Dot's Little Folk

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23916, 18 September 1939, Page 13

Dot's Little Folk

THE WEEK’S POEM The poem 1 have chosen for you this week, children, is one by W. H. Davies, describing the freshness and beauty of the early morning. I hope you will like it- _ m DOT. EARLY MORN When I did wake this morn from sleep. It seemed I heard birds in a dream: Then I arose to take the air— The lovely air that made birds scream: Just as a green hill launched the ship Of gold, to take its first clear dip. And it began its journey then, As I came forth to take the air: The timid stars had vanished quite, The moon was dying with a stare; Horses, and kine. and sheep were seen As still as pictures, in fields green. It seemed as though I had surprised And trespassed In a golden world That should have passed while men still slept! The joyful birds, the ship of gold. The horses, kine and sheep did seem As they would vanish for a dream. —W. Zl. Davies.

TO ALL Dear Little Folk,—A great many of you have pets, and I am sure that you are very fond of them, but perhaps you may not always know exactly the best way to treat them, so I think you will find the following; rules, which I read in a magazine recently, useful:— » i(a) Provide good shelter with a plentiful! supply of clean water and clean bedding. (b) Institute regular and suitable feedln?c) Visit them regularly—they like petting and friendliness. (d) Go on looking after them. The writer goes on to say that each kind of animal has its natural food, and some take more readily to unusual food than others if their natural food cannot be had, but certain things are needed by every pet, and one of the most important of these is clean water; another is regular feeding with the proper kind of food, but not too much of it. I think this latter point is one that should be emphasised, for many a pet has been killed by being allowed to eat too much of a food that is not good for it, for animals,' like children, and grown-ups too. like many things that they would be better without. Then, not only should cages, hutches* and other shelters be kept clean and food given regularly, but peiis should be visited regularly too. You all know how a dog will mope when his master is away, and how a cat likes to be in a room with people, anti it has been found that all animals, even wild ones, like companionship. If you keep an animal in captivity you must remember that you separate him from his natural companions, so you must try and make up for this by spending some time each day with him and showing your affection lor him. Your loving m DOT. LETTERS FROM LITTLE FOLK Motto: We write for the benefit of others, not for ourselves.

FIRST LETTERS Dear Dot.—May I Join your happy band «f Little Folk? I am 10 years of age, and I am in Standard 111 at school. I have a black cat called Darkle; which is four yeani of age. I went up to Middlemarch for my term holidays and had a .very good time. I have a brother and sister whose names are Gordon and ■ Margaret. We have three birds, and one whistles all (Jay. As this is my first letter. I shall close. ISARLY BIRD (Dunedin). [You are'welcome to Join, Early Bird, and I hope you will write again and tell me more about yourself. Have you any hobbles?—DOT.l * ¥ * Dear Dot.—Please may I join your happy band of Little Folk? I am 10 years old, and 1 am in Standard 111 at school. I have a kitten whose name is Brlghteyes, because its eyes are so bright, and it is always ready for fun. One day It took my skipping rope and ran under the house with it, but. as the rope is fairly long. I was able to get it out. As this is my first letter, I shall close now. with heaps of love to all the Little Folk and, your own dear self. MERRY MARGARET (Dunedin). [I am pleased to have you join, Merry Margaret. You and your kitten will have great fun together, but you will have to keep your possessions where it cannot get them.—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—Please may I join your happy band of Little Folk? I am nine years old, and I am in Standard 11. I go to the Port Chalmers School, which is a mile from home. We live on a hill, and can see the ships coming up the harbour. We have two cows, two dogs, nine hens, and a cat. We call hlrn Peter As this Is my first letter, X shall close, with love to you and your happy band BED PRIMROSE (Port Chalmers), [Of course you may join, Red Primrose. How interesting It must be to watch the ships going up the harbour! I expect you know the names of a good many of them. Vou have quite a number of animals, and I shall be glad to hear more about them.—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—l hope you will be able to find, a tiny corner among your happy band for another Little Folk. I am nine years old. and In Standard II at school. I like my teacher very much. We have two cats, whose names are Tom and Bright Eyes. The spring flowers are beginning to come out in our garden. I must close now, as It Is time for bed Love to all the Little Folk. THE LONE RANGER (Dunedin),

