“DARLING BEE” (it ran in very large baby characters),—­“I had the most adorable ride to-day I ever had.  I learned to galup all by myself.  I thaut at first the horse was running away with me, but Uncle Dick soon caut me up.  He had my cap.

  Your loving
        PHILLIDA.”

I only hope that Isabel will think it was all just as deliberate as that.

* * * * *

[Illustration:  BEHIND THE SCENES IN CINEMA-LAND.

“YOU NEEDN’T BE A BIT NERVOUS ABOUT HANDLING THE CHILD, ME LAD.  IT’S NOT A REAL ONE.”]

* * * * *

    “The Ashton-under-Lyne fight is beginning, and The Daily News comes
    forward to-day with the suggestion that the Liberal candidate should
    withdraw.

    The practical effect of the candidature of a Liebral may be only to
    reduce the Labour majority....

    In such circumstances we think it matter for great regret that there
    should be any Libtral candilature....

    Upon this the comment at the Liberal headquarters to-day was, ’Well, it
    is a little difficult to know just where we are, isn’t it?’”—­Evening
    Paper.

Yes, or what we are, for that matter.

* * * * *

    “GILBERT-SULLIVAN OPERAS.

    Friday, ‘Trial by July.’”—­Provincial Paper.

It seems a long remand.

* * * * *

JOURNALISTIC CAMARADERIE.

“The whole of this preliminary business is nauseating, and in real sporting circles it is taboo as a topic of conversation.  No wonder The Times devoted a leading article to the matter the other day.”—­Daily Mail.

How these NORTHCLIFFE journals love one another!

* * * * *

[Illustration:  P.C. (referring to notes).  “I TOLD ’ER SHE WOULD BE REPORTED, YOUR WORSHIP, TO WHICH SHE REPLIED, ’GO AHEAD, MY CHEERY LITTLE SUNBEAM!’”]

* * * * *

MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

The sporting public is so intrigued by the prospect of a DEMPSEY-CARPENTIER match that other impending championship events are in danger of being forgotten.

The present position in the challenge for the World’s Halma Championship is this.  Mr. George P. Henrun is patriotically endeavouring to secure the contest for Britain, and to that end has put up a purse of half-a-guinea.  The Societe Halma de Bordeaux has cut in with a firm offer of twenty-two francs, and the matter now remains in abeyance while financial advisers calculate the rate of exchange in order to ascertain which proposal is the more advantageous.  The challenger, of course, is Tommy Jupes, aged twelve, of Ashby-de-la-Zouche.  His opponent, the champion, has an advantage of three years in age and two inches in reach, but the strategy of Master Jupes is said to be irresistible.  Only last week he overwhelmed his mother, herself a scratch player, when conceding her four men and the liberty to cheat twice.