Miss Flora Joplin came from Haverhill ten days ago in a taxi, threatened with pneumonia. She is reported as being much better.

Miss Dorothy Cole of Boston was a week end visitor in the home of her mother.

John Janvrin is taking a trip through Florida with a party of lumber merchants of Boston to visit the Cyprus mills there, going first to Jacksonville.

New Hampshire is fortunate in having gotten together at its state university such an able body of men. Many of the faculty are of more than local renown. Among them Prof. Alfred E. Richards of the department of English, who has traveled abroad extensively, has the reputation of being the most interesting lecturer. Prof. Richards will give his lecture, Shakespeare's Comedies," in the town hall on Friday evening, Feb. 11, under the auspices of the educational committee of the Monday club.

There will be an entertainment given by the North Hampton Boy Scouts for the benefit of the senior class of Hampton Academy, in the town hall, Hampton, Friday, Jan. 28, at 8 o'clock. Admission, 25 cent; children under 15, 15 cents.

Union services will be held Sunday evening at the Methodist Episcopal church at 6:30. Rev. Edward A. Tuck, state secretary of the Lord's Day League, will preach.

Mr. and Mrs. Abbott L. Joplin wish to announce the engagement of their daughter, Josephine May, to Rev. Wallace H. Sterns, pastor of the Congregational church of Hampton.

The Winnicummett Improvement society will give an afternoon whist party at Elmwood Farm Thursday, Feb. 3, from 2:45 to 4:45 o'clock. Prizes given. Admission, 10 cents.

W. Harrison Hobbs has resigned from the choir of the Congregational church, after sixty-one years of most efficient service. He was tendered a vote of thanks.

A contest of unusual merit and popularity will be conducted by the Garland Pharmacy during the next six months. This enterprising store will present at the end of the contest to the patron credited with the highest total of bonuses or votes a $300 Franklin piano; to the second highest a 1916 Harley Davidson motorcycle fully equipped. Beginning the fifth week weekly prizes of silver ware will be given to the six persons returning the highest total for that week. Bonuses or votes will be given with every purchase from 5 cents up, 5 votes for a 5 cent purchase and correspondingly up. Nothing but the standard goods regularly sold will be offered and the proprietor emphasizes that not a single inferior article will be for sale. The prime object of this undertaking is to give local people full value for their money and a considerable more, and secondly to increase volume of business by publicity. The prizes to be given will be on exhibition in a few days. Those interested are urged to see Mr. Garland at once and have explained to them the regulations of the contest.

Knowlton Sterns, the young son of Rev. W. H. Sterns, is recovering from an illness of plural pneumonia.

A good-sized congregation greeted the Rev. Mr. Manter at the Baptist church Sunday morning.

Mrs. Warren's Sunday School class is to entertain the Men's Class in the chapel Friday evening.

A dancing class for children under high school age is to be held every Friday afternoon from 3:30 to 5 o'clock at the town hall. Mr. Stanton of Amesbury will be the teacher. A deposit of $1.00 must be made before the first lesson, which will be received my Miss Trefethen or Miss McNeil.

Cards announcing the marriage of Mr. Clark Bennett of Cambridge, and Miss Annie Whitney of Wayland, Mass., on Saturday, Jan. 22, have been received by his many friends in town. Mr. Bennett has been a summer resident of Hampton since early childhood and has hosts of friends in town.

On Thursday evening, Jan. 13, the officers of Winnisimmet council, No. 4, D. of A., were installed by Deputy Isaac Call and suite of Lynn. Refreshments were served by the members at its close of the meeting. It was a very enthusiastic meeting, members being present from Lynn, Rye and North Hampton. All members are requested to be present at the next regular meeting of Thursday evening, Jan. 27. There will be important business on hand.

On Jan. 4 the following officers of Winnicummet council, No. 3, Jr. O.U.A.M., were installed by D. S. C. Irving W. Matson, assisted by D. S. C. William M. Blake and Con., Herbert S. Tourtillott: Jr. P. C. Charles Carpenter; councilor, Raymond Piper; V. C. William H. Little; A. R. S. George T. Brown; warden, Harry Smart; Con., John Tarlton; I. S., Harry Whenal; O. S., George C. Perkins; treasurer, Irving W. Marston; trustees, Harry I. Noyes, Stephen G. Hobbs. There was a large attendance and a pleasant evening. A class initiation is planned for February, applications having been received at the last two meetings. A smoke talk will be held on Tuesday evening, Feb. 8, after the regular meeting, also a short entertainment.

The installation of the officers of Perkins Relief Corps took place on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 26th, preceded by a bounteous dinner, served at 12 o'clock, in honor of the members of the G. A. R. and invited guests numbering about 80. The work of installing the officers was finely done by Miss Paul of Portsmouth, assisted by Miss Blanche Blake, after which an interesting program was given, consisting of readings, the singing of war songs by a chorus, and remarks by several guests.

The remains of Capt. William Ladd Dodge, who died in Brooklyn on Monday, will be brought to Hampton for burial today. There will be services in the Congregational chapel at 12:30 o'clock, which the members of the G. A. R. and W. R. C. are especially invited to be present. Mr. Dodge was for three years of the Civil War in active service with the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment. He was up to the time of his death an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Dodge married for his first wife a sister of William Lane, who died some years ago. He is survived by a widow, two sons and three daughters. Mr. Dodge was about 74 years of ago.

The third entertainment in the lecture course occurred on Tuesday evening and was highly entertaining. The entertainment was given by Marcellie, the Yogi wonder worker, most ably assisted by a pianist. Everyone enjoyed the variety offered by this entertainment, and the enthusiasm of the young people and children was boundless, particularly when Marcelli became a ventriloquist. As a magician, he was very fine, probably equally if not excelling any in the country. One beauty of his performance was his astonishing quickness without any apparent hurry.