[I am pleased to make room for you, The Lone Ranger. Write soon again and tell me about those two cats of yours —DOT.I

Dear Dot,—l wish to be a member of your happy family. I am nine years of age, and In Standard II at school. 1 have a pet lamb called Maty. It is two days old. We have lots of twin lambs As this Is my first letter, I shall close, with lots of love to you and your happy family. RIVER-LEA (Paretal) [You are welcome to join us. River-Lea. I should like to hear how your pet lamb is getting on;—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—Could 1 please be a member of your happy band? I am in Standard IV. and I have one and a-half miles to walk to school I spent my last holidays at Naseby.' I learned to skate when I was up there. The ice was a foot deep. I had lots of fun sledging with my three cousins. As this Is all I have to tell you. I shall close with kindest regards to vou all. RIVER QUEEN (Paretai)

[Of course you many Join, River Queen. What a ' spiencnd nouday you must have had at Naseby!—DOT.] ¥ ¥ r Dear Dot,—May I Join your happy band of Little Folk? It is snowing lightly tonight, but it Is not lying on the ground

—JL. if- A Inaugurated ciulu 16,1886,

u by th.e OTAGO WITNESS

HOT Invites letters of not more than 300 words In length from her yomig friends throughout the Dominion on any matters in which they are Interested. Now members must enclose their name and address. These will not bo published, and are for registration purposes only. Mttle Folk should write on one side of the paper only, and tn Ink, and should address their letters " Dot, care of Editor, Otago Dally Times." Every letter must stale the age of the writer for Dot’s private Information The retiring age Is 21. after which Little Folk become Old Writers. Dot’s Little Folk’s Badge, with pin, for use as a brooch, ts obtainable on application to Dot. Price 2s Bd, In stamps or postal notea. '

We have nine hens, and we get eight eggs a day. I am In Primer II at school, and I like school very much. I nave one sister, but no brothers. Golden Sheila, Easter Egg, and Shirley Temple live close to us, and we often play together. As this is my first letter, I shall not make it too long. Love to all the Little Folk and yourself. FUNZ A POPPIN (Lawrence) [Welcome to the page, Funz a Poppin. 1 am glad you have followed the example of the Little Folk you mention and become one of our band. Your hens must be very good layers.—DOT.! BEST LETTERS JUNIOR SECTION (14 years and unden Dear Dot,—l had nearly forgotten all about Dot’s Little Folk until I was asked on Sunday night how 1 was getting on with my letter-writing. I replied that I bad not written for a long time, and 1 thought that as 1 had the time I would spend It writing to you. I have Joined another club, and It is called Busy Bees It Is for girls and boys. We meet at 2 o’clock every Monday fortnight. I won a beautiful big prize for church attendance at Columba this year. It is called ‘ The Girl of the Northland.” Wc are having holidays just now, and I wish they would never end. as I am enjoying them very much. Now that the tennis season has commenced, I am playing tennis all day long. We have a court opposite our place. We are having splendid weather for our holidays. To-day we went for a bicycle ride out to Malieno, and what fun we had on our way! When we reached there wc sat down and began our lunch. Then we went and took photos of the Maheno Monument, and got a lovely one of it. We also took a photo of Totara Monument. It was a beautiful day when we started out about 9.30, but on our way back we had a strong wind coming against us, and it was hard work climbing the hills. We stopped every little while and sat down and rested. After our last stop we took a road that led to a stream, and there we had a drink—which we were glad of. We cycled 18 miles all together, and 1 suppose my legs will be tired to-morrow. We have six canaries and four budgies. One Christmas morning my cousin came up for her holidays, and she brought a cat up with her. which, she said, had followed her. It is white all over, and we call it Snowball. FLORADA (Oamaru).

[You have evidently enjoyed the holidays very much, Florada, but I think you woula find that if they did not come to an end you would get very tired of them. You have forgotten to state your age, and you have also exceeded the word limit, so I have had to curtail your letter.—DOT.] ¥ * V Dear Dot,—lt is a long time since 1 wrote to you. I go to the Gore School now, and I like it very much. I have a man teacher. I am busy knitting a striped jumper for one of my dolls. I have , Just finished a white jumper decorated with bright red. We have one little lamb. Dad just told me about it this morning. We are listening to the community sing just now. I shall close now, with greetings to Sunbeam Flower LITTLE BO PEEP (Clinton).

