THE SKETCHER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3883, 28 October 1899, Page 3

THE SKETCHER.

fills USUAL. QUESTION. (Written Specially for the “ N-.Z. Times." (By " Amuri.”) • "What, can I do, Anna,, to please your mother?" ' They were standing, on a balmy suiaevening, in a. shadowy, corner, under the bluegums by the side at the old dairy, and though they were enjoying “ lorbiddon fruit " in meeting in, that way. they both looked tairly happy. Anna Caddy had taken every .precaution before she had ventured out to meet her lover; . she had dutifully persuaded her mother to go to l)Cd j early, as she looked so., tired .with her day a outing-at Konini,'and she had lent her .young sister a nice love story to read; had fastened'the young dog up-in the burn, and given the old one a bone. Herfather was safe, she knew, at’the school committee 'meeting. 'Anna was not a naturally deceitful girl, but she had been too milch restrained and restricted in training to remain a candid, open-hearted one. Alva Caddy was .a narrow-minded, very religious woman—in her way—and her family wore all very strictly brought up;'she gave with ostentatious liberality to the stipend fund and the .Home Mission, and slept regularly in , her place in the church through the sermon every Sunday morning. Her three pretty daughters, were all taught that a girl's chief duty was to marry "a good home," and a man who was a member of the church. The eldest girl, Bessy, had done her duty in this way at .her mother's bidding; but Anna, the .second daughter, was a different sort’ of a girl, Charley Lester ,is a good: 1 specimen of h young colonialj’ he is engaged in the arduous undertaking of trying to transform three 1 hundred acres of native, bush .land into a modem Paradise. He had first seen fair-haired; stately Anna Caddy at a tear mooting at Konini,- and was attracted-by her/at once, aiid then bis attentions to her sown became the gossip of To Apiti, But, alas 1' Mrs Caddy , was decidedly against htin, 'ns .he’ said, and the great l desire of his life seemed'to be to find out a way to got' into her-good books—hence his usual question, " What can I do To please your mother, Anna P" • -

At first Anna had’replied to his question b.v saying, “ Come to church, every Sunday,” and Charley had done so; and for nearly a year he had slept as regularly on one ,of the, back-seats'in the building as Mrs Caddy had, don© on the front seat, J After a while. Anna , had suggested that he might help to get up - a. bachelors' table at-th'd anntial'tea; and Charley had thrown himself heartily into this project ; and the . bachelors 1 table at, the tea at „Te; Apiti was O' great success; but though Mrs Caddy gave bim one dr two wintry smiles that evening,, she had got as cold as ever by the next Sunday. Lately matters had been worse than ever, for Charley's name hn<] appeared in the local paper as one of the committee for the cricketers' ball', and-Mrs Caddy abhorred, dancing above all other worldly amusements. Anna was at once forbidden to speak-to him or notice him in any way—and she had hot. done so,' in public. But ns in the old country, so-in the new, " Love-will venture in, where he dura not weil; be seen," and. Anna and Charley had several sweet stolen meetings; but he fndted against anything underhand -T-wpuld/have been pleased to. go straight to her'father and asked tp.be allowed to visit'the house; but Anna’,'said—, “ Oh, Charley, it's not a bit of use your asking father; wp,all have to.do as mother sarys. Father go -against her." Charley sighed; and asked. His usual question this evening quite'sadly. Anna would have said, "Join the choir,” but ho was, not ,a bit musical.- - : So she remarked, "I'm sure I don't know, unless you go to the. prayer meeting*." ’ CharleyshOok his head. •“ I should’just go to sleep there," he said, “ and they would all notice .me.” - . - .“.How long wouldi it taka tq build *a front to your loan-to ?" she aafced, presently-. r - - ' . ;■ ■ \ Oh, that could be donp week or two," he replied. "Why?" . , /' Anna thought he .was, very dense, and she mufanUred,' -I was twenty-two last: week;” '■ Were you, darling?" he answered. “I should have made you a present; if I had known. "I should not have been able to taka it," she said, rattier sharply. “ X will buy you a ring all the same,” he .answered., '' You'll take it from me, won't you,-Anna?” . She drew herself from , his encircling arms, as she asked, V What makes you so anxious to please my mother, Charley?" 1 “ Why, Anna., you know ” ■ " I know," she interrupted, moving away from him, " that although father is sixteen, years older than she is, mother does not approve of widow's marrying again." “* Anna !" But she had the gate firmly closed between them; yet she whispered through the bars, " I'm nbt as hard to please as mother is.” , ; * *1 * . * .Two now rooms are being- built on-the lean-to on Charley's farm,, and I'm expecting to hear of a wedding before long. A LETTER, TO GARCIA. ' (ByFA.M.) ’

