MARGARET MOORE'S MOODS

NZ Truth, Issue 1103, 20 January 1927, Page 6

MARGARET MOORE'S MOODS

Gin and Spring Onions Don't Mix NEW YEAR RUMPUS IN CHINESE SHOP

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) . White men and yellow, brown men and black— all ioo__ forward with cheerful optimism to the adyent of the New Year.

CHARLIE TTE'S outlook for 1927 was nothing if not bright. When January 1 dawned he sprang from bed with his usual glad cry, and proceeded, .with renewed vigor, to iron Auckland's collars; But, alas, Charlie's bright outlook, to say nothing of his left eyelid, were destined to be clouded before the day was done. As Charlie plied his flat-iron m his Newton laundry and thought out good resolutions'- for the New Year m Chinese, he x received a visit from a lady of his acquaintance—one Margaret Moore. Margaret wanted some collars, and she came not lonce but several times that morning to see about them. She, also wanted to see "Sissie," ao she went into a baclc room to her. "Sissie," it might be explained*, is a lady of Saxon coloring, Chinese nomenclature, and: lives with Charlie. Her f yll name -is Sissie Ah Lap, hut "East is east and. west- is west," and^ at any rate, she doesn't live Tyith her Oriental husband. Talking of "good resolutions, Margaret Moore's list did not include one concerning the water wagon. * At her request Charlie procured a couple of shillings' worth . of gin and a half-dozen bottles of beer. She. had a headache, and, presumably, wanted this; tasty alcoholic mixture to alleviate the pain. She asked Sis.sic if she might >Jie

down. She did, and Sissie, being a kindly soul, made . her a salad out of lettuce, spring onions and radishes. 'The combined effects of the gin, beer, lettuce/spring onions and radishes cannot accurately be guaged, but it can be guessed at! .'...' Margaret arose m a peeyish mood and was riot at all grateful to Sissie. As a matter of fact; she tried to thrash the wife of the absent Ah Lap with a stick which had a particularly rough edge.. • / Charlie could not stand by and ' see Sissie so woman-handled, so he stepped between them and got one oyer the head that laid open his forehead — also darkened the exterior covering of his left optic. He, .caressed his injured eyelid tenderly as he stepped into the witnessbox m the Auckland Magistrate's Court to tell S.M. Hunt all about it. Margaret swore on her sacred oath that, while she had been drunk on New .Tear's Day, she had not touched either Sissie or Charlie with the stick.It ; was Sissie, . she alleged, who had hit Charlie. Magistrate Hunt said "Hmm" several times Twhile Margaret told him her tale, but he was not convinced. . He fined her £1 or , three days for ript observing her prohibition order, which' was only issued two months before, and'; twice that amount for darkening Charlie's outlook for 1927.