A PAGE for LITTLE PEOPLE

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLVIII, Issue 46, 22 November 1923, Page 39

A PAGE for LITTLE PEOPLE

BY

Dear Little People, '- If this lovely weather continues it will be quite safe for us to travel in our summer frocks and suits, and a good thing too, . for they take up much less room in the car, than our big top-coats do. What a lot of places we're finding out about, and everyone is so good to us. Now Then where is Palmerston North? We're going to call on Zoe Howarth there, you remember Zoe don't you? Her picture was on our page a little while ago? They're working up a bazaar in Palmerston North, wouldn't our luck be in if we got there just in time for it? On to Pahautanui, which is not so very far from the last plaee, to meet Pat and Veronica Abbott. These Little People play basket-ball and they have a pup called Wag. Perhaps they'll join us and bring Wag"along too. Pahia is next and here we meet the Murphy 'twins, Maggie and Mary. They tell me they live by the sea, so, if it's a fine day we'll have a swim and catch some fish. Maggie and Mary have two kittens called Bossie and Smoke, which catch all the rats in the place. On to Ranfitrly and Muriel Rosaleen Dowling who lives there. I am sure you will be surprised to/hear from us Muriel, you have had such a long wait. When you wrote it was snowing—that was long ago. The answer to my riddle is 5 sheep. Look, you remember, "Three and two, how many's that?" Roxburgh is next and here we will call on Jack Richard Waigth who has a little brother Arthur. Jack wants to know if I like Arthur for a name, and indeed I do. Springfield where we stop to pick up Kathleen Griffen who wants to become one of our friends. Glad to get your nicely written letter Kathleen, come along with us so that we can get to know each other. Where is St. Andrews, surely we don't have to go right away to Scotland to find Margaret O'Loughlin and Teresa Lysaght ? No, I'm sure it must be somewhere in New Zeaalnd. Have you had your Exam, yet Margaret, and you Teresa, did you have a happy feast for your dear parents' silver jubilee. Although we're a bit late, Anne and the Little People, offer them our good wishes. Perhaps some of us know your riddle Teresa: "What needs a lot of answering but never as a question?" . Seaward Bush is next, and here we must find Margaret Armstrong who tells me she has no brothers or sisters to play with. We will have to adopt Margaret, for the day anyway. On to Studholme Junction to see Zetland Mary Foley, a wee girl of 7$ years. Zetland tells me she has five miles to go to school and that her three brothers are in the Marists' football team. Then on to Temu-ha to meet Kathleen and Maureen Healy, also their sister Patricia and brothers Jerome and Maurice. We must try to get there on Saturday or Sunday, because these Little People are working hard so as not to miss a single day at school, and it would be a great temptation for them to stay away if we were in the neighborhood, don't you think? Up to Te EaraJca, Qijborne, where Eileen Doyle lives. Yes, Eileen, you are our first friend up there, and we are pleased to hear about your lambs. Oh dear, I forgot you. hadn't read the letter yourselves. Eileen tells me she has two pet lambs -which are grown up now and have little lambs of their own*. On to Tolago Bay, Gisborne, to meet Annie Mullany who wrote me such a long letter. Annie lives on a farm where there are lots of sheep and she tells me how busy they are at shearing time when the Maories do the shearing by machine. Annie's mother is dead, but she has a sister

Katie and two brothers, Luke and James. Last Christmas they all went on a motor tour right down to Dunedin. Now, .we will just go over the same roads they went over until we come to Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Wellington is such a busy place, and the people live such a long way out sometimes, that I think we may have some trouble in finding our many friends there. So, we’ll just call on Leo Connor first, and I’m sure he’ll take us just everywhere we want to go. Hop up on the front seat beside the driver, Leo, and bring your Sydney Silky “Tuppy” along too, but promise that you will never, never, never write in pencil again. We must hunt up Marie Harriss, who lives in Goring Street, and as she calls her city “Windy Wellington,” , we’d better hold on to our hats as we go round the corners. Next is Clare Sullivan who lives in Austin Street. Clare has written’ two or three times, so she is quite an old friend. Then on to Moles- ■ worth Street, to see Veronica Kane who goes to the convent school. Veronica has no brothers or sisters, so she’ll be glad to see us coming. Then we must find Kathleen and \ incent Callaghan who live at Northland, still somewhere in Wellington. These Little People have not been very long in Wellington, they are from Napier. Kathleen tells me she has a sister in the Mission Convent in Christchurch and a brother studying to be a priest at Greenmeadows. Vincent tells me he is at St. Patrick’s College and that he likes it, but likes Napier better than Wellington. The last call will be at Island Bay, right at the other side of the city, where little Jack Rodgers lives. Jack tells me he likes birthdays, so, I think we’ll give him a day out with us. First, we’ll go to the beach at Island Bay and have all sorts of lovely fun. Then we’ll come back a good bit of the way and pay a visit to the Zoo at Newtown Park. That’s the place to see some interesting sights: Lions and lionesses and baby lions, tigers, bears, monkeys of every kind, bears, reindeer and other deer, fishes, birds. Dear me! I can’t tell you all the creatures we’ll see, and we’ll bring biscuits to feed them with. There’s a Kiosk for afternoon tea, but we’ll never fit into it, so, we’ll ask the good lady to let us have our tea up with the monkeys, for a change. But we musn’t sit, too close to the fence or they’ll steal even the very bit- we’re going to eat, they’re so cheeky. Jack knows some riddles too: “What part of fish weighs most?” “What is it we often return but never borrow?” Off again, on to Waimatuku where Annie and Eileen Thornton live. These children tell me a lot about their little twin brothers Francis and William. Won’t we have a good time there playing with Mary, Eva, Kathleen, Patrick, and Jane besides our two friends and the twins? Weymouth is next, and here we call on a very young Little Person, Maureen McGreal and her brothers Trevor, and Raymond. Maureen is only 5 years old, so we’ll forgive Her this time for writing in pencil. All these little friends drive into Otahuhu for Mass on Sundays. Raymond has written too and he tells me they had eight weeks’ holiday because their teacher had the ’flu. . ; - . d> ; That finishes our Trip for the present dear Little People, and I do hope you have enjoyed it. - If- you want I . o come for another one just go on writing to me. ''We should be able to manage another Trip before Christmas. e car will take you all back to your homes, so, just drop off at your own towns, and whoever is last will have * to put the car safely into the, garage, see that everything is right, and come up to my place for tea.— Anne. > !