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Star (Christchurch), Issue 5664, 8 September 1896, Page 1

Much consternation "was caused last winter amongst the medical men in Wellington by the introduction of Woods' Great Peppermint Cure for Coughs and Colds; that a very had cough could be cured by a Is 6d bottle, and a whole family, with a 2s 6d bottle, a serious loss to them. It is sold by all Grocers and Chemists.- — Abvt. Spring and Summeb. — Choice English coatings, trouserings and suitings ; just to hand. Cash Tailoring Coy., High Street, Triangle. . ...'r . ' 1585 . Ifa a fact, said a well-known Christchurch divine the other day to a friend, that Cough Mixture, called Wood's Great Peppermint Cure, is the very best thing for throat Irritation and Cough 1 hare ever taken. I notice all the Grocers and Chemists keep it — a never failing remedy. Wholesale Agents, N.Z. Drug Co.— Advtv

getting unduly prejudiced in favour of your suburb. Your sense of comparison lias no time to get dulled. For instance, since we have been furnished-housing, I. have made a study of suburban Post Offices. If you strike an average you will find the oißce in alliance with a draper's shop. The family who inhabit it are a father, who has inflamed eyes and corns, and who wears a skull cap and carpet slippers, his two daughters, and-. a son of about thirteen. The man minds jthe shop and the girls boss him. One of thxi girls— she who runs the office — has a look of repellant propriety, and discourages friendly overtures. Her sister is only seen in the shop on Saturday nights.^. If yon catch sight of her at other times she has soapsuds on her arms. The boy acts as assistant at the local public library. All the, winter he smells of eucalyptus oil and has wool in his ears. Up to 10 a.m. the office-cum-shop i 3 redolent of " kippered herrings. Tho family are ardent church-goers and love a sormon on hell. Then certain suburbs are noted for the hawking of certain goods. At "Lorally" we were pestered with feather-duster men. At "Cypressdale"it was tinware and firewood. Here, where we are now, it is raffle tickets and Dr Sand's freckle soap. We were sorry fo leave " Cypressdale, " but Fin not sure that the neighbours regretted us. You see the house was one of three that stood in a walled square. An avenue led through, and occasionally our dogs—a mastiff and a Gordon setter — would get out and hold the main gate against all-comers. As they would not allow horse or foot to enter until called off by a Jobson, traffic became at times a little congested. We spent a few weeks in town looking for another house to suit us. Scores were offering, but not many with what we required, a garden and paddock. We fixed on one with these advantages. It was prettily furnished with the exception of the drawing-room walls, which were fairly panelled with portraits of popes, bishops and noted priests of the Catholic Church, aod the drawingvoom floor, which carried a new carpet, the pattern of which was banana leaves on a jungle background of warm brown. The banana leaves were full natural size, and the Pontifical portraits dated from the sixteenth century. The owners explained the presence of the pictures. " A relative had written a history of the church, and part of his collection of portraits of its great leaders hadfalleninto theirpossession. I thought by Mrs Jobson's faint voice that she might be stupefied into taking the place as it stood, so I stumbled over the jungle and banana leaves to where she stood talking to the mistress of the place, and kicked herheels gently, "Don't," I whispered; "I feel as if T were bushed in. a North Queensland plantation." ; She answered dazedly, with gaze on-the walls, "And I feel as if I ' had strayed into an oecumenical synod." We wanted the wall space for our own pictures, but as the owners declined to^oll the Sacred College in the tropical carpet and remove the swag, there was, in^.the language of diplomacy, an interruption of amicable relations. Our next interview was with a grave, middle-aged gentleman, . belonging to a learned profession, and his maiden sister.' The former had just secured a decree nisi;. and intended making an Australasian tour before settling down again, and, as he told Mrs Jobson, "forming new ties." He wanted to let his house while lie was on tour. I am sure we could have managed the decree nisi man. It was his sister who was the crux. She wanted us to take over her Misfit with the rest of the inventory. While she and Mrs Jobson were having it out I glanced at a page of the inventory, which lay open .on the table. It started, under the heading of " Yard," with lawnmower, ran into miner garden toolsj andtailed off with cockatoo and watch-dog. Then I balanced to corners and plunged into the fray, Ky mastiff would demolish the watchdog, and I wpuld slay the cockatoo. ' Our opponent gave way on the Misfit question, btrt turned obstinate on the dog and bird Items. So we retired. St Ruperts, on which we finally settled, and where we now abide, is in a northern suburb. It has extensive ornamental grounds' and a three-acre paddock. The Sitter is only post-and railed, and' as the poor folk of the neighbourhood take a rail, or by way of variety a post, nightly, stranger cattle come in by the half -dozen", and eat our cow's grass and lie round cudchewing. And our friends 6ay, "Oh, you keep a dairy farm ! Does it pay ?" The house itself is uninteresting. It has the usual lungless bellows, stringy mats, soul-Wasting pictures, and damaged china and crystal. Its tea-sets and easy chairs have also been spirited off, but in its bookcase the good old " Casquets of Literature" and hoary "Half-hours with Best Authors " still abide. The " Caskets " (with aq) contain poetical gems on " The Immortality of the Soul," " Vacant Chairs," and " Faded Violets." And the venerable "Half Hours" in stodgy articles hold up as exemplars youths who rose early, and worked late, and lived on raw turnips or oatmeal, and self-sweated and did without whisky in order that they might learn Greek and die (prematurely old) chancellor of a university or mayor of a city. St Euperts is also possessed of a Chinese-made chest of drawers. I had the celestial object in my bedroom for a week, then generously presented it to Mrs Jobson for her dressing-room. Now, when I hear sounds . of panting and struggling in that room ' I know that a drawer which has jammed fast for forty seconds will presently come out with the rush of a pistonrod and knock Mrs Jobson down — as it used me. The people of the suburb are nil-achnirari. If there is any admirari it is retained by the possessor for himself. This is how ourhayand corn bills are headed : "C. Jobson, debtor to A. Finucane, Esq." The charwomen are strict eight-hour folk, and very respectful to each other. Mrs Jobson had occasion to seek the services of one of the sisterhood in a slushy lane. Mrs Brown herself could not come on the day required, but " she knew alady who would be glad of the job." Then, crossing the lane to a hovel, she screamed, " The woman what lives in St Euperts wants a lady to wash. Can you go 'stead o' me?" The municipal laws are tolerant in the