[I am glad you like your new school. Little Bo Peep. You must have clever fingers to be able to knit jumpers for vour dolls. I expect you will be soon making one for yourself.—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—This week 1 am going to tell you something about my pet cat. Tommy. Tommy was born in 1930. He was given to me on my second birth-

day by 'a friend. His colour was black and white. He was just like Mary’s little lamb, because everywhere that I went he went. When I started school it was hard to keep him from going too. In fact, one morning he was halfway to school tirtth me before I noticed him Often he came home with an unfortunate rabbit who had been his prey. Two or three times he had been caught in rabbit traps, but usually had been rescued with only a scratch on his paw. One day after a hunting expedition he did not return as he usually did. That night I had a good look for him, but without avail. For two days 1 hunted high and low for him. but I could not find any trace of him. Then one clay, when I was up the hill, I looked over to the hedge, from which Tommy was emerging. I ran over to him, picked him up and ran home with him in my arms. Later on I saw that he had a sore ear. After several weeks he did not get better, so my uncle was forced to drown him. I was very sorry to lose Tommy. Kind regards to all. BLACK WATCH’S SON (Otokla)

(Tommy must have been very devoted to you, Black Watch’s Son, and I can understand how sorry you would be when he had to be destroyed. You would fee that you had lost a faithful friend. You have written a very good letter.—DOT. I

Dear Dot.—Once again 1 lift my pen to write to you. I have a black cat, whose mime is Tim. He is very good at catching mice, and can spring very far. He loves to ride in the car with dad. Tim also loves to sit by the fire. There Is no chance of reading when he is about, as he climbs all over one. He also loves to lie in the sunshine and sleep. Well. Dot. I must close, with love t 0 al, ‘ BLUE GLADIOLI (Cromwell).

(Tim must be a clever cat, Blue Gladioli, and you will be very fond of him. —DOT.I

Dear Dot.—This time 1 am going to tell you about Shirley. She is just on five months old. She has bright blue eyes and dark brown hair. She Is a good girl I shall close now. Love from QUEEN OF THE VALLEY (Benhar)

[Shlrlev must be a darling. Queen of the Valley, and you will be very proud of her.—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—ln my last letter 1 said 1 would tell you more about the picture •• Sixty Glorious Years.” It also showed us the death of General Gordon ’ at Khartoum While General Gordon

was talking with his officers the Arabs were drawing closer. VVhcn the officers left, the Arabs had killed the guard at the gate and were storming the General’s quarters. General Gordon went out, and, as he stepped down from the veranda, nc was shot by the leader of the Arabs. A few years later Lord Kitchener subdued the troublesome tribes. In other scenes the Royal Family was shown at Balmoral Castle. This beautiful castle, set in spacious grounds it) the wide Bee Valley, is still used by our King and Queen during their holidays. We also saw the death of Prince Albert, the gay Jubilee of Queen Victoria, and her death. The boys and girls who saw this picture would remember their history. BLUE-EYED BOOKWORM (Kelso) [After seeing this picture, Blue-eyed Bookworm, you will take a keener interest In the historical events it depicted. —DOT.I

Dear Dot,—Do you ever listen to ” Dad and Dave ” on Friday night, ” Mittens ” on Wednesday night, and The Fourth Form at St. Percy’s ” ? 1 was wondering if you have read the book called “ The Grateful Animals,” because f have read It three times. The boys have a football at school now, and they have goal posts too. We have a basketball, but it has to get a new bladder. Our little brother Is getting very big now. He is 1311 b, and is three months and two weeks old. That was his weight about one month ago. so he will be some pounds heavier now. We are having a picnic at the school for Arbor Day on Friday. The boys made 51 holes for the trees to-day, and flic girls were cleaning up the gardens. I shall close, with love to vou and all the Little Folk. POLLY DORA (Queensberry)

[I have listened occasionally to the serials you mention. Polly Dora, but I have not read " The Grateful Animals, and shall bo glad to hear about it. Your little brother must be doing very well. I hope you had a good day for the picnic and the tree-planting—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—This time . am going to tell you about myself. I wear hornrimmed glasses, and am nearly always dressed in navy blue. I go to Sunday School every Sunday, and I am in the choir at church I play basketball at school. We play it at drill time instead of having drill. I milk a cow every night after T come home from school. I fell over at school to-day and hurt my knee. We have got five teachers at our school, and there are about 130 pupils. GOLDEN SUNSET (Lawrence)

[Your time seems to be fully occupied, Golden Sunset, but it is a very good thing to have outside interests. I hope you did not hurt your knee very badly.—DOT.]

