THE PASSING SHOW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 248, 19 October 1937, Page 6

THE PASSING SHOW.

(By THE MEN ABOUT TOWN.)

Ji'luiny's story of "Suspects," where father and daughter went to a party and won the prizes which had been donated by mother, aeems to me to be on much MORE SUSPECTS, the same lines ae the famous evening- given by a Mrs. Murphy. Instead, of a Monte Carlo, that lady arranged a raflie and charged a email fee to take part in it. Mrs. Murphy won the firet prize. Her daughter was lucky. She wnn the second prize. Other member* of the Murphy family won the remaining prizes. In mentioning tihe wonderful luck the-family had, Mrs. Murphy remarked, to a "subscriber" that he had not paid his sixpence. He just looked at the promoter and replied: "No, wasn't I lucky ?"—Mac. "Touchstone" writes: The vagaries of the weather are having an airing just now. A reader hae aeked for a note on the word and its pronunciation. The VAGARIES. word ought to be avoided in speaking or writing because it k rarely used in its right senee, or pronounced properly. Originally, vagary meant wandering or strolling. It is related to vagrant. Its modern meaning is a wandering of the thought; a wild and fanciful freak, a wild fancy; an extravagant nation; a caprice, whim or whimsical purposes. The word is pronounced va-gair-ees, with the stress on the middle syllable. The 8.8.C. hae endorsed this pronunciation, refusing to countenance the ]>opular "vaiue -, syllable. The correct pronunciation, however, is so eeldoin heard that sensitive persons would avoid the word altogether, for fear of being thought precious or pedantic in pronouncing it correctly. I was genuinely hurt trpon reading that "8.W.H." had accused me of "telling a yarn" in this column concerning the catching of hapuka per medium of the SPUW TASK. spinner. In all innocence I had merely repeated a story narrated by a Gisborne gentleman, and in doing eo timidly questioned the veracity of his statement. I am well aware that the hapuka prefers to be in deep water, and having read the Budget debate I can understand its feelings, but I was merely attempting to bring it to the high level to which we other poor fieh are striving. I had intended to publish, a true story about a snapper which was caught in a fresh water well at Devonport some years ago, but I can see that no one will believe ik so, like the hapuka, I simply won't play.— * B.C.H. "What is an anagram ?" asks "Whangarei." Literally, it means the letters of a word read backwards, but in its wider eenee it meane the change of one word ANAGRAMS. or phrase into another by the transposition of the letters. Webster mentions the change of Galenus into Angelus, and the play on the. letters in the name of William Noy, AttorneyGeneral to Charles 1., and a most laborious man. The result was "I Mcyl in law." The oldest pure anagram on record is said to be the first remark addressed by Adam to Eve: "Madam, I'm Adam." A better one, for it is perfect without the introduction of an apostrophe, is the sentence put into the mouth of Napoleon: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." The pretty name Glenelg reads backwards and forwards in the same letter order.—Touchstone.

I Thie. is the etory as told me yesterday by a chap whose word is as good as his bond, if bonds have any value these days. He said that recently he wae an THJLEE CHEERS, interested party at a sports carnival at which one of the etar attractions was a tug-o'-war between Jack Tars of two cruistjre. One of the officers had donated a eilver cup as a trophy, taking the precaution to stipulate that the trophy had to be won three times in succession before it became the undisputed property of any one ship. Both teams heaved on the rope for a couple of minutes before, in a titantic struggle, the anchor man on one end could be made to budge and he and his anen were pulled over the chalk line. The presentation of the trophy followed, and when it had been handed to the skipper of the winning team someone called for three cheers for the donor. "What donah? He ain't pot 'ie donah wiv 'im," shouted a fireman spectator.—Johnny.

There langs on the wall of a bar in a hotel in Auckland the preserved head of an animal which ha*—between drinks—aroused much curiositv and been THE TERROR, the subject of much discussion between thoee who have viewed the exhibit. The head is a ferocious-looking thing very much like that of a wild pig: indeed, so much so that it is a I boar's head, but—and this is what puzzles those who see it—it carries two very fine bullock's horns. There in no suggestion that either the boar or the bullock had been a bit of a hard case in its tinw. The story of how the bead came into the possession *of mine host is interesting. With the naval men he is very popular, and their welfare and enjoyment are his first considerations. He has even gone to the expense of establishing a gymna-ei-um for their uee. Xaturallv the Xavy men appreciate this, and a couple of years ago they decided to make a presentation to mine host. It so happened that their ship was hi Wellington at the time, and on the wall of one of the hotcte was a wild boar's head. That head suddenly disappeared. The fact that moths had breakfasted off it and made their home in it mattered nothing. A few day* later it arrived in Auckland and on ship underwent certain necessary repair* which included the attaching of a "pair of bullock's horns. Xext it was decided that to the head must be tagged a history. Tt was this: For some years on one of the'i.«lands of the Pacific the inlanders, every one of them, had been terrorised !>y the pander tactics of a ferocious animal. Children, while playing: coconut shies or whatever frames they play on the inland, had been collected by "the wild animal at different time*, and sadness left behind in various homes every time the parents saw the 'vacant chair. All efforts to capture the beast had been unsuccessful, and finally the torrorstricken Wanders appealed to* the Xavy. Darkness had set in when a boat from a battle cruiser pulled ashore. In it were a score of ratings armed to the teeth. Xot only had they rifles, hut they took alon? tear gas and other bombs, al<o a machine pun or two. By executing a smart flanking movement, the terror was surrounded and shot. The married islanders, who'found the cost of living soaring. ,to show their gratitude to the Xavy. offered .their daughters to the men who had rid the inland of the monster, but the offers were turned down as thd locker* on board ship were not big enough to hold such keepsakes. The head was preserved and brought to Auckland. and in due course presented to the licensee of the hotel where it is now to be seen. That is th* story, and for a long time it was swallowed by the swallowers who daily frequented the bar.—Johnny.

THOUGHTS FOR TO-DAY. Of a far preater quality is the will that can eubdue itself to wait, and not lay trap* for petty opportunity.—George Meredith. Why should God epealc in words? The four seasons follow in their courses and all things come to life. —Confuciue.