Sketcher.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 411, 31 March 1904, Page 2

Sketcher.

UNDER LOOK AND KEY. V. ?sfßp GREAT many notable persona bSmS) oarry witn them eotae particular JCSk of luggage when travelling that becomes, from its frequent appearance at rail way. stations, wellknown to the railway officials and porters. Some time ago, when on duty at the station, I noticed a plain, square deal box, about a foot in length and six or seven inches in depth, among the luggage of the PHnce and Princess of Wales at Paddington. The box was fastened by a black hoop and padlock, and inquiries revealed the fact that the box is nearly always noticed among the portmanteaus and other impedmenta of the Pcinoe of Wales when his Royal Highness travels. The box is stamped on the cover with a black Boyal coronet, and what it contains has frequently aroused from time to time a certain amount of prying curiosity among railway officials. Most railwayrporters are familiar with a certain very narrow, yellow-looking box, about four feet in length, that generally accompanies Mr Balfour on, his journey. Various conjectures have been made as to what the box might contain. Some have hazarded the guess that it covers the Premier's golf-sticks, and others have suggested that the box is obviously one which contains many a secret in immediate connection with the welfare of our great Empire. Mr Balfour always keeps a close eye on it.

Mr Chamberlain's luggage has one distinctive feature. The Colonial Minister does not appear to possess a single large or cumbersome piece of baggage. The luggage that usually accompanies him consists of a few small brown-leather portmanteaus and a single hat-box, all branded in black letters as belonging to the Bight Hon. Joseph Chamberlain. ' Outside its characteristically campaot and tidy appearance, Mr Chamberlain's luggage never excites any remark, except the small black handbag which he always carries. :'"■ ■'-•'';...'-

Some years ago the Ddke of Devonshire vnß noticed from time to time to ba frequently accompanied on his journey by a round black tin case, about two feet in length, and fastened at one end by a padlock.

The contents of this mystari ous-looking case, which for some time excited a great deal of cnriosity among different railway officials, were one day exposed to view, and all mystery in connection with the case ceased. Tae top by some means fell off one day whilst .the case was being placed in the train,, and exposed to the gaze a number of ordnance survey maps: of the duke'ai; \ .!

Ms Andrew Carnegie when. travelling I in America, was some time ago observed to carry with him an empty birdcage. One day a rail way. porter plainly and bluntly asked the millionaire why he carried this apparently useless birdcage with him, whereupon Mr Carnegie smilingly handed the birdcage to the surpiised-looking. railway-servant, saying as te did bo : ' Keep it, my good man. I made a friendly bet that someone would have the impertinence to ask me that question before one month was out. I have won, you see.' Lord Rothschild was one day noticed to carry with him, when going down to Trisg, two small yellow-looking boxes.: This would not have excited much notice had it not been well known that the great banker never carried anything with him except an umbrella, and therefore the presence of the yellow boxes in his hands attracted some curiosity as to what their contents might be. For a few days it was observed that Lord Rothschild regularly came up to town and went back to Trisg armed with these two yellow boxes, and the curiosity regarding them rose to the highest pitch. One day, however, Lord Rothschild was heard explaiHiHg to a gentleman on the platform the merits of various milktesters, showing him a couple he was bringing to his renowned dairy-farm at Tring, and the mystery of the yellow boxes was solved.