WEEKLY WHISPERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 19 January 1907, Page 2

WEEKLY WHISPERS.

\ ' I It Here's a hole in a? your ccait, I rede ye lent it ; A chiefs among ye lahin notes, And, fiuth, he'll frail it. — BUrni* The City Council sfaiha t\j bB g ttir.g morn and mofij .mlXP'j up in its affairs, krM it iS jtet-Tag more n.&a fflftro (jifficnlt ." oijr who is tne engineer running the Septic Tank contract • Presently, no engineer or contractor rosy have the temerity to engage with the Council on any terras, arid then the conditions will be simply ideal. It is a good thing that April is not far off, oihorwi3e ehaoa would reign, ilcaitfimey il iS isiifelV "up to" the ratepayers to .propM feY the April eieeiiofes b^ thWoelng either a Mayor ivhoffl the Co'dncll will sunport oJ a Council which will ,. biipport a : Mayor. Ojr.e doea hot care to go into the issue otwho may be right Jor,. who may be wrong. .Bin, in the !>«St iittei- I ests 'of .the city iSo existing conditions I Bwal'd DO terminated, and above all the relations between cscpeits duly accredited and employed, and layman, Mayor, and Councillors, should be clearly defined. O.henvieo, ia tho loi/g run, the Nulson, driiuod, mny bfc in amfhe parlous »tiite.than.th«vNi.L6n u'ndrainud. jpllmut'cSi csSorted, and ditto ditto differing, as an auctioneer's advertisement may cay, have been measured out to us during the past daj er so. Ihursday night we were all sweltering still, though not quite so aweatingly as the day before. Suddenly those whttse duties or pleasures detWried ihemjlrorh the ftxnvs tts Mbi-pbfeuß till . past, the ■ftltcnliig hour, felt a c'6->l breeaefanniijg heir feveited jcbeeki ,i\nd thereafter) in leire tbnri in UoUu Ifio'sfe w,no had perapi're'tt ia light summer were sear'c'.ii:m around for extra . blankets From' 78 the thermometer fell fo 63, .and ".MMffi'a " b^rogif^ (akin in a ■glass e£ wAter, tost 3d, home industry) Deg'&h to go up, which is tantamount to a fall in barometer 3 of the common or garden Aneroid order. Yvbcn the alum barometer begins to work upward in earnest look oat for a cold snap. (That is the osperienre of long years in watchinß for Soulh-Bast WeatLer f rqrrt ah angler's ptiint ti? VKw, wit* .tbtS object dr. 'cussing it in gdVanr'6). An 1, the. cold., snap Ms co'the " all right." On tlie southern; ranges, so , thi telegrams say* the sno.c has lallun, '. and doubiless Mount Arthur also will show white peaks ere this appears is print. • « t • Meantime (he " corner" in iced soft dritiLa— and especially in drinks ic^d but not soft— which had done gOoil bli for the thrpp tv<?,&s previous to yesterday hits " busted '■ Suddenly: Men Who a fow hours ag'q.had a thirst they would not Sell for. l'Qr, iind a tODgue hanging out ia.3, thorough draft lo get cool, now declare that they are not, and never have been, thirsty. Yet deponent heard the icei soi.'a li:erally sizzle down several throats during the beat v.aye, and saw seam arise therefrom as an after result ! This was juajj, af tar; and during, race, .t'.aje; Wheft it is meet and just thafe tprty-roJ whisky should find its annual sale. That sort of stuffl should be branded by law, '• Warranted to kill at 100 yards" ; but somehow men will drink kcrosene~-and ground glass sooner than not dri-k at all. For his own part, "SJptf 11 feela very 6elr> rightcouaovor his imbibing dUHrig tho heat wave: Cotlflhing his atlehtiqu to limo iuice, and iced leilionade t \Vith a wee woj da,>, eh?:- Ed, N;E M JM6 has kept as cool r.k eVeh a icufcuinber ct>uld kaep 1 in a e'ojip kitchen in full blast. Kn jj&.'i=Aiit v " iloff " scorns editorial insiii'ua-tiore, and claimb to have put up a record in refusal? of liquid refreshment, lill ooe old friend reuiaiked one day, ' Well 1 Well ! This is tho first ti.ne I have known " Moff " 10 refuse a drink ! The following : ' sporting" siory has been told by onlookers at Collingwoo Istreot Bridge tho other daj r , and it po ; nts to the necessity for a real '• live " .Accliinatisalion Pociety's Committeo, and action to justify it» existence by the Angl'-rs' Club. Two men. " anglers," :it leas.t one of them by tho glace of their licens.