Rev. W. H. Sterns is having his throat treated by Dr. Lantz of Portsmouth.

Mrs. Abbott Young has been called to North Hampton two days this week because of the serious illness of Miss Lulu Warner and the utter fatigue of her mother. Mr. Warner has a hard grip cold.

Miss Azelton, Miss Jenne, Miss MacNeil and Miss Bamforth were week end visitors to Lowell.

The Sewing Circle of the Congregational Society will be entertained by Mrs. Parker Blake on Thursday and the Missionary Society by Mrs. Hugh Brown, assisted by Mrs. Blanchard, Wednesday, Feb. 2.

Mrs. E. D. Berry was a week end visitor with relatives in town. William Brown, who has been confined to his home on Highland Ave. by an attack of la grippe, is able to be in his store, and attend to his jury business in Portsmouth.

Mrs. Frank Marston, who has been very ill during the past week, with an attack of indigestion and ptomaine poison, is somewhat better. Mrs. Annie Leavitt is acting as nurse and general housekeeper.

Charles Palmer attended a Masonic entertainment in Boston Friday night, the guest of A. C. Glidden.

Mrs. A. C. Glidden and daughter, Bernice, spent Saturday in Boston.

Mrs. Oliver Hobbs has been confined to the home for the past week with a bad cold.

Oliver Hobbs entertained William Jeffrey of Vermont last Sunday.

Mrs. John Brown is improving, and walked out one day this week.

Mrs. Martha Locke has as her guest this week, Miss Maria Perkins of Newburyport. Everyone is pleased to see Miss Perkins in town.

We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to kind friends and neighbors for their sympathy extended to us in our recent sad bereavement, also for the beautiful floral tributes.
Mrs. B. P. Cole and Family

We have had a rather interesting week of it, looking for the best thing in Hampton. Collecting has always been a sport which many people have followed with pleasure and profit. Where is the lad who has never been a collector of stamps, for instance? And when he gets a new one, he proceeds with great joy to stick it in it's proper place.

The proper place for the good things we found is not always so easy to determine, but as long as we keep them in Hampton, all is well.

We have put stickum on several good things this week and put them by, where we can examine them at leisure.

Someone said that the best thing about Hampton is its unprovableness. That is a curious thing to say. Sort of a negative goodness surely. And yet the statement proves interesting on examination.

What good was ever a thing which could not be improved? When you have done all you can to anything, polished it up, ticketed it and put it away, what's the fun in it after that? People are likely to run away from the thing which cannot be improved, as surely as rats leave a sinking ship (if they do. We were never on a sinking ship.).

The trouble is, we get into some mental difficulty along this line. For we have to say that the good thing is that which is not good. Or shall we say, "Interesting things are good, but good things are not "interesting"? We get into some dilemma every way we look. Well, let's dodge it.

It is a good thing that Hampton is not perfect. The work of tinkering at the dear old town makes life worth living for a good many of us. For instance, what fun would our town fathers have in life if there were not something constantly to do to improve Hampton? Along as there is a poor road or a decaying bridge, or a cent to spend on improvements, things will be interesting for some men. Then look at the thing from another angle. What would the ministers do (and there is quite a bunch of them) if the town were as good as it could be? They would have to go to Seabrook or Portsmouth or some old place.

At any rate, Hampton can be improved, and if that can in any sense be reckoned a virtue, it will not be a bad idea to get our eyes on the points where that improvement can begin. A tailor made a suit for us once and the suit did not fit. The tailor said he thought it fitted nicely but if it did not, he would make it fit. We told him there was no use for him to tinker at it, if he did not see anything the matter. It takes a brave tailor to admit that there is anything "out" about Hampton. But if he is a "foreigner," it is best that he be anonymous.

One of the great opportunities for improvement of Hampton, is along the line of its beautification. Did it ever occur to you what a fine appearance this town would have from the railroad, if the large square in front of the station had a circular park or grass plot in the middle, with a bit of shrubbery, or a fountain. There is a natural beauty spot right there, which is now as ugly as sin. It is about all that the persons who travel through the town ever see of it. It advertises us as well as an untidy drummer would advertise shaving soap. Thousands of people come through that part of our town in the summer. They hasten to the ocean, and what wonder.

There is no reason why we cannot fix that place so that when anyone hears of Hampton they will say, "Oh, yes, that is the place where they have such an attractive station yard." The base utilitarian needn't scoff. There's money in it.

We should like to have some public spirited draughtman draw up a plan, not too elaborate, but a starter, that would show the possibilities on that square. When it is done, hang it up in the Post Office. If it looks good and practicable, why not chip in and make a beginning on it? It might have a tendency to raise the rent of the abutters, but they are public spirited men and ought not to mind. Another advantage would be that the young folks who range themselves along the opposite way, would have something pleasant to look at.

Now the odd thing about this matter is, that it never occurred to us what a nice improvement that would be, till we began looking for good things, present and prospective. In fact that bare old yard never rose in its ugliness so plainly before. How easy it is to get accustomed to unsightly things, when you live with them long enough. We doubt if the best thing we are looking for is the station yard. But it is not impossible that it may become something better than it is now, to the great improvement of Hampton. There is a chance for some public-spirited organization which believes in green things to initiate a movement. By the way, what is the Grange for, anyway?

Mrs. Mary E. Locke, wife of Morris Locke, died at her home in North Hampton after a brief illness. Besides her husband, Mrs. Locke is survived by two daughters, Mrs. A. W. Frizzell of Portsmouth, and Mrs. John Berry of North Hampton; three sons, Sperry H. Locke of New York, Charles Locke of Wellesley, Mass., and Albert Locke of North Hampton.