Echoes of the Week.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 774, 5 January 1905, Page 15

Echoes of the Week.

(By

"Ithuriel.”)

A good dog story comes from Queensland.

In a certain township there, lives a dog named “Spot,” the property of a local sportsman. Amongst Spot’s numerous accomplishments is that of keeping guard over any article entrusted to his-care. Recently his owner took him for a walk on the public reserve, and taking a shilling from his pocket placed it under a small rock and returned to the town, leaving Spot with a stern command to watch that coin closely. The dog had been about an hour on sentry, when a man named Jones came along, and, seeing Spot staring so intently at the rock, pushed it over, and after' pocketing the shilling, patted the dog’s head, saying : “Good old hoy ; we’ll go along and wet it.” To Jones’ surprise, the dog at once rose and followed him, but meeting a friend on the way, a game of billiards was proposed. The dog followed them

into the billiard room, and gravely watched the game. Jones lost, and handed over the shilling to the marker. Then the dog lost all interest in Jones, and sat watching the marker instead. Quite by chance the dog’s master then entered the room, and began to abuse his canine friend for neglecting his trust, until the tears began to roll down the poor brute’s nose. At last “Spot” walked over to where the marker was sitting, and placed his paw enquiringly on the man’s breeches pocket. “What have you got in that pocket ?” asked the dog’s owner of the marker. “Nothing much,” said the marker, “only a bob—the only one I’ve taken to-day.” “Show it to me,” said the other, and then he saw from a particular mark on the shilling that “Spot” had kept track of the coin all along.

The follies of the “smart set” are being discussed in the London “Daily Express,” John Strange Winter (Mrs. Stannard) having set the ball rolling. Mrs Coulson Kernahan, one of the correspondents, says that could the walls of Jericho fall on the smart set it would be a great boon to the world. Playing with fire is much more popular than “bridge” in the “smart set.” This same set sees the advantage of getting a few good names in its company, in which it resembles certain* other fraudulent companies, which bring disaster. Its motto is, “There is no harm in it.” One of the things the “smart set” sees no barm in is to write and receive love-letters from other people’s wives or husbands, as the case may be. Every popular woman in the “smart set” carries about with her a

dozen or so “scalps” belonging to the husbands of other women. No man in the “smart set” thinks of going about with his own wife ; somebody else’s wife is “comme-il-faut.” The “smart set.” of course, forms only a small portion of English society, but it has attracted a good deal of attention lately, partly because of Mr Sutro’s drama. In the “smart set” a woman is looked upon as hopelessly provincial if she takes objection to her husband embracing another woman and calling her “Darling.” Anything which is a little questionable is regarded as the height of good taste. The correspondents are not altogether pessimistic—as they believe that there are still men and women whose lives are clean, and who know how to avoid the very appearance of evil. Notwithstanding Marie ' Corelli, they think “the cream of the British race will still remain exactly where it was—nobly enough represented, nobly enough upheld by high-born, high-mind-ed, high-souled, high-idealed men and women.”

One of our medicos declare he has had a case of “ bridge head ” for treatment. One of the symptoms is paid to be a severe pain in the head after a bridge party, at which’you have not been exac’ly successful; others are a lack of control over lacguasre and a strange emptiness ot the pockets. B idge head must not be confused with card-player’s heart, with which one of our Ltral l iminarips is said to be occasionallyafflicted. The diseases are distinct, and seldom occur simultaneously. The latter is a cold, shivery feeling, and running at the eyes when playing till the small hours of the morning, and when your luck is out. Instant removal to the open air, and massage at the rear of the person ■with a boot are declared to be the two best remedies for this grave, impoverishing complaint.