AN EPISTLE IN VERSE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 17 July 1890, Page 24

AN EPISTLE IN VERSE.

By Jkmima Trimmings. 0, Mr Editor, pray list the woes Of an oppressed, ill-treated servant maid, A modest, humble person, goodness knows I Well educated. Sir, though poorly paid, One who is skilled in spelling, reading, writing, Who dotes on well-wrote fiction, if exciting; I tell no crammer, Sir, When I aver I've passed In Standard Five, Know fractions, too, and as I hope to thrive Am faultless In my grammar, Sir. n. I'm sure you scarce oan credit my assertion, (And yet you may, for on my oath I speak, Sir,) That suoh a worthy and superior person Becelvei a pittance of twelve bob a week, Sir— A lady friend of mine who works In shops, In making garments vulgarly oalled slops, (A stylish trade, Sir 1) At six she lays her work upon the shelf, • And yet she earns her twelve bob like myself, A poor domeßtio maid, Sir. in. Of course I get my victuals— that I grant ; We all must eat. in lower ranks or upper, Sir ; But who would miss the Httle that I want, Three meals a day-and just a snack for supper. Sir P Sometimes the mutton's cold, sometimes there a hash, Resurrection pie, or some such trash — My dainty taste refuses it ; I've told my missus I prefer a stew, Roast fowl, hot joint of mutton, or ragout— But not a bit of use is it I IV. In winter-time I'm up before the sun Is, At seven o'olook— a-inakiug toast and tea, Sir ; From then till night my labour never done is ; What time for Belf-lmprovement, if you please, Sir? One round of cooking, wishing dishes, scrubbing, Of ironing, baking, sweeping, dusting, rubbing ; Now pray do you nuppoie, Sir, We servant-maids have got an easy billet? I wish for one short day you'd only fill it, And then perhaps you'd know, Sir. , V. Last nfght dear Harry-he's my favoured beauLooks in to supper— chops and Worcester sauce, Sir, (For Harry'a quite the gentleman, you know,) With tea and mnshed potatoes, browned. But la 1 Sir, The missus gets in tuoh an awful scot, , And forthwith gives me notice I must trot. How isn't it a shame, Sir ? I swear I'll never slave no more I I'll marry I A burning shame it ia— if you knew Harry You'd say, yourself, the same, Sir. VI. On seoond thoughts I'll stay, should missus ax me, But only on conditions :— Every Sunday out ; . With having many beaux she must not tax me. Or show her nose when Harry is about j And time for musio I must have, 'tis clearPiano too, of course— l play by ear ; And sometimes when I'm not, Sir, Disposed to rise, or when I'm dull as lead, I'll then expect my tea and toast in bed,— D'ye hear ? -all piping hot, Sir. Colin M'Donald (third officer of the Wairarapa) and P. H. Thomson (carpenter) were each fined £5, or one month's imprisonment, at Auckland yesterday, for smuggling 30 yards of blue serge from the vessel whilst lying at the railway wharf. In the Divorce Court the Chief Justice made the rule absolute in the cases Neilsen v. Neilsen and Malcolm v. Malcolm. A decree nisi was granted in the following cases:— Apostle Lambert v. Annie Lambert and William M'Farlane, Oscar Cederlund v. Emily Cederlund and George Roadie, Sarah Arnold v. Edward Arnold, The birthdays of valuable dogs are celebrated in the best New York society with select parties, and birthday presents are often costly and elegant. Some of these pampered animals have silver bracelets riveted, round their legs, and bunches of their hair are " caught up " and tied with coloured ribbons in true lovers' knots; the tail is partly sheathed in precious metal.

A sensational case of supposed wholesale suicide by poisoning and suffocation is reported from Moscow, where, in one of the rooms occupied by a widow, her five daughters were tound suffocated by charooal fumes. In another apartment lay » large number of dead cats and dogs. In a third room the mother was found poisoned, her death apparently dating from some days previously.

Seven furlongs— Ruby, lmln 27$fleo, O.J.sJ. Graven Stakes, January 1888. One mile— Ravenswlng, lmln 42 l-s»eo, December 1888, 0.J.0. Consolation Ohudlelgh, lmin 43 l-Bseo, March 18, 1889, Hawke's Bay Free Handicap. One mile and a-quarter— Titbit, 2rain Biseo, 0.J.0. Grand Stand Handicap, January 1887. One mile and a-half— Tasman, 2mln 36jseo, Ashburton Oup, November 1883. One mile and three-quarters— Waitiri, 3min ssec, Auckland R.O, Handicap, 1887. Two miles— Manton, 3min 3lisec, New Zealand Oup,

November 1888. Two miles and a distance— Gipsy King. 3min slseo, Dunedin Oup, February 1888. Two miles and a-quarter— Nelson, Imin, Auckland Oup, December 1885.