COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 5, 31 January 1912, Page 57

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

/C\ EAR COUSIN KATE,—I have Veen I B a long time in writing to you. £ I 0 have been very busy preparing / for our examination. It Is ail J over now, and I am very glad to say that I have passed Into tiie Filth Standard. I will go down to lea rd cooking this year. The baby is growing fast, and sits up by herself. I go down ■to the beach whenever I can for a swim. We have had. beautiful weather here lately. I hope my letter will soon be in The ‘■Graphic.” I will end with a riddle: Why is the letter F like the end of a cow’s tail? €ousin FLORENCE. [Dear Cousin Florence,—How pleased you anust feel to think your hard work has been rewarded. You will go back to school jafter your holidays, and oe able to work hard again, because you are sure to find the work harder. 1 can’t guess your riddle, i—Cousin Kate.] 4* ASnnxtrsf, x>ear Cousin Kate,—l was pleased to see my letter in the last ‘’Graphic.*’ Your nnswer to my riddle is right. Cousin Dorothy’s riddle to us is very difficult to toive. i am far too busy to give a thought to a holiday; besides I a in the only one ■to cook, mend, bake, and wash. 1 look after four children and father. I was 14 years old on the 4th of January, 1012, so I am a senior cousin. Dear cousin, you ought to rouse up your cousins in Ashhurst, ion have five cousins here, who have not written since they were enrolled. You inave R lot of lazy cousins, too; most are boys In Ashhurst. As I write this letter. I have three boys and two girls playing uoout mo, am] you know bow they make Anyone confused. T am facing the Gorge. Wy cousin and I biked right through the i»orge and back, a distance of 19 miles, jo a picnic. I was tired. I biked down IV 1 ie .? cw brld « e twice. It is about three miles there and three back. Once I nnd Ji i _iT cut * 88 We ' were coming over rue bridge we punctured the bike tyre, and jve had to walk four miles back. It was r ireat. I wonder does Cousin Eva know J.sther I.awrenco, of .Reikorangl. Just now ny three friends have come to our place, w? !‘ amps are Doris, Melba, and Irene. AVoil, dear cousin, I must start and bake a •cake and some scones as well; «o I must xvi ° 3 blowing a little now. J’ hen I get up in the morning I get breakrast, then milk, nnd skim and strain the ,I wash the dishes, sweep up, scrub out, have a cold lunch. I have ft *njire hour for anything, and next I cook u l , ; and vegetables, and hftve S 2°, dinner; then milk, skim and strain, And tiny up a little; then go to bed. T Dunk this Is my longest letter. Irene 1h caning me. ro I must Rton. Here is n f »‘ r tllp V Y you are Y ¥ • >ou B, I gee you Y Y for me. Well, hero

is Dorife, Melba, and Rene with a bat and ball, but I must not play; my hour is up.—• C'ousin LENA. [Dear Cousin Lena, —You are indeed a good cousin to write so often, when your time is filled up with so many duties. Yoq are a good little mother, and yet you always seem so bright and cheerful. I can’t guess that wonderful riddle.—Cousin Kate.] 4* 3: Ta-wa Flat. Dear Cousin Kate, —I woifld like to join your circle of cousins. I have been reading the cousins’ letters in the “Graphic’’ for the past twelve months, and have found them very interesting. lam nine years old, hnd I am in the Fourth Standard at school. We live quite close to the school and station, and. we hardly ever miss the trains. We have a pet lamb and some pigeons. We went out for a drive on Sunday, and It was beautiful. We went in for two 'bathes, nnd I enjoyed myself very much. I am going to start to learn music at the end of January, and I think I will like it.— Cousin MARJORIE. [Dear Cousin Marjorie,—l shall be very pleased to enrol you as a cousin, and when you send me your full name and address I will send you a badge. With love.— Cousin Kate.] 4? 4? 4* Grovetown, Cousin Kate, —I hope you will excuse me for not writing sooner. We are having seven weeks for our Christmas holidays this year, and (have had three weeks (already. It was raining here on Christmas Day. On Boxing Day I went to Ward in the train, and enjoyed the ride very much. It Is a very long railway line to Ward. (There are two tunnels to go through on ahe way, and you see two beautiful lakes. One of the lakes, called Lake Grassmere, has swans swimming on it. Then on New Year’s Day I journeyed to Plcton in the first train, During the three weeks that hav6 gone past I have been bird-nesting,

nnd have collected thirteen dozen eggs, -which are bought at lid a dozen 'by Mr Cheeseman, of Grovetown.—Cousin CLARENCE. [Dear Cousin Clarence. —I am very pleased to have a letter whenever you feel inclined to -write. 1 don’t expect boys to write often, and especially in holiday time. When next you write tell me just where Grovetown is; the lakes must be beautiful. I (hope you are going in for the competition. You would do well. —Cousin Kate.] 4* 4» 4’ R emu era. Dear Cousin Kate, —May I become a memiber of your merry circle of cousins, I am eleven years old, and am in standard VI. Please would you send me a green badge. Green Is my favourite colour. I tyave two big dolls. One of them I got from Santa Clans, and its name is (Betty. The other one I have had for ft long time, a'nd its name is Becky. I have two sisters, and 'their names are Fsmo and Nadine, but I have no brothers. I tin re a baby cousin, a boy, who is such a dear little thing. I learn music and recitations, and one year I got a prize for recitation. I live with my auntie in Remuera jiwt at present, but my real home is Mount Boakill—Cousin GLAD.DIE. [Dear Cousin Gladdle,—l am doltghted to enrol you as a cousin. Tour letter is beautifully written, and so very neat. I think little boy babies are just sweet, nnd you cftn get lots -of fun out of them. I should think the J.a dies* Mlle would be a charming place to live Ln.—Coualu Kate.]

