MAINLY ABOUT A PINK FROCK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11534, 20 November 1900, Page 3

MAINLY ABOUT A PINK FROCK.

" But, papa—"wailed pretty Miss Blunderbore.,:' "'■'/ '■-,_,' ~ '" "Run along, my dear, now!" replied Major-General Blunderbore irascibly, as, with the end of his official quill, be pointed meaningly to the door. Nancy Blunderbore's pretty little, nose turned up, and the corners of her rosebud mouth turned down. Had she been a few years younger, pretty Miss Nancy would have howled outright, but the dignity of 17 forbade this.' "My dear," said the major-general, somewhat touched by this display of feeling, you will have plenty of frocks later on, when I take up my appointment as Governor of the Wang-Wang Islands." "But, papa," wept Nancy, " I must 'have a dress to go to Mrs. Montgomery's dance!" " But you have plenty of dresses in your —or you ought to have!" protested the major-general. " Goodness knows; the bills are long enough!" "Oh, papa, how absurd!" sobbed Nancy, eyeing her parent over a corner of her handkerchief, as a scout watches the enemy from afar. "You know very well I haven't a thing to wear!" V "Hang it all, miss! Girls don't want dresses! When I was a girl—" The major-general paused, and rummaged amongst his papers. He felt that his imagination was drawing him out of his conversational depth. "It will bo my first grown-up dance, papa," continued Nancy, quick to take advantage of the confusion of the enemy. "My dear," he replied, finally, "I don't care if it's your last dance! You will have to make your old dresses do." -. . .< In a tempest of,, tears, Nancy flung out of ( the room. The general sighed. "Just like her .poor mother!*,' he muttered to himself. _ " She v was never happy unless sho was buying some new clothes ! Now, let me see," he continued. "I'll make out the cheque for that new uniform. It seems to tit me very well, and I think I might got my photograph taken in it before I start. Ninetyfour pounds seventeen and six! A good price for a coat and a pair of trousers!" he considered. ~ Then the major-general resumed his writing in peace. "Hallo. Nance!" said Tommy Blunderbore. "What are you blubbering about? Has the governor cut up rusty about the Montgomerys dance?" " I can't go." "Why not?" " I haven't a single dress fit to wear, and papa absolutely refuses to buy me a new one! |

Tommy whistled and his face lengthened. I hat a rather awkward," said he. "There's a girl going there whom I particularly wanted you to mako friends with, so that you can ask her to tea The fact is." continued lommy, blushing furiously, "I am" rather sweet on her!

"Who is she?" asked Nancy, forgetting he, tears in the interest of this piece of news.

"Her name is Boxer—Bella Boxer," stammered Tommy. " She's one of old Commander isoxer s daughter?. "Why, Tommy," answered Nancy in astonishment, "Bella is the eldest of eight of them and she's 30 if she's a day! Besides, you don't know her!" u M «< t 6 "* ,l Va i *° know I,or insisted Tommy. r a ?.i 5 . ast car > and there's not so very much difference between 16 and 30. Besides ' he added " Tomkins Major is sweet 'her, too, and I mean to cut him out!" Hell, I shan't be able to go." Pommy pondered at seme length. /How much does a dress cosi?" he asked, archl- all depends," answered Nancy, archly. -' "Name the figure!" said Tommy, nonchalantly, as lie rattled throe-halfpence and a bunch of keys in his pocket with the air ot a millionaire.

"I might manage it on five pounds," said -Nancy.

..F« n does the dance take place?" On Saturday." • "To-day's Monday," said Tommy, deon in thought. " Leave it to me. I'll get the money by Wednesday, somehow." i u An m Nancy was comforted, for she knew that lommy was a boy of his word. ' Now, where the deuce does the governor keep all those old uniforms? Ow!" In the darkness of the major-general's dressing-room, Tommy's shin had come into violent and painful contact with the sharp corner of a japanned uniform case. The housekeeper had been packing all.day. and the room was covered with a chaos of trunks, despatch boxes, and -lined, antproof cases, all largely labelled with the name and address of His Excellency the Governor of Wang-Wang. Tommy went on his knees, and softly lifted the lid of one case, for he could hear the housekeeper moving about in the next room. His eyes glittered as he lifted the contents of the case bodily, then rammed them down into the gaping mouth of his own capacious kitbag. He knew that old Solomon's price for gold-laced coats was 6d per square inch. Strange are the ways of Fate, and little did Tommy dream, as he crept out by a back door, and made his way towards old Solomon Solomon's shoo, that in his kitbag he carried the whole of the state and dignity of Her Majesty's suzerainty over the Islands of Wang-Wang. The major-general was an old campaigner, and had seen fit to preserve his new uniform, gorgeous in its wealth of gold lace, by sandwiching it between two layers of faded and discarded scarlet,, which were to protect it from the deleterious influences of the sea voyage.

