Our Ladies' Letter

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 88, 18 August 1923, Page 2

Our Ladies' Letter

My much-thought-of Tenia. For a variety of very good reasons, i too numerous to soiibbio, I was seriously thinking of depriving you of your weekly budget. The rain wo have with us again, which is to so many people, utterly depressing, again there is that wretched flu. Many of our small community have had it, and those who have it now ore sorry for themselves, and the rejft of us expect it; in fact, it has got to the stage, that if wo sneeze once, and have to use a handkerchief twice, wo go to bed and call it flu.

Why not? Flu by any other name would be just as abominable. They tpll mo castor oil is highly recommended. Would the cure bo worso than the disease, do you know? My chief reason for perhaps not writing was, as you already know, we have lost a dear friend Mrs E. S. Rutherfuid. Her very sad and almost sudden demise left us quite shocked and saddened. Deep sympathy is felt on all sides for her relalives. Just a vey few old friends of Mrs W. Webster met on Monday afternoon at Mrs J. B. Richards' to say farewell as thoy were leaving on Tuesday for Whangarei town. Many apologies there were from those who could not attend. Mrs Dillon Cirbe y, with an apt little speech, presented her on behalf of hor friends and well-wishers, with a pnrse of sovereigns, everyone regretting her departure from the district. The weather having boen propitious during the early part of the week. ! some good rounds of golf were played. Sme are improving, and much is expected of them dur'ng this season. Others are at a stand still, so

to speak. A good co;tch would be of much benefit. Mvs Geo. Stubbs (Hawera) was in ■ Stratford on Tuesday. Miss Mnnu Porritt lias gone away for a holiday to friends in Palmers- : ton North. You must come soon, Tonia, and see our clock tower getting higher and higher. Come before it gets too high. It might be odlod the new Tower of Babel, who knows? We are all looking forward to the day when we mount the steps under the arch and post our penny write (>" some" cases not even worth that). Thank goodness, we will not have to live through ,a long quarrel between Raphaels and Godfreys for the Postmastership. We are much more seemly now-a-days. No wonder poo*' Elizabeth had to wear wigs. Her own hair must have turned white under the strain. Letters in those days (1530 or so) went through many adventures before finally reaching their destination. Was R. Fairbanks, the Massachusetts postmaster in 1639, an ancestor of Doug's? Not to be. counfounded with the Fairbanks, Erastus (to his friends) who invented the Fairbanks scales. Of all things, I have been reading once more Anstey's "An .Undergraduate's Aunt." You remember reading it aloud—poor Flushington's distress when his Aunt swooped down on his quarters in College, and how ho wished he had been reading "Anything but the work of M. Zola," and how he asked h®w the "Beetle" was, instead of his Uncle Samuel. I have before me many recipes foi cakes'without eggs (but my solid advioe.take it or leave it) is: "Don't go to the bother, of wasting ' good butter, otc., if you have not eggs—egg cakes are beastly! This fig cake is nice : One egg, one oz of butter, 1 cup of flour, eight figs, 1 teacup of sugar, half a teaSpooniul of soda, one teaspoonful cream of tartar, one teacup of mdk; cream butter and sugar, and beat egg well. Mix well together, then add the milk, flour, and fruit. Bake for about half an hour in a shallow tin.

Are you fond of sardines? Rather! T. ke a few sardines, have some paste, roll out very thin, and cut into pieces about three inches long one and a half wide, just largo enough to wrap round the sardines-. Roll up each sardine in a piece of paste with edges wot to join nicely. Pinch en s. Brush with eggs, rll in crumb'?, and fry in boiling fat. Drain and serve very hot; or before rolling dip each sardine in grated cheese or curry powde.", and. when cooked, sprinkle over with chece. "Well, my dear," said the young husband, greeting his wife on his return from business, "I have had my life insured to-day for five thousand pounds." "Oh, how sweet of you" cried the wife, now I shan't have to tell you to be careful everywhere you go." Piscilla's yarn of herself and her docile dachshund is rather neat: Some time ago she jumped on the step of a tram-car with him under her arm, only to. be firmly told to "get" by the impolite conductor. On his trip back she onoo more boarded the tram with a lady in long o'othes, bonnet, veil, gloves, and all complete. When the conductor came for the fares she lifted the infant's veil and showed him a nice brown, placid, hairy countenance, with a modicum of red tongue lolling out serenely at the side! The conductor said nothing, but the action of his elbow, she said, as he punched her "Bine Slip," showed that lie knew she had scored, as she generally manages to do. Have some cinchona Bark to soothe your nervos after perusing this. Yours. V. After all if, was well to bo "Irish" at the last De.by, for once.