\ and so let them pass for anglers (vide Bill Shakespeare passim). A big tout \viis observed, dmiiig the recent drought-, when the riVer woa uiip r ecc''ent!,v low, hear thn liif; ni[ id fust below tlin br oge, 1-a-lihg up to ihailwa ar^ voiita'li ttaps for tr.iut. The two "sport?raen" proceeded to "fUlk" 'he fish, t!>nt is, harry it frnjn its holo i:;to tho fhallows and diive is a' ont till it lay head n.j stream, exhausted and ga^pirg. Openmouthed, it s'o-'d a.ainst stream its tail weakly lulJering t'je f.iiniing body in positi in. T:.ea the "angler" dropped a loathly unsecured worm on a hook just iv front of the trout's gaping mouth, hoping that the baif, untaken, would nevertGe!ess flcat in, when a strike might diivo home the hook and render the fish legitimately caught. But 'he poor trout was too far gone to close its' • mouth, so the hook and worm would not catch on, and drifted down stream. There was then nothing for it but to diive the fish ; and tnis was done ti^l it could not move any more, and under its own bank, to which it had made, it was "jagged" with a port cf noacher's gaff, (the same aa one used on a smal l sculo to catch crabs at Newcastle, N.S.W.), and "bagged." Thereafier, but for the onlookers, that trout might have been among tho bigsjest local legitimate catch. Instead, o-ring to the onlookers, it is going to ra.'ke trouble ; and quit.*, ri^ht, toD, from a ".porting point of view. ••* « ' • A'em/irkablesce- c iccurivdalOma! a X:-br.-ska (t T S.) "hen " KM " Wedg.\ tho champion lightweight boxer of Arkansas, declined to take part in a boxing contest, on the ground that he had been converted, and that it was wrong to fight, saye in self-defence. WVge entered ths ring (siys the New York correspondent ot the 'Expres') in the presence of 2000 people, and astounded everybody by handing his opponont a track, with the wish that he would read it carefully. The amazed boxer seemed to regard this aa a personal insult, and he promptly smote tho "jiid" on tht nose. Wodgo then said, "Wo arc told to turn the other cheek." He did so, and was rewar.led with a te-rible blow which sent him against the ropes, i "I have not been told what to do next," said Wed, 'c, "but I guess I can pound you to pulp without interfering with my conscience." The fkht which folio ved was much livelier than the one advertised. Both pugilists were badly disfigured, but the victory was given to Wedge, who promised to pray for his opponent. He has retired permanently from the prize ring. • • • • • • An advertiser who signs himself "Anxious" thus applies in the Wanganui "Chronicle" for a wife: — "Wanted — A Wife. ■ A self-made man, of independent means, of English birth and good family, wants a life partner. Is of medium height, with fair ruddy complexion, healthy, active, &nd strong, middle aged ; passionately fond of music, sings tenor. Is fond of refinement and all things good and beautiful. Is in the grazing and stock business, fond of horses. Wishes to meet with a lady (spinster or widow); age from 20 to 35 years, of dark complexion and eyes, accomplished, domesticated and of fair education, and a fair pianist — a singer preferred. Must be of Protestant religion. Lady with similar tastes' if possible. One with property preferred, for with our united wealth and property a world round trip is intended if convenient for both. Would not object to children. Advertiser lives about 40 miles from Wanganui, and is in real earnest. Only genuine replies will be considered. • • » • • Why don't the young men marry? Here's an explanation by "Q.S." in the "Sydney Daily Telegraph" in its "Woman's Column" -. — "Six of us discussed the question of marriage at our luncheon at the club the other day. All bachelors, none in re- ' ceipt of less than £300 a year, we found