Dear Cousin Kate, —May I become one of your cousins. Jam eleven years old. 1 have fwp sisters and four brothers. I have a cat. and it has three kittens. Please will you send me a badge.—Cousin NANCY. [Dear Cousin Nancy,—l am so pleased to enrol you as a member of our circle. Well, you ought not to be lonely with four brothers. I expect they keep things moving. Are you going to keep all the kittens? They ere such dear wee things.—Cousin Kate.] £ i 4Hillensden. Dear Cousin Kate, —I see by “The Graphic” that you are giving two prizes for the girls and two for the boys for a letter on the holidays. lam going to -try for it. We have seven weeks this year; longer than we (have ever had at Xmas before. We are enjoying them very much. We have had ft picnic or two so far, and next week we are going to another, to a place about three miles from our home, at an old station (homestead where only the walls are left standing. Mv sisters and I often go out With the rabbiting dogs, and sometimes catch a rabbit or two. We go for such flong walks, and sometimes take our dinner, go do not need to hurry home. Our last picnic was to gather cherries. We had a long drive first, and had a lovely time. There were quite a number of y-s there. What I most enjoy is ft trip to Picton in the train on New Year’s Day; it is such a ■change for us. This year the sea was so -rough that the boat races did not commence till after four, and then it was nearly time for people to catch the train for Blenheim, However, the day at the seaside was a treat, and all seemed to enjoy themselves. Yesterday we had a number of little school mates to visit us. and we had quite a good 'time.—Cousin CLARA. [Dear Cousin Clara.—l don’t, quite understand if your letter is meant for the competition, or if you are sending another. In any case I (have given it the marks I think It deserves. You seem to be having a charming holiday. The sea has a great charm for most people; more so when you live inland.—Cousin Kate.] i 4* * 1 Taonul. Dear Cousin Kate, —I have not written to you for some time, but better late than never. J have just finished practising. My teacher wants me to play the organ at school for the children to sing with. Our teacher bought us a rounder ball, and we have such fun, Sometimes one of us hit It it into the hedge, and then we all have to help to find it. Our teacher comes out nearly every afternoon and plays with us, and when he goes bowler we do laugh at him. He throws the ball at you as hard as he can to get you out. After having his strike, if he can’t get a rounder, and he does not happen to be standing -at a peg when the bowler gets the ball, he stops where he is, and makes put that that’s the place where the peg ought to be. We can’t help but laugh at him. The other day I Aras talking in school, and my teacher told pie to write fifty lines at dinner-time; but I Only wrote words. One of the boys at our School fainted five or six limes yesterday, fend was very 111, One of his mates sat bn his back and he could not get his •breath properly. Can you guess these riddles: “The man who made it did not pse it, the man who bought it did not need it, the man who used it did not see it.” ♦‘What goes with a train, stops with a train, is no use to the train, yet the train can’t go without It?” All the cousins can try to guess these two Tiddies. I fell down to-night and skinned my elbow and My brother was chasing me, and I tried to dodge him. He is always chasing me; but boys are dreadful—much worse than girls.—Cousin EVA. [Dear Cousin Eva, —1 am very glad to hear from you again. I should think you would be proud to play Ihe organ. How nice of your teacher to play with you. 1 must confess I am rather fond of boys, but of course some of them are Tough, then lt’« best to leave them alone. - Cousin Kate.] * 4 * Hastings. ■Dear Cousin Kate, As my two sisters nnd brother have joined yonr wide circle. I 1 bought I would like to be one of your senior cousins fil«o. Would you mind sending me a navy blue badge? Will you put brother’s and my letter In the same envelope? I am fifteen years old. nnd have left school, aml T fim lenrning gardening. 1 will not write a long letter this time, cousin, as I do not want to take up too much spare. — Cons'n GERATD

[Dear Cousin Gerald. I am glnd ynir Lave joined our society. I think you fire the only family of five who nre nil cousins. I think It Is such n grand Idea to learn to be a gardener. Any work thnl keeps you in the open air must be good; nnd, beside*. It must be so Interesting, and so many changes. Cousin Knte.]

Dear Cottsin Kale.—l wfndd like very much to join your wide circle of costas. ] am thirteen years old, so hope you will enlist me as junior cousin. I am in the fifth standard. My brother Cecil, and my two sisters, Vera and Thelma, have joined you as cousins also. The weather heiv is very changeable, and has been raining oT and on all the week. My two brothers and piyself go down to a r’ver everyday for a swim. We have got three boats, and wo have some fine fun. —LESLIE. [Dear Cousin Leslie, —I am very pleased to enrol you as a member of our circle. 1 am wondering If you are a boy Scout, because you write about enlisting, which sounds very military. We are having line weather now. How JMly to have a river to row on and bathe in; you are well off for boats. —Cousin Kate.]