THE CHOICE OF BOOKS.
To various opinions the quidnuncs give voice,
But the best "choice of books" means—the books of your choice.
THE LAST WORD
(A Domestic Drama of the Day before Yesterday.)
Scene.—The Breakfast Room at Linoleum Lodge, the suburban residence of Samuel Stodgeford, Esq. Mr. and Mrs. Stodgeford, their son Parmenas, and daughters Pompilia and Priscilla, discovered at breakfast.
Mr. Stodgeford. We shall probably get it by the second post, and though the delay is—ah—to some extent, annoying, we must not allow ourselves to be unduly impatient. Personally, I regard these—ah—weekly competitions as chiefly valuable in providing an innocent form of domestic recreation, and an interesting example of the—ah—value of words.
Parmenas S. The value of one word, I should say, Father. Last week, as there were very few who guessed right, it amounted to a considerable sum.
Mr. S. That is a stimulant to ingenuity, no doubt, with some minds, but let us put that aside. We feel some natural curiosity to know whether we have selected the missing adjective, and I see no reason myself to doubt that our united efforts will this time be crowned with success.