SPINDRIFT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17030, 2 May 1923, Page 6

SPINDRIFT.

«e invited to lead la original topical paragraphs or verse* for the column, which ia a daily feature of the Star." Accepted contributions should »e out out by the writers and forwarded to the Editor, who will remit the amounts payable. Mr Massey will not be the resource-, ful man Sinbad takes him for if he cannot deal with the Oamaru election under some War Regulation or other. The result could then be announced Lee . . . 4012 Informal . . 4352 I hose who voted for Macpherson are, of course, enemies of the Empire. COMMON SUPERSTITIONS. If a tin tack or a drawing pin is seen on the bathroom floor and not picked up misfortune will follow your footsteps. To find a mouse in your teacup means good luck. It is unlucky to give red pepper to a watch dog. Walking on a banana skin on the footpath brings bad luck. It is considered luck to walk into a bank with an open cheque. A common superstition is that handling a nedgeliog which has been bur-’ rowing in yo.ur lawn is child’s play. A shovel ancl bucket of water mean very bad luck for the bvdgehog. It is lucky to throw away a horseshoe. It is, nevertheless, unlucky to meet one face to face. THE BRAN BATH. The bran bath as a cold, weather wash should appeal strongly to those people who have a prejudice against soap and water. I have tried it and can guarantee that if mv leaders will try the following directions (borrowed from a medical book) they will not only enjoy a complete change of complexion, but experience after effects which the passage of many days will fail to wipe off. Boil 4 quarts of bran in a gallon of water. Pour the liquid into a bath and massage the flesh with bags of cheese cloth containing a mixture of bran, soap and ammonia. The new coat thus formed on the surface of the skin must be allowed to harden before adding a second ooat. The treatment should be continued during the cold weather. I would like to point out that the bran bath has no connection with the bran tub, one of the points of difference being that a dip in the latter creates a desire for more. A skyscraper church is reported from America- It will of course soon be advertised as “ The Shortest Route to Heaven. Take Lift.” HINTS TO SMOKERS. Distrust* cigarettes which are sold at more than ten for sevenpence. Indian oherootß can only be negotiated by persons of an iron constitution. For effective smoking they require the wearing of a turban. Before lighting a cigar always hold it to your left ear. If you hear a roaring like surf breaking on coral reefs it is safer to try a milder brand. You can’t make an ivory cigarette holder out of a piece of zinc. To clean a pipe soak the bowl in benzine for ten minutes. On removal sprinkle a little -gunpowder in the stem and apply a match. Leave the rest to nature. “Will you me in December as you did in May?” will have to be reversed for the Oamaru election. Under the beading of “ Wharf Thrills,” a paragraph refers joyfully to the fact thrt a gentleman while in the act of receiving a parcel from a departing friend, lost his balance and fell from the Wellington wharf. Doubtless the spectators enjoyed the little incident, but methinks the fallen one would have sung as follows: “ T stood on the wharf at Lambton "When the clock was striking the liour, In the prime of my manhood’* vigour. And the .strength of my manhood’s power ! The clouds scudded eeiily o’er me, And the waters swirled below. And the handkerchiefs waved about me In a ceaseless ebb and flow ! Dark, dark was the sky and the water. And chill was the frosty air, As I stood on the wharf and waited And the breezes touched my hair. Far, far was the boat and its cargo, And far was the parcel, too, And far did I lean to the leeward, And far to the waters flew! The waves gathered grimly o’er me, And cold was the breath I drew, And loud was the laughter above me, And sympathy but from few! ‘We parted,’ the poet would tell us In rhythmical song, ‘by the shore!’ But if only he’d sample the method, He’d not be so gay any more! For it’s one thing to laugh at your neighbour When you’re safe and sound on the wharf. And another tp find ’neath the billows That the parcel is on—and vou’re off!” MY MOD. BUNG. Although, all houses are described b.y land agents ase being up-to-date, it is just as well to find out what date is referred to. The “ bung., sun porch., mod. convens., h. and c., H.P. ’ that i refer to its a nice enough dwelling, so iar as it goes. It doesn’t go very far. Its back fence terminates in the next-door fowl run. The windows are overlooked by neighbours. After all, that is a mere tritie; heaps of little tilings have been overlooked by the landlord himself. As to a minute description; take the best bedroom. It is the best—of two. Every time you cough, bits of plaster fall from the ceiling, and once, after the earthquake, when the door closed for the first time, I couldn’t open it for three weeks. That’s when the sun porch came in handy. Not that there is much sun circulating around. Still, its nice to be able to speak about these things in the trams. Jt impresses people. The diningroom has this advantage. By standing in the centre of the room you can put all the pictures straight without moving. This is necessary every time a motor-car passes. The hall is one < f those thin halls so fashionable nowaday. The bathroom —ah, the bathroom. Very small. Shut the door and there you arc. Plenty of space to get into the bath if you don’t have a chair or a towel in the room. The kitchenette is quite nice. What really took my fancy when I first saw the place was a roomy cupboard leading off. It was a fine alcove for storing coal and wood, and the week’s washing. There were several pegs on the wall, and 1 drew the landlord’s attention to these. They seemed out of place in a i coal cupboard. “ Coal cupboard,” growled the landlord. “ coal cupboard. That’s not a coal cupboard. 1 That’s the spare bedroom.” Oh yes, my ; bung., mod., all convs., IS a nice place. ' Patient : “Can this operation be performed satelv. doctor?’’ Doctor: “That, my dear sir. is just what we are about to discover.” SIN BAD.