Miscellany, Sep. 4, 1944

One World. In Burma, U.S. troops discovered a Naga chieftain’s shack decorated with 16 Varga girls.

Fine Feathers. In Washington, a $48.96 gross ceiling was fixed for best-quality shuttlecocks, and Senator Alexander Wiley grumbled, “Shuttlecocks are not regarded as a cost-of-living item in Wisconsin.”

Blank. In Halesowen, Worcestershire, Ernest Arthur Lamb, accused of reckless driving and failure to stop after an accident, explained he had accepted a U.S. cigar from a G.I. and, not having smoked for years, got into a state, remembered nothing.

Connoisseur. In Chicago, Mrs. Helene Catanezzo borrowed a beau’s $1,500 for an operation, instead bought a saloon. Explained Mrs. Catanezzo: “I’ve always wanted the finer things in life.”

Flypaper. In Chungking, a fruit vendor was found swatting flies with a sheaf of inflationary Chinese dollar bills stapled to the end of a bamboo handle.

Livestock. In Peru, Ind., Mrs. “Dolly”. Jacobs sued her animal-training husband, Terrell, for divorce, asked custody of three elephants, one horse, twin sons.

Safe. In Alton, N.H., Mrs. Eugenia Shorrock, keeper of a reptile zoo, kept her purse in the python cage.

Temperance Town. In Rome, Allied troops were forbidden by military order to indulge in soft drinks. Reason: danger of typhoid from beverages not containing the disinfectant, alcohol.

Meterology. In San Diego, Mary A. Galyen, tired of waiting for the electric company to install a meter, was fined $10 for trying to tear one off a nearby pole.

As Time Goes By. In Denver, a young matron shelled peas on a jammed streetcar, dropped the pods quietly to the floor.

Native Cooking. In Cleveland, Richard Fee was fined $100 and costs for selling chop suey which included “beetles, ‘wood splinters, dirt, wax and one unidentified bug.”

Forbidden Choice. In Manhattan, Canadian Press received in answer to a query, the following cable from A.P. in Rome: “We can confirm or deny but censorship will not permit.”

Whopper. Off Block Island, R.I., Fisherman Paul Campbell let down $400 worth of drag gear, had to cut it loose to free himself from an unusual catch—a U.S. submarine.