LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 46

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Her Majesty's beautiful flower beds in the royal gardens at Balmoral have (?ays a Home paper of September 30) assumed their tinted leafy autumnal beauty. It waa duriog a snowstorm the other night that most of the summer blooms departed, and Jack Frost quietly nipped the dahlias and geraniums, and changed the colour of the Virginia creepsrs. The same night, after the snow, there was a heavy rainfall in the Highland?, and the river at Balmoral overflowed its banks. The Queen's dahlias are all real natives Gf Mexico, and they are the glory of the royal gardens in the autumn. Bach season tbe royal garderers produce improved varieties to please tha taste of her Majesty. Tho geraniums are of the very fiaest; old strains, and ths past long, hot surnmor has caused them to bloom more beautifully than ever. Many readers may not know that geranium roots are employed very successfully as a remedy in dysentery among children. — A curious thing about Lady Henry Somerset and Miss Frances Willard, one an EDglish woman and the other an American, is that since they met", a couple of years ago, they have been inseparable. They work together, live together, dress alike, arrange their hair in one fashion, and are photographed on the same card, each with her arm around the other's waist. — Western Mail. — There are (says Good Housekeeping) a i multitude of people who, in addition to the natural and proper uses cf the mouth, seem to regard it as a sort of handy receptacle, into which any small object may be thrust for safe keeping till wanted. This trait is not comfined to either sox, or to any age. Many a fond mother will cry out in alarm at the sight of hor child running about with a plaything in his mouth ; yet the chances are that if this same mother should, an hour later, have occasion to pay her fare on a

public conveyance, she would fiah out, from some ridiculous receptacle called a purse, a small coin, which she would hold between her lips till ready to make some other disposition of it— and this regardless of tne fact that on an average the coin had been travelling about the country for 15 or 20 years, ducing which time it had been in all sorts of places and amid all kinds of surroundiags. This observation is true of many other things than small coins, and of fathers as well a3 of mothers. Some of the most painful instances possible have recently illustrated the danger of this habit. The horrible death of a wellbeloved clergyman, the result of swallowing a small cork which he waa holding between his lips, is fresh in mind ; and at this writing a man in Albany has his lungs filled with tacks, which he swallowed in a similar manner. He was holding them between his lips while putting down a carpet, and inhaled them inHvhila laughing at the remark of someone present. He now lies at the point of death, and no earbhly power can aid him. Surely these illustrations and the suggestions which they invariably call up ought to be sufficient reason why no thinking person should ever make a temporary receptacle of the mouth for foreign substances. — The Duchess of Rutland writes : — "'Many ladies at the present time, whose fortunes cannot be considered large, spend £600 a year on their toilets, and it ia not unusual for £1000 to be expended by tho3e who go out a great deal I Two thousand pounds are occasionally spent on flowers for one ball 1 " — In Paris every available surEace seems to be looked upon as a fair field for the billsticker. Th 9 police protect the churches ; but even the churches were not entirely exempt last summer from the task of billbearing. The pedestals of all the statues, with one exception, were plastered with placard?, and even many of the statues as well. The one exception was the statue of Joan of Arc. — In 1890 there were in America about 275,000 women engaged in money-making occupations as follows : — One hundred and ten lawyers, 165 ministers, 320 authors, 588 journalists, 2061 artists, 2136 architects, chemists, and pharmacists, 2106 stockraisers and ranchers, 5135 Government clerks, 2438 physicians and surgeons, 13,182 professional musicians, 56,800 farmers and planters, 21,071 clerks and bookkeepers, 14,465 heads of commercial houses, and 155,000 public school teachers. ■ — A Paris shop giil ordinarily commences with a salary of from 25s to 40s a month. Besides this, however, she invariably has a commission on her sales. Many receive as much as £6 a month in salary, and make much more in commissions. —It is