Dear Dot, —How are you and the Little Folk? I am going to fell you about my pet lamb and puppy. One night when I got inside dad told me to go to the shed to get his boots. When I got there I could not see his bools. All I could see was a black thing in a corner, and when I looked properly I saw a little black lamb. Its mother had twins, and they were both black. When I feed the lamb puppy always comes, and if there is any milk left in the bottle he has It. It Is funnv to see the little dog sucking at the bottle. The cat and the puppy are great friends too. They both sleep curled up together, and sometimes the pup pulls the cat around by its fur. and it never scratches, so It must like it. Well. Dot, I must close now, with love to you and all the Little Folk. BETTY JOE (Shannon. N. 1.).

[You would be surprised. Betty Joe, when you • saw the black lamb in the shed, but you would be pleased to have it for a pet. Your cat must be very good-natured, and it is nice that it and the puppy are so friendly.—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—l am going to tell you about our school holidays. On Friday night we went up to Balclutha to meet our grandad, who was coming down ;for a holiday. Shirley had a sore arm, and my grandad said that mother should take her to the doctor. She went into the doctor’s house, and he said it had to be X-rayed. We never went away for. our holidays. Every day we played and went walks with our grandad. Bluey, our cat, .scratches Mick on the nose, and he yelps. Well, I must close now, with love to all the Little Folk and your own dear self. SILVER EKA (Kaka Point). - [You could not have a better place for a holiday than the one in which you live, Silver Eka, and you would enjoy going walks with your grandfather. I hope Shirley's arm is better.—DOT.]

Dear Dot,—Once again I lift my pen to write. On August 29 I went to a

friend’s birthday party. There were 12 guests, and we had a very enjoyable time. There were races, basketball, and other exciting games, I arrived home tired but happy. After school to-night I took ray baby brother for a ride on the tricycle. He enjoyed it very much, and cried' when I brought him home. Just now I am sitting over a blazing fire. Well, Dot, I must close. Kind regards from WILLOW BLOSSOM'S SISTER (Oainaru). [1 am glad you had such a good time at the party, Willow Blossom’s Sister. Your baby brother will enjoy riding on the tricycle, but you will have to be careful that he does not fall off.—DOT.)

Dear Dot.— SPRING Spring is here, and the birds sing happily in the tall trees. Spring is here, and the plum trees are out in blossom. Spring is here, and the mocking bird sings his sweetest tune. Spring is here, and the little lambs frisk and gallop about the fields. Spring is here, and the primroses, crocuses, daffodils, and all the spring flowers come out in bloom. I shall close, with love to all the Little Folk and your own dear self. NEMESIA (Otago).

(Thank you for the poem, Nemesia. It gives a very good picture of spring. Do you ever write poetry that rhymes?— DOT.]

Dear Dot,—Since 1 wrote last to you the weather has been very unpleasant, and now it is raining heavily. To-day is grandmother's birthday, and Robin. Peter, Archie, and Tommy took her presents of all sorts. Archie came down with a lucky horseshoe with flowers on it, and Robin gave her a wheel off a toy motor car carefully wrapped up in paper. After

granny thanked and kissed him, he put the wheel in his pocket and took it home again. Peter wanted to know if granny’s birthday started at dinner time. Tommy said it started at teatime, and Archie said it started when the cakes were on the table. Robin arrived for tire party with his mother's best hat and veil on all complete, Peter had a rubber wader on one foot, while the other was bare. This war is terrible, Dot. We are fortunate that our forefathers came out to the colonies 100 years ago away from European countries. Grandad says he cannot make out how they can hurl themselves into the hardships, horror, filth, torture, and brutality that are attached to war. 1 shall close, and let us hope and pray for the best. HARRY FARRAR’S GIRL (Maidstone, Victoria).

