Miscellaneous.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1039, 22 June 1894, Page 7

Miscellaneous.

Little Dorothy Drew, Mr Gladstone's grand-daughter, is being reared upon hygienic principles. We have it on the authority of the Westminster Gazette that her shapely feet are only forced into shoes and stockings when the roads at Hawarden are miry or frozen, or when she accompanies her gran If itbrr for a walk in town. Other wise, Mrs Drew does not. believe in cumberiug the child with any chaussure. Judging from her photograph the suuny Httlolady is the very picture of health, full of life and vitality. When Sir Edward Burne- Jones was painting her hf. was heard to say that it would be as easy to paint the whirlwind as Dorothy, so irrepressible was her energy.

The Paris correspondent of the Daily news writes : — The fortune left by Madame Delagarde-Ponchelet for charitable purposes, less LI 2OO to build a mariners' chapel at the port of commerce, Brest, is more considerable than was thought. Her notary found, shortly after her death, besides her house property in Brest, L 24:,000 worth of scrip and debentures. Since then it has been discovered that she had lent L 36,000 on good securities, and L6OOO in bank notes that were hidden in a box have come to light. A clause in her will states that one of the charitable purposes she had in view was the maintenance of her dog. The person appointed to take due of the animal is to receive 100 francs quarterly, but on condition that the dog is allowed to sleep in his or her bed. The testatrix was a miser, and lived alone, doing all her own household work. A mastiff slept across her feet and guarded her. She says in her will that, thanks to its fidelity, no robber ever dared to break into her house.

In an old cafe in Venice there lived a magnificent cat, the pet of all the guests. Thie cat lately died peacefully, and when the news got about, some neighbours made a collection of two hundred francs for the purpo&e of erecting some sort of monument. The work was confided to t,vo artists, who modelled the statue of the cat in clay, and took a plaster cast, painted like bronze. The other evening this little monument was inaugurated at the ca/e, and so great was the cro.vd that the doors had to be shut. The ceremony was conducted in serio-comic style ; speeches were made, poetry was recited, the monument was placed in position, and finally the master of the cafe was presented with an album containing prose and a number of pretended letters of condolence signed with the names of high personages. As the sculptors refused any remuneration, the sum collected was distributed among the poor.

The question of the vicar's cemetery fees, which has caused an excited agitafion in Hampstead, has passed into the hands of the Bishop. The vestry has unanimously appealed to the Bishop to reduce the fees by about one-third. This would still leave them the highest in London. At present the fees average 30s per interment. Since the cemetery was opened in 1853 it has involved the ratepayers in a loss of LI 6,000 in fees. For' first-class interment in a single vault the fee is L 5 ) the privilege, of putting a monument is LI 10s. The fee for interment in a private grave six feet long, with permission to erect a tombstone, is L 5 19s 6d. The fees gradually decline to the third class, when only 5s 6d is charged. These are the fees which parishoners have to pay for burials on their own land, which they are taxed to support. The vicar has declined to make anj reduction in his charge or to take any notice of the vestry's representations.

A highly-respectable minister, who had no preaching gifts, was one day going to officiate for a country brother who was from home. The manse to which he was going was some miles

from the railway station, and the minister's man John was in waiting with the conveyance for the stranger when the train arrived in the winter afternoon. John, after receiving him kindly told him that he had some messages to do in the town close by the station, which would take him about half an hour, and that if be would go along to the hotel the landlord would give him a comfortable seat at the fireside till he was ready. The minister readily agreed, but when, instead of half an hour, considerably more than an hour elapsed before John appeared, he became very angry, and upbraided him when he came for his unnecessary delay, and threatened to report him to his master. At length John could stand it no longer, and said, ' Weel, sir, if ye maun hae the truth, I was telt by the maister to put aflf at the toon till it was dark, so that the folk in the parish micht nae see wha was tae preach the morn.'