useful to know how to curl feathers, because so many ostrich feathers are and always will be worn, and nothing looks more perfectly deplorable than a feather that has been straightened by damp and wind. Now suppose that you have a narrow and sharp ivory, silver, or wooden paperknife. Never use anything with a keener edge than this, or it scrapes the down off the strands of the feather. Take the extreme tip of the plums, and with your thumb on the top scrape the knife hard along the under part of the rib so as to curl it. Then curl the undermost strands on the left side, taking them in bunches of four or five at a time. Do not curl them very tightly, but make them curl over roundly from the centre rib of the plume. When you have done this to both sides take the upper strands that are left, three or four from each side together at a time, and carl them so as to cover the rib all the way up. Then shake your feather in front of a hot fire for a few seconds, and look at it, when you will find many strands standing up quite straight here and there. These require individual curling, and the whole should be carefully arranged to look full and compact. — " Busy Bee," in the Weak. — Two of the richest women in England are Mrs Johnston -Foster and her sister-in-law. The two are both widows, and married two brothers of the Foster family, of Queensbury, near Halifax, Yorkshire. The Fosters, only one generation back, made a fortune extending into many millions as alpaca manuFacturer3. — The Eev. Mother Marie Jamet, who died in October last at the "mother house" of her order in Brittany, was the foundress o£ the " Little Sisters of the Poor." Mother Marie was 74, and had lived to see her sisterhood scattered over the world in 253 houses, served by 4000 sisters, in Caylon, Valparaiso, North Africa, Melbourne, New Orleans, and in New York. The Little Sisters are to be found everywhere in France, and are keeping aged English pauper 3 off the rates in 18 refuges. — When war was declared between France and Prussia in 1870, the King of Prussia's French cook sent in his resignation. Tbe Queen (afterwards the Empress Augusta) persuaded the much-valued chef to remain ruler of the royal kitchen. When the victorious Germans were laying waste the fair French country, one small village was spared at the entreaty of the grateful Qusen. Ib was the native place of the patriotic French cook, who had withdrawn his " warning " at her request. — The stout lady is always asking what sho shall wear in order that she may appear less bulky. She should not wear tightfitting tailor-made suits ; rosettes should never be worn at her belt, either at the back or front ; no lace or ribbon ruffs about the neck, though a soft feather one is permissible if it have long ends. A short skirt will give a queer dumpy look, which is particularly undesirable. The hair should never be low on her neck ; it should be high, and arranged with great smoothness. Strings of beads round the neck ara prohibited, and if her fingers are short and fat even rings should nob be worn. — The Queon of Denmark received some lovely presents on her birthday this year as usual. The Cz^r of All the Eussiaa gave his ma-in-law a posy — but what a posy! the rarest and fairest blooms that could be got together for money were tied together with silk ribbon fastened with a diamond clasp, and accompanied with a brooch made of a large sapphire surrounded with diamonds. By the way, it is de rigiieur for all and sundry to give the Danish grandmamma flowers on her birthday in that happy and united family; and the rooms of her Majesty were quite filled with fragrant offerings from the Crown Princess of Den-

mark and her children, Princess Waldemar, &c. The ladies-in-waiting presented an enormous basket filled with roses, tuberoses, and violets ; and the officers and men of the Imperial yachts sent a trophy of roses and other blooms. As for the more solid gifts, the Prince of Wales sent his mather-in-law a gold heart set with precious stones, and the Prince3s of Wales's present was a gold box set with a large emerald , besides the loveliest little dog-cart, with black cob and harness — a charmingly complete turn-out. The Czarewitch gave a stick— not to correct the grandchildren with, but a glorified handle for stick or umbrella (to describe it raoro correctly), made of lapis lazuli, with a gold snake encircling it. And the king of the Hellenes offered a jewel case, thinking, we suppose, that his mother would have need of a receptacle to put so much jewellery in. — When the German Emperor was last in England an