[The children and their presents must have caused a great deal of amusement at the party, Harry Farrar’s Girl, and I am sure your grandmother just loved having you all. We are indeed fortunate that we live in countries so far away from the seat of this terrible war.—DOT.]

Dear Dot, —I promised to tell you about our little dog Fido. She is a purebred spaniel, just a tiny thing with a bob tail and black all over, except for a white spot on tlie front of her neck. When dad’s friend gave her to us he said she would not be useful for any sort of work, but would be a pet for the children. Well, to our surprise, she has caught a few rabbits while running around with us on the hills. The rabbits are as big as herself, and how pleased site is to be so clever after being called useless! She came from Dunedin not long ago. We hope she will like the country always. We are busy with the digging of our gardens at home just now. I shall close now, with love to all the Little Folk and your own dear self. A QUEENSBERRY LASS (Queensberry).

(Living in the country is evidently bringing out the hunting instinct in Fido, A Queensberry Lass, and I am sure she will be very happy with you. Dogs like the open country where they have plenty of room to run about. —DOT.] * *

Dear Dot,—We had a nice teacher, but she went away at the end of the term, and when we went back to school we found another one who is nice too. In the holidays I went to a fancy dress ball. I dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. Two of my friends were Two Little Girls in Blue, and we sang the song while they danced. We had a nice supper and good music. I went to see “ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ” the last day of the holidays. It was a nice picture. I shall close now, with love to all the Little Folk and yourself. POPPY-PANSY (Balclutha).

[lt must have been a lovely party, Poppy-Pansy, and I am sure you looked nice as Little Red Riding Hood.—DOT.l

Dear Dot, —Now lessons have begun there is not much time for long letters to you. I am holding my pen in my hand not knowing what to write about. I never do know till the pen touches the paper. It is amusing to me to see people write down a sentence, then stop to think out the next one, and then write it down. I do not think an essay or a story is worth writing if one has to stop at every sentence or two. I certainly couldn't write essays like that. I like essay writing, but at school the others groan about essays, and when they are handed in there is a sigh of relief, and the authors are sure they will get “ 10 out of 20.” Well, Dot, as I have an essay to write, I shall close now. LITTLE GIRL BLUE (Balclutha). (It is not everyone, Little Girl Blue, who can sit down and write an essay or story straight off without giving it much thought, and you are fortunate if you can do this.—DOT.]

Dear Dot.—Since I last wrote to the page I have been away for a holiday, and I am going to tell you about it. One Wednesday my mother, my sister Marlon and I left Houipapa by the last train for Dunedin. When we arrived at Balclutha it was about 3.30. We went along to the nearest tea rooms and had a cup of tea. After a while we went back to the station and waited for the express When we arrived at Dunedin it was dark. Next morning ‘ I took Marlon for a walk, and In the afternoon we went to see the shops. On the Friday morning we left by bus for Ettrick. I liked up there best, because there was plenty of room to play. Every morning I had to take Marion out in her pram. On the Saturday we went to a meeting of the Women’s Division. The next Monday we went out visiting. We saw a grader which divided the smaller apples from the bigger ones, and then we went

to see the orchard. After that we were shown a tractor with another machine joined on to it which worked up the ground and then all that was needed was to sow the seed. On the Thursday following we returned to Dunedin, and on the Saturday we came back to our own old farm. I shall close, with kindest regards to Queenie’s Mistress and the rest of the Little Folk, including yourself. TOMBOY DOROTHY (Gatlins). (1 am glad you had such a good holiday, Tomboy Dorothy. How did your pets get on while you were away? I am sure they would miss you.—DOT.]

