LETTERS and REPLIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIX, Issue 4, 22 January 1913, Page 57

LETTERS and REPLIES.

Mount Eden. <C\ EAR COUSIN KATE,—I -would like i 1 B Ter F much to become one of your 1 J cousins. I am ten years of age. I (kJ go to King’s College, and am in Standard 2. I have two sisters, one seven and one four, and lots of pigeons and a bantam ben and rooster and a lot of ichicks. I also have a tortoise. It came £rom England a few months ago. I am {going to Rotorua for my holidays, and I hope to have a good time, as I have never Jjeqn there before.—Cousin FRANK. '[Dear Cousin Frank, —I shall be very pleased to add your name to our long list Of cousins, but you have forgotten to send your full name and address, and until you do. so I can’t send you a badge. I am glad to see that you number your sisters among your pets.—-Cousin Kate.] 4* 4* 4* Kai miro. Dear Cousin Kate, —Just a few lines to let you know how we are getting on. We are all quite well at present, and I hope you are the same. I have been sick for a few days, but I am better now. 1 missed two days at school last week. There is to ibe some Maori sports in New Plymouth tomorrow, and my mother and sister .are going. • Our little baby brother ran walk and talk a little, too; he is only one year old. AVould you like to come and live just on the slopes of Mount Esmont, where you can see everybody that goes tip there? We live on the main road to the mountain gate. I iwerit up the mountain last Sunday, and I got some lovely mountain violets. If you ever go up the mountain you will see our house, because it is the third house on the Heft hand side from the Post Office. It is lather a big house. We are having lovely fine weather up here now, and I hope you are having the same. We have got four dear little black and white kittens. Do you love kittens? I do.- Cousin EILEEN. [Dear Cousin Eileen, —-Many thanks for your very nice letter and the pretty card you sent'me. Nothing I should like better jlhan to spend a holiday on Mount Egmont. About six years ago I climbed right up to thp top from the Dawson Falls side, and loved every moment of the time. I think dt is a glorious mountain, and the bush on the lower slopes is very beautiful. 1 love kittens, and wish they did not grow into urats.—Cousin Kate.] i * i •a* KIo KIo. Dear Cousin Kate, —We are having our holidays now. 1 do not like holidays very much. We have been harvesting for four and a-half days now. and are not finished yet. To-day when they had about eight loads to take in, it rained. We had a very large crop of hay. The paddock consisted of seventeen acres of thick hay. We go back to school on the 3rd February. I will be in (Standard (> -when I go bark to wffiool. I think Standard 0 is the hardest standard jo pass. Do you like music? I do when someone else is playing, but do not like practising myself. We are having very wet •weather for the New Year. It will spoil nil the flports. We did not go to the Kihlkihi sports to-day because we are harvesting.—Cousin PHOEBE.

YDear Cousin Phoebe,—l suppose you can Ret too much of even a good thing, but I always think haymaking is great fun. We Jhwd Morions weather till New Year’s Day, hud then the rain came, and it has been •bowery ever since. Don’t be a •illy girl,