order was sent to a well-known firm of modellers in London for a model to be made of the Empress's figure, with movable arms complete, the upper part to be made of papier macbe, the lower part bslow the waist like a teleecope of wire framework. Thi3 unique facsimile of her Majesty is to be used as a substitute on all occasions when the Empress cannot be personally present. For instanc?, all dresses are to be tried on this second self. When th^y are sent from the dressmaker finished, her Majesty will inspect and criticise them from every point of view, andjpronounco on their suitability to her figure, and so on — in fact, see her dresses as others see them. This double is also to be used for decarating evening dres3es with flowers, &c , and taking creases out of trunk crushed gowns. The model is made like a telescope, one part to fold inside the other, so as to take up little more space when travelling than a bonnet box. — Hengrave Hall, near Bary St. Edmunds, waich has been sold foi over £90,000, at one time belonged to Penelope, a daughter of Earl Rivers. Of this fair aristocrat an amusing story is told. She had three suitors at the same time, Sir Gaorge Trenchard, Sir John Gage, and Sir William Hervey, and to keep peace between the rivala she threatened the first aggressor with her perpetual displeasure, telling them that if they would wait she would have them all in turns — a, promise which she actually performed. The gentleman first favoured was Sir Gearge Trenchard. He died shortly afterwards, and she was not long before she became Lady Gaga. Sir John, by whom she had nine children, died in the year 1633, and two years later his widow was led to the altar by Sir William Hervey. The lady survived all her husbands. — The Woman's Herald gives the following good reasons why every girl should be taught to sing — if she has a voice, to improve it ; if she has no ear, to acquire one if possible. For singing and rhythmical sounds are very good domestic helps in many crises, since listening composes the nerves of the excited and angry, soothes the sorrowful, lulls the wakeful, and largely helps in the cure of various illnesses. The mother who cannot sing her baby to sleep is to be pitied, the person who was not sung to sleep when a baby has something incomplete in his being. All the children love the lallaby, whether it is the gentle murmur, half sor.g, half monotone, whether it is the sweet melody or whether it is a tune sung in a voice regardless of measure and loud and clear as a yodel. The effect of music is quieting upon the nerves, and- this action" makes the nerves - capable of performing their proper functions. The child wtio is soothed by a lullaby is kept not only in sound condition, in so far as music has any effect on the condition, but every possibility of harmonious growth is thus given to it ; for the sleep that i 3 begun to the soft ordering of time or tune is set to music, as it were ; and the child's growth, so much of which takes placa during sleep, is as orderly as the setting of crystals which move and grow in order under certain sounds. If a mother cannot siDg herself, she can intone rhythmically, or she can see that her nurse is able to sing ; for it seems, in view of its power on the nerves and the higher nature, that a child should no more be deprived of munc than of any other food necessary to his wellbsing, physical and mental. — A Paris correspondent writes in a Horce paper: — "The dressmakers tell me that satin and moire will be very fashionable for dress gowns this winter, and that light velvet and velveteen — both silk and cotton — and a soft woollen material called zebiline will be very much used for out-door costumes. Oama - li will be trimmed with fringe and embroidery, and passementerie will take the place of lace. I am sorry to have to note that wo ara threatened with an invasion of j^t, v»hioh I abominat?. Ribbon, which ha 3 been so much worn all the summer, will cDntinuo in us*; and at that I am delighted ; for, to my mind, there is nothing so pretty or booc-ining as our dear old ribbon. Ths manufacturers are now throwing some raarvillous suruplea of this material off their looms. One that I saw the other day at a large shop was made of shot velvet with a satin reverse nnd it produced a most adorable effect. S'eeves will continue full in the upper part for the present, bat wiil not rise above the slnoldjr. On the contrary, they are now j 1 ialed at the top, and made to full in soft naxural folds to tha elbow. The colours that will 03 most in vogue during the autumn will be dire green, mordore, bright