THE CAPITAL PRIZE.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 22, Issue 67, 29 August 1911, Page 8

THE CAPITAL PRIZE.

■V* ■ •* You say you were very lucky the first dme ymi bought a lottery ticket ?" '• Yes : I drew a blank, and have never invested since.” HQW TO TRIM THEM. "Awe, Ethel,”-remarked Charlie to his pretty cousin, ” I believe — aw—l’ll have .. the barbah—aw—trim my whiskers this mawning—aw.” ” Do, Charley,” said his pretty cousin. ” And—aw—Ethel, how would you suggest that I have them trimmed ?” "Well," replied the pretty cousin, after sufficient consideration, " I think they would look very sweet trimmed with pink ribbon.’ THE CAP. The Romans went for many ages without egular covering for the head, and hence ;he heads of all the ancient statues appear 'rare. But, at one period, the cap was a •ymbol of liberty; and when the Romans ;ave it to their slaves it entitled them to ■reedom. The cap was sometimes used as i mark of infamy; and in Italy the Jews vere distinguished by a yellow cap; and in France these who had,been bankrupts were '.or ever after obliged to wear a greftn cap The general use of caps and hats is referred o the year 1449; the first seen in these ravts of the world being at the entry o( diaries VII. into Rouen, from which time hey took the places of chaperons or hoods. The velvet cap was called mortier; th» vool cap, bonnet. • The clerical or universal square cap v?as invented by Patrouillet. SUITING THE ACTION TO THE WORD. Mollie is a dark-eyed little maid, brimul of mischief, and just as "smart” as she :an be. She stood beside her father one lay when he was giving her elder brother a esson in declamation, and was especially interested in his remarks about suiting the iction to the word. "Now, Tom," said the father, "when you say * Look, yonder he comes,’ you must point in the direction from which he is supposed to come ; and, when you say, ■ Low at my feet he lies,’ drop your head, with a downward wave of your hand, and look as though you saw him lying there.” Well, the very next night Mollie had a “ piece” of eight lines to speak at the Sun-day-school exhibition. There was in it an allusion to the sky, and she pointed skywar i; there was an invitation to "clap your hands for joy,”- and. she clapped her tands for joy ; but for all that the audience vere greatly surprised when, with the last iMS, 44 In the sweet, pretty clover Roll over and over,” ' down flopped'Mollie on the platform, utterly regardless of her dainty white dress and lova’y crimson sash, and rolled over and over until she fell into one of the many pair; of arms extended to catch hen THE WORLD’S STOCK of DIAMONDS. The world’s stock of diamonds has inf creased enormously in the last fifteen years. In 1876 the output of the African mines was about 1,500,000 carats; in 1889 it was over 4.000. and the great trust which controls all the principal mines asserts that it has 16.000. carats in sight at the present time. Meantime, says Iron, the demand for diamonds has greatly increased, and they are higher to-day—partly because of the trust, but also because of the increased demand—than they were a year or two ago. In one respect the diamond industry is' different from all others. Its product—that is, of gems—is never consumed. Of gold and silver a much larger amount than most people would believe is literally con sumed in the arts pas! recovery, but a dia mond once cut goes into the world’s great stock, and is liable to come upon the market at any time. Hence the world’s annual taking of diamonds, which appears to be steadily increasing, even at advancing prices, is an index of how much of its surplus earnings it can afford to expend yearly in this particuiar form of luxury. The romance of diamond mining is all gone. It is now a matter of excavating vast beds of blue clay by machinery, washing it, and siftingput the diamonds, which, after being roughly sorted for size, are sold in bulk by weight. The men who do the actual work aie mere labourers, and their pay is proportionately small. .■ A PUN-ISHMENT. He was a candle-makei man, And he was very old. For it was thirty years and more Since he began to mould. His business on his face was writ As plain as though on paper; His long nose running to a point You sure would call a taper. , And flame-like glowed its jolly tift 1 For drinking hard and stuffing Had made it red; and candle-like It brighter grew by snuffing , A daughter fair he had ; but he Was wont to beat and starve her, Said she, " I’m sorry he’s my pa, ■ But wish that he wer e father.% Soon Cupid in her tender heart An arrow dared to throw; As that alone would useless be. He gave her, too, a beau. But when the lover claimed her hand, The father did dispute. Said he, " Your ashes I would take; But I reject your suit." > t ,,y So when the shades of night were spread* He round the house would hover; / Though certainly no warrior, he was yet a nightly lover. ■ " My pa is coming," cried the maid; " Oh, Thomas, woe betide you 1 For he will cane you, I’m afraid— But come with me; I’ll hide you." So in the boiler he was crammed, His legs all cramped and bent, Thought he, "I have the copper got. And he has not the scent.” And there he passed the sleepless hour* Of that eventful night; The time y-passedso heavily He wished that it were light. At early dawn, to light his fire, The cruel parent came; Alas 1 for lovers’ constancy— Tom felt another flame. Oh, maiden 1 maiden! could you now Your lover’s plight but see, Your pa for Thomas' sake you’d hate, For pa-boiled he will be. For oh, within that boiler hot His every limb seemed frying. His situation, you will own, Indeed must have been trying. Now from his lair he sprang, and seated The old man not a little. Recover first yourself, old man ; Re-cover then your kettle. And quickly speeding out of sigh% His home at length Tom won. / Bure after such a melting down No wonder he should mm I