COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVI, Issue 22, 29 November 1911, Page 57

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

, Apiti. xTN EAR COUSIN KATE,-1 should like I \ to be one of your cousins. lam I B nine years old. 1 have three z'JL J brothers and two sisters. My oldest brother is Andrew, my second is Tilson, and my third is Kenneth. I am the oldest girl of our family, Isabel is the second, and Kathleen is 4he youngest of the girls. Andrew is eleven years o’.d, Tilson -is three, and Kenneth is ten months old; Isabel is seven years old, and Kathleen is five years old. We take the ‘ Graphic” every week, and I have been so interested in the cousins’ letters that I felt I should like to join the children’s page. Uncle Mun has been very funny lately. Would you kindly send me a red badge? — Cousin JESSIE. [Dear Cousin Jessie, —I shall bo very pleased to enrol you as a now cousins, but as you have forgotten to put your full name and address, I can’t send you a badge.— Cousin Kate.] & 4 4 To Iloro. Dear Cousin Kate, —Muy I become one of your cousins? I am ten years old, and in the fourth standard. We had our examination about a month ago, and I passed into a higher standard. Will you please send me a red badge? I like reading the letters in the ‘'Graphic,” and looking at Uncle Mun. As this is my first letter, I have not much news. 1 will try to .put more in the next letter.—Cousin NELLIE. [Dear -Cousin Nellie, —I am very pleased to have a new cousin, and I hope she will send me some nice little letters. You seem to be in a very high standard -for a little girl of ten years. You must work very hard. Please write only on one side of the paper next time. —Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 I'ahiatua. -Dear Cousin Kate, —I have not written to you for ages, but somehow or other I never feel inclined to write letters, but I am going to try and see if I can’t write regularly. We have been having dreadful weather for the last few days, but we must not grumble, -as we some lovely days, I have been planting seeds in my garden, so I hope to have -some nice flowers later on. I like 4o have a nice garden, but do not care for gardening myself. We are going to have swimming baths here. •Jind they will be finished by .the end ot next month. lam very fond of bathing, and tt m looking forward do summer. What a lot of new cousins have joined the circle lately. Ido not seem to see many of the old cousins’ letters In the “Graphic” lately. There do not seem do be many senior cousins* either. I think it is nice to have them, don’t you. Cousin Kate? I do not think I ever tola you that I was a senior* cousin. lam fifteen years old. I had a game of tennis for the first time this season last Wednesday. Tennis and hockey are

my favourite games. What are your favourite games, ‘Cousin Kate? —Cvusiu IRENE. [Dear Cousin Irene, —1 was delighted tv get your letter. I should think 1 do like senior cousins, but, sad to say, most of the cousins soon get tired of writing. 1 think very much as you do about gardening, but I envy people who really are fond of it. We have hundreds of cousins. 1 must count them some day. —Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 I‘aimers ton North. Dear Cousin Kate, —We are having told westerly winds and rain here at present. I have been reading some nice books lately. One was called “On Angels’ Wings.” it was a lovely book. Another was called • Cosa,” and that was a nice one. The “Little Larrikin” was very nice, too. Violet is busy, and will write next week. News is scarce just now’, will send more next time. With love to all cousins.— ■Cousin NELL. [Dear Cousin Nell, —I was glad to have your nice little letter. 1 passed through Palmerston a few weeks ago, and it has Improved so much. The gardens in the Square looked so nice. I am glad you are fond of reading. One need never be dull when there are books about. You should try and read books about other countries. — Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 Makluo. Dear Cousin Kate, —I should like to become one of your wide circle of cousins. I have been reading the letters for some time, and am so interested in them that I should be very pleased if you would accept me as a cousin. I am eleven years o»u, and in the third standard. My mother takes the “Graphic,” and 1 have a sister who is over 16 years old. She would also like very much to join your happy band. Would you please send me a blue badge? Well, dear Cousin Kate, this is all I have to say, as this is my first letter.—From Cousin ETHEL. [Dear Cousin Kate, —I am glad you want to join our circle. We are pleased to welcome you. Tell your sister to write to me. Your letter is very neat and well written. In your next letter tell us what you do at home. Please write only ou one side of your paper.—Cousin Kate.J 4 4 4* d Papakuva. Dear Cousin Kate,—l have been a long time writing to you, but we have not much time, as w’e are at school all day. My -little sister Claire has gone -to Walheke for a month, and we hope that she will come back much better than she was when she went. It has been so wet on Fridays lately •that w’e have not been able to have gardening at school, and my garden needs a good deal of attention. Well, Cousin Kate, I think that this is all. With love. —Cousin GERALDINE. [Dear Cousin Geraldine, —I know from experience that it is harder to find time for 'letter writing than anything else. lam isorry your little sister (has been ill. The fine weather wdll soon be here, and then you can work at your garden. You should plant some seeds in boxes. With love. — ■Cousin Kate.] i i i ’Papakura. Dear Cousin Kate,- I am beginning to write once more. Two of our hens are sitting now, one on duck eggs and the other on hen eggs. It is very miserable now, it is so wet, and we cannot play very •well, -because as soon as we get started It (begins to rain, and then we have to go into the sited and wait until it is over. I was very disappointed not to see my letter In tliis .-week’s “Graphic.” Our fowls are not laving very well just now. We do not play football just nbw. 01 must close, as I have only n few more minutes to warm mv toes by the fire.—'Cousin CHARLES. ’[Dear Cousin Charles,—l am glad to hear tfiom you again. You must not forget that •we had a very fine winter. 1 hope you have seen your letter -by -this. There are so many letters it is hard to gel them all in. With love.—Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 Apiti. Dear Cousin Kate, —I have been a long time wrltlpg to you this time, as we have been very busy Shifting into a new house. We are living in Apiti now. I am going ito the Apiti school now. I am still In the third standard, but I hope .to pass into the fourth next year. When we were shifting up to this (house I put my pet cat into a box on the wagon, and when wo got to the new house we let her go in /the front room, but she was so frightened that wo were afraid to let her outside that night, in ease she ran away, &o wo kept her in nil night. The next day she was too frightened lo go outside. My eat Tiby is quite at home now. I must close now. With love, -Cousin OLIVE.

