BREVITIES AND ODDITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11843, 21 December 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

BREVITIES AND ODDITIES.

King George of Greece was bom on Christ* , mas Eve, 1845. \ . Negroes consider Christmas Day the best i in. the year for a wedding*. r v " Christmas cakes in Spain are ornamented with gilded grains of wheatDuring Christmas week 200,000 dozen. oysters are consumed in London. During Christmas week the receipts of. British railways average £600,000 a day. i Abyssinian Christians believe that poison*. ; . -i[ ous snakes are harmless on Christmas Day. ■ hNo person may leave an Irish house on : New Year's Day without eating or drinking. ' :.v : . ; : . . " ■ ' >j; •. - Four hundred and eighty thousand pounds is the average amount of Christmas church offertories. . At the Christmas Party.—He (to elderly 1 , young lady, after a long waltz): " You must I V' \ have been a splendid dancer And now she rubs her ruby lips— The reason you wonM know? She's getting ready now to pose . • Beneath the mistletoe! . •" "It's * depressing, isn't it, to find feathers: sticking to your Christmas turkey?" "Well,/ it certainly does make one feel down in the' mouth." • "I ate a piece of cold Christmas pudding \ for supper last night." " How ' did you feel when you awoke this morning?" - " I haven't f been to sleep yet." • Alfred (in bed): "I had to hang a big stocking 'cause I wrote on that paper there for Santa Glaus to leave me a little brother, • ' a Shetland pony, an' a drum!" • "You, should strive to teach your children patience." "I realise that,"-said Mr. ,* Binxon. "It was my purpose in taking up , ; my residence on a suburban car . line." v ——— ■ V- ! '' Landlady: " After the dinner we w ill have " games in the parlour." Oldest Boarder (carving very tough turkey): " That's right! , v I don't believe in all work and no play.'' Mildred: " What did you think of the ~ - - Christmas decorations?" Marjorie: "Con- • sidering that the alcove was so secluded hanging that piece of mistletoe up . there seemed rather superfluous." 1 - " ' "* • . '- \ • ,Thev have a new way of testing the quality of whisky out .. west. - They inject three drops into a jack-rabbit, and if he rj doesn't lick a bulldog in six seconds the goods arc rejected.American paper. •• , ■ ; . v.Husband (handing his wife some money):' ■; , 'There, dear, is ten pounds for Christmas expenses, and it has bothered me a little to get it for you. I think I deserve a little ap- : * plause." Wife: "Applause? You deservean encore, my dear!" ■- • " i , Robby: " Mamma, if. Santa Claus is such a good man why does he give so many more presents to rich children than he does to the poor ones?" .-Mother: "Because it-takes■ so much more to please a rich child than ib does a poor one 1 my son." "Talk about, luck! That man Denslow has a huge quantity of it." "How do you make that out?" " Why, his wife was ,born J ' on Christmas, and Christmas is also the anniversary of their marriage.' Just one present,- ' don't you see, and the rest of the year pure velvet for him." A - Husband :" You are as gloomy as an. i owl. Sulking because I -can't, get you that H new Ibonnet for Christmas,£l# suppose?"-■ 'O-rfii Wife: " No, I was only going over some old ~j' letters, ; that's all. It's nothing of import- ■ ance. Only a fit of the blues." "What letters?" "Love letters." "Some you' . I wrote?" "Some I received." " Oh £ mine,- , ■ eh?" "No, some I received before I met you. It's of.no consequence. None at, all, ' Wis jour cold?" ' ■