THE SAILOR'S WIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15948, 19 June 1915, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE SAILOR'S WIFE.

Wi- r ■ " '.'.v . ;; ;- 1 fiv : ;• AFTERNOON CALLERS. p" |" J f "FRIENDS" DISCOMFITED. ? "Tott've been a fairly good boy," she announced. "to come home sharp from jciool and lend a land with the housework." Her son, astounded to receive praise, edged apprehensively ' from the room. "And now you can go oat for an hoar's run. and don't go near the docks. Ba back by a quarter-past six to the very second, or else," in something more of her usual tones, "or else me and you'll have a political discussion, and likely as not, my lord, you .won't get the test of it!"

She began to sing immediately that her ton closed the front door. In dusting the mantelpiece she took particular care over the centre ornament, a sailing vessel at a perilous anglo on a tempestuous sea of. deep blue linen, the situation all the mora dangerous in that the keel, in one or two places, had become unglued. A piece of coral had to be treated cautiously, and vocal efforts were suspneded while it was blown at with vigour; a lucky stone, from the coast of Africa received attention. A Talk With Jellicoe. "Offer wondered," sho remarked, addressing it, " whether it was worth while keeping you!" She told a postcard portrait of Admiral Jellicoc that it was intended to buy a frame for' him.' The young daughter ran in with a message' of importance. Two ladies, retiding at the'other end of Augusta Street, sent word that they were about to call with some fruit, the produce of a county in which a month's vacation had been spmt. They, arriving on tho rubber heels of the child, at once emptied the contents of a shiny black bag upon the table; the youngster, securing one of the green apples that rolled to the floor, sent off with her loot. Good Principle. " Didn't forget you,. you see," remarked one of the callers graciously. " My principle has always been to think of people worse off than myself. I'm a great believer in throwing bread on the waters. We did mean to brinjf you a bunch of hops as well, but the porter at the railway station said they'd make such a,lot of difference to the way his missus received him when he got home, and so" "And you can't imagine/' said her frend, taking part in the duet, "how cut up we were to hear about your losing your job of work that helped you to keep the home together. Haiti cheese, I call it. It's a nice place you've got here, and it'll, be a thousand pities to see it broke up. Your eldest girl—what is she, fifteen? earning, I suppose, a trifle at the dressmaking, but. that's about all you've got now, apart from the 25 bob a month your husband sends home. And how you are going- to pay the rent and feed the Of course, two of the children can Ret dinner tickets at the school." "Not if I know it!" "•

"This isn't a time, my dear," argued the other patiently, "for, foolish pride. You've got to put : all that in your pocket, where you'll find; plenty of room lor it: and you'll'have to smile and be respectful like to church and chapel people who come round to try and help you. - It's rough, I know, because you've always had rather a stiff neck but facts have got to be looked at in the eyes. No use 'pretending .to be a kangaroo, and- burying your head in> the sand." '""%*?'X""I shall manage." - X/'?-iX * They implored her not to .be foolish, foot to take the views of the pic-headed. War, they contended, was about, and you could say what you liked, but war, considered and regarded with commonsense, was undoubtedly war and nothing else,'and there was no getting away from that, * . ■ „ - I

"But what we've really called about," declared one,. with a burst of frankness, "was to see if we couldn't do you a, good turn.. You see, It's like this. v We've brought home a bit of money from' Kent. Now, Mrs. What's-her-name here, , she's going to buy your horse-hair sofa from you; me, I've 'took a fancy to your oval table!" . * **• ■ "I should no more think—"k'

" I know,']' know! We can very?well guess what you're going to say. You've ad them many years, and it would break your heart to lose them. '-The • feeling,; if you don't mind us saying so, ; does you credit It's right . and proper you should be,» upset,' but the point -is this: What else can you expect to' happen?''; uV"If you'll only let Vme speak" ,? V;.\a , Voice of . Reason,-,t Genuinely. hurt by her unwillingness to listen" without interrupting, the two', with some show of authority, commanded silence, and ordered her to attend to the voice of reason, which, it appeared,, was Identical with their, own. r- If she took the articles out to East India Dock Road, how much did she think she would receive? Very ;well,' then! Were she to dispose of them by means of a friendly raffle, how many' sixpenny tickets was she likely to sell? Stood to reason! After all, there was no disgrace .in getting rid of articles of furniture at a time when many people were reducing their establishments. ( The Government's Recognition. "And now," as the hostess turned to the mantelpiece, "now you mention the figures that are' in , your head, and we cw * have a good argle-bargle. and .no doubt we shall be able to come to some sort of an arrangement before suppertime. Fair's fair all the world over, and just because you're down on your luck, I ke a lot of other people at the present moment, doesn't mean that we want to take advantage of you or that on your side you want to make money out of us." "Read that!" she ordered. "Begin here, where it says 'From October the first!'" The tov, arriving as the two were inspecting with the lined foreheads of study, the printed form handed to them, admitted in cross-examination that he hart taken advantage of an opportunity to slip into the warehouses of the docks, and had thero seen floors crowded end to end with the cargo of an arrested German steamer. Hi? mother said sho was going to forgive him for just this once; she added that she had decided he could have his wish, and, when he grew up, join the Royal Navy as his father had done. ''Then, according to this.'' said one of the visitors complaining!}-. "you're going to get a separation allowance that comes to about fourteen and a tanner a week. Besides what your husband sends home every month." "It's the first time." nodding cheerful agreement, " they seem to have recognised that a sailor's got a wife." "You can't imagine the Government'!! go on paying it after the Kayser's been done ia?" "My man and his mates will go on doing their best for the' Government," she replied. " Don't trip over the cat as you go out W. Pctt Ridge, in London Daily Mai!.