Jottings of a Lady About Town

NZ Truth, Issue 1196, 1 November 1928, Page 21

Jottings of a Lady About Town

JLFU.IiCU.Ii~L a . VTCtiiJL ... --. v^ „>..&.<--..-- -i-~>~,.. ^-->...h->..>s_» TWO. energetic folk who-^re-cleser^ng?^ ■ Wellington for DuhetiiiVJare Golonei^v and, Mrs. -Barclay. During two yearsj^ residence m the capital :, City, ■ the. .twamU^j. have been taking- an exceedingly.; aitt^e*!^ interest m the work -.of Vtlie ■S.llZJxiXiil^Ambulance Corps. , : v"v.' .>;;"'■■ -. ■': Colonel Barclay, \yhp" i^^chiefrrGomv^missipner fpr'New Zealand, is, to Judg^^: by the • remarks:: iaf "'those: -who tare^^f, welled him, a live wire, arid jn'Welli^-^.JU ton, as m other parts of thY : Dpmiiij.P^^ has .done his bit— and more^-to^ar^^; building up the corps. ' : -\'-£ ■■'. -^'^7" i^jfi Dunedin is the-vprbud p^t-ent^pf^ito^v* St; John.ifttabulance^pr^;b^:^p^W?S^^ arid Colonel "' Barclay, 'who has ; ■-"b'eeit'-*?. associated with the movement sii^ce „ . its teething days, will be returning to old frierids and f ellow- workers. • - --.■•- The movement m Wellington,, he- •> says, is now not merely standing on its own feet, but is using: said appen-" ' dages for the purpose of making larger - strides towards further social, .useful-,,— ness. ■ '; -■.'■.-.'"' .. An inter estirig item, of news is tthant >n ■ m January delegates from England will. ?vr arrive and our ambulance corps fiere should be able to absorb sbmething'lip* " tP-date m the way of ideas, ' : ' X - A Bold Knight ; ;: ' "^ TALK about man's inhumanity 2 'to 1 man! Not m it • really," wlth I*^1 *^ woman's supreme indifference to: the .- humiliation of other women. • :. Lamb tori Quay, Wellington, .pn a, v sunny afternoon and a srriar tly- dressed--damsel of twenty moving with'th'e^ -• throng. .■••..■ ... „•■;•.; ■.■','- Orange was her color scheihe. The mere man strolling behind had "his vagrant, gaze ai-re.ste.d by ..an:, elegants scarf of that hue.^ He was startled toj;- ' observe something else of a bright orange v tint sudderily droop towdrSs-'a shapely calf. His intuition was right. A pin or a piece of elastic had proved faithless to its trust. • Quite unaware of the catastrophe,. . the damsel pursued her way. Every other fair creature simply looked, tittered and passed on. Chivalry demanded some sort Pf;^ action on the "part L "bf mere • mail." But""-*.,---how to apprise the innocent creature —■■-■■ of her distress ?■■;:■- ; ; \v ... -..., ■ ' . "With fine cpurkge> he; approached two refined-looking ladies and diffidently suggested tliatithey .tell the poor girl! Their stony looks 'left him .with thfe shamed, feeling that he had dune' 'somethirig- highly, improper; From aesthetic and. every' other reason, the man felt that beatity must *>c rescued from distressrTrwlaether she knew, it or not. . With Valor born of desperation, he .. flung alongside ; the girl: "Excuse -jni.e, miss," he gasped out. "Somethiri'g'Aas come undone/ 1 ',.:;.: . ' .-■.... -. V' sV.'-!V- ••"•'■" '

: Ohe, ■■ abounded gjaricifi'^at, the embarrassed man,, a quick lpok down- — and th^n'^ne?flying leap inside a shop. A> jleivi.in'iimutes late;^ a- freshly-powdered, elegant iir\, wearing alright orange-' colored scarf ,l eptter^ed ;from the.shpp, lurtivel^ '/looke^d '*-. rounds/ and calmly" •took :her' course^ . w /:"'.'>':' : ■'.'■;;'."• The mere man. : iittie l /guessed that;he was k knigtit pt 6li ; M;'a Eambton Quay setting- ■■■'' : •'. ; i ■.'■..:' i '■■'■■*■ ■::- : :::]*^ J-^M •;''■' Their New Home ; •JT'S all very interesting to hear that •••the Earl and Countess of Qrford, not to mention small Lady Anne, have so far. settled among us as to purchase a huge house up at Manurewa, Auckland. . • \ . "Binswood" is a rough -cast house of fourteen ro o m.s, : . looMng down over^ the steep slopes^ of eastern Manurewa over a wonderful panoramic view.

There are fourteen acres for Lady Anne • to make her playground, and the slim - young •• countess ■ should-" 'enjoy

some evening tennis on the v : courts^ '.■'..': The, price of the house was £12,000 ■^-not much when you say ,it ...quickly— and, anyhow, a,s the earl' isj put JL°- r -_ health at all costs, it seems exceedingly wise .to . have chosenc.such ; ,a.;Sua^ shine- depot as f^Bhisvrp(io^ ,v '^■•*%^ '■ It : should be rather, aivteresting^to' learn how 'the countess gets'-'-on^w^t-fe a staff of New Zealand -'dqniestics-Tr-4f, indeed, she doesn't take the! shoiit 7;an)l , familiar-path, and engage some ofrthe many immigrant girls who are lined, up m squads at our registry offices. -^

Roses Restored

A MILE out from the little ■ Wellingtonstation of Mellings is the Macarthy Convalescent. Home for Children— f: big,' .white building, looking down from a bush- clad/hiir over the. sweep of the Hutt Valley.' ' ' "..". ' . ■-' ; It .has- been m existence for nearly twelve years and. the pleasant-faced; motherly, matron, Mrs/ Smith, has been tiiere all bitt six months; of that time. She has ;seen;: many:; snia.il folk come back to health and happiness among

the big pine: trees. , : ;".; • Life has stood still;' ;at Mellings* . Noboflj^has cut awiyV.the bush, used the little, singing ' stream . for hydroelectric power, or m "any way tried to make it other than the place of peace and charm that it is. .■.■".

There is an old orchard, with yellow plums and little, striped . apples to tempt the" small Eves and Adams of the home; big,':well-kept lawns, and^a swing on which everybody has the most exciting competitions, seeing who can swing highest. V f' With '■; the ' help of one nurse, Matron Smith has "carried on" for over eleven yeai-s, m full charge of ;the; big, white wards, which, when full, accommodate twenty-two children. . .;

. The babes there ar.e often the children of poor people, who, >when a small son or daughter "goes ' down" with some childish complaint*; have no possible hope of taking the, convalescent away to seaside or country resorts, « Well, at the Macarthy Home-— one of the many good things born out of the Macarthy Trust Fund— children recommended by some medical- man as needing attention can receive every benefit of a countr.y holiday, with trie additional advantage of 'care from a, trained nurse, who sees that they are well fed and tucked up inbed at irreproachable hours. Apart from the observance of simple health rules, there is xio long il3t of home-rules, and, regulations, for the inmates. .They, .are . there to "rum wild"; all day long they absorb doseS of sunshine and fresh air. rTherevare vfir trees amon^ 'which splendid IVTapri wharesJ .^an [ :^b§- built, little paths' -:througii th<£ hroomi^lawns wide and smooth enough 'ffdrSieveE-y game under the sun. <. And. the.:.matrbn '? m charse of. the home is that .rare thing— a born mother, with undeirstanding, and kindk ness m her h«art for all lonely ofe&l* ren. _ _