“WILLIE” SWAN-ON AND THE “CRANK.”

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1429, 10 December 1886, Page 3

“WILLIE” SWAN-ON AND THE “CRANK.”

The writer of “ Local Gossip ” in the N;Z, Herald pens the following ; —For ready mother wit commend me to “ Honest Willie ’’—the Hon W. Swanson. He was going down Queen street one day, oyer a quarter of a century ago, when he fell in with an o d settler who had got into his head the 'dea that he had been floating about Heaven knows how long on an iceberg, and hurt his leg, from which, when tapped, flowed a stream of oil. On the previous night he had taken seven gallons cf oil from his leg, and was feeling generally depressed, add expected Mc-Swanaon t;> c ;ntki’e with him oA'hisremsrkablecondition. Mr Swan eon v ho knew th*t condoling with the man would do noth Ingtowarda dispelling the wen la delusion, tried another tack, and th>s is bow he approached the task : “O-ndole with you, my friend ! not a bit of it. Why, man, you’ve ‘ struck ile.’ Seven gallons at 6s a gallon—why, thv’a tv- o guineas, and from one leg only. I s«y, old man, your fortune’s marts. It's belter than a g-Mdnrne. I can’ condole wr.h y« u; 1 congratulate yon Wish, old hoy, I had your complaint ia b..th my l*g».” The crank was staggered, doubted the evidence of his own log, ■ and from that day fourth n non teed h!a oleaginous Seoriei.