The telephone bell rings, a voice: says "I'm bringing home four people to dinner. "Its alight, don't Worry about the food, I've told them its only pot-luck." The voice may dnvtable froma sense of suit how pleat don't maken fons T simply had to ask them) oF He may be merely jolly, smacking of that devil-may-care jollity that is the agreeable effect of several feocktails; in either ease it will be A mile voice, and whatever happens it is up to feminine resource to deal with the ensuing situation,
phoning any shops that After half an hour spent in tele. the good luck to be open, hi they will not on any account show that they are aware of the secret. They would feel little less than insulted if they were. really ex-ceted to enp soup to. which much water had been added, or partake of fish originally intended for two Persons and at the last moment divided nto six portions, and furthermore the hostess would suffer unspeakable humiliation. So. the situation is really just one of the, little artificialities that constitute etiquette; it is just a game that all ood hostesses and all well-brought up guests must play. 'The guests! will assure their hostess that they never eat anything' in the evenings, his weight in gold the servants, and making several trips across to the house next door to borrow any little dainty whose Absence will not be discovered too oon by the mistress of the house, the guests, escorted by a talkative eminently entertaining host, arrive on the doorstep. Cocktails, Which are. the salvation of the Present day hostess (and not infrequently the ruination of her guests) ave served, and another of the much-needed compensations of living in the East makes itself evident, 'There is no harassed maid informing her mistress in stage whisper thay there is no in the house or demanding sh T open a tin of asparagus, Mum' 'There is no—Justly—infuriated tower of strength in the kitchen Who '''as never eard the likes of it before," and refuses to cook another thing.' Instead there is a suave number one boy who serves. the cocktails with an untroubled efficiency born of long experience—and—resigned tolerance—of the strange behaviour of white men. In the kitchen there is another patient—gentleman—(who, in spite of his greasy apron and a pernicious habit, commonly known og "squeezing," is nevertheless worth his weight in gold if we only new it)—industriously preparing a series of succulent dishes that will not only come as a pleasant Surprise to his mistress, but will in him much credit... he would meanwhile methodically consuming everything that is put on the table; fand the hostess must keep up the: pretence that this is really nothing more than she has every night, conveniently overlooking the fact that her cook has produced a five course dinner out of nothing in a that would, do credit to @ pro-
Paper Streamers Journeys may or may not end in lovers meeting, but journeys most definitely beg vers Ag leas, such is the impression gained by going down tom Shanghai wharf and watching the departure of either an Empress boat, any big liner, or even sometimes nothing more important than one of those smaller vessels which carry our friends away to the Summer resorts. And the oppor tunities for such ® pastime have been numerous these last few days. If the Customs' Jetty could speak chat tales it could tell of the sad partings and joyful reunions that have taken place on its gently rocking surface. spite of the sadness of the occasion, there is something almost fexhiliaratingly impressive about these farewells. The great ship, liber decks lined with people, the groups of dirty little urehins'performing acrobatic turns and setimmaging for twenty cent pieces, the Through the deluge undoubtedly "lose face" if he wore to serve an inadequate dinner. waving of pathetically handkerchiefs, the noise bells and the:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.