THE GUINEA, POEM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 80

THE GUINEA, POEM.

A" CHEQUE FOR'flls has been sent foth*writer of "this "verse— Miss "E. Q., lfc^Watsonf street, Wellington: — ' * . If you would work . -With perfect ease, . - Then Wath with tSAPON . - If you pleaaer _■ - WIN A GUINEA I Prize Poem publishes every Saturday. Best original^VOUß Shobiv xxms. advt. verse 'about "SAPON" wins each week. SAPON wrapper must b» enclosed Addresa, " SAPON " [Oatmeal Washing Powder], P.O. Box 635, Wellington. If your Grocer does not stock Sapoo, pl«ax« Bend hio nanw, and aadreflfl.

Eastern--" Fate") have prevented, from joining us of late. My dear Emmelin«, — Just a line to -wish you a very happy New Year. I had a Witmess sep.t to me to-day: it was so nice to see^tbe old parier once again: I am 'still Tiere, but hope to be in Rctortta before long. I hay« had rather a. trying "time nurs- - ing sick peop!e all Christmas and New Year, bat I am gled to say it is all over now. I wis-K you could se& this place— it is lovely. I nave been here 11 months, and not once away, and still not tired of it; the only thing. I long for my friends sometimes. I hope, dear, that I, mil have mare time to "write when I get to my n«w home, at . Rotorua, but I don't think I can get a . house until March. - -" "\ _ - , '. Love, to Hit the" C.G.CS frori*— Yours truly, ] -. SALrI*Y IN OSIB,. ALLEY, j *", « " «■"« ■" • " " » _- » Kerani is one of tfioseXJnknown.Eriends 'who ogives us " a taste of his quality as a correspondent seldom enough to keep himself always" in request.. A good letter- , writer' uT these days is. something of a • "Trara avis,"' and. is appreciated. 1 accord- j ingly. '. ''.';■: " .' v Dear. EnimeKiW?,— "WTiHe-' sending fee greet, ings ""of the season, to-, yourself and all or the C.C.C., I am going to -presume on your goad nttture «j.f«r w to-ask y<m todirect Ind post the enclosed- «ards. , I would h»v« returns-like for life in wmm was Jrept T>ack partly -by *^ thought ttat if every contributor to the' C.C.C. -did. hiewite it wouia.add-ma'terially.to-.you^kbours.-Gabrielle^s-'caxd w«s especially dehghtfuf, .- though. whfcTr- of as is the- owl' «^*^fe the other- fellow I >»to not ocrtam. While I am writing -perhaps' l miy- explain how X cwne^io be absent from the last meeting. "When the topics were first announced 1 saw "All in a <Jarden Fair" given for the concluding gathering, and looked no more at *t, for I left sure «ha« I cool* write nothing worth reading on' that subject, so it was a surprise to find 'when- flic papers ' printed' that there "was to alternative. i-he circumstances of the case were such as to justify a. 'suspicion, of '^hesr. perversity on my parf ,- but I did n6t -explain *t the time, for L could only-liftve cleared myself of the ona fault by confessing fa 'another— careless Teading- of the topics,— and it did not seem to /matter ,^, great deal -which sheep X was hanged :<for.' '- -" ',' ". •-' ' " . . , Another-of my omissions wa»_the negiecrt, to congratulate Hochel«'ga,_ but my , views on marriage somewhat resemble those of lan MTjaren'a". grav«digger,, who had - little rasel . pleesuie in a merrige, for ye never ken hoo it will "end; but" there > na*> risk AbOTit a, burial": and I had in mind one of Edith Fowler's' characters who compared husbands to* new boots: "you never know Where they are going to pinch you till it is too iate to change 'em." I enjoyed. B. F.s account of- travelling' past his station through- get14 absorbed in" Yojmg'a "Night ,Tho^hts »*» * It was a favourite book wiihjmy' grandfather, ,but I -never felt a»ny wiahTto read it. myself. - I take -' it to- -' be^ "reflective^ an* . devotional, . and the devotional is tfhere I ,eon deficient: , I couia nievKr,'be--entranced-,by a daVotional , •book' as B.