BEST LETTERS SENIOR SECTION (14 and under 21 years) Dear Dot,—As soon as we arrive home we are very anxious to have our meal, for it Is the first we have had in our new home. The next day, while we girls help our mother, father takes the boys and goes to commence to dig a patch of ground at the back of the house where we intend to grow vegetables. We are very pleased with the new country, for our first months there we have almost continuous sunshine. Each month more new arrivals come to tire small places near us, and. to our joy. we know the people who settle next to us. They were our best friends in the old home. To the disappointment of us children we have to go to school for we had hoped to miss this. Off we go feeling very strange, for we consider we do not need any schooling in the new land. We do not know any of the children in this school, but in. a short time we have many friends When our furniture arrives things are better, for then it is not necessary to have stone seats, while proper beds are more comfortable than hay and straw. Soon after comes the gold rush, and more people come in a week than came before in three months. Our father decides to go and try his luck, and in a week we set off for Central Otago in company with many others. FLOWER OF ROSLYN (Falrlie) fYou are getting on very well with your story. Flower of Roslyn. and the next instalment dealing with the adventures of your family of pioneers during the gold rush should be particularly interesting.—DOT.]

Dear Dot, —My attention was so taken with all these fascinating canine creatures that, although the noise I mentioned before was just as loud as ever, I was little more than aware of it except when trying to speak to anyone. Strange to

say, though, I think the biggest noise came from the smaller dogs—from the sporting ones on—but most of them seemed to be quiet when they were taken notice of. However, to proceed with the story. The terriers came next, and there was quite a number of them. There was that comical little black fellow with a tartan collar and a name such as " Glendhu Murray McTavish ” (plainly, the Scottish terrier), and then “Paddy,” the quaint, knowing little old fellow who looks at you so sincerely and nods his head. Next (in small cages up on a stand), a group of well fluffed-up Pomeranians proudly presented themselves. They seemed to delight in exercising their voices as well, and different from most of the others, the more notice you took of them the noisier they tried to be. The gentle little Pekinese lying peacefully in their cosy cages with blankets and cushions attracted a great deal of attention and seemed to be the pets of the show, I had my camera with me. and would have liked very much to “ snap ” many of the different dogs. I believe some of them would have almost understood that they were being photographed, but the light in the building was rather poor for taking snapshots, and, besides, one film, or. at least, the remainder of one, would not have gone very far. Last, but not least, was a pretty brown pup which was being rattled. I was tempted to take a ticket, but my brother, who had come from school to the show, quietly reminded mo that we had quite enough dogs at home already, so we bade farewell to our “ doggie ’’ friends and hurried to catch the train. ALLY ELOPER’S NIECE (Kapuka) [Your letter describing your visit to the dog show, Ally Sloper’s Niece, have been most interesting, and I am sorry that they have now come to a conclusion. You certainly made good use of the the opportunity to study the different kinds of dogs, and I have to thank you for giving such a full account of all that you saw. Thank you also for your private letter and enclosure, which I have passed on to the D.L.F Social Club.—DOT.l

Dear Dot, —1 have not written to your page for a very long time, but, nevertheless. I have always been interested in it. I shall tell you about my flower garden. At the end of last season my friend and I collected all the seeds we possibly could. This resulted in our having 20 different kinds of flower seeds to sow this year. As I am just an amateur gardener, last year I only had different plots, but this year, with the help of my eldest brother, I have changed the plan completely and permanently. New paths have been made and marked out with stones, and my garden looks more as if it belonged to the place. At the present I have pansies, primroses, a;.d an occasional carnation. I often wonder ,/hy I am so interested in gardening. for I am sure it means quite a lot of work. Perhaps it is because I ike to see the flowers blooming, and like to stroll amidst them with a feeling of pride at the thought that I had planned it all. Soon all the fruit trees will be blooming here, there, and everywhere. I must say that Ettrick will be a beautiful sight. Have you ever visited Roxburgh. Ettrick, and Miller's Flat? Whatever the time of the year the scene is always splendid. Can you imagine the autumn with all the poplars and fruit trees shedding their colourful leaves? It is simply grand. Some folk . say that many tourists come all the way to Ettrick just to see the spring and autumn sights. Well, Dot, I think this will do this time, so I shall close now, with heaps of love to yourself and all the Little Folk. BROWN BUTTERFLY (Ettrick),

[Gardening is hard work. Brown Butterfly, but one forgets about that in the joy and satisfaction one feels when the results of one’s labour are seen. The district you live in is indeed very beautiful at all seasons of the year, but particularly in spring and autumn. — DOT.I

Dear Dot, —Here is another poem I have written. FREEDOM I will shun the smooth paths of the plain, I will turn to the hill Where the purple mist hangs on the ridges at dawn of the day; And perhaps I will find there as time to be thoughtful and still. When the world of great cities and clamour has faded away. In the lingering quiet of evening, adrift on the breeze, I will hear the sweet music of nature—the songs of the streams, I will find there is time to pursue the bright rainbow of dreams. I will stray as I please through the meadows, with none to deny Me the rights of my world; X will have for my brothers—the sun, The clean rush of the wind, and above the blue arch of the sky.

