TACT AND TACTICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 23, 28 January 1928, Page 7 (Supplement)

TACT AND TACTICS.

THE BLACK EYE. I HOW DID IT GET THAT WAY? MAN AND HIS WINTERWEIGHT SUIT. Even to the least combative a black eye may come—a flying piece of wood when cutting the kindling, a collision with an open door on a dark night, the sudden stopping of a tennis or cricket ball is enough. But when one carries this sort of decoration it take* a bit of explaining, and the general suggestion is that the bearer has not had the best of a fistic encounter. The problem of explaining away such a situation was set last week, and really there must bo quite a few who have nobly won the coveted "Order of the Black Eye, judging by the verisimilitude of the replies.

Tkev arrived in hundreds and the judges Lad no easy task in deciding who should take the weekly prizes. In their judgment, the smartest answer, which won the first award of £1 10/ was that of J. It. Hamilton, Box 1120, Auckland, for: —

The Office Force (in chorus): "Well, Ed, where did you collect that black eye?" "Well, you see, it's this way—l asked Joe Smith how he got a black eye he was wearing and he replied: 'Well, yoti see, it's this way—'" Second prize of 10/ goes to Hugh H. Douglas, 15, Kenyon Avenue, Mt. Eden, for: — "Well, you see, it's like this—a friend was having an argument with his wife. I tried to give hiiu a lesson on tact. He gave me a lesson on tactics." Among other smart answers were the following:— J. W. Claythorne, Hamilton"Well, you see, it's this way —you know that pretty little blonde down our street whose husband went to Sydney—well, be didn't." Miss F. Morris, 223, Edea Terrace, Auckland:—"Well, you see, it was this way—walking home with Thompkins and his sweetheart, the dark-eyed typiste, I, admiring her, said, T like' dark eyes,' and he said, Take this one.'" Leslie Taylor, Birdwood Avenue, Papatoetoe:—"Well, you see, it was this way —I have been watching the spots on the sun a good deal lately, and last night this one stuck."

Ray Morris, 42, Arthur Street, Fonsonby;—"Well, you see, it was this way • —while coming over on the Sydney boat, I got into the wrong berth, and this is the birthmark." Mr. Carl Brisson, Onehunga:—"Well, it's this way—l ran into the end of a limb." G. Gordon, 301, Ellison Chambers, Queen Street, Auckland:—"Well, you see, it was this way—l said to the wife; 'Things are going to be hard this year; you will have to strike out for yourself.' She did." A. E. Murray, Main Road, St. Helier's:—"Well, it's this way—my wife was throwing a stone at fowls in the garden, and as usual missed the fowls and fouled my eye." Mrs. G. Robinson, Paraone Street, Taumarunui:—"Well, you see, it was this way—l did that to blend with my wife's latest drawing-room colour scheme—black and orange. My auburn locks and 'sable optic harmonise perfectly." ; Miss G. Quick, c/o Miss Scuelder, Panmure:—"VVell, it's this way—l happened to mention to my sweetheart that , I preferred black eyes to her grcan ones, and she asked me to try one." "LIGHT SUMMER WEAR." Woman has got man beataa to a veritable frazzle when it comcs to a 1 question of dressing to suit the weather. ; Just because every other "darned ph." does it, Auckland's male population swelters through a sub-tropical summer in just the same suit as he wears fhrough the coldest July, while Miss Auckland, very sensibly, restricts her ■ clothing to a quarter of a pound or so of the filmiest of draperies. She is right, and in her problem she has .°et her admiring and perspiring friend some real problem,- in his effort to explain why he doesn't learn sense. For the best J explanation we will give a prize of ( £1 10/, and for the second Dest 10/. [ Anyone may compete, and there is j - neither entrance fee nor limitation on , the number of replies. The limit of length is 25 words, excluding the words ■ quoted by us—"Well, you see, it's this r way." Replies must be tin by Wednes- ; day next, and the awards will be ' announced on Saturday, when another problem will be presented.