MISCELLANEA.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 223, 17 February 1874, Page 7

MISCELLANEA.

_ The full owing dodge has been resorted .to in Australia by storekeepers in order to,pass bad coin “ When a sovereign is offered him in payment of a small account, he takes up the nionev, and after opening his till, says he hasn’t sufficient change, and politely tells the customer it wvl do.again, dexterously handing him ihe bad sovereign, retaining tho good one.” The Liverpool Mar.nrii t< 11s the following stoiy “ A modest couple, who had- b-eh mairied for a year.or two, went into a linendraper’s to get a small cloak for baby the other clay.’ They were supplied,' and btfnro leaving the shop wrapped the. cloak around the piecious little nuisance. .Unfortunately the cloak had been taken from the window", and the unsuspecting couple went along the street exhibiting the child ticketed * Our own make ” ... Mr Jones, of the Bank of New Zealand, Charleston, says the Gre;j Bmr-Argus, was the lucky holder of the first and second horses in tlm £TOt)O Derby Sweepstake drawn ■at the Albion Jipfel* Ifireymon th, a few days ago. The first, prize Was worth £‘553 (Is. Bd., and the second prize was worth £16(5 13s. 4d. Having divided the second prize- with Mr i Mansfield, Mr Jones stands to win, for an | outlay of 305., the sum of £371 13s. 4d., and 1 Mr Mansfield, for his investment, takes £BB | ss. Bd. .- » ;‘ j The Melhonnw-Kv-f.nhifi Herald describes very graphically a cricket match which was I supposed to have taken place in that city beI tween the Bookmakers and the Brokers. Judging from the account, the match must have.caused immense exciienieh’t, and a glance at the .score made by the Bookmakers will | justify ns in sfatipgihat, considering the few, ; opportunities .afforded them ■hif’ipract’ising, ! their score is perhaps unparalleled in the an- ; na’s of cricketing history. The following is the ; Bookmakers’ score ;—Joe Thomson, Ivßrown, I 0 ; D. Barnard,, run out, 0 ; M. Barnard, c i Cropper, b Brown, 1 ; E. Gough, hit wicket, i 0 ; Jack Thomson, b Brown, 0 ; J. J. AJillar, I st Evans, 0 ; Ned Fagan, b Browni, 0; B. ! Thomson, run out, 0 ; Ike Lyoifs, st Evans, :0 : I. Barnard, b Brown, 6 ; J. Galloway, ; not out, 0 ; Extras, 28. Total 29.

The Bendigo Advertiser relates the following curious circumstance :—An effect of the hot weather which lias recently been experienced up on Sandhurst was, the' other evening, brought prominently under the notice of a family residing in Wattle-street in rather <v curious manner. It. appears that during the time the family were engaged at tea their attention was attracted to the fire-place, from the precincts of which an incessant tapping appeared to proceed. Several close scrutinies were made of - the mantelpiece, fireplace, chimney, Arc., which, however, proved of no avail, as the noise immediately ceased-when any person approached the vicinity.. After several ineffectual attempts to 'discover the cause of the rapping, it was found to proceed from a small tin match-box standing on the mantelpiece, which, upon being ope Vied, was seen to contain a newly-hatched bird, whose little beak, pecking against 'the inside of the box, had occasioned the peculiar noise. The most remarkable thing in connection with the case is that the egg had been procured and placed in the box upon the mantel-piece about a week previously by a juvenile member of the family, who is making a collection of birds’ eggs, and as there had not been anv fire in the room foigiponr.hs the heat of the weather alone had- hatched the egg in its novel nest. The feathered youngster is alive and doing Well.