STICKS. 
^OTild be tl’aced back as originating in those times, 
and the culpit was Periya Karuppen ! 
He had just as peculiar a way of setting the break- 
fast-table. The sugar basin was placed at the far 
end, the tea-cup in the centre. The tea-pot itself he 
would carry in from the kitchen, gasping the handle 
with one hand, and the spout with the other, just 
as if it was a tureen. It would be set on a plate, 
opposite tbe chair, exactly as if he intended us to 
sit down, open to lid, which one hand catch the 
Iiandle, with the other the spout and swallow its con- 
tents -! Perhaps he thought this was the method of cl rink- 
ingtea. But beneveriremained to look, l^eing apparently 
veryunhappy until begot out, and away from the room, so 
that before sitting down tobreakfast all his arrangements 
Iiad to be disarranged, so tl iat they could convenie ntly 
be got at. Perhaps something was wanting— the salt. 
So we would shout out, “ Teriya Karuppen.” Our 
servant, to save time, no doubt, would appear at the 
*door with a large fire-stick, under the impression we 
were going to smoke; on it being explained that we 
did noteat, drink, and smoke, all at the same time^ 
he would lay the smoking fire-stick down on tbe door- 
siU : it would save the trouble of coming back with 
it again. The wind blew the smoke it to and nearly 
filled tbe room ; we bad again to get up and give 
the fire stick a kick out, at the sa«ne lime perceiving 
the door-sili was all charred and burnt. Oui’ worthy 
servant was standing close by, aw^ntins: orders, and 
as the kick of the fire-stick had only given occupation 
to one foot, the other was put into practice also against 
Periya Karuppen’s antipodes, on which he uttered a 
loud howl, and bolted rcund the corner of the verandah. 
After breakfast, walkiitg up and down H o verandah, 
it suddenly struck us tl>at all along the edge was 
■covered with old fire-sticks, which, after having been 
used for lighting the pipe, were just laid down- We 
would gho them all a kick out into the clear space 
in front, and so it frequency happened that all around 
the bungalow the remains of fire-sticks lay scattered 
about, also envelopes of letter ; large quantities of 
waste paper, which had her n ueed in making calcula- 
tions, were just, thro vui out beyond the verandah posts, 
broken pipes, old worn out broomsti(.*k8 of all sorts 
and sizes, the retuains -of paper unshrellas, old shoes, 
and what not. So that it was advisable periodicallj 
to order up a touple of coolies to clean round the 
house. The fire-sticks would he all collected and put 
in a heap to serve as fir- woo- 1, and ])robab]y again as 
fire-st'eks, the papers, old shoes and umbrellas put m 
a heap and burnt. So that, for a few da> s, the pioui d 
all about looked clean and t andPeiiya Kiuuj»pe» 
T 