pink, violet, and rel in all its shades. They will be bleadod together in couples, aud great care must be taken in order not to show bad raste in the choice of the tints one select?. Yeliow and blue may now be freely used in the same dress. Yellow cording will bs worn at the bottom of the jupe, E r on jackft and short shoulder cloak, and oraoga yellow will meet with greater favour thfin golden, but it wiil only suit brunettes. For evening gown 3 mordore and pink and mordore and mauve will be the essence of bo>i io,i. Some French ladies of fashion now wear rheir hair parted ia the middle of the hsad, and paired out or flattened down on either side, after the manner of their grand mammas. This is considered very aesthetic and melancholy-look-ing, and is, consequently, quite the'thiug ; but it is hardly in keeping with the headgear and gowns of the fair creatures." — According to the testimony of the Duchess of Cleveland, the great health fire in the hall of Raby Castle has never been suffered to expire, aud has thus been burning

for centuries. This castle is perhaps the noblest and most perfect specimen of feudal architecture in EDgland. It was in the large banqueting hall of this famous mansion that, age 3 ago, 700 knights are said to have paid suit and service to the Earls of Westmorland, one of the many titles borne by the princely fanrly of the Nevilles. — That very ancient people, the Chinese (says a writer in a woman's paper), prevented women from being a disturbing element by robbing; her of the power of locomotion. The Greeks devised the gyneceum; the Orientals veiled her in public and watched her iv private; the Spaniards evolved the dnemia; the Germans broke heir spirit by household drudgery ; the French reared the (ion vent wall ; the Englishman's main reliance h.a3 been a large family ; but his coxxsin, frere Jonathan, has enunciated the audacious principle that the more men and women are thrown together the less dangerous they become to one another. Now, vies cliers, all this destruction of ridiculous Old World restrictions has been a clear and positive gaia for us women. The reason is obviou? ; ehe" is neither prig, prude, nor Puritan, but just a jolly good fellow, wiso as Portia, mischievous as Beatrice,. and chummy as Rosalind. She talks well, dresses well, dances well, and flirts well ; and while she goes to the theatre with Jack waltze3 with Tom, drives out with Ned, plays tennis with Arthur, eats oysters with Archie, and spoons with Reggie, yet she marries John Heniy, who pays for her hats and her gloves and her gowns and her fads and her fancies without a whimper. — -- Ladies are not permitted on the outside of trams and omnibuses in Berlin, and an amusing incident occurred last week. Two English girls, known in the best society here, determined to set this custom at defiance, and show the Germans that an English girl could ascend the very easy stairs without exposing too much ankle, or breaking her neck. Accordingly, one sunny morniDg, they mounted the tram coming from the zoological gardens, taking advantage of the moment when the conductor was collecting fares inside. The horror of the man when he came upstairs was something ludicrous; he insisted on their coming down at once, but the girls, of course, did not understand a word, which was part of the plot, for they speak Gsrman perfectly. They looked at him witha friendly but quite unconscious smile, and tendered their fare. "You must come down," repeated the conductor, " I dare not permit ladies up here " ; but the girls only smiled the more, and the poor man's despair reached its climax. Ths men on the top roared, and a whisper went round, 'Mad Englishwomen 1 ' which is a very general term in Germany. At last, in the middle of the crowded and fashionable Potsdamer Strasse, the tram was stopped, a policemen fetched, and the two pretty girls bowed to the inevitable and gracefully descended. Taking a trink-geld from her purse, one of the ladies handed it to the conductor, and, to the man's astonishment and disgust, thanked him in excellent German for the pleasant ride they had had. — When Queen Margherita of Italy celebrated her silver wedding she received besides gifts of silver, 22,000 begging letters. — Aigle — the Aquila of the Romans, now a charming town in the Canton de Vaud — was for a lew days recently perfumed in a most amusing manner. In opening a postal bag at the post office, the clerk found that a packet of perfumery containing bottles of musk had been broken, and the letters, newspapers, &c, for the town and the mountain were