MISCELLANEOUS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1899, 1 June 1889, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

A widower, lately remarried, has a bright little girl of four or thereabouts whom he was most anxious to induce to call his new wife mother. As a means to that end the lady bought the baby a magnificent doll, and asked of all visiting friends to inquire of the little lass, ‘ Who gave you that' doll?’ Alas for expectation, the tiny tot was too sharp for her elders, and said with the most innocent look possible, ‘My papa’s girl gave it to me,’ A soldier named Vertjoie was in March condemned to death for an extraordinary performance. He was being tried by court-martial at Oran for an attempt to desert, when he suddenly threw a quid of tobacco, comfortably stowed away in the recesses of his cheek, in the face of Colonel Thierry, who presided. The man was at once sentenced to death for an assault on a superior while on duty. It is said of a gentleman that he had a passion for the purchase of second-hand furniture at auctions, and that in making ‘ good bargains ’ be filled his house with antiquated and almost useless articles. Upon one occasion his wife took the responsibility, without consulting or apprising her husband, to have a ■portion of the least useful removed to an auction room. Great was her dismay and extreme astonishment when, on the evening of the sale, a majority of the articles came back to the house. The husband had stumbled into the auction room, and, not knowing bis own furniture, had purchased it at a better bargain than at first. Mr W. P. Peeves addressed a crowded meeting at bt. Albans, Christchurch, on Thursday night, and received a vote of thanks and confidence. He claimed credit to the Opposition for having unselfishly assisted to reinstate the finances of the country. He attributed the delay and confusion of last session to the disorganisation of parties, and to the weakness of the Government. Sir Harry Atkinson was a strong man wretchedly supported. The Opposition followed no leader, and the Government had no following. Party lines wanted drawing sharply, He would support a Liberal leader if be could get him. He would oppose the San Francisco service, the breaking up of the charitable aid districts, any increase to the quota of country electorates, and would resist what he considered to he the guiding principle of ] the Government-centralism disguised las economy.