Between Ourselves

Southland Times, Issue 21097, 31 May 1930, Page 22

Between Ourselves

Cousin Lavender Bunch: I am so glad you are not allowing your verse-making to grow rusty, and I hope you will try and write regularly every week. The secret of being able to do anything well is practice, I think. Do you have many home-lessons to do, and do you have much time for reading? I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of fairy tales. Your badge will be sent out next week.

Cousin Helene: I am so glad that very neglectful sister of yours is going to write to me soon. I could be in the office at about one o'clock some Saturday if I knew you were coming. I don’t come down in the mornings, and the rehearsal on Saturday afternoons is at 2 o’clock. 1 am already looking forward to seeing you—perhaps you will both come? As long as you have a good road, I should say the walk to school must be pleasant. You live in a very pretty district. , , •, , Cousin Columbine: It will be a horrid day when you discover you are too old to go in the plays. I hope, anyway, that will be the only thing that will prevent you from being in them. I do miss your letters when you allow a long time to elapse between them. You were wise to postpone your trip to Dunedin until next term, when the conditions there will surely be better, and the weather at that time of the year more settled. As you say, the second term is always harder than the first, and you will be more appreciative of the change. Do tell me more about the mock Wedding Breakfast, won’t you, and about the speech you are making. Do you have to compose the speeches yourselves? Cousin Peter Pan: I do like to know that my Little Southlanders can persevere as much as you have shown you can do, my dear. Do you like dancing, and do you practice every day? It’s just about time you remembered to write to me. Please don’t allow such a long silence tq happen again. Cousin Emily: You do sound to have grown up all of a sudden, and I don t like that the least little bit. Apart from the fact that it makes me feel disgustingly old, I always like to think that Little Southlanders are ageless, and I don’t like to have my illusions destroyed. What has happened to your verse-making of late ? Why not write a poem about the ducks that were drakes? Do you go to many dances? Cousin Snowflake: I am glad you like your new home, dear, and I hope it will inspire you to write to me more frequently than in the past. It must be fun going to a new school and making new friends. I suppose you write to lots of your old schoolmates, and it is nice to have letters to look forward to. You must be kept busy, with seven cats to look after! Why don t you write a poem about those fairy sycamore seeds? Cousin Funnyface: I wont have you being ashamed of any work you have done for the page. I certainly expect you to do better work yet; but there is never anything to be ashamed of in good honest effort, which is always, at least a stepping stone to higher things. Have you seen any of Keat s earlier verses ? They gave no promise of the wonder of his later poetry, yet without them I wonder whether he would have produced the other? You are lucky to have a library handy to your home. There are many people living in the country who are not as fortunate as you in that respect. Cousin Jack Sprat: 1 am glad you told me that your Cheshire cat has a sweet smile. I might so easily have mistaken it for a ferocious cat, and it seems I would have been doing it a grave injustice. It is good to have you writing again, and I hope you will keep it up. Yes, I enjoy the pictures, but I would rather* have a silent one than one in which the players talk in that ugly Ameri-

Cousin Rex: Your writing was ever so much better this week, and I am so glad your mother agrees with me. The birthday cake was delicious —or should I say “is,” because I still have some —and I wished a wonderful wish on a piece of it. Your suggestion about an understudy is excellent, more especially as it will give you a quite legitimate excuse to be present at rehearsals. Goodness—l had always thought a wet day on a farm would be a holiday more or less! Cousin Sunshine: You know I look forward to your letter very much, and that there is no need for you to fear I-will think they contain too much about yourself. If I have anything at. all to complain of it is that they are not long enough or frequent enough. I do wish you would make yourself write some more verse. You have improved so much during the last year that it is a pity to let it slide now. Have you plenty to read ?

Cousin Gordon: You are welcome to our page, new cousin, and I hope you will always be proud to be a Little Southlander. Were, you glad when the. school holidays were over, or are you one of those people who like holidays best ?

