Notes by the Way.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 954, 21 October 1891, Page 2

Notes by the Way.

Mr Rudyard Kipling is a man of parts. No one who has read his J Soldiers Three,' ! The Incarnation of Krishna Mulvaney,' or ' The Man who was ' oan deny his consummate skill as storyteller. But he has given yet further proof of his genius. He has co/ne to New Zealand actually without any intention of ' writing a book ' about us. For this

relief, much thanks. If only evfry 1 I'uerary gent' wer«» equally considerate what a blissful lnnd this would be to live m. Hopk of a I onus deferred makes the. policy holder not only siclr bat sorry, Time and again the powers that rule the destinies of the Government Insurance Department have promised their clients \ b nus. Time and ngniii it hasn't i'.omo to time. But at last, there is good news. Afier years of weary wading through columns of figures and medical reports, the actuaries have come to the conclusion that they have a surplus to come and go upon. The nice little sura of two hundred .thousand pounds is available for distribution amongst the ■Lucky insured, and some- forty thousand pounds is c carried forward ' to form a nucleus for future bonuses.' ", When, fifteen years or to ago, some unprincipled individual stole the Gainsborough picture of the Duchess op Devonshire, the common inquiry was — 'What will he do with it?' The thief, could not well hang up the picture m his ancestral halls ; be could not well boast of possessing it to his friends. As it had of course, no intrinsic value, save to be looked at, it is difficult to know why it was stolen, unless for the very sake of ptealing. A similar case lias just occurred m Melbourne, wheie some evil disposed pers.cn has annexed the parliamentary mace. It was evidently no case of mere vulgar plunder, as quantities of other silver and valuables were left untouched. The bauble, as 'Oliver Cromwell called the original mace, ii not of much value to ils present possei- ■- - | sor ; he hardly dare boast of it as an ornament. Fou once m a way the Salvation Army has been behind time, or perhaps it would be more jporrect to say Qeneral Booth i 9 ahead of time. The, most, .~ talked-of man of j the day landci m Ne«V '<■ Zealand about noon yesterda.y. ' Tiie; " steamer wW not' expected ' quite so soon ■ so that when she reached Auckland, but few of his adherents were at the ; wharf",: to meet him. The apparent me aigreness of his welceme must have struck him very forcibly after his grand Melbourne reception. However, tbe Army would make up for it afterwards. Mr Guy MASfNKßiNGi.wlioso name is. well known to everybody as that of an intrepid mountaineer, has written a book. ■No£ content witn sealing the dizzy i heights *>f- Aorangi, he is now tackling the equally rough and thorny ipsiths of literature. However, he. starts .under good auspices. We learn that Long* iilns &re . going to publish his book, i and tfiei fact of their taking it up ig string presumptive evidence that the : wofk is of mere than average excellence* In his descriptive articles, published m various papers here, be baa shown himpossessed of considerable ability, and with a theme like the Cloud fiercer, to write about, he should write well,