ourselves in ronari:ab!6 agreement. While not anxious for matrimony, in tad Sense that we would not set out'up--0:1 a deliberate search for a wife, .^aclj confessed an inelinatiop for k ftiyiaz oi his ovrpjj^jthj a wiTS id preside over it, TJts VJificuity in every case, strange &S it may seem in a city apparently teeming with girls, wa.s that we had not been able to meet that particular class of girl from which wo would like to choose our wives. Now, don't misundei'ltalid. We are not what might be called over-fastidious, and we didn't use that hackneyed sentiment in either a flippant mood or ac a Sort Of. polite cover for a. disinclination ttt tm'derta&fi the responsibilities of nVakrieil , life. 1 With 4% an« I believe with eacn of i'Ay trends, it was an honest stateine'iit cf fact. To_maiiy. mett, esp*cwj&. I *nbi|l are .0? eabei; . jutWmnV; .WWliigc bepoinf>s A | fy PHoilai proposition only when it IS unoonsciousl^ put to them by their rontjej- with particular women. Every man abstractedly, no doubt, expects to marry somo dayi But those who while nUll retfafding Jlig Question irom aii aoStVftct pbi'nt of view, formally ; fiiak6 up thoir mihds.to. njatry are Vom^rativcly faife, aiiH hroWily it is happily so. They put tno matter on a plane least likely to produce happiness between man and wife. To promote the desire for marriage, it is necessary to promote the meeting of men and women in that I kind of social intercourse which begets the mutual respect that ought always to Precede .thuhgnts, of ii-icifiset linioii. XHa) Bbp-qhunitfes for Siich. iqtgtcou^se hayo m cpiiiejn .oAr.^av is tfe^orisißla probably goi- ,t{le unmarried conaitiniiof the six men .that, sat rojind . that .luncheon, ; and there a», no. doubt, hundreds of marriageable men in this city similarly^ situated.. i^SPP! Jl * r « & Strangers. *The girls' w^ kSew. in our t home circle beloni to a time when, however sweet the prospect, mamage with us was somethinß out of the question. Now that marriace is a responsibility we could undertake the conditions are reversed. Formerly it was plenty of girts bid. BO fflSaBS ; 5, ow A 1 .I s : eulDei6u.E Hi,eans but h'd gir^ Out lives ui,tf|c city,.ha'ye beih.livla.jn office^ rtes^dential, cbambew, Loardinirhouses, and rostaurania. Tlie.iirls Mo aeFMe behind bars arid II waifresses ' in public fining-rooms, and the boardinghouse girls, we have been privileged to meet, but they do nbS excite in the senses of all men that desire for exclusive domesticity which prompts a man to seek marriage. It is the 1 home girl, who illumines the household with hfe* smiles and her . domestic gKltes. &n& whs tj refitted iil . . tjie bia-Fashioned Way, .that , wg /would talie for ,a ... wife, and that, is the gjfl Vtiomi peinapi-. JmV-Wg.-te. l "? peculiarity of 'oiir circumstances, we Have been unable to meet ih Sydney. Our male friends are, , for the most part, men like ourselves, habitucjs of boarding-hou.'ies and residen-tial-chambers. We could, perhaps, seek out as' friends men who have sisters 01 girl relatives of the, kind we . would like to know, but, that "would Savour tot WtiCh Inat quality of deliberatioi which so many men object to associati with thoughts of matrimony. We coulc join a suburban tennis club on the chance that, perhaps, our object wpuld be achieved, bnt we (Jo not wanfc\ to play tennis. Neither ilt> public daflceg suggest ihenicelvßg as iV.e riieSiifi. . ... *. .# *..«.* Whan jv£ had .considered everything, ii seemed, to us that those w.Hp have a preat.deal.to. .say ya gejic^alities aSbut the., •disinclination of , m&n : to,, njarry wx)ul4 be . better , employed if . they first of all endeavoured to ascertain why many men don't marry, and then tried to break dona some of the barriers of conventionality which keep the mar--1 riaj;ea>ile young men and the desirable girls from knowing each other. That it was a difficult problem we admitted, but one incapable of solution? Certainly not." MOFUSSILITE.