Afternoon Tea Goffip

Free Lance, Volume VIII, Issue 398, 15 February 1908, Page 10

Afternoon Tea Goffip

By Little Miss Muffitt.

THERE is im Eketahuna, the loca paper says, a lady who, though over eighty years of age, has never yet travelled in a railway train.. Is it that the lady prefers long-dis-tanoe walking? At any rate, we understand that a libel action has not yet been decided on. • • • A country exchange informs its readers that "The Tramp Abroad" (Marcus Twain) has reached them in sixpenny form. That's out-Heroding Herod for humour if you likel • * » Rest assured that as soon as a woman tells you she wouldn't say anything behind your back she wouldn't say to your face, she us going to tell you something you will wish she had said behind you. • c- • It is commonly supposed that the casting of a shoe after a bride is one way of wishing her good luck. This is not true. It might hit her with woefully unhappy results. But the custom really signifies that the parents give up all right to> their daughter. • • • When a man sits down and ponders the spring dress and bonnet problem he reasons by analogy, and refuses to believe the pieposterous stories of men of old who had all the way from fifty to 400 wives. Even the revised version doesn't fit the Wellington prices this year. • • • Maggie Papaura, the Whaka>rewairewa guide, is displaying with pride a post-card which has come to her from the West Indies, simply addressed, "Maggie, New Zealand." But what distinction for our postal official brains. There's some of it in the department after all. The "Lyttelton Times" has_ been hoaxed' by a bogus marriage notice. _ In a recent issue appears an advertisement stating that the signatory is not only not married to the lady whose name was used, but that she is absolutely unknown to him. And the signatory ought to know. • • • Among the things which are banned by members of the Philocalian Club, a new club for women, which has been formed m New York, axe the lownecked gown, the peek-a-boo blouse, the cocktail, the hansom, and the aftertheatre suppers If they only include the eternally loud voice at dinner, Christendom would sing a "Sursum Corda." • m m Says the "Bulletin" — "Mrs. Knox Gilmer, who was Miss May Seddon, arrived from Maoriland by the Moeraki last week, in a great hurry to* visit her friend, Miss Ola Humphrey. The Ola J. will be in Wellington, in April, but tihe merry Miaorilander said that was too long to wait before she could say "tena koe," and she wanted to rub noses Histanter. Hence her swoop upon this undefended city." • • • A minister, speaking at a recent Presbyterian Assembly, complained that, in connection with the northern section of the Church, a home missionary's dwelling was described in a report as a "comfortable cottage manse." In reality it was a two-roomed galvan-ised-iron hut Said minister was probably afraid that he would be accused of laying up for himself treasures on earth where "rust doth corrupt" corrugated iron. • • • There is an intense howl at Home about the latest gesetting sin m women's attire this season. It is a waistful affair this time, and hits around (and not below) the belt. A fashion paper states that the latest designs in belts are made of leather, dyed to match the gown, and carefully spliced and fitted to the curve of the figure — very good, so far. But, instead of stopping there, the manufacturers are studding the leather with huge nails such as are used by saddlers in harness-making, some being designed of brass and some with silver finish —either requiring to be rubbed up from time to time with chamois leather to keep them bright.

A Police Court warrior, who was sentenced at the Gisborne Couit last week to fourteen days' imprisonment "without the option," asked, probably fiom force of habit, foir "time to pay the fine!" The magistrate is slowly recovering from shock. ■ • • A gentleman lectumig recent! \ in the Waikato district declared that there are three periods in a man's lite when- he does not understand a woman: "Before he knows her, when he knows her, and afterwards." Said gentleman is married, so he ought to know. • • • The Oiepuki Horticultural Show piomises plenty of excitement and a.musement. An item that should foiward competition is the ten minutes' parliamentary address for ladies and gentlemen. Marquis of Queensbury rules and 14oz. gloves have been airanged for • • • A lady writer m an up-oountiy papei states that there are young men. who cannot hold a skein of wool for theii mothers without wincing, _but who will hold between eight and time stone of a neighbouring family for the best part of the evening with a patience and docility that are certainly phenomenal. Evidently she writes feelingly' • » • The "Pahiatua Herald" backs down over its harrowing report of the recent bush fixes up that way. In its recital of the trouble it represented one good lady as having heroically voted herself to a sledge, by means of which she took her children to a place of safety. Now the "Herald," probably at the instance of the lady concerned states that Mrs. Lunt yoked a horse, amd not herself, to the sledge.. Certainly a trifle of difference when you come tn look at it. But eyen that is not all for the makeTS vie with one another in producing patterns with these nails, so that in not a few cases the entire belt is stud'dod closely from end to end, each dome-shaped or convex nail-head being as large as a sixpence. This 100k 1 ? as if the servant-girl difficulty wilil fade into insignificance beside the ladies' task of getting harness cleaners, bra^s polishers, plate cleaners, etc during the coming year. In our wet "Wellington there should be plenty of scope for chamois-leather artists, too

In another column, the British .Empire Trading Company, Limited, announce the list of winners of the £50 bonus m connection with then vanous brands ot cigarettes and tobacooes. In the "eigaiettes 1 ' department the top pnze, £15, goes to Blenheim, whilst m the "tobacco section South Dunedm annexes the £15 cheque. In each department theie aie two othei money prizes. • • • The topic of topics in. Wellington at piesent is the foithoommg sale oi: Sayes Court, the well-known mansional residence on Aurora Tenace. Mcssis. Maodonald, Wilson, and Co ha\e fixed Thursday next, February 20th, as the date for the sale, and Wellington is full of conjecture as to probable puichasers The special advantages of site, splendid consti notion, up-to-date appointment, etc make this pioperty unique amongst those that have ever been placed on the sale list in Wellington Die sale is to take place at the Land Mart, 84, Lambton Quay, at 2 o'clock pm , and all particulars are to be had of the auctioned s at that address Theie's a gieat sale of furniture, ciockerv, and nonmongery lunmng up at 113, Qiba-street, iust now. It is Hunt and Co 's great yearly sale and the difficulty is to get neaT enough to the premises to make- purchases Once inside and you are light, for Mr J S. Hunt has made some great pui chases at extiemelv loir prices, and the firm are now selling to customers at exceptional rates. The new premises of the firm aie likely to be well and favourably known asS a result of this sale.