THE COUNTRYMAN AND THE LANDLORD.—A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3205, 6 October 1881, Page 4

THE COUNTRYMAN AND THE LANDLORD.— A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER.

BY 3TIVANTJS TOBB, JB,

An honest, well-meaning countryman, who had never been beyond the confines of the county wherein he was born, set forth, on attaining his majority, to seek his fortune in the great city. He had heard much of the wonders of "New York, aDd he had faith to believe he should succeed. Said an aged uncle, who had travelled over the greater part of the world, speaking with his nephew while he stood, bundle in hand, ready to set forth:

' I ast of all, Daniel, mind this one thing : If a man sells you, make him pay up, if you can. .

Daniel nodded, and went his way. On the erening of the fourth day he arrived at the door of a small inn. in a thriving, busy Tillage, where signs of new and strange things begun to appear. He hed seen a grander inn—a hotel, they called it, —but it looked too mnoh for him. ITe preferred thp mnre humble hou?e. "But he wa* to discover where he had made hi* The landlord proved tn be a nkinflint-. ; and riiß'ionppt at that. When h« pmIV'T f'» - I , '-* supper, Dnmpl had ordered »■'.*.»!» fin' 7 ehpw, anri half a pint o l '

rvi'lf ' r o wnnJd hnvp rtn meal, no bepr, w> w ;,i P i>o liquor nor would hp smoke.

Th« landlord was disgusted. Bah ! What a clown ! Whit a niggard ! But he would contrive a way to entrap him, if he could. Ah' he had hit it! Late in the evening, a? the rural guest came in from a long walk through the well-lighted village, (lighted streets he had never seen before"), the puWiean hailed him with gushing friencllinflssi, and invited him to join them — a select party —in a prand good supper.

' It is a little free sib down I am giving to a friend of mine who is going away to the far TTeet. Tome, —muke one of us. Yon shall be welcome.'

Daniel's long walk had given him an appetite, and be accepted the invitation cheerfully. Really, he had been mistaken in hia estimate of the character of his host. Ho had set him down for an old rascal —a regular old skinflint, —but he had judged him falsely. The supper was a grand affair to our countryman. There were roast chickens ; potted quails ; cold ham and tongue ; all kinds of cake, pio, and pudding ; and—But what took Daniel's fancy most hugely was the cider — champagne they called it. It was the most beautiful drink he ever tastel. He had always thought ' that Dad made pnoft Hder; but, I snum ! this beats his'n |U holler!' Touching the latter end of that feast Daniel never had a clear perception. He knew that he sang part of a hymn to the good old tune of " Coronation," and that he stood up on a chair, and spoke a piece, commencing— ". w t<ind ! the ground's your own my braves !" and that he tried to show them how he could stand on his head.

However, he was enlightened in the morning. Hβ had a headache, and no appetite for breakfast; and, feeling that the fresh air would do him good, he made ready to set forth on his journey. He asked the landlord what was to pay, whereupon that individual exposed to hie astonished gaze a bill amounting; to eight dollars and fifty cents. But the host would call it an even eight dollars. ' Why, bless joa !' cried the publican, in answer to Daniel's indignant protest, ' you not only had one of my grandest game suppers, but you drank three bottles of champagne ! That wine, sir, cost me two dollars a bottle! that's just the cost! —Invited you ! Pooh! I invited you to join us; and I said I was going_ta give a free sit down to my old friend. And "* co I did. But you didn't imagine that I meant to give away such, a feast to a stranger! Not much.! No, na. You'll pay up, my dear sir!' Poor Daniel found himself in a trap, and

his own good penso told him that thore was no escape. Should he tompfc the rascally landlord to ' tako the law on him, , ifc would strip him rf money completely. -He could sea now that the supper had been got on purpose for his benefit; but there was no help for it. So remembering a lesson of his "oorl uncle's: ' Bear bravely what you mii9b bear,'he never let the landlord know how hard he was hit, but paid the bill and took a receipt. While the breakfast was going on—and since he was charged for a morning's meal Daniel thought he would stop and eat—the conversation turned upon rats. The inn was literally overrun with them. ' Only last night,' said a girl who waited upon the table,' the pesky varmints carried off a whole quarter of mutton and more than six pounds of butter.' ' Why!' said Daniel, ' you ought to have my Wat Exterminator. Not a rat —not a varmint of any kind—will venture where it is!' And when he had extolled its virtues efficiently, he arose from the table and made ready to depart. He wns in the hall, with hie hat on hie head, ar d his bundle in his hand, when the landlord came to him in breathless haste. The eirl had been telling him about the wonderful rat exterminator. Hβ wanted to knftw about it.

' You can make it, sir, just aa easy as can be,' said Daniel. < Ah,—but how?'

• Sakes alive! You don't s'pose I give it iw-iv. do you? Not much! It cost me roin' on towards ten dollars. I'll sell it; Hut t won't give it away—not to my own V'er.'

And at length the anxious landlord pulled 'it ''is pocketbook and gave the verdant from the country a crisp ten-dollar bill. • All right,' said Daniel, aa he stowed away the bank note, and then brought forth the landlord's receipted bill for supper and champagne. { There, sir, jest you present a bill like that to every rat — Oho ! that's your style, is it? Very well; come on! You'll find me thar .'' And Daniel squared off and showed his fists; whereat the publican wilted, and drew back. ' Yaas, , said the youth, when he had again picked up his bundle, —this time safe from physical harm, ' jest you show 'em euoh a bill as that, and if they trouble you again, let me know.' And Daniel pursued his way, with his head-aohe all gone, and one more eye-tooth cut.