GENERAL ITEMS.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 December 1917, Page 3

GENERAL ITEMS.

A lady weii ....awn in the musical profession has just practised a neat little joke upon her flighty young sol- 5 dier husband who is home on a short leave. Whilst dining ac a fashionable hotel with another lady, he received a telegram informing him that his wire had eloped to a bungalow up the river with a certain Basil. Without more ado he posted after them, but found his wife quietly staying in a cottage which her mother hacPrented for the summer. Then Basil entered. He was a huge St. Bernard dog! . A charming, yet at the same time pathetic, war romance is being related in stage circles. A pretty revue artiste was taken by a friend the other day to visit one of the numerous hospitals for officers," and was introduced to a young captain who -had had his leg blown off by a shell. On leaving, the wounded man begged of her to go and see him again. She did, and the friendship thus formed has now ripened into affection. As soon as the officer is discharged from hos- , pital they are to be married. A young Society lady quarrelled with her officer lover, and the latter went to the front before the lady had time to repent. When he was gone she compounded with her conscience by going in for hospital work, and soon after she joined a Red Cross deI tachment a batch or wounded was brought in, and among them she recognised her officer He had been wounded in the eyes, and could not s«e her, and she did not reveal herself. She was told off to attend to him, and w-hen he was able to speak he asked her to write a letter for lain., frankly owning that it would love-letter. She consented, but with trepidation; but when she found that he was dictating a letter to herselr, full of affection, she broke down, and she made known to him her identity. Everything now is well, and there is hope of his regaining his sight.

One of the saddest tales of the war is told by a doctor serving with the French Army. It appears that early in August, 1914, a "poilu" Tvur*atfmitted to his field hospital suffering from shell shock. By some means or other, while in this half-demented condition, he managed to evade fhe hospital staff one day, and wandered into the country. ' Before long he was found by a detachment of Chasseurs a Cheval, who promptly handed him over to the military authorities as a deserter. Then followed one of the rough-and-ready court-martials which have now ceased to exist. Despite his half-incoherent protests, and without any witnesses being callea", J he"was condemned to death for abandoning his post in the the face of the enemy, and suffered the same day. Upon hearing the story his colonel immediately caused inquiries' to be instituted, and the tragfc mistake was established beyond doubt.