~F. w.asby the 'TSigTit .Thoughts." .It ia the ethical side oft Christianity - ttiat iißpeals' to, m® r and. so-far'as I can see, 'it -is the ethical , side* rthat those who observe and', think, are' more an 4 more trying to emphasise. ' A'^writOT 1 in the B. W. of November " 14 .says, with referenced to the awakening of! Asia: "Th« issue for Christianity itself" will have the effect % of a- n«w reformation,' in which dogma, -will be set aside 7 "and ethia wi3l become all important. Wishing-" you' health and .strsngtih for sou* I.^-T^p. .truly; - " • .-*''*■/''." * A "few lines from Oscar come J next._ » Dear. jEmmeliner— ify. s time. is very rally occupied this busy time' lof the" year in th© -country, and. l h'av© but read James Lane Allan's-" "Posthumous Fame." Almost every page" ia -beautiful, with, felicity." of phraser and beauty -of thought in iihit- man's work, and his sympathy, with and expression, of , Nature is wonderful, but-^he seems to lack the touch of out.- mortality.. .While .on this old planet we- must have our^ frailties, and t "Eveni from. -the tomb' the., voice of Nftturs -* k ■ . - . * ' ■ ' Even^in our ashes liye their wonted fires, end'wie will not bear to 'hear of our- utter \ oblivion- "front this" scene -of oiir toil and yearn3|r. Ttoe' utter' weariness of knowledge . bringa ua baik'fo th« lesser thoughts »nd "" feelings/ waen.it is a joy to be but human and of the "earth. I cannot - express ihe thought,"' but we must have books^tnat show us tW- frailties in our natures, that" make us bearable and. loveuble io each- other., ' Did . we only look up to the vast and forth to the> illimitable' -we-- would faint by Ihe way. We take" but one step- at a time^'and are content to take the road>our-I forebears have, taken. '- With ~-"the season's greetings,— Yours truly, - - - - . ' ' ■ - OSCAB. ; Marjorie'sxbright letter ;recalls .her most pleasantly to the memory ~of- "her tin- . known "Friends; 1 and I wish 'that. - 'D&ax Emmeline, — Am f I too •htte' in wishing. You a.- ha.ppy and New Year? In T«alityv"the New Year -is growing, old, .and we- wondear. where the days \have flown to. We have -Had so many- visitors^ this year that the days seemed to slip by unheeded and left me all with my-- correspondence. Dear jEmmeline, will you please conyey toy thanks to Lex and~ Val for their pretty post-* " "card-. «aid . good, .wishes, . and' may. this New Year b& one of health and 1 'happiness to them. What a beautiful jnmmer we are having— teal "hay weather," — and -th© occasional small shower of rain is' so—helpful to everything-. The.bush ie looking, splendid just now, the active -flowers are all out^ and the bees, are fairly in- their glory, humming. as they gather in the honey to stoxa aw»y for 1 winter use. We- ha,v'e a smgil bee- farm, Ennneline, »bout 69 hives, "in patent boxes, and I rather like working among them. .They have just finished swarming, and we will commence to extract " the honey in a week or two. .With- love* a-nd good wishes io ail members of COX!, and yourself, dear Emmellrie, — Yours' truly,.- - „__-»-,-, r MAEJOEIE. ""•.»'■■« • The postbagis/ still gpite- "fat,'- but tfiese otherf letters are/ for' me alone ; "and noir, Having ;been'read^iandj- re-read, enjoyed and appreciated in some instances, sympathised with and, advis3d\ upon in. others,- will be consigned to- the safest of all receptacles^-th,e fire. • - ■ ' ~ Th* fire'diei; r -l>uKjE£» asaer' iem«i&. - 'And so with me: ihe lettjers-'afe-burn^, "" but the memory of their kindness, needs," ffieif confidences remain/ one Emmeiine's, gravest, yet .dearest/ responsibilities. " - . With affectionate greetings,— Yothr Unknown friend,.; \