And take care of my own thoughts, for I will be servant to none.

I do not ask for luxury such as this vain world can give, And I care not for that which men value, I care not for ease; In the calm of the hills I will learn at long last how to live. In their quiet and healing perhaps 1 will find a great peace. Best love to all. GREY-EYED BLONDE (Hillgrove). [Thank you for your poem, Grey-eyed Blonde, giving your conception of freedom. I like it very much.—DOT.] * V- *

Dear Dot,—l wonder if any of our readers have heard of a one-man gasworks. There is a man in the township of Seascale, Cumberland. England, who has been the manager, staff, and entire personnel of his gasworks for the past six years, before which his father was in charge. The worst time he has is in the summer months, when there is a great influx of visitors in Seascale. and the number of people there and the demand for gas can never be exactly foreseen. The actual production of gas is not the only work this man has to do. The storage tanks have to receive regular attention, and sacks have to be filled with coke and taken round for sale. Another side line is making barrels of tar, and every year the work of painting the tWo large gasholders is tackled single handed In addition, this man installs all gas meters and cooking stoves in the district, and on one occasion was actually called out to mend a burst water main. Yet with all this he has some scare time, and to prove that he thinks of other things than gas there is a neatly kept garden to be seen sheltered behind one of the gasholders. Kind regards to vourself and the page. THE PRIME MINISTER (Dunedin).

[lt is certainly very surprising The Prime Minister, that one man can accomplish such a variety of duties, and he must be exceptionally capable.—DOT.]

NEW MEMBERS Dot extends a special welcome to the following Little Folk who have written te the page for the first time this week;Early Bird, Red Primrose, Merry Margaret, Funz-a-Poppin, The Lone Ranger. River-Lea, River Queen.

LITTLE FOLK’S LETTER BOX As the Little Folk inserting the following requests do not know the addresses of the companions with whom they wish to correspond, it is necessary that those companions should send the first letter. —DOT. Blue Gladioli (Winifred McKay, Cromwell) would like to correspond with Charming Chatterbox.

b.l.f, social club The third birthday of the above club was celebrated last Tuesday by a tea at the Vedic, followed by a social at which the main item was a talk on Sweden by Mrs Gray. Letters were received from Almond Blossom, Charles Dickens, and an Old Writer Sympathiser from Roxburgh, to all of whom we send our gratitude. Speeches were given by Miss Ritchie (patroness D.L.F. Social Club). Maid of Killeena (president of O.W. Assn.), and Kilmeny of the Pool (president D.L.F. Social Club). The birthday cake, donated by Moonlight Glint and her mother, was cut by Ivanette and Ivanhoe, iun During the evening items were presented by Allegro, Misses E. Gardner and B. Whittington, and Mr Les Jordan. Donations have been received from Miss Ritchie, and OR Writer Sympathiser. Almond Blossom, and Ally Sloper's Niece. There will be a choir practice at 312 High street on Tuesday, September 19, at 8 p.m. Will all interested members please attend, or. if unable to do so. please write to the president. 2 Forth street? , , The annual subscription of Is may be sent to the secretary. 25 Durham street. Mornington. . ... The next club meeting will be held on Tuesday. October 10. We shall be pleased to receive suggestions for that evening. KILMENY OF THE POOL, President. CREAMY’S DAUGHTER, Secretary. OLD WRITERS’ NOTES A social vlll be held in Wilson Hall, King street, this evening. Miller’s Band will be in attendance. Supper will be provided. Ladies, Is; gentlemen, Is 6d. Annual subscription from Charles Dickens has been received. CLARA. Hon Secretary, 128 Union street. Dunedin