JDear Cousin Olive. You must ’have been busy moving lulu another -house, but It is Jather fun, don’t you think, and cuts soon make themselves at home. You should have iPut some butter on the cat’s paws, and she would have been bo busy licking it off she never would have thought of going away. With love.—. Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4

61 ratford. •Dear Cousin Kate, —»I -have been reading the cousins’ letters in “The Graphic,” and 1 would ibe very pleased if you 'will accept ane as one vf yuur cousins. I am nine years old, and am in the third standard. I like school very much, because I -have not far to go. I have got a pretty 'little pony called Molly. 1 do nut ride -her to school, but on a holiday I ride ’her a lot. •Stratford is not a very pretty place, but the mountain is very pretty. I have nut any more to say just now. With love.— From Cousin REMA. [Dear Cousin -Rema, —T .shall be delighted to enrol you as a cousin. You have not seat me your full name and address, so I •can’t send you a -badge. With love.— •Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 New Plymouth. Dear Cousin Kate, —I would like to be one of your junior cousins, I will'be eleven on -the 9th of November, and urn in the fourth standard. I have a cat and a dog and some canaries. Please, cousin Kate, would you kindly send me a red badge. Well, i must close now, as it is time x> go out with mother. Give my ,'love to all the cousins, especially yourself.—tCousiu THELMA. (Dear Cousin Thelma, —You have forgotten to put your full name, so I don’t know to whom I am to send the badge. With love.—'Cousin Kate ] 4 4 4 •South Nursewood. Dear Cousin Kate, —il have been reading “The Graphic,” and have been greatly interested in the children’s page, so I thought I would -like to be one of your members. I will be fifteen in December. We have had n great deal of rain these last two oi* three 'weeks, and it fa doing the vegetables good, I was in Standanl Six last year, but only got a competency certificate, and hope tu get the certificate of proficiency this year. We have a nice vegetable garden at school, but no flower garden. I -have a little sister who is paralysed in one leg. -She goes to school, and Is seven years of age. Do you read many books? I do. Many boys and girls up here have the measles. My -two sisters and one bro-ther have (had them, so I suppose it will -be my turn next. Please will you send me a pale blue badge.—Cousin KATHLEEN. [Dear Cousin Kathleen, —I am delighted to welcome a senior cousin. Your letter is so -beautifully -written, it was quite a treat. I hope you succeed in getting your certiflcwte. (It is rather unusual 'having a vegetable garden at school. They mostly go in for flowers. How does your sistvr walk? I suppose she uses a crutch. Poor wee girlie, it is sad for her.—Cousin Kate.J 4 4 4 Utlku. Dear Cousin Kale, —I have been a long time answering your nice letter. We are having very wet weather down here, and yery -windy. It blows nearly all the blossom off the fruit trees. We have a lot of white carnations out, and they look pretty. They are just like snow. We have a border of them, and they grow so thick. We have also a lut of wallflower in bloom. •My little nephew cannot talk yet. We have fourteen cows in, and are taking cream to the factory; we are going to send milk soon.—Cousin M-AR J ()RI E. [Dear Cousin Marjorie,—l hope the fruit won’t suffer. It seems such a waste for the blossom to come out, and then be blown away. Those small carnations have such a beautiful perfume; they scent the whole air.—Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 ChristchurchDear Cousin Kate. —I received your badge, and thank you very much. We have been to Lyttelton all day, and my sister and I bathed, □’hero 'were a lot of people down (there, and »wo could hardly get into th; train. Most of the people went over (o the bays In the boats. We went round the hills, and enjoyed ourselves very much.— Cousin MYRTLE.