but practise. You are sure to be sorry •later on when you can’t play well. I wish I had.—Cousin Kate.] 4* dr 4* Wanganui. Dear Cousin Kate, —I would very much like to join all the cousinfl. I am ten years of age, and my birthday is on 31st of October. Mother and father went to Auckland to-day. They are then coining home and going to Blenheim. My little friend Paul has had the chickenpock very badly. He is going away with my mother and father. I am in the fourth standard at school; the school is a district high school. I have a little brother named Allen, who is going to write to you shortly. We have had very hot weather here, but most of our time is spent playing iu the summerhouse. I have been in the hospital with scarlet fever for a very long time, and have just come out. I hope I am not putting you to any trouble by asking you for a badge, please. I am going for a long picnic next Wednesday. I forgot to tell you what colour I would like —a pale .pink or blue.—Cousin PHYLLIS. fDear Cousin Phyllis,—l am very pleased to enrol you as a cousin. We are a large, happy family, and always pleased to welcome new cousins. I shall be very pleased to hear “from your brother. How did you like being, in a hospital? I expect you got very home and mother sick. I am glad you are better. Please only -write on one side of t'he paper.—-Cousin Kate.] 4* 4* 4* Harapepe (RaglariJ. Dear Cousin Kate, —I suppose you think I am getting slow at writing, but I have been into Frankton for a week’s holiday, so I did not write last week. Well, it is Christmas Eve, and I am going to hang up my stocking to-night. We are not going anywhere to-night, for we live too far away from town. I am going to have a good time these holidays. Our school shut for the Xmas holidays last Tuesday. Wishing you the compliments of the season.—* Cousin GEORGE. [Dear Cousin George,—l think you are a very good cousin, you write so often. I don’t expect letters in the holidays, but am very pleased if they come. I hope you found your stocking nice and full with the things you wanted most. —Cousin Kate.] 4» 4* 4? Nikau. Dear Cousin Kate, —You will, I am sure, think me a very neglectful cousin. I will tell you about fescue. Fescue is a grass something like oats. We have about 20 acres of it. It grows in bunches around and in rushes. You can’t see a cow in it unless on horseback, and even when I am on Dolly (the horse) it is over the saddle, so when it is raining it wets you through nicely. It is impossible to walk through it on a wet day. I am sending you a stem of it. It is terrible grass in some ways. For instance, we have a cow lame with it now. It gets in between their cloven hoofs, and causes the hoof to swell to the size of a goose egg. Then the cow can’t possibly go about and get its food. It then goes dark, and it is so painful then to see the cow limping on three feet. They get so thin; some die. But the cows like it very much. I went to my aunt’s on Xmas day. and my pup came with me. As I was turning Dolly she trod on the pup’s leg and broke it, so I put him on her-neck in front of me, and Doll started darting from side to side. What was I to do? The pup could not walk through the fescue. So I let her shy till we came to the creek, and Doll gave one bound and

over. The pup started sermubliug down, and away went Doll. I had to let the pup down, or I don’t like to think what might have happened. Theu when 1 got home I went back for the pup. He Is nearly better now, and he is a very good cattle dog. My brother Is removing the windmill, ami it is so awkward. I have a calf to look after now, and when it follows me its mother gets jealous and bellows like anything. We also have a heifer which wouldn't take any notice whatever of its own calf, but when it saw any of us in the paddock or anywhere it bellowed and rushed tip to us then licked our hands. I think she reckoned we were her calf. She lit such a nice thing, and simply hates dogs. Opce she bailed Caddie up, and mind you Laddie was chained to Ids kennel. She bailed him against the kennel and started to horn him. She was simply mad. We had to clear out of her road. She saw my brother, and rushed to him and licked his hand. The dog never had a scratch on him. She couldn’t get her horns low enough or lie would have been ripped to pieces. Well, dear cousin. I suppose I am tiring you with the happenings on a farm. I will conclude, wishing you a Happy New Year- —Cousin LENA,.

[Dear Cousin Lena, —Far from tiring me, I enjoyed your letter very much. There always seems such lots of tilings happening on a farm. You had indeed a busy time getting the pup home. I am glad he is getting well. You must be a good rider to have stuck on so well. What wonderful grass fescue must be. but rather sad for the cows when it hurts them.—Cousin Kate.]

To Kalla, fefljr or Plenty. Dear Cousin Kate, —Our school holidays began on Friday. The weather is very hot here just now. I went to a Mauri wedding last week, and it was very enjoyable, kly mother has twelve turkeys a fortnight old They are pretty little things. Soinetimes they get lost in the grass, and I have to look for them. 1 must stop now, wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.—Cousin ISIK. (Dear Cousin Isie,--We have had Rome lovely hot weather, but now it is ruining again, which does not matter so much now that the holidays are over. I have never seen a Maori wedding, but I suppose, if they are civilised, the ceremony will be the same as ours. I hope you enjoy your holj days.—Cousin Kate.] 4* 4* 4* Hamilton E. Dear Cousin Kate, —Please may I become one of your many cousins. I have two petfl. a canary and a horse. Our pony got away this morning. I am eight years old. anil will be In Standard 111. when I go back to schooL I have one sister, and she is writ ing to you. My father has put the tent up, and we play house in it. We have six weeks for our holidays, but some schools have seven weeks. I have two dolls, and one of them is a baby doll. I’lease will 3’ou send mo a blue badge. I must not for get to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.—Cousin VEDA. [Dear Cousin Veda, —I shall be very pleased to accept you as a cousin, and when you send me your full name and address I will send you a badge.—Cousin Kate.]