Clippings.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 102, 29 January 1901, Page 4

Clippings.

SCENT THAT KILLS. There died a few years ago a famous orchid hunter named Fosterman. But before he died he told of a wonderful orchid which he said existed in Brazil, and which it had been the , ambition of his life to secure. ■ Landing on the coast of Brazil, a few degrees south of the Equator, he met a native chief, who told him of a “ village of demon flowers, ” to the westward. Further questioning convinced him that the “ demon flowers ” were orchids of the rarest and most wonderful kind, so he decided to find this “ village ”

at any cost. He had travelled through forests for about six weeks, and was calculating that in a fortnight more he would be in the neighbourhood of the “village of flowers, ” when, one afternoon, three of his forward guards threw up their arms, and with a c y fell senseless to the ground. He had noticed a peculiar sickening o lonr pervading the heavy, heated air, and quickly gave the order for the other men to advance with caution and diag back the three fallen ones from the spot they lay. They did so and returning, reported that they had seen through the forest, a little further on. the vast “village of demon flowers. “

Accompanied only by his Portuguese interpreter, the orchid seeker started forward, their mouths and noses muffled as a safeguard against the awful odour. They managed to reach the spot where the three men had been striken down, but could go no further.

They could see, a hundred yards ahead of them, a great mass of orchids. Trees, undergroT/lh, and everything were loaded down with them. They were of hues more brilliant than he had ever seen or dreamed of seeing. But, like a barrier, the wall of awful, overpowering odour rose between.

The moss of brilliant orchids might have been a mirage painted on the clouds, so far as reaching them was concerned. The “ village” was perhaps, an acie in extent, and the two made a complete circuit of it, but everywhere rose the odour.

It was simply the perfume of the vast mass of orchids. Though many orchids are almost scentless, some of the handsomest ones have a scent that is almost unbearable.

SOME THINGS A MOTHER OF BOYS SHOULD NOT DO. She should not forget that if she treats her boy as a gentleman she will do much towards making him one. She should not treat her boy to pevpetpal frowns, scoldings and fault findings. “ Sugar attracts more flies than vinegar. 11 Love wins her boy to a noble i manhood. She should never be so busy or hard pressed for timo that she cannot listen to him. If he lives to be a man he will all too soon leave her. She should make the i best of him while she has him. She should not deny her boy an opportunity to enjoy outdoor exercise or sports, and she should not forget to train him with a proper regard for his personal appearance. She should never allow him to form such habits as coming to table in his shirt-sleeves, neglecting his nails or teeth, or carrying soiled handkerchiefs. She should never nag him. or forget that he is a creature of reason, not an animal which requires te be driven. She should not try to break her boy’s will, but be thankful that he is manly enough to have a mind of his own, and devote herself to training it to the noblest uses. She should not fail to instil in him a distaste for ail that is vulgar.