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Otago Witness, Issue 2262, 8 July 1897, Page 40

Those who are short of breath — whether cyclists, athletes, or footballers— would do well to always keep a bottle of Woods's Gbeat Peppermint Cube for coughs and colda by them. After eevere exertion, when the pores of the skin are open, particular susceptibility to old exists. You can get it at your grocer's or he mist's, at Is 6d and 2s 6d. It will be found v unfailing remedy.

reproduced by me since I have been in New Zealand." In the champion tournament of the Canterbury Chess Club Mr Hookham stands foremost with seven wins, no lossea or draws. So far no other competitor comes near him. In this division there are 13 competitors, and each has to play two games with every other competitor. A tournament played on the 16th ult. between Thnaru and Pleasant Point with 12 a-side resulted in a win for the former by one game. Timaru and Pleasant Point combined on the 21st ult, played a match against Ashburton with eight a side —result, a draw. It was suggested that a match between North and South Canterbury should be arranged to take place at Christchurch on Show Day, when a large number of players would be in the Cathedral City.— Canterbury Times. Canterbury is to be congratulated on its activity in chess matters. Otago has not yet wakened up for the season, and with the exception of the Otago Chess Club tourney, which is going on vigorously, there seems to be nothing -doing in chess. Oamaru has lately lost two of its strongest players in Mr Francis, who has removed to the North Island, and Mr King, who is absent assisting at the secular celebrations in England. The Invercargill club seems to be dormant at present, and there are no reports to hand of the doings of any of the other Otago clubs. The Melbourne Weekly Times is responsible for the subjoined yarn .at the expense of chessists :— CHESS IN THE SNOW. The hold which the game of chess obtains on the affections of its votaries is indeed a tight one. There is something strangely irresistible about the pawns, knights, bishops, kiDgs, und queens, and once fairly caught in the toils, the chess player finds that tho game is almost * necessity to his existence. DnriDg a blinding snowstorm la<-t winter, remarks a contemporary, a couple of travellers lost their way on the moors, and were at last forced io seek shelter under a frozen bush. Here they stopped for what seemed an age, and it Avas not until the storm had cessed and the day had broken that a farmer returning from a distant town discovered the presence of the travellers. He approached them noisily, but neither Jooked up nor paid the least attention to his presence. This conduct greatly surprised the farmer, who could see that the two men were nearly frozen to death, s.t he went closer to them. He then discovered that they had a chess board between them and were actually moving the men at intervals with their ice-cold hands. My dear fellows," he cried, "whatever are yon doing? This is hardly the place for a game of ches% and you must be half dead with cold." For a time there was no answer, and then one of the players looked up angrily, and chattered out: "Fin- goodness sake shut your ! mouth and hook it 1 Can't you see that you're spoiling the game?" But chessists are not the only class about which such stories are told. All pursuits which require close and careful attention necessarily abstract the attention from other subjects. An old story used to be current about Sir Isaac Newton and a lady beside whom he happened to be seated, and who naturally expected him to pay her some attention. Sir Isaac, absorbed in deep thought, sat beside her in silence, smoking his pipe. After a time he, to the lady's surprise, gently laid hold of her hand and raised it towards his lips, but she was still more surprised and probably digappointed when she found that he was about to press dnwn the burning weed in his i>ipe with one of her fingers, having mistaken it for his tobacco stopper. Were a census taken of people's idiosyncracies it would most likely be found that chess players are as wide awake to external surroundings as other people are. ,