impregnated with this odour so dear to Orientals. At first every one • laughed, thinking ib a good joke, then it was found that the office, all in it, the street, the whole quarter, little by little, became filled with this potent smell. The clerks and the postmen smelt of musk like some ladies' boudoirs ! The rural postmen left the office, perfuming firstly their bags, then the correspondence for the valley, the plain, and the mountain, even as far up as the Ormonds ; on dit everywhere the atmosphere of the houaes smelt of musk. If Mohammed's paradise smells as sweet as the post office at Algle, it will be a pleasure to have the permis d'entree. Musk is well kaown as an antispasmodic, but it has other properties — dangerous ones, so say the doctors. — The young Duchess of Sutherland made a neat little speech at the opening of the Inverness Exhibition of Highland Industries, of which she is the president. Every one, she said, ought to wear Highland tweeds and homespuns from October to May, and then the poor crofters would not be starving, as they now often are; and, besides, handwoven cloth was really an economy, for it never looked shabby, and she could bring no better argument for that fact than by sajiug she was then wearing the same frock she wore there last year, and had been wearing off and on ever since. The weather was colt and wet for the sport 3, and the attendance at them not so good as usual, bub the balls were in every way successful. Some of the ladies wore the smartest of dresses, and the kilted men looked their best. Indee 1, any one who has teen the kilted reels at Inverness is not likely ever to forget them. There were numbers of notable people present, but the hsro of the hour was General Lord Roberts, who appeared in evening dress without any of his decorations. — In all Europe the Spaniards have long held the palm for grace and beauty in their national dance. Italians can giva a stirring exhibition with their tarantella, Hungarians become epileptic over their czardas, the Poles have their bewitching mazurkas, and all, or most, society people can waltz very respectably ; bub grace and abandon are chiefly to be found in the national dances — the cachucas, the boleros, and the fandangos — of Spain. The " Baile Nacionale " of the Spaniards is the outcome of no system of choregraphic education, but the result of distinct atavism, introduced centuries ago into the land of the Cid by the Moors, whose Oriental tastes employed paid slaves to enactbefore them the sensuous dances of the East. There i 3 one thing few Spanish hearts can resist — the tap of the castagnettes. Tiie cavalier makes them speak for him beneath his mantle. Just as a cat that hears a mouse, the senorita's head turns at the sound ; her eyes flash ; her lips part to show her pearls oE teeth ; tha point of her pliant foot begins to beat the measure of the dance ; she throws off her mantilla, drops her fan, and stands

forth in all the glory of gilt filagree and embroidery. The cavalier unmasks, lays aside his mintle, and the two execute a pas de deux, full of life and originality. The Spanish women, without having the science and polish of the Parisian or Milanese, are really much superior in fascination and elegance. They have the round beauty of the beautiful woman. They look as if they danced for the pleasure of the art, not for a salary. And as their waists revolve, their hips swing in measured cadence, and their arms rise and fall, now languorously limp, now strong in ardent passion; the type of their Oriental origin comes to the surface, and the Spanish dancer owns her Egyptian forerunners. -- " Wheu a woman has got her bonnet and glove 3 on, and is perfectly ready, with her parasol in hand, she always goe3 back," says a cynical person, " to a mirror to take a last, fond farewell. Every woman doe 3 this, but few are honest enough to confess it. For my part," continues this frank as well as cynical individual, " I don't mind telling you tbat I myself am not satisfied with one last look I invaiiably take four ; the second is for my brother, or — or some other young man — that's nothing but just; the third is for my friends — that's only generous ; and the last is for the woman I don't like, and who doesn't like me— that's human- nature. If the fourth satisfies me, then, I assure you, I never take any more.' — During the recent visit of the Princess of Wales and her youDger daughters to Den- 1 mark Princess Maud of Wales took lessons in water-colour painting at Fredensborg, together with her oousin, Princess Louise of Denmark. Both the youDg