VENUS IN THE BACKBLOCKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

VENUS IN THE BACKBLOCKS.

Women In Quest Of Beauty.

WHAT HAPPENED AT "ANNE'S" SHOP.

(By M. J. SI'AKROW.)

Generally, I think the men are the first to admire it and the last to admit it. These hack-country men are, anyway. Dad thought mum looked great with her new perm, and so she did. Bless her! You don't necessarily need electricity now for perms, but for a marcel wave the tongs had to be heated over a methylated spirits lamp, and one had to be prepared to bear the blast of a benzine heater for an hour or two to dry out a water wave. On very dull days or at night these young Helens suffered to be beautiful in the dim light of a kerosene lamp, and the water for the shampoo was heated on a primus. I was completely awed by this. Recalling my blasphemous struggles with these fire-breathing and irascible beasts when camping, I marvelled. I remember once struggling for hours trying to make a cup of tea, and the thing would only send up bursts of flame yards high. In the end I decided to resort to the woodman's trick of rubbing two boy scouts together. This might have worked all right, if I hadn't tipped the billy of water over the only spot of dry kindling, so I let it go at that and had a nice drink of cold water. Well, here was a woman conducting a business with the aid of a primus and getting away with it, too. Abruptly squashing my fatuous admiration Anne told me she wasn't "so hot" either when she started, and often had to fly for the mechanic at the garage to help her out. He was a godsend, and would come dashing in to fix it,.in the midst of a perm or a iacial, overalls, greasy hands, and everything. I laughed at this, and said, "You certainly have had a bit of fun." "Fun," she said, "why, you haven't heard anything yet." Sensing a good story I settled down in my chair and smiled a "Go on, please." She chuckled. "As you asked for it. here it is. You think I am kept fairly busy, don't you? Would you like to know what I do in my spare time?" "Sure," said I. More Friends Than Clients. "Well, first of all I must tell you that the women are perfect dears. They have been marvellous to me since I came up here and they are more my friends than irty c* : ents. Gradually, knowing I lived on th premises, they popped in for little favours. One day one came in to borrow a little milk for her baby, haying spilled some and rot having any money with her. Then sometimes we* heat the milk for babies on the aforementioned primus

and occasionally have babies and children left in the shop to be minded. '. just have to park them in my bed-sit-kitch room and hope for the best. Sometimes the older ones are dressed up in my pyjamas when claimed and the littlest ones almost unrecognisable with jam — but it is all in the day's work and I love it and I love the people too. They are- awfully kind to me also, in many ways, and doing a bit of someone else's job sometimes makes the world go round. I think, don't you'/" She smiled and I nodded, thinking how marvellous it would be if we had a tithe of this spilit in our cities. Undoubtedly this is the way to live, but we don't do it. Just then the 'phone rang. (Oh, yes, there is a 'phone.) Anne poked her head through the curtains at me and said, "Mind the shop a minute for me, will you? I'll be back in a sec." I was still looking a bit amazed at being trusted so implicitly when she returned. "Oh, I hope you didn't mind, but Mrs. C , two or three houses away, just rang and asked me if I would take her clothes in for her. She was out visiting and saw the rain coming. Glad I just got them in in time, because we have had such a lot of rain lately and this was such a lovely day for the woollies. With four children the washing does pile up and it would have been such.a shame for them to get all wet again." Just then a tired-looking woman came in and asked if she might sit down and wait for the bus. That was a pleasure, she was told. Then a half-blind old Maori strayed in and sat down, asking for a "pie and a cup of tea." What next! But he was kindly directed to go about five doors down to a little pie shop which had just started recently. But he said, "I like dis place. Him all right. No tea, eh? What you do here, then? Can you do the bad corn on my foot?" "No, definitely no. I am very # sorry," she gurgled, and gently but firmly persuaded him to the door and pointed out the tea shop. Corns! Ye gods! The 'phone rang again. AS Anne was busy with a trim I answered for her and this was what I heard: "Hello, dear. I'm in an awful hurry. It's Marg speaking. Please tell Bob it's O.K. for to-night. Mum says I can go." And then up went the receiver. I poked my head through the. curtains and whispered the mysterious message Anne smiled, listened a moment and then tore out, scissors in hand, to the pavement, where the bus had just come in, and whispered something to the driver. His face lit up and a changed young man roared lustily through his igear changes and tore down the street.

I was told that Bob had a little sweetheart at an outlying "arm and that Anne was the go-between for this little romance. Now a wee girl toddled in, asking for mummie's parcel, and I saw it unearthed from a pile stowed away behind the counter. This was evidently an unofficial parcel office, too. The Local Basketball Game. It was nearly 5 p.m. now and I prepared rather rehictasitly to go, tut was almost overturned by a hurly-burly of loudvoiced, vigorous young girls who charged in at the door and swooped down upon Anne, proceeding with all 12 or 14 strident, excited tongues going at once to tell her about the match. This avalanche of humanity was the local basketball team which had played a match this afternoon, and, according to their usual custom, swarmed into Anne's shop to change their tunics, shoes and stockings, wash, and get Anne to give them a bit of a "Flossie up" before going to the pictures at night. They brought a sandwich or so and lounged or squatted wherever possible in the two wee rooms, taking it in turn to have tea out of the two or three cups and generally making the welkin ring while Anne methodically waded through this vociferous bunch of clientele. As we wheedled our way to the door Anne t-dd me the last little bit of fun and I have laughed many times to myself since, knowing Anne and a few of iher amusing experiences in her amazing \ little shop. "Go on, I must hear this 1 bit." "Well, one night there was a big festivity in the town. Everyone was here, children and all. As the night went on, kiddies, racing round on their own, got lost in the throng, and were brought In to be minded. The little pie and ice cream shop, with a rush of business, tore up to borrow a tin opener, i any spare bowls or some brown paper. Things were happening that night. The town was en fete, or, in other words, making whoopee. Some went unsteadily by who had dined not wisely but too well. About 9 p.m. the crowd began to thin out and 1 prepared to shut the shop, after a very strenuous day of running my own business and doing all kinds of little odd jobs and being asked for all kinds of amazing tilings. Just then there was a timid knock at the door. I was prepared to be a bit hostile, but when I saw a rather anxious young girl outside I calmed down enough to say, 'What is it?' 'Well,' she said, 'I don't suppose you happen to have my father here, do you ?' I barked helplessly at her, 'No, my child, I haven't your father here.' 'Oh, dear, I can't find him l anywhere. I do want to go home.' At this I threw on my coat and' prepared to find father. I found him all right, the party being a bit too bright for him, but having got both of them safely on to the horee, I trusted it to take them home safely. Everything was quite O.K. "You see," she went on gaily, "life on the farms is dull during the" winter and I don't blame them making whoopee once in a while. It's a poor heart that never rejoices, isn't it?" I assented and said a regretful good-bye, thinking over the girl, her job, and the amazing crosssection of life which was passing her way. What a remarkable attitude she was adopting towards it. We could do with more like her.