HOLIDAY INCIDENTS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1928, Page 6

HOLIDAY INCIDENTS

THE EASY JUMP

Sitting near the little stream in Bournemouth Gardens, I watched a small hoy asking his (father a hundred and one things.

“And could you jump right across the stream?” asked the child.

“ On, y€s.” answered the father, lightly. A stranger, happening to pass, exclaimed indignantly:

“ How dare you tell such a lie to the little child 1 ”

“It isn't a lie,” said the father, and pulling off his coat, he jumped easily across. ■‘On, it must lie easier than it looks.” said the stranger.

He also jumped—but right into the middle. '

THE CUNNING DONKEY

In Cavan the monthly fair was in progress. A man had for sale a very old donkey—a cunning animal. The donkey could open the field gate leading to the barn where the oats were kept in a. wooden box, open the barn door,’ take the lid off the box, and gorge himself with oats during the night. After stiff bargaining, the man sold the animal for 15s. Later in the evening he bought another lively, smartlooking animal for £3, with tail and mane trimmed. He left the new donkey in a field close to the house for the night. But judge his surprise the following morning, when he discovered the donkey had opened the gate, barn door, and oats box, and eaten his fill of the oats. It was his own old donkey he had bought back again.

THE YOUNG MIMICS. the crowds had dispersed from the pierrots’ stand, and' all the chairs had been removed, giving thcT'stage a forlorn looking aspect. A sudden scuffling of feet on the platform woke me from my reverie, and on looking from where L was seated, I beheld a rather amusing sight on the previously desolate stage. One little girl was flourishing her hands energetically upon an airy piano, while a mischevions youngster acted the comedian, repeating the words that had been used but an hour earlier. A quartette was arranged, and they sang the syncopated ditties, each stepping forward in turn, closely followed by another, then the grand finale, a loud boisterous “Hoi !’ I was the only person who saw the new company of artists performing. and I could not suppress my mirth at their antics.

JELLYFISH DIVE. This year 1 spent a week of my holiday in bed as the result of diving through a jellyfish 4ft in diameter. Tt was not until I was just entering the water after a high dive that I saw the jellyfish, and of course I was quite unable to alter my direction. r I he sense of utter impotence was terrible while it lasted. Then in another moment 1 struck the spongy mass.

I rose to the surface with the je'lvfisli round my waist, ifeeiing very much as though I was wearing a girdle of extra-special stinging-nettles. A boatman pulled me out and, after scraping the jellyfish away with bare hands, vowed me ashore. For three days I was black and blue and scarcely able to move, but gradually the soreness disappeared.

BOAT DESTROYED BY FIRE. T am spending my holiday alone the stern, grey coast of Scotland’s most northern country, Caithness. V pastime of never-failing interest is to watch the fishing fleet steam out to sea each day. Last night, a lovely August evening, shoals of herring were reported inshore, and the drifters, numbering over 260. were spread along the coast, close under the cliffs: so near were they that we could follow their movements as they shot their nets.

Suddenly one of their number began to belch smoke from an unexpected quarter, followed very soon bv leaping flames. There was an immediate activity among the boat’s nearest neighbours. They surrounded the blazing vessel. Hi’hose \boat’s crew, with amazing presence of mind quickly cut adrift the valuable nets