Princesses, it is 1 said, show a decided talent. — " Once More at Home " writes in a Home paper: — "What a host of delightful things one sees in Paris 1 I must try and tell you about some of the many lovely things that I saw there. I was privileged lo have a peep behind the Fcenes in some instances, and can give your fair readers a glimpse of what I saw going on there. At one chic establishment there was a large wedding order beirg executed, many of the things, however, being only about half finished. The wedding gown itself was complete, and after I had done admiring it, I was allowed to see io marvellously packed in the huge box prepared for its reception. The gown was of pure white soie royale of the richest quality, daintily trimmed with bouquets of orange blossom and white roses. A curious mixture, you may say, but the latter was a delicate compliment to the bride's name. The bodice was slightly open at the throat and filled in with the softest little puffing of old lace. The elbow sleeves were entirely of the latter, as was also the veil, which was not to be worn over the face, but arranged high on the head. "The skirt with its demi-train was trimmed inside with frills and puffings of soft chiffon, and indeed so beautifully was ib finished, that it might easily have been turned and worn that way without exciting comment. The court train from the shoulders, of rich white brocade, had a design of roses and silver scroll work on it. This was lined with white satin, and had chiffon arranged on the inside edge. The robe to be worn at the signing of the contract was pink, of course, the chosen material being satin. The full skirt was edged with a neat little wreath of roses, with their green leaves and a fringe of hanging buds, beneath which waa a soft little pink chiffon frill. The large puffed sleeves reached to the elbow, and were finished with a bud fringe, and the bodice was a miracle of clever draping of chiffon, fastened here and there with clusters of roses and diamond pins looking like dewdrops. The whole think was pick, and indescribably lovely. Mdlle Rose will carry on her wedding morning a small but very choice posy of every sort of white rose. " Another item was a winter dressing sacque of the finest white nun's veiling, wadded and quilted inside with white satin, its only trimming being tiny tucks and an edging of soft white fur. By the bye, I see that there is an attempt being made to bring into fashion again our grandmothers' favourite ermine. I have seen several cloaks of this fur, and I also noticed a muff of gigantic proportions, exactly the long shape carried by them years and years ago. Whether this said article would be likely to find a purchaser, or was merely on show, I cannot say. The Mercury wing craze has somewhat abated, but wiDgs will be still worn during the coming season. I noticed a great many white veils being worn at the racep, fetes, &c. ; but at our English races, plain black or spotted ones were by far the most general. Jackets are to be worn much shorter this winter, and those ladies with three-quarter coats had better take warning acd have a couple of icches or so cut off. 11 Sleeves bid fair to keep large at present in spite of what English papers may gay to the contrary, but skirts are at a standstill and do not increase in widtb. Some of the newest, however, are veiy much gjred, and piped with a narrow piping of s:>me contrasting colour. Are you not sick of the • sunburnt ' straws that everyone is wearing just now? It is really too bad. Just as one gets a good hat at a good shop and gives a good price for ifc, the same thing is almost immediately copied, and may be counted by dozens in an inferior make at all | the cheap shops. I really cannot stand mine any longer, so am having it dyed 1 " A Woman of the World. Slie had been talking pleasantly to two or three women. She made her good-byes all cheerful and bright, and after she had disappeared one woman turned to another, and said in a tone that was scoffing, " She is a thorough woman of the world." Now in this case the woman who had said none but pleasant words, who had stopped by a bright story the discussion of a petty scandal, was a woman who was as brave-hearte d as any that ever lived, ani who bore nob oaly ht>r own, but the burdcos of a good mauy othfr people, jut she saw no reason why she should inflict her troubles on her friends, nor why, while she was in the world, she should nob be in its best sense a woman of the world. A woman of the world is one who feels that the story told to burbycur feedings is essentially bad form.

