Afternoon Tea Gossip

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 97, 10 May 1902, Page 7

Afternoon Tea Gossip

By Little Miss Muffitt.

The\ still imitate Dick The Federal Miimtei has ananged that the Austaalian C'oiouatiou Contingent shall sail in the '-ame steamer with himself and Pie-mei Barton Sn Joseph Waid told the people of Mos°iel at the taiew ell banquet to Mr Camcioss, MH R. that the membei who would be a good whip" requires to have a hide as thick as that of a rhinoceros A fain- tale just out is that Lord Rosebery intends going on a South Sc;i yachting trip undei the guidance of Australian Ston-tcllei Louis Beckc Roseberv , bv the w a\ . is said to have some nn estments m the Soutli Seas a. j *■ The power of the pre^s is undeniable but a lot of said pouei ends m smoke Foi instance right aw a\ m the lemoteness of Ne-n Guinea the natives pav as much as 1 libs of \ a ms for a single copv to make cigaiettes with 1 * * • The latest fashion m feminine attire — hats flat and skirts short— will probabh be regaided as cornmonsense bv the hi ere man It will save his pocket if he is mained. and will enable him at. the theatre to catch a glimpse of tho stage De Rougemont. the artist in fiction, has fallen on evil days. He was sued bv his w ife for maintenance the other dav. And the Court had to dismiss the case because the man of luxuriant imagination had no monev and had paw ned a,ll his possessions So strong was the desire to hear Mr. Seddon over in S\dne\. that had he been able to speak at the Town Hall the building could not have held those desiring admission The Empiic League proposed to arrange a mibhc meetino- foi Monda\ but he wasn't able to slav for it * * * Politics is a queoi eame. Opposition Leader Geo. Reid curtlv refused to attend the farewell banquet to Federal Premiei Barton the other dav. Which causes some of George's opponents to ieMve tihe old gag about Bartou being Australia's Noblest Son," and Read being Australia's ' Yes-No-blest son." — — -4 Theie is no end to the stories one heais about Aim Castles Heie is a sample bit of gossip. In Melbourne she caught a chill and a slightly inflamed throat was the result. She consulted a leading chemist about it, and he now declares that the inteiior of Miss Amv Castles' mouth is marvellous — that she actualh possesses that dome in the mouth which Dii Mauriei ga\e to his heroine Tnlb\ . Next l It tianspnes that a great many oldage pensioners look forward to pension da\ for purposes of "busts " Canterbui\ police, who have raided all the Chinamen and caught all the biki^ts without lamps are looking into the mattei. Six pensioners have been discoveied who aie impioperh in receipt of the dole and several pensions have been cancelled The hotelkeepei* should piotest New Plymouth Chamber of Commerce is convinced that, the more cows- a youngster milks befoie school the better he is mentalU and physically. Anent the lecent outcry against child labour the\ challenge comparison of their childien with all the eluldien of the colony. Only thing we can do is to raise cow s and give the \ oungsters five or Bix houis pastuie betoie school if weaie to preseive the pin sique of New Zealandeis ■» * * I hear that Miss Dais\ Belmore t'ie good-humouied, flaxen-haiied and buxom ladv. who p laved the Queen to Mr. Wilson Barrett's ' Hamlet " in Wellington, a month or two since, has wound up the torn by getting marued, and settling down m Melbourne. It is quite a romantic story. On Mr Ba.rrett's first visit to the colonies. Miss Belmore became engaged to a solicitor in Melbourne. After she went home the engagement lapsed. On this second visit the solicitor and the actress met again, the engagement was renewed, and the man of law being against furthei delays pleaded bus cause so wel 1 that this time he boie oft lus prize to the hymeneal altar

