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This newspaper page contains 20 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Queenscliff Sentinel
Location
Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia
Date
Mar 21, 1885
Page
2
A memoir fragment recounts a boyhood fascination with Shakespeare begun after seeing Macbeth and Robert Macaire, early fame in school productions, a shambolic London debut, and a string of hardships from bad hats to missed pay as the narrator navigates theaters, managers, and perilous crowds.
A man near despair considers suicide then enlists in disguise, joins a troupe in Leicester and Sheffield, faces dismissal, meets Mr. and Mrs. Kean in Belfast, and later joins a Scottish barnstorming company. He recounts a comic sword duel with Pizarro and a dramatic toe injury as the curtain falls.
A reminiscence lists eccentricities of English statesmen and public figures. Ge arage is noted for tall collars, Salisbury for shadow hats, Gibson for a constant stovepipe, Chamberlain as a dandy with a corsage, Calders with gloves, Northcote with loose coats, Warton for tippling habits, Hartington described as a perpetual sleeper in the Commons.
A Saturday trip by rail to a land sale ends with the land sold and lunch served. A comic court dispute follows over a performing monkey claimed by Bill Smith as security for debt from Jim Brown, with references to Solomon and a hypothetical knife division of the monkey.
A jeweller recalls thieves using hotel bills and desk privileges to steal watches. A Sydney swindler tricked clerks by posing as a buyer, sending goods to a Bourke Street shop, then presenting a worthless cheque. Alexander Dumas impostor, posing as a husband, deceived jewellers but was jailed after the ruse failed.
Sergeant George B. Rice recalls the Greely expedition when one match lit a spirit lamp to save the stranded party on the Arctic coast. A dying man produced a cherished letter from his sweetheart to nourish the flame, saving the crew from the fatal cold.
The essay surveys how screams appear in novels from moments of agony to love reveals and perilous danger. It traces shifts from heroic shocks to subtler despairing cries, noting how heroines, heroes, and villains use screams to signal emotional extremes.
The article notes editors prefer typed or printed proofs to decipher illegible handwriting. It cites Sir Francis Jeffrey and Napier, the Edinburgh Review, and the Saturday Review practice of typing ahead of acceptance decisions. It mentions Charles Lamb and other seasoned authors who learned from seeing their work in print.
Mr Martin recounts a Dublin Irish tale of miscommunication and a planned breakfast duel with Dennis O Sweeny. The exchange at a hotel leads to laughter in the House as both men insist on retracting or explaining remarks made during a past Galway election campaign. They arrange to settle it over breakfast and part amicably.
George admires a young woman as she works on a large cushion like item. He mistakes the intended use for slippers and questions her about a planned gift. The woman reveals the piece was actually meant as a sofa cushion.
A humorous tale laments cab-horse difficulties in Australia and the risk to passengers. It cites a sick man dying in a cab and jokes about nearby hotels and brandy. A verse from a poem about metaphysical themes follows, praising elusive light and the primal hereafter in refined language.
Extracts from diaries of Constables Nuzcum Spink and police notes describe daytime loitering and a daylight burglary at Mr Jacmey's Kikup area home. Robbery details include a broken desk, noisy entry, and subsequent arrests. Spink debuts as diligent but unsure.
A Paris Berlin painter famed in salons was lured to a New Year entertainment by a witty friend. Posing as a savage chief, he arrived in masquerade to an 19th century dress crowd, only to find a ruse-filled party and he fled in shock after the deception was revealed.
A Kansas drug store tale reports Mr Bt John asking for soda water. His eye twitched, the clerk misread him, gave extra soda, and the glass ended at the dregs. The candidate exclaimed he could not drink liquor when soda water tasted so good.
A housemaid, alarmed after pricking her finger with a fork, fears blood poisoning. The mistress reassures her the fork is pure silver and not plated. In the morning the silver and the maid depart by the first train.
A penny-a-liner overheard the Duke at Apsley House outline a policy he planned to adopt. The liner sold the scoop to Mr. Black of the Morning Chronicle, who published a leading article exposing the plan. The stunt astonished Whigs and mortified Tories as cabinets and clubs debated the incident.
An Indian rajah fond of English learns about printing and paper cutting. A viceroy shows a Edinburgh Review, the rajah borrows a carved ivory cutter, and a trained elephant uses tusks as paper cutters to open the uncut pages. The rajah returns the cutter alive, claiming the elephant as the viceroy’s gift.
Rural writers in cities note that farmers rarely cooperate in undertakings like buying land rollers or mowers. Selfishness and scheduling conflicts hinder joint use, though bulk purchases of flour feed fertilizer coal could lower costs. One middleman commission could be saved with larger purchases, the New York Independent reports.
A historical note explains how apple trees in different regions bear fruit in alternate years or annually. It describes biennial cycles, the development of fruit buds, and a method to induce yearly bearing by pruning half the tree from the top using a chair or ladder.
A long string of humorous vignettes and observations. Jokes about banks Sundays cats and a naturalist’s claim about a cat’s nightly travels. Snatches of dialogue about marriage appearances and manners with scattered anecdotes about local life and curious incidents.
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