A DUNEDIN TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 11

A DUNEDIN TRAGEDY.

A WAENING 1 TO iSOTJSEWIVES. A.tembly tragic tale comos from Dunediu concerning a methodical housewife, a systematic dustman, and a box of lovely and expansive hats. It was, a sad little story, and, in the sequel, tho Dunedin City Council spent hve pounds on high-class millinery, thus causing an entry >in the city's books which will assuredly create great perplexity in tho minds of those historians of a distant century, who make" original research in this century's early Dunedin archives. What possible of impossible conclusions will they fonn concerning tho style of men who rule Dunedmr , Will thoy, deducing, aa so many scientists have done, a whole chapter of information irom one small' hint, will thoy write' books to prove that "the Mayor and councillors of Dunedin fiore monstrous hats called 'Merry "Widow, , - after a famous beauty, the heroine of -a great saga, now unfortunately lost. In taese hats they wore wide wings, like their immediate I predecessors, the Vikings', and they also wore blackplumed picturo hats, which probably partook of the naturo of those extensive hats pictured by the artists, Gainsborough and llomney." "It is supposed," these chroniclers are sure to.add, "that the councillors wore the'se hats when transacting matters of the gieatest importnnce, and that the picture hat of a , Dunedin Mayor was hold in the same sort of esteem as the hat of a Cardinall" Anyhow, this is, the istqry as told by a Dunedin. paper. X.Dunbdin. lady had been in the habit of leaving hoiiso refuse, etc., enclosed in , a band-box outside her gate, for removal by the street carts, and the man in chargo camo to know the box so well by sight that whenever he, saw it ho unhesitatingly grabbed it and tipped it up over into his cart. The other clay a band-box containing a number of simples of'high-class nuiimery was deposited iear the gate, and presently tho dustman came along. He looked for the accustomed band-box, found it, and tipped its contents into the accumulated rubbish in his cart. Then he discovered'his orror, retrieved the ruined hats, and disconsolately carried them to the lady of the house. After that, I,he town clerk was interviewed, and the General Committee the othor evening reported to the City Council that "the sum of £5 has been paid as a solatium in Tespect of the <kim for goods removed in mistake for reluse.". The council laughed, and adopted tho'report.