LETTERS AND REPLIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIX, Issue 16, 16 April 1913, Page 57

LETTERS AND REPLIES.

Wellington. EAR COUSIN KATE.—I thought I I \ would like to become one of your ■ cousins, and as Jean Forbes was /I / writing to you. she asked me to kZX write also. My home is m Masterton; it is a very nice place to live iu. . I have a pretty cat at home, with pink ribbon around its neck and a bell hanging on it. Tbe other day one of the sisters here gave me a beautiful baby doll and a big hat-liox full of patches aud some clothes for it. I am ten years old and am in Standard V. at school. I do not like school very much. Well, I must close now, hoping your page every success.—Cousin t ERA. (Dear Cousin Vera.—Of course lam delighted to have vou for a cousin, especially if you are sick, which 1 can only suppose vou are, as you appear to be in a hospital, but vou don’t say a word about that, so l don’t quite know what to think. —Cousin Kate.] 4- * * Lime Hills. Dear Cousin Kate, —1 would be very pleased if you would enrol me as one of your cousins. 1 am 12 years of age, and am in Standard VI. There are about 90 children attending our school. We are having some lovely weather, and I hope it wiil continue, as the mill will be at our place to thresh the oats on Tuesday. Please send me a red badge. —Cousin CHRISSY. [Dear Cousin Cbrissy,—l am very pleased to enrol you as a cousin, and shall look for some nice little letters from you, telling us some of the interesting things that happen in the country. You must tell us how the threshing got on iu your, next letter. — Cousin Kate.] + ♦ ♦ Port Molyneux (Otago). Dear Cousin Kate, —I have never written to vou before, but I would like to become a member of your happy circle. I was reading the cousins’ letters in a few of the “Graphics” that a friend gave us, and I thought 1 would like to join too. I don’t

suppose you have any cousins that live as far South as I do. I live about 55 miles south of Dunedin, South Island. Most of the cousins will likely live In the North Island, don't they? Well, I suppose I will have to tell you how old I am, as I see most of the cousins do. Well, I am nearly 17 years old, and 1 work at home. I think, by the names of the cousins that they each take their own Christian name, don’t they? Well, as I saw one cousin with my Christian name, I would like to have a separate name for myself. I would like to correspoud with some of the cousins if they are willing. If anyone cares to write to me they can address my letters to “Tnl|y>, Port Molyneux, Otago, South Island, and I think that should find me. Do none of the cousins exchange “autos” among themselves’—that is, they write on a small piece of paper their Christian name, address cousin name, birth and present date, and they send it to a cousin, and that cousin sends his or hers back in return. I write to another paper in Dunedin, and tlie little folk exchange autos among themselves. I have over 140 of them now. If a certain one wants to exchange nutos with some other certain ones, well, the one who wants to exchange just writes down their name nnd address and the names of the cousins who they want to exchange with, on a separate piece of paper, and the editor, or whoever it is. puts it in at the end or beginning of the kiddies’ letters. I will send vou my auto, just to see how we do it. As I am a new writer I will not write a long letter; but would you please send me a

blue badge. If you have any colours besides blue or red, would you mind sending me a green or a dark brown one; but if you haven’t, just send me a blue one.—Cousin ALEXANDRA.

[Dear Cousin Alexandra, —I shall be very pleased to enrol you as a senipr cousin. We r have quite a number of Southern cousins, ' but, of course, the larger number are nearer Auckland. We have not tried the autos, but lots of the cousins correspond directly with each other, which, I think, is a nice, helpful idea, so I hope some of them will write to you. Dreadful floods and storms have been happening down your way. but no lives lost, I am glad to know. Cousin Kate.] 4* 4* 4? Puketarata (Kio Kio).

Dear Cousin Kate, —It is beginning to look like rain again now. I hope it does not rain, as we have had enough lately. I went to the Ngaruawahia regatta on Monday. It was a nice day, and we had a grand time. I went down the river on a motor launch. It was so lovely and cool on the water. I was also on the merry-go-round. twice, and I took my little nephew on for a ride. We went to see the haka also, but it was over when we arrived there. We watched the war-canoe races, hurdle races, and numbers of others from the hanks of the river. It was 7 o’clock when we left there, and a-quarter to 11 when we arrived home. Do you like reading. Cousin Kate? I have read numbers of books. I like reading Ethel Turner’s books best. I think they are more for girls. Mj’ sister and I have to play a duet at our concert. We have such a lot of duets to learn yet. I will close with a riddle, "Why is an elephant like a wheelbarrow?” — Cousin JESSIE. [Dear Cousin Jessie, —Rain has been very badly needed in the North, from what we hear, and I am glad it has come; but one rfoon gets tired of rain. I am sure the Ngaruawahia Regatta must be a sight worth seeing, and lots of amusing things happen there. lam a keen reader; give me an interesting book and I am happy. Ethel

Turner’s are nice girls’ hooks. —Cousin Kate.] 4? 4* 4* Arabura Road. Dear Cousin Kate.—May I become one of your senior cousins? I was looking through the ‘"Graphic” when I noticed your name, so I thought I would write. I go to the Victoria High School in Hokitika. 1 go in by train every day. We get our Easter holidays to-morrow. I have two brothers away at camp in the Territorials just now. I have four brothers and four sisters. Me have bad very bad weather over here lately, and it is raining now. I used to write to Aunt Hilda, but I am too old now. and I resigned I got a book for being in the paper every week. It is called the

• Apple of Happiness.” There were sports on about a week ago in Hokitika, and I won the championship of the school for running. I will now close, hoping to write every week or so. —Cousin AILEEN. [Dear Cousin Aileen,—l am delighted to enrol such a promising senior cousin, and hope to get lots of nice letters from you. I notice with interest that you have brothers who are soldiers, and I do hope you girls do everything iu your power to help them; do you ever think what a lot they are doing for ns? You know in countries where military service is compulsory soldiers are held in the highest respect, and have lots of privileges that civilians have not. —Cousin Kate.] •fr Arahura. Dear Cousin Kate, —May I becom. one of your senior cousins? I go to the Arahura State School, and am in the seventh standard. There are two teachers and about sixty pupils. I have a cockatoo, but be does not talk, but he whistles very prettily. He is of a whitish colour. 1 nlso have a lovely big jet black cat: he is about ten years old. There is a dairy factory about a mile and a-half from where I live, and nearly all the people around the surrounding district are farmers, and they send their milk to it. I must now close, hoping to write every week or so.—Cousin EVA. [Dear Cousin Eva, —New cousins arc always welcome; you hnve just reached the senior age. Cockatoos are such quaint birds. I think they look so wise aud reserved, as though thev knew such a lot, but won’t tell. Some of them are clever talkers; perhaps yours is only lazy. The dry weather has affected ns even here, for cream is quite impossible to get iu any quantity iu Auckland, a most unusual thing.—Cousin Kate.]