* * * * *

"Rome, Saturday.

"The announcement is made to-day of the award by the King [of Italy]
of gold medals to Lieutenant Giuseppe Castruccio and I sentence him
to three months' hard."--_Manchester Evening Chronicle_.

When will British journalists learn not to interfere with the internal
affairs of friendly nations?

* * * * *

THE LAST MATCH.

This is the last, the very, very last.
Its gay companions, who so snugly lay
Within the corners of their fragile home,
All, all are lightly fled and surely gone;
And their survivor lingers in his pride,
The last of all the matches in the house;
For Mr. Siftings says he has no more,
And Siftings is an honourable man,
And would not state a fact that was not so.
For now he has himself to do without
The flaming boon of matches, having none,
And cannot furnish us as he desires,
Being a grocer and the best of men,
But murmurs vaguely of a future week
When matches shall be numerous again