Solomon smacked his avaricious lips as he opened the kitbag. well out of Tommy's sight behind that mysterious counter of his, and beheld the treasure it contained. "How much?" asked Tommy, impatiently. "My tear, they're not the, lvalue," replied old Solomon, shaking his head in his most professional manner, and regarding Tommy cunningly over his spectacles "they're not the walue!" "Fork out, Solly! What's the price?" said Tommy, brusquely. " ix pun'!" answered Solomon, casually. "Not a farlhinsr under eight!" contested the businesslike Tommy, leaving a mental margin for dressmaking eccentricities. " But, mv tear" began Solomon. "None o' that!" said Tommy. "If you don't want 'em, hand 'em back. Eight's my Trice!" Solomon sighed. "Hand 'em out!" said Tommy. "I'll take Jem to Maurice Abrahams." " Not so fast, my tear young shentleman. Let us have a little talk." pleaded Solomon. "I don't want talk!" replied Tommy, stolidly. "I want cash!" Solomon said no more. He slipped his hand into a greasy bag, and, with an air of profound melancholy, slowly counted out eight sovereigns. Mrs. Montgomery's dance was a great success, and Tommy was enjoying himself hugely. Ho had already consumed 10 ices, and, above all, had succeeded in pencilling his name in three separate places on the programme of the fair Miss Boxer. "Hallo, Tommv! You seem to be having a good time!" A white-gloved hand was laid upon Tommy's shoulder, and he turned to meet the laughing eyes of his friend, Captain Neville. " How is it you haven't gone with your father?" " I've got tc stick at school," replied Tommy discontentedly : but Nance there is going to follow him out in a few months." " I start next week on a surveying expedition round the coasts of Wang- so if you have any messages to send to your governor, you had better give 'em to me, and your sister as well. By the way, Tommy, how your sister hac grown continued the gallant officer. " 'Pon my word, she's the prettiest and best-dressed girl in the room I" " She wouldn't have been if it wasn't for

me." "What devilment have you been up to now, Tommy?" asked the captain. Tommy laughed. "You know how stingy the governor is," he replied—" wouldn't spring a new dress for Nance anyway. So I sold two of his old uniforms to Solomon, and rigged Nance out with the proceeds." Captain Neville gave a low whistle. " Why, Tommy," said he, " that account'' for your governor's name in the sleeve of the gorgeous uniform I hired from old Sol to wear to Lady Marten's fancy dress ball last night. , Brand-new!" . "A new uniform?" gasped Tommy. " Quite," said the officer. Tommy turned on his heel without a word. "By jove!" exclaimed Neville. "It's the major-general who'll send the messages, I'm thinking!" There was considerable astonishment in the engine-room of H.M.s. Cuttlefish at the extraordinary speed demanded from the bridge. An unrestrained cheer rang from the bridge as the Cuttlefish, the white steam hissing from Iter safety-valves, tore into the anchorage of Wang-Wang Harbour. Novei were boats launched with greater smartness, and the officers, barely waiting till the keels grated on the beach, raced up the path through the undergrowth to where j a floating Union Jack, a crowd of natives, and a square of soldiers betokened the scene I of the ceremony, which was in full swin^. The new Governor was purple with emo- I tion and the eccentricity of his attire almost 1 exceeded that of hie new subjects. *

\ He was curiously and wonderfully arrayed in a grey frockcoat of the sporting cut, con-, fined, by a sword-belt,of red and gold. .His evening-dross trousers terminated in a pair of' spurred boots. His shoulders were adorned with a pair of bright'epaulettes, hastily assumed for the occasion, and his breast was crossed by a scarlet sash. • _ ■• ■- Notwithstanding the dignity of the occasion, the Governor swore audibly as he saw the naval men approaching. A French man-of-war had come into the harbour that very morning, and it seemed to him that the whole world was hurrying to witness the motley garb he had been obliged to assume for the benefit of the ■ native chiefs, who, having previously lived under German rale, could not understand authority that wore no uniform.

As he passed through the crowd of French officers who were jealously watching this expansion of the British Empire, Neville could scarcely retain his laughter.; • .< "How droll are these English, with their new uniforms a la Kruger!" said one, twisting his moustache fiercely. "Hallo, Neville!" said the Governor grimly. "I can't exactly say I'm pleased to meet youthat is. in this rig. I believe that young scoundrel Tommy has been up to some of his monkey tricks, and, by Jove!-I'll—" The captain took a parcel from a middy, and, with a low bow, laid it at the Governors feet. «

"It wasn't Tommy, general," he interrupted unblushingly. " Your old housekeeper made a slight mistake in your packing." "By Jove! it's too kind of you, Neville, to have taken all this trouble!" declared the Governor. " I hope that you and your officers will join me at dinner to-night." "Delighted, I'm sure!" replied Neville, and his eye twinkled. "By the way, general," he continued, " Miss Nancy sends you her love. I met her at the Montgomerys a few nights before we sailed, and, by Jove, she looked charming in pink!"