"Among soldiers' parting gifts locks of a sweetheart's hair of course head the list so far as popularity goes.

"But I hear of a request utterly original indeed, and not very easily carried out.

"A soldier's sweetheart asked him what he would like as a parting gift and he has asked her to give him a cast of her own mouth, so that he may continue to gaze upon the most beautiful thing he has ever seen while he is away from her.

"I don't know whether she is having it done in dentist's wax or plaster-of-Paris but the soldier is eagerly impatient to receive his treasure before departing for the front."

Meanwhile, with all of Melbourne's womanhood engaged, all the time and everywhere, in knitting things for soldiers, sarcastic "Clio" had heard of some sensitive nerves jangled by this phenomenon.

"The artistic temperament is evidently very easily upset, for a certain Melbourne singer and his wife complain that the knitting of the women in the audience gets on their nerves when they are singing.

"The female members of the community have such peculiar notions. They really seem to think that it is very important that the men who are fighting for them should have as many comforts as possible. They even seem to think this more important than the ruffling of the artistic nerves of the vocalists. Odd, isn't it?"