A woman of the world is the one who is courteous to old people, who laughs with the young, and who makes herself agreeable to women in all conditions of life. A woman of the world is one who makes her " good morning " a pleasant greeting, her visit a bright spot in the day, and her " good-bye " a hope that she may come again. A woman of the world is one who does not gauge people by their clothes or their riches, but who condemns bad manners. A woman of the world is one who does not let her right hand know what ber Jefb hand does. She does not discuss her charities at an afternoon tea, nor the faults of her family at a prayer meeting. A veritable woman of the worid is the best type of a Christian, for her very consideration makes other women long to imitate her. Remember that Christ came into the world to save sinners, and to be in the world and among ib and the people who make it, and to do your work as a woman of the world means more than speaking from platform or assumed elevation. A woman of the world is one who is courteous under all circumstances and in every condition in which she may be placed. She is the woman who can receive the unwelcome guest -with a smile so bright and a handshake so cordial that in trying to make a welcome seem real it becomes so. A woman of the woild is one whop.c love for | humanity is second only in her life's devo- ! tion, and whose watchword is unselfishness in thought and action. By making self last it finally becomes natural to have it so. — FlobenCb Wilson, in Ladies' Home Journal. Giving Presents. It was I who suggested this discussion. One afternoon, as I sat sipping tea in an aerated bread shop, I overheard female voices behind me. " I suppose we shall have to give her something," said the first voice. " Oh, I shan't," retorted the other, more cheerfully, " I shall write her a letter." I know that letter. It will bubble over with generous sentiments. It will enumerate 37 beautiful and expensive things that the writer " thought of " givicg, and 72 reasons why she didn't. It will imply that from one end of London to the other there was to be found nothing nice enough to be bestowed upon so well-beloved a person as the recipient of the letter ; but will suggest tbat in other places and happier times some gift worthy to express the writer's feelirjgs may perhaps be lighted upon ; and it will conclude with, " And so, dear, you must take the will for the deed, and with fondest love," &c. The question is, has not the giving of presents become a mere function, from which the meaning has died out 1 In theory the giving of presents is the outward and visible symbol of an inward and spiritual graciousness — an expression of kindly feeling and affection. The idea is that one evening you say to yourself, " Let me see, why it's only a month to dear cousin Jane's birthday. Now let me think what I can give her that she will like to have, and that will in some slight way show my love for the day that gave her to us and to the world." When such is the sentiment, giving is a keen delight ; but too often what we really say is, *• By Jove ! if to-morrow isn't cousin Jane's birthday. Hanged if I hadn't clean forgotten all about it. I don't know what to give her." You hurry off to the nearest stationer's shop. " I want something suitable for a present," you explain to the young lady behind the counter ; " not too expensive." " Yes, sir," says the saleswoman ; "is it for a lady or a gentleman 1 " " Ob, a lady," you reply. The girl reaches down a tray load of card cases, and hands you an elegant little snake-skin affair bound with gold. " That's very pretty, sir," she murmurs : " £8 15s. And you could have the initials put on the side for another " "No, no," you interrupt, almost irritably, handing it back, " I just want some little simple thing. It's only a relation." Then the intelligent girl brings forward a shoddylooking photo frame. " These are very nice," she explains ; "we sell a lot of these for presents — 3s lid." "That's the sort of thing," you say," without looking at it — "very pretty, indeed. You haven't got a box you could put it in, have you 1 " The girl finds you a box for it ; and you buy a fourpenny birthday card to put in with it; and you come out of the shop quite light-hearted once more, feeling, "Well, there, that's off my mind." You posb it off to Jane, and Jane sits down and writes a letter, callirig it a " beautiful present," and saying that it was just the very thing ehe wanted ; and, as she closes the envelope, observes to her aunt. " What on earth am Ito do with it ? I wish people wouldn't send presents, they are such a nuisance. Now I shall have to stick this up somewhere, and it will spoil the room.' I bave soroetnees thought it would be better if, instead of making the giving of presents a mere tirescme and expensive faice, we gave only where it was a joy to give. But maybe the fancy goods trade would suffer somewhat severely fion such limit. — Jebome K. Jerome, in the Idler.