It was one of the few things I could do at all well. How de-» lighted you must be to have found your pony. Judging by the lock of hair you sent it must be beautiful. When I was your age, I would ride anything, and loved it: and do so now, but rarely have a chance of a mount. How would Binkie do for your cat’s name. With love.—Cousin Kate.] i * * Braeburn. Dear Cousin Kate, —I am sending you a few lines to see how you are getting on; I have not told you that I am an orphan. My mother was killed in a trap accident when I was three years and four months, and I have lived with grandma ever since—my father’s mother. We had some children here this afternoon that write to “The Graphic,” Emma and Jack and Linda and Nelson. They stayed all the afternoon. And I have had two more real cousins, but their mother was with them. Their names wore Ila and Daphne. So I will bring my letter to a close by giving the cousins, and you a riddle: “Why does a thirsty man carry a watch with him?” So good-bye for the present, with very much love to you and all the cousins.—From Cousin LILLY. [Dear Cousin Lilly,—l am sorry, my dear little cousin, to know’ you are an orphan, but you have been well- looked after and cared for by your granny, I hope. You seem to have lots of little friends. I am leaving your riddle for the cousins to answer. With love. —Cousin Kate.] i i 1Motumaoko. Dear Cousin Kate, —We shifted to our farm on the 6th of June, and we all like the farm very much. We drove through from Karamu to Mptumaoho. Karamu is 28 miles from Motumaoho. We have a nice flower garden here, and we brought most of our flowers from Karamu. To-morrow Ethel and I are going for a ride into Morrinsville, which is four miles from here. We have only four cows at present, and only two of them are milking yet. Have yon ever read the book called “Shadowed Lives,” Cousin Kate? I will close now’. Love to all. — From Cousin LENA. [Dear Cousin Lena, —I hope you will like your new home. I have driven from Te Aroha to Morrinsville, and thought the country very pretty. lam glad you have a flower garden. I hope you do your share in keeping it tidy. With love.—Cousin Kate.]

~ Motumaoho Cousin Kate, —May I become one Bt •‘The Graphic” cousins. I will be eleven on the 28th of October. I am in Standard 11. We are living four miles from Morrlns* vllle, and are not going to school yet, M we have Just shifted. Have you seen the comet yet? I have seen it. I saw a star fall, with a long tall, on Friday night* Please will you send me a blue badge. I will close now. With lots of love.—Froni Cousin COLIN. P.S.—I will write more next time. Motumaoho. Dear Cousin Kate, —May I become one of “The Graphic” cousins. I am eight years old, and I will be nine on the 17th of January. We have been on our farm a fortnight to-day. We are living four milee from. Morrinsville. I am In the second standard. Did you see the comet, Cousin* Kate. I saw it. Please will you send me a red badge, Cousin Kate?—l will close now. With love.—From Cousin ALBERT. [Dear Cousins Albert and Colin, —I am glad you boys have written, and want to join our cousins’ circle. You must write nice, neat little letters. With love. —* Cousin Kate.] i 4 i Aratapu. Dear Cousin Kate, —I would very much like to -become one of your cousins. I a*m ten years old, and am in the Third Standard. I go to the Convent for my music lessons, and like It very much. I practise three hours a day. In August I am going up for an exam., so I am -working very hard. No more news this time, but hope to have more next time I write, so I •must close now’, with fondest love to you and all the cousins.—From Cousin EVJBk LINE. [Dear Cousin Eveline, —I am glad to have new cousins, and I hope you will W’rite often. I hope you will be successful in your examination. You deserve to when you practise so well. With love.—Cousin Kate.J 4? 4? 4? Oparure. Dear Cousin Kate, —May 1 become one of your “Graphic” •cousins? 1 am 11$ years old. I go to the Oparurue Native School* There are about 30 children going to it. I aHvays stay with my grandmother. She gets the “Graphic” every week. She also keeps a post office, and our teacher keeps the telephone office. I have three sisters and two brothers. One of my sisters w r as three years on the Sth of June. My birthday is on January 7th. The comet has gon6 right away. My name in full is Mihinga Thompson. Oparure is situated about four miles to the westward of Te Kuiti. I have no pets to tell you about. I had a pet kitten at first, but I do not know where it is. I think it is dead. I have been -to Auckland only once. Please send me a blue badge. Good-bye; I must conclude my letter now, with love to all the cousins.—l re' main, your loving Cousin MIHINGA.—I will send you a postcard. .. [Dear Cousin Mihinga,—l am delighted to have you join our Cousins’ -Circle; and I hope you will write often. Your letter was so w r ell written and so neat. I have sent your badge. With love. —-Cousin Kate.] i i db . Hamilton. Dear Cousin Kate, —I was pleased to see my letter and your nice answer in the “Graphic” a few weeks ago. Wasn’t the King’s death a terrible sorrow and shock to the nation. So sudden, too, as in all cases came a double shock to all. We have, indeed, occasion to-day to mourn the loss of a. good and noble King. We were to have had the opening of our hockey season the Saturday after the sad news arrived, but on hearing it we postponed the event till later date. We have a fine large hockey cub this year, and hope to be successful with our match. A very pleasant dance was given last week by about half-a-dozen well-known Hamilton boys, some of whom are going to school in Auckland and were just home for their holidays. The dance was chiefly for girls with their hair down. I went, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. It was one of the pleasantest dances I have been to; everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. I expect you saw the comet. I saw it most evenings it was to be seen, but it was very: faint about this time. The best view I got of it was in the very early morning a few weeks ago, when it appeared much bigger and brighter. To think, after all, the talk of our getting blown up, etc., that now the poor, harmless comet has gone without I suppose many people even noticing it. I believe some people were terrified of the

Wsrrlts. I never even gave It a thought •bout being blown up, for I think if we were to have been we would, and gll the worrying in the, world would not have etopped It. 'So there was not much good In going through It all weeks before it would really happen, and, as It turned out, all for nothing. We had a most successful mission in our church lately. It was given by

the Rev. Father Hunt, who Is a splendid preacher. The church was always crowded to the doors; extra seats had to be pul lu every possible corner. I have just finished reading ‘The Welsh Singer." which 1 think Is lovely. It somehow makes one feel quite lonely when you And you have tintshed a nice book; you would like to go on forever If it were possible. I nm now rending

"Misunderstood"; It Is a very sad little story. Have you ever read it? Do the !S‘ 8 f rte Btori tbe cousins* page? . I have noticed stories iu several wltT’ bnt ,'”? ,lot kliow who wrote them. With much love to yourself and all the cousins.—l am. your sincere cousin, LINDA. [Dear Cousin Linda,—You will, no doubt notice that several parts of your letter have

been left out; so few of the cousins art old enough to understand about social life. And, Indeed, my dear Linda, do try and keep young as long us you can. You! letters are most interesting. i have otter felt just as you do when 1 have finished ii book 1 have liked. "Misunderstood" is -r beautiful book. I think. Win, | O ve ' Cousin Kato 1