' Cousin Fairy Twinklctoes: Thank you for the crossword puzzle, dear. I think we would be able to use it if you made it into a fullsized chart. Will you do that, very neatly, as Cousin Bruce Godward did? Thank you, too, for the riddles. I think all Little Southlanders like riddles, so you can never send too. many. When are you going to have your promised holiday in our city? Cousin Moonmoth: I wasn’t, really very shocked, my dear, as you know; only there is slang and slang, 'and if 1 thought you made a habit of using it .I’d probably try to lake some steps towards curing you of such evil ways! Do you always keep your good resolutions? I do hope you will continue to write verses with some regularity. sou really are out of practice, you know. Cousin Iona: Sometimes I marvel that you find time to do all the things you do. How do you manage it? There are not many people who can carry out all their plans. What was the piece of music your teacher referred to? That, was certainly the best way to have your tooth' out, but didn't it hurt afterwards, and doesn’t it leave a gap in the front? We have already used the apron idea. Perhaps it will interest you to know that the verse originated here! Cousin Brown Eyes: That's the spirit, in which I like my Little Southlanders to compete, my dear, and I was very pleased to find it in you. Of course you can’t expect to win a prize on your very first attempt, and if you did it would seem that the prizes were really not really worth winning, if they were to be so easily won. The best things in life have to be striven after, that s true. What a small household it would seem while the jubilee was on! Cousin Patricia: I certainly had begun to think you had forgotten me, my dear, so that it was doubly nice to receive your budget, and 1 hope you will not keep me waiting so long for news of you again. W hat a nice holiday you had, and what fun you managed to pack into it! When are you coming up to see me again ? Cousin Moonshine: What have the Fitful Fancies done that you have deserted them so—and what, has happened to your verse making? Please don’t drop these things altogether. Do you ever contribute work to any papers now? You should, you know. I was very glad to have your letter, typewritten or not. .As a matter of fact I have no objection to type-written letters at all. I think they are always so easily read, and can convey so much more; but evidently you and I do not share this opinion with many. I am glad you have discovered Wells. Have you read Stella Benson?

Cousin Cyril: I received your badge money safely, dear, and will send your badge next week. Are you going to enter for another competition soon? Cousin Noeline: I am glad you had the good sense to get these nasty German measles over in the holidays anyway, little Cousin. It would have been horrid if they had kept you away from school. I'm quite sure you will have passed; I was hearing the other day, too, what a clever big brother you have! I hope I will see you wearing the nice new beads at our next rehearsal. Cousin Joyce: I do hope your knee is quite better. Did you hurt it in sympathy, with your sick brother and sister? That was very thoughtful, but really a very stupid thing to do. I missed you both at rehearsal very much.

Cousin Blue Wren: I am so glad you arc going to try and write regularly in future, my dear. I have missed your letters, and now that, you have really started entering for the competitions, please keep it up. Do lessons take up a great deal of your time? What a boon the wireless is, especially to people living.in the country. Cousin Tinkerbell: I shall expect you on Monday afternoon, after school. You know you are always welcome. I think you are certainly going to the most likely place in town for the gloves. I can remember possessing a pair of red woollen ones once —and was proud of them! Cousin Peony Rose: I certainly do think holidays can become much more dull than school, and the happiest days are the busy ones. Are you a collector, too ? I wonder what nationality your new correspondent will be? I have a Little Southlander who would like the address of a foreign correspondent, I wonder if I am going to see that lovely new green dress? Aren’t mothers clever! Cousin Pussy Willow: Have you ever seen that delightful little book called “The Rubiayat of the Pussy Willow”? I think you would enjoy the illustrations. The enrolment cards should all be out by next week. I was very pleased to hear that you did so well with show exhibits.

Cousin Rainbow: I am always glad to receive jokes and riddles for the page, dear. Write them on one side of the paper only. I do hope your mother's leg is better. It’s always horrid when mother’s not about, Isn’t it. What a busy time you,must have had in the holidays.

Cousin Fairy Barque: I was so glad to receive your letter, dear. It showed me how much you think of the page, and that was very cheering, and in itself enough to make me happy. Have you been writing any more verses lately? 'Come up and see me again soon.

Cousin Yellow Chicken: Now that I know you are actually at home, I think there is absolutely no excuse for you to neglect me. I shall expect you to enter for ever so many competitions, and start trying verse-making again, too. Please do. I don’t want you to let these things slide. Yes, I think lots of the girls like pirate stories just as well as the boys. I know I do.