\>i admirei of Ann Castles sa-< s she i>, so much mm than .un of hei published poitiaits that she should n-suo n wnt for libel against e\eiv colonial photo^iapher who lias so fdi de\ eloped hoi negative* That is a \pn positne opiiiion, at any iate Dunedin hobbies" are Hist at piesent death on opium and expect oiation The\ wore mfoi mod that £'100 worth of the pernicious chug had been smuggled into the citv b\ Mongolians Thev seized the \ LSible <*uppl\ but found that the sinus o led stuff had boon shipped to the goklhelds. Cecil Rhodes died, as main othei distinguished men lia^e clone from angina pectous It carried off Matthew Arnold it killed Loid Claiendon Di Chalmers John Leech Dr. John Hunter the famous physician, Thorualsden the famous seulptoi and Sumnei the Amenean statesman Judge Waid told an unwilling witness the othei da\ that w hatevei his opinion might be he must kiss the Bible in sweating to a statement. Judge Waid knows bettei, of couise. but the man obe\ed When will the Health Department persuade the Law to stop "kissing the book " * * » The old saying 'As senous as a judge," can't lefoi to Judge Cooper. The other dav a witness, who had sustained a compound fracture of the leg, was asked bv His Honour if his leg had been broken. 'Well, \es it had "said the witness I don't think Judge Coopei is Irish, is he J * •» * The stage seems to do its full share towards keeping the Dnoice Court busy Just now, Vnginia ftaile who introduced "Ta-ra-ia-boom-de-av" to Australia, wants the knot untied that binds her to Frank Law ton the w hustling champion who was heie some tears ago with the Matsa"' Compam . * • * Cunou 1 - view taken of mantal lesponsibihties bv a Chnstchurch woman sued for not keeping her end of the house together To the magistiate she said that she had done all the w ork she intended duimg her single davs. She expected her husband to keep her entirelv after marriage There is no doubt she was intended for the fianchise. * ♦ * A prettv actress, w ho has been m New Zea'and, has her boudoir papered over with the love letteis she has received f 1 oni hundreds of colonial Johnnies^ It is said there is omte a number of Wellington ones in the collection. And, o\ei afternoon tea, how her lad\ visitors do laugh over them. I hope the local masheis won't take it too much to heart Ha\ e vou evei attended a sitting of the Old Age Pensions Court? It is worth a visit. I dropped in last week and saw a war-worn veteran, with four silver medals on his breast, proving his title to the bountv There was another claimant, -who* confessed to a familv of thirteen, and vet was vain enough to have clved his silvered locks. Who said that vanitv was a feminine virtue 0 Over on the 'other side " thev ha\e just discovered a new nick-name foi the Hon. Mr. Kingston. It is 'the Federal Czar of Customs " And he earned it b\ lefusins to allow the P and O stoamei to coal at Port Philip on Eight Hours' Dav. There are now two Czars m the colonies,. It was Sir Wm. Lync who at the Sydney banquet, christened our Richard the Czar of New Zealand. The tort\-nine stowawavs who booked their own passage h\ the Dray ton Gi ange w ere dubbed The Coronation Contingent " It occurred this way — Mi Seddon is my authority — "They weie called the Coionation Contingent ' because when I said to them after we lined them up, 'Well, lads, I do not know what to do with you ' 'Oh, send 'em to the Coronation ' ciied a wag That ended it so they have been called the Coronation Contingent " * * ♦ Miss Maiv Twohill of Wellington, who returned on Sunday last from a holiday visit down South, has been winning warm kudos for her singing at Waimate, Oamaru. and Blenheim Musical talent is inherent in the Twohill familv. Mrs. Twohill, who wa«> the possessor of a rich and sweet voice and an apt ear, began singing at the earlv age of eight, and the same gift has been transmitted to her entire fanuU of nine Kathleen, the youngest of the nine — a little mite of some four summers — accompanied her sister Mai\ on the Southern trip, and sanotwo songs in public at Waimate with such success that the leport says the audience were simply astounded at hei composure of manner and sweetness of voice. Mis-s Twohill belongs to the choir of the Sacred Heart basilica, in Hill-street and is a pupil of Sister Agne r , that excellent teacher at St. Mam's Convent, whose musical talent is .so well known and highly appreciated m Wellington.