A powerful object lesson is presented by an article by Elbert Hubbard, which has fone the minds of the. American press, n brief, the following contains the pith of it. When war broke out between Spain and the United States it became of vital importance for, the President, to. communicate with General Garcia, who was, supposed to be in the mountain fastnesses of Cuba. Who could convey, a message to’ him ? A, man named Rowan was-' asked, and succeeded. His difficulties' aud dangers for weeks .make a tale by itself; but. he landed in the dark, passed through the enemy’s country, and discovered the care-j fully concealed whereabouts of Garcia. Heasked and raised no questions, he was told to find ; Qarcia and give him a letter. He stiffened his back,'concentrated the whole of his energies, and succeeded., There’s the point. He did it.

General Garcia is. dead, but . there are many other Garcias and necessities arising for messages to them. * Leading-men who; have wanted an enterprise effected -have been - well-nigh appalled at the inability,: indifference, unwillingness, slovenly or halfhearted manner in which attempts to sent' a message to Garcia are carried out; andthis, incapacity for individual action, this moral stupidity, this unwillingness to catch hold and lift, except under the stimulus of bribes or threats, are the things that put pure socialism so far off in the dim future. In Amcr : M there has been much sympathy expressed for the down-trodden wanderers, in search of honest employment, but if: asked to take a message to, Garcia, what percentage of them would start without raising idiotic questions, without a lurking intent to chuck it- into the nearest sewer, or. getting laid off to go upon .strike, ora determination not to take too much trouble or risk in delivering it? ' ‘ , , The percentage, small as it is, containsthe man that civilisation is making a, continuous search for. He is wanted in every city; town, village,—in every office, store, factorv. or other employment;, the world cries ont for such, he is needed, and needed hadlv, not for his size, strength, good looks; or education.- but because be. can ,bo relied upon if required to curry.a message tOj Gnrein. There is always going on. a; weeding out of perfunctory service, and yet the majority of ; workers will, not recognise that the man who can carry a inesp, sage to .Garcia is one that no employer will part with. h The keen perceptions of our American cousins have cancbt on. jinil the expression " Can ho be relied upon in a message to, Garcia ?” (meaning. will be be zealous and staiincb at a critical time?) is cOining. a pertinent question, and ;a test worth the passing. DRESS, AND ITS RELATION TO HEALTH. . (By “Monte Bello.”) It has often struck me what longsuffering mortals women are: Most of them have a fixed idea that they are born to suffer. It is nor wonder when you ’ take, in the dress of the average woman. Look at her for an instant. Take her body, encased in a pair of rigid corsets as to cause you to wonder it

she ever takes breath. Her feet encased in shoes many sizes too small. Her hands encased in cdoves tnat stop circulation. in fact, from head to toe she is simply a piece of distorted machinery. Has it ever struck you, dear reader, how ill-proportioned the average woman is? This distortion is the result of waist constriction. Try tnc experiment on a bag of sugar. You will find by tying a cord at the centre that you force the contents up and down. That is just precisely what our young girls and our own mothers are doing to-day. Nature has ondowea us with a body containing certain organs, to perform certain work. ..There is just room and no more for these organs to perform their functions properly. It is no wonder that our Women, young and old, are a bunch of nerves! It is no- wonder that th'e(v suffer with defective sight, indifestion, ' constipation, shortness of reath, palpitation and the hundred and one ills they bring upon themselves. Why should women suiior ( You have the remedy in your own hands. Be honest to yourselves, and respect your body. You have a duty to perform, first tr yourselves', and through yourselves to others. All this suffering is caused by a piece of foolish vanity so apparently trifling as the desire to have a waist many inches smaller man nature intended. Unfortunately, women who wear corsets think they have plenty of room and yet complain of the firs„ woman they meet being guiltv oi tight lacing. Many of our ymmg girls are taking to corsets for the first time: our mothers have indulged for years. Try and go without them for three months, relying wholly on the muscles of the body to support itself, and I venture to say only a silly, conceited woman would take to them again. Some one has said youcan no more trust a pair of corsets, in. a woman’s hand? than a drunkard with a glass of whisky. Both indulge on the plea of moderation. Both are the, curse of our age.