An eccentiic and slovenly-looking old man was sitting in an arm-chair with his legs crossed before the fire in the smoking-room of one of the leading Bristol hotels, exposing to view a brilliant red, white, and blue striped sock, and, noticing two or three of the company looking at it and smiling at each other, he lifted his foot into full view, and said, with apparently great satisfaction, ' Grand pattern, that, isn't it, gentlemen 1 I'll bet there isn't another like it in the room.' , I'll bet cigars all round that there is,' replied one. • Done ! Where is it 1 asked the old man. 'On your other foot.' said the roan who had made the bet, with

a triumphant laugh. ' That's just where you make a mistake,' said the old man, with a knowing smile. I generally reckon upon finding one flat in a company, and so come prepared.' With that he pulled up the other leg of his trousers, and, to the amusement of every one but the looser, exposed a black sock to view.

At Madame Arabellas villa near Rome the conversation turned upon echoes, and a lady in the company declared that shs knew of one that repeated a sound nine or ten times. { Pooh — that i<? nothing !' said the Marquis B. c I have an echo tha^ can beac yours into fits.' 'Impossible!' said everybody in chorus. ' You can put it to the test if you like.' ' Very well ; we will step across to-morrow to hear for oursplves.' ' Yes — come without fail ; ' and, so saying, the marquis took his departure, meditating a little scheme of his own. On reaching his mansion, he sent for his lackey, Sancho by name. ' You are up to all sorts of tricks, my man — do you think yon could manage to play the part of an echo V ' Certainly, my lord ! You have only to shout ' Ho, ho !' and I repeat the same.' ' Very well. Tomorrow afternoon yon shall go and stand in that clump of trees behind the lake and repeat thirty times any call that you may hear, gradually lowering your voice ; but mmd — mum's the word !' Next day his lordship's friends came trooping into the park. Sancho was at his post, pricking up his ears. ' Now ladies and gentlemen, your doubts will soon be dissapeted,' said the marquis. ' Will you be the first to try the experiment, madame V ' No, thank?, marquis ; your voice is louder and more effective for the purpose than mine.' Whereupon the marquis inflated his lungs, and called out at the top of his voice, ' Are you there V To which the echo made answer — ' Yes, my lord ; I've been here a couple of hours !'

There are some incorrigible wags on whom the trappings of authority seem to make no impression. The colonel of an Alabama regiment, which served during the Rebellion, was famous for having everything done in military style. Once, while field-officer of the clay, going on his tour of inspection, he came upon a sentinel sitting on the ground, with his gun taken entirely to pieces. The following dialogue then took place : — Colonel — l Don't joa know that a sentinel, while on duty, should always keep on his feet 1' Sentinel (without looking up) — ' That,s the way we used to do when the war begun, but that's outlawed long ago.' Colonel (beginning to doubt if the man were really on duty) — ' Are you. a sentinel here? Sentinel — * Well, I'm a sort of a sentinel.' Colonel — ' Well, I'm a sort of officer of the day.' Sentinel — ' Well, if you hold on till I sort of git my gun together, I'll give you a sort of salute.'

Children cannot be taught too early the absolute importance of walking well, of keeping the chest; fully expanded and the head well up. A daily drilling in this can be given by causing a child to walk up and down for a given period — say, half an hour — balancing a tin tray or light tin basin on its head. The arms should be carried straight at the sides, and a regular, even pace encouraged. This exercise is generally a source of much fun to the children themselves, and if persevered in will greatly improve the ' carriage ' of the child, by training it in the art of balancing the body easily.

A young lady at a fashionable dinner-party pestered an Oxford don with a conumdrum — a thing which the learned man detested. • Why is the letter " J " like the end of spring V was the question. Of course the don could not tell. 'Because it's the beginning of June,' was the solution. ' Now will you tell me why the letter " k " is like a pig's tail V sternly asked the don. The young lady had to give it up. Because it's the end of pork.' He was bothered with no more conumdrums.