Entre Nous.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 789, 13 August 1915, Page 10

Entre Nous.

tT is a well-known, fact that our large drapers lose a fair proportion of goods—especially in the rush and hustle of sale' time—.through deliberate stealing. They take all sorts of precautions to check it, and still the thing goes on. Bult it- is not often that a clear case of kleptomania is established. There was one in Auckland last week ; apparently. A well-dressed woman of 40, appeared before the Magistrate on four separate charges of stealing goods from Smith and Caughey's, from Milne and Clioyce's, and from John Court, Ltd., the three largest softgoods houses in' Queen-street. The articles ranged from a coat and underskirt to a length of velvet, a pair of. corsets, and two tubes of shaving cream, the total value being about £17.

The facts were admitted, and the arresting detective showed the "lifting" ,was done in a neatly planned systematic way. When detected in Milne and Choyce's shop this lady bargain-robber carried a kit bag and a basket. She also carried a paper bag with Milne and Chdyce's name on it, which she had brought from her home, and into which shei deftly slipped a hat that caught her fancy. In her bag ~ were folded pieces of brown paper with string around them, so that she did noit- mean to put the firm to the further expense, and trouble of wrapping up the goods she meant to honour them by annexing.

The defence of kleptomania was raised, and then the lady of dim ideas of "mine" and "thine" told her story "in a. shamed voice." Her husband had a salary of £260, owned the house they lived in, and also had property in Wellington. She got all his salary to handle. But "the sales" proved too strong a temptation for her. When they came on three weeks ago she was in a shop and happened mechanically to put a piece of silk into a big muff she was carrying. The act gave her a fearful joy—a delicious sense, of excitement. She was afraid! of putting the silk down again lest she-should be accused of theft-, and _so she took it home. There ■was a. fascination about the risk that oyercame her, so she took the risk again ind again l until she was caught.

Dr. Lowe and Dr. Florence Keller testified that the woman was highly neurotic and subject to delusions as the result of a weak physical sit ate caused by change of life. The Magistrate confess-

Ed that at first lie was suspicious of the defence that was raised', because he knew it was not unusual for women otherwise 'beyond reproach to give way to impulsive thefts, of articles of dress. But the prisoner's demeanour in ithe box marked her as either absolutely truthful or else a very clever actress. He gave her the benefit of any doubt, and dismissed the; case. In fact, he was satisfied she had been led on by a curious fascination for the risk of stealing, and this fascination was due to her abnormal mental state.

Frederick Palmer,-the American war correspondent, has been in the Canadian trenches in Flanders. He gives the Canadians a pat on the back for their' cleanliness and alertness-. Their trench housekeeping, he says, would. please wives and. mothers at home. He also states that the relations between opposing trenches are subject to strange whims of psychology. Sometimes the feeling is vicious; again, there are manifestations of chivalry. At one point where, the trenches were close together and the voices behind' the enemy's' parapet were perfectly audible, they were always hearing about Mr. MuTler. He told a story and the trench roared with laughter. He was the joker of his company. The British opposite became curious about him. They wanted to see him. So they began singing, "We wantMr. Mulleri We want -Mr. Muller!" At length a white handkerchief appeared, and some German called in broken English: "Gentleman, Mr. Muller!" A fat, bald-headed', round-headed German appeared on the German parapet and made a bow in the midst of acclamations. After he had l disappeared the British sent a salute of a. fusillade over the German trench.

At another time a German called ou l < to a Welsh regiment: "Anybody there from Swansea?" "Yes, I aim!" "And

I am!" "Then take this and distribute it; among you!" thoj German exclaimed, fis he threw a hand grenade. But it fell short. "You must have meant that for Cardiff !" a Welshman called back, as he threw a grenade in return. "Give this to the Kaiser if you can hold it when you catch it!"

Blenheim will- have to enlarge its public square if its authorities intend holding many more patrioltic meetings like the one held on Wednesday last week. Fortunately "the powers that be" had printed programmes, so that those unfortunately on the outskirts of the huge crowd could, by stretching their necks till they resembled miniature giraffes, and standing on tip-toe,obtain a glimpse of the mayor and ex-mayor as they held forth from the retunda, which wWi have to lie extended upwards to meet the requirements of the growing population.

There was no want of unanimity in the singing when the band 1 played the "National Anthem." It was sung over again, and again, the people sang it, the Territorials sang it, the National Reserve sang it, the High School cadets sang it, and the Borough schools children sang it, and everybody joined in the last verse everv time and wanted it over again. "Rule Britannia" was also a popular item, and as the band marked the time no one of the crowd got tired of the repetition of ithat famous song. Never before in the annals of Blenheim has such an "aye'' boomed forth as came from the thousands of throats "on Market-square, when the mayor read the resolution pledging all present to fight to the death, and never such a dead silence as greeted the reverse of the resolution.

The National Reserve's march past was the admired of all beholders. Pa did himself proud. The different country units had foregathered with the townies. and, led by their own capital band, looked ready for any emergency. Some disappointment was felt by those wavbacks on the pavements who coujd not hear Mr. O'Donohue's recitation. The few of his gestures which could be seen were eloquent of his abilities as r= reciter. —From a Blenheim correspondent. •» * * * Attached to the death notice an a northern paper of Corporal Fred. H. StocMey, killed at '.the Dardanelles, are the simple words, ''He did his duty." But they express just as much as the glowing panegyric of an orator. No soldier of the King can do more. * * ■ * * An army officer recently wounded from the front has since played " a leading role in a breach of promise case, with another prominent part in a divorce suit to follow up with. In the former he was ordered by an unsympathetic courr.t toi hand over £250 as_ balm to the damaged heart of a music-hall artist. Evidence had it that 'he. had composed 1000 billets-doux to pilaintiff. He fractured the engagement after he experienced another affair of the heart with a brother officer's wife. For this

lie was cited as eo-r-espond&nt in divorceproceedings, ending in him. having >ropay up a further £1000 in satisfaction^ of more damages. * » * * He was no ordinary sweethearfcinglover was this gallant captain—for such' was his rank. He was a pastmaster at the gentle art. and some of his loveletters to ' his ' music-hall sweetheart were very yummy-yummy. JTust listento this:—''My own precious little darling,—l never knew what a 'love that passeth knowledge' meant till I learned, my angel, how utterly my all in. all you are. But now I have to the full realised its meaning. Ah, my "darling, what; a. wealth of love and devotion you have raised in me. . . Oh, baby darling, I am not going to see you for a whole-foi-tnight, and be without a single kiss. There will be nothing left of. you when. . [ see you again,.—Yours, for ever and over, your Charlie." The very same day he followed this up with another letter in which he swore the same old. lie:—"God knows, my peft, I thought I loved once before, but never before havaI felt or even dreamed that I could feel such a passionate longing for anyone. Oh! my little angel, you have changed mei into an entirely different being, and all he wants' now is just his Lify. My darling, my darling, oh how much I love you! In sleeping or waking you are never out of my thoughts."

And. then the sweetheart ting captainbegan to cool off. This is the way hebroke the cruel news to his little Lily: — ''My dear little girl,—This letter is going to he the very hardest, one I have ever written in my lifg, since it is totelT you, child, that, try as I will, T don't love you as much" as I did. Oh, child! I feel such a contemptible cur to write to you like this, But we always promised each other to say if either of our loves waned, and, although I despise myself,. X musit make the confession. How true, indeed, are those lines— And to love or not, we are no mora free • Than a ripple to rise and leave the sea. Oh, Lily if you only knew what a cruel wrench it is to have to write these few Fines t-o you." * * * * The members of Britain's- National Cabinet, excluding Prime Minister Asquith, have decided to pool their salaries. This scheme works out at about £4246 a year for each Minister. The biggest losers by this arrangement are the Lord Chancellor, whose usual salary is £10,000, and Sir Edward Carson, whose screw, exclusive of fees, is £7000. Sacrifices that touch the pocket like these are the real Mackay.

A young man an Melbourne, found on licensed premises after closing hours, was let off on a plea that was considered quite waterproof. He stoutly denied that he was worshipping at the shrine of Bacchus when a limb of the law entered the pub and pinched him. He was merely courting the publican's daughter or sister.