[Dear Cousin Myrtle,—l am sorry you had to wait so long for your letter and badge, but wo had such a very large number of letters. W’hat a delightful picnic ?’ou must have had. I have not Jiad a dip u the sea This season; It lufa been too cold hero.—Cousin Kate.]

<’li« UtChun h Dear < uu&lii Kate.—l liav«- been reedhig the letters in the “Graphic.” aud 1 should itke to joiu very much. Will you send me a red badge? 1 aui nearly fourteen years of ag»* I have a sister wku bat juiued yuur circle, so l would like tu join, two. —From Cuualu (hour Cuusln Percy. 1 nm very pleased to eurull you as a member uf our society, lou are one of u very few senior boy cousins. Write me some iuterewtiug letters, please.—Cousin Kate. 1 4 4 4 CUristcbunji. Dear Cousin Kate. I would like to l»e--roiue one of your many cousins. I nm eleven years old, and in the fourth standard at school. Now I must tell you about ogr pets. \\ e have an old dug, whose n. me is Clyde, and a pony, which is named Willy Winks. I have three sfalers. but no brothers. Will you send me a blue badge, please? - Cousin DL’LCJE. 4Dear Cousin Dulcie,—l am very to have a new coushi, and I hope sh.» will write me some nice little letter's. Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 z Motuma<r*ie. •Dear < oust a Kate. I am making a start to write to you again. <’uiisiu Lenu is away for u holiday at Walton, about sixteen miles from heite. -tthe Is going to stay thrne for fa bout two weeks, Hud I think she enjoys 44.. We planted our potatoes last week. The carpenters have nearly all the outside of t m scliuol finished. The people are making a tenuis court here, □’bey etarted on the 21st of this month, but I am sure I do not dknow when they will finish it. I hope they will finish it soon, ('un you play tennis? J can’t, but hoj>e to learn some day. We are milking twenty-nine cows, and are feeding twenty-two calves. We have tu-ned -five of our calves off milk. We have tea black and white calves. Nellie’s pet lamb is growing quite big now. N ‘lie’s sweet peas are looking luvely now. There are nine different colours out new. Is tin* answer to Cousin Margaret’s riddle, "No i s In that”? I will clos e with a riddle. "Why is the heart of a tree like the tai! of a dog?”—From Cousin ETHEL. [Dear Cousin Ethel. I ain glad you have not quite forgotten us; it is ages since you wrote lust. I am pleased Cousin Lena fa enjoying herself. 1 hope she will write and tell me about it. I am glad the sweet peas are a success. Yes. 1 play tennis. I have only had one game so far; uur club lias just opened.—. Cousin Kate.] 4 4 4 Hastings. Dear Cousin Kite,—l am really alive. Neither am I on the sick list, so* 1 don’t know how to apologise for neglecting the children’s page so much. Thank you once again fur the beautiful priae, which I received eight months ago. Yov must not think me ungrateful, but I am thoughtless. 1 wish some of my girl cousins could read my book. I know they would enjoy it. But perhaps they are not all book worms lik • myself. When I come to Auckland nu.y I come in to see you, to have a little chat'* My brother fa in Auckland just now. lie will go across to Sydney, and there join » boat bound for England. I wantoei him to take me with him, but he declined, with thanks. But never mind, my time will come. Have you ever read a book called “Margaret Torrington,” by Emma Jane Wor boise? If you have not. you should eer tainly read it, us it is a very interesting and helpful b.yok. Well, I must conclude now. - Cuus : -*’ LDR—D.

[D- a Jpusin Mildred, I was delightr>l to get . o letter, and I suppose 1 must forgive you, but please don’t leave it so long again. 1 am glad you liked the book. 1, too, love reading. 1 have not read the book vou mention. By all means cull and see me. Ask for “the editor of the “(.raphn , and he will tell you where to find me..Cousin Kale.]