Social Gossip.

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 799, 22 October 1915, Page 14

Social Gossip.

Deak CBIRISTABEL, — THE Town Hall workers have put off their Leather Waistcoat exv pression, and are now assuming a Plum Pudding look. ■ The Wellington Meat Company has offered a whole ton of Christmas puddings for the boys at the front, and the Countess of Liverpool Committee have to do the tasting, and help in the mixing. They look to you and| to other intelligent young persons like yourself for the sixpence and thimbles and buttons, etc. Imagine, £he packing, and think of the indigestion of the boys! (No offence meant to the plum puddings). Personally I always find a little pudding goes a very long way, like soda straight or new penny Vuns. The boys will appreciate those puddings. I hear that the Auckland people, who never do things by halves, Lave packed sprigs of manuka into their billies for the front, just as the Scotch people pack heather. * . . *■ # * Some of Wellington's Town - .Hall workers, after the Leather Waistcoat rush, are marking time now. Others are in search of pastures new in whichtheir activities may find scope. Mrs. George Tripe, who did good work for weeks among the. leather, is now preparing for St. Paul's bazaar. On her stall there is to be a collection of bags,, baskets and boxes. Many_ people have* made scraps of leather into cunning little bags. AH the scraps were sold for the benefit of the Waistcoat. Fund. Miss Robin, sister of the general of that ilk, made so many bags out of bits that she raked in £20 for the fund. Miss Nora Wallis, from Gisborne, is staying with Mrs. George Tripe. * * * * There was a church bazaar last week in Wadestown. \ That little suburb is patting itself on'the back, for it.is soon to have in its midst Lady Kelburn, wife of our titled sailor, who has been "somewhere at sea" for many a long day. Lady Kelburn is remaining in New Zealand for the present with her ;and .she is soon ..moving into the Grange, the old home' at Wadestown where the late Mrs. Rhodes lived for many years. Wadestown, therefore, most gladly invited. Lady 'JKelbuni to open., the bazaar, and marked the occasion by presenting her' with a beautiful bouquet. Those whose privilege it is to be acquainted with the Viscountess are agreed that Wadestown is very lucky. * ■ * * # Mr. and Mrs. Walter Johnston are still in Australia, where they went some weeks ago. " . - ■ *' * * * "'Mr. A. MeCosh Clark's cousin, Mrs. Bert Dawson, is the Allied Retailers' Queen candidate in the Auckland Carnival. * * *• * . Mrs. Bernard Wood is the guest of Sir Joseph and Lady Ward, and is staying in their cottage at Heretaunga. The Finance Minister and his wife are generally to be found at their, headquarters, the Royal Oak, but they get into the country for week-ends. At a recent patriotic tea in Christchurch, someone proposed that a charge should be made for seeing the infant son of Mrs. Wood, at whose house the tea was held. Quite a large sum was raised, I am told. There is a chance for Heretaunga golfers. The babe (a beauty) is at the cottage. * - * * '# The Hon. G. W. Russell and his family _ will live in the Molesworth-street residence during the term of the National Government's life. Very nice for Mr. Russell. Sir Francis Bell and his two daughters, Mrs. Harold Johnston and Mrs. Rolleston, are living in Hob-son-street, in Dr. Newman's residence. Mr. Harold Johnston is at the war. Lady Bell and her daughters are in England. The two girls are nursing in the Cheltenham Hospital, I believe. Mr. W. H. D. Bell is with his -regiment in Flanders. I have been told, but have not seen. in the papers, that Trooper Ernest is in hospital. The third son enlisted in England. * * * ,£. In the Soldiers'_ Club there is a Visitors' Soldiers are invited to inscribe their names therein. The other day a grateful warrior left a poem which he composed. One night, before the last lot of; men went away, there were 600 men in the club. Mrs. A. M. Johnson, wife of the vicar of St. Paul's, was the hostess for the evening. She was not in the least perturbed, but. supported by various brothers of the name of Tripe and by the vicar and

various relations, not to mention soldiers, she managed to get through the evening. There was plenty of food and much conversation. A. soldier from the country: entered into -conversation with the vicar, and it turned out that the soldier's father's youngest' brother had been the vicar of the parish where Mr. Johnson was curate before he came to New Zealand. * * * * "What happened?" inquired a curious lady friend. "We just shook," said the soldier, who had got himself married, unbeknownst to his comrades, only a day or so previously, and who had parted with his bride on a country railway station half an hour after the ceremony. "Why that way?" asked the persistent friend. "I just reckoned it was less 'hard for my girl like that," he replied. She did not agree. She argued that it would have been a far better arrangement if he and the young bride had had a few short weeks of happiness together before he went away. But, as someone else remarked, she should have spoken earlier, if at all. "Chacun a son gout," but we all agree that soldier who has a girl should get married before he leaves—if possible, and that the soldiers should be made to feel perfectly confident that a grateful country will shoulder their responsibilities, if, unhappily they come back no more to the land that loves them well. * * # * Mrs. Facer's son has. been invalided to New Zealand, and is with his mother now in Hawkestone-street. * *, •* x Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Edith Maclean have returned to Napier. ' •H* *3£ *3£ Mr. T. Russell and his daughter. Miss Erina Russell, are/now living in Wells.ngton-terra.ee in Professor Garrow's house. The professor and his wife have gone to Day's Bay for six months. Mrs. Russell and her two daughters, the Misses Eileen and Lois, are in London. The elder son, a doctor, is on active service. Mrs. Russell hopes to return early in the New Year. * *■ * * Lady Stout, who has not been very well for some time, is going away for a rest and change..

Dr. Mason and Dr. Elizabeth Gunn are to be on the staff of No. 2 Hospital Ship. *■*•,-* * Miss Joan Hislop is staying with Mrs. Walter Hislop. She has joined the fashionable party in the Record office: r ■■:-.-" . . * ■ * ■* * ...' Miss Ethel Secretan (Christchurch , > has been staying at Golder's Hill. * 0 * *'"*••■ Miss Alison Wenley (Napier) has gone Honie. . Her brother is in the R.F.A., and has'gone to the front. ■* * ; ■ *■ " * On August 29th, in the New Zealand Mounted Rifles' camp at Zeitoun, the marriage took place of Captain Thomas Arnold Blake, of the Auckland Battalion, and Miss Mabel Constance Deane. The.bride's home was in Gloucestershire, and she arrived, from England three days before the wedding, which took place under canvas in full military style. Captain-Chaplain Macdonald, of Waipu, North Auckland, was the officiating priest, and. the bride was given away by Lieutenant-Colonel Mackesey. Sister Dixon, of the English Nursing Reserve, was the bridesmaid, and the best man was Major Edgar, who, like the bridegroom, belongs to the Now Zealand Veterinary Corps. The bride's dress was of soft • white crepe de chine, and suited her admirably. "After the brief ceremony, the bridal pair passed under an arch of swords to the strains of Mendelssohn's Wedding March, rendered by the Auckland Military Band, New Zealand Mounted Rifles. * * * * The breakfast was held in a double marquee erected for the occasion, and the catering was not done by the camp cook. The , King's ~ health was drunk with great gusto, and then the padre, in a happy speech, proposed the health of the bride and bridegroom. Lieutenant T. Hislop responded „ when the health .of "The Ladies" was proposed. Among those present at the wedding were all the New Zealand nurses who could be spared from the hospitals, including Nurses Price, Willis, Ingram, Snirth, Williams, _ Mitchell, Sutherland, Samson and Ellis. There were also present Mr., Mrs. and Miss Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Mason, Mr. and Mrs. Hogan, Mr. and Mrs.Rabalghnati, all of whom have been very kind to the New Zealand men, offering them hospitality and helping to _. make their time in Egypt less tedious. The officers of the brigade gave as a wedding present a beautiful Egyptian brass tray, inlaid with silver and copper. * * * * In the Soldiers' Qlub on Monday afternoon a pleasant At Home for "convalescent soldiers was given by Mrs. Henry Hadfield, who is spending some weeks in Wellington with her own people. Soldiers-from the Victoria Hospital, and from the Wellington Hospital, and some from the private hospitals were there, and had a thoroughly good time. They were taken to the club room and taken back again. in motors provided by. the hostess and by some of her patriotic friends. The* rooms were sweet with flowers sent down from Mrs. Hadfield's garden at Paraparaumu. Mrs. Chatfield helped her sister to entertain the visitors. Miss Mao 1 Gregor and other friends looked _ after the tea arrangements, and the girls of the Victoria League Song Circle provided a musical programme which was much appreciated by the men in khaki.

The Countess of Liverpool arrived in time for afternoon tea and spent an hour chatting with the invalids, many of whom have enjoyed drives in Her Excellency's car. Among others present were Mrs. Massey and. Miss Payne,

matron of the Wellington Hospital, and other people in whose care the "boys" have been . for many .weeks. Mrs. Henry Hadfield entertained convalescent soldiers in her home for months, until the' Government arranged that all soldiers should be in places which are under official control. She is now taking an extra ambulance course, and is occupied in good works in town while her children are away at boarding school. **_ * . * Major Head, reported killed last week, is not the officer who lived in Aurora-terrace for some time, and is not the father of the wirl who once was Miss Nora Head. This Major Head once was in New Zealand, and, did some Alpine climbing. *-..: * * * On Thursday morning last week Miss Kathleen Bulkley was very quietly married to Mr. Athol Mills. The wedding took place in St. Paul's, Mulgravestreet, and the ceremony was performed by the Rev. A. M. Johnson. The bride is a daughter of . Mrs. Richard Bulkley, who, until quite recently, lived in Austin-street, and the bridegroom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Mills, of Auckland. The wedding was very quiet. The bride did not wear the conventional veil and orange blossom. Mr. Mills, who is an engineer, intends to enlist for • active service before very long. On the Tuesday before the wedding, the bride's sister, Mrs. Cameron, at the Lower Hutt, gave an At Home in her honour. Mabel. A leading London Society journal whispers that a certain Royal engagement is known in the family, but will not be announced until after the war._ This should keep the gossips guessing for a while. * * * # A Gift Afternoon Tea will be given to the friends of the Boys' Home Society - to-morrow (Saturday) afternoon by the matron of the Boys' Home, Camp road, Lower Hutt. A cordial invitation is extended to one and all. Gifts of groceries, material for boys' shirts, crockery, etc., will be most acceptable. * * * * At Dunedin on Thursday, October 14, Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Cohen entertained a number of friends at their residence, "Altona," High-street, to mark their silver wedding. Congratulatory cables were received from Sydney and Suva, and telegrams from different parts of the Dominion.. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen were the recipients of a pewter tea service from "The Rats" —members of the Commercial Travellers' Club. Mr. Albert Cohen and his elder brother (Mr. Mark Cohen), who has just returned from representing the New Zealand press at the Panama Exposition, have been identified with the Dunedin "Star" almost since it first began to twinkle. - *■ ■ * * * The engagement of Mr. R. Williams (St. Andrew's, South Canterbury) to . Miss Maude. Leavett, Peilding, is announced. Mr. Williams has just recently joined the camp at Trentham. * * * # The engagement is announced of Miss Alice Macdonald, third daughter of Mrs. Macdonald, The Terrace, Wellington, to Lieutenant Kenneth- Munro, only son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Munro, Hastings. .Lieutenant Munro was residing in Wellington before he enlisted and went away with New ■Zealand's Third' Reinforcements. At present he is invalided from Gallipoli, and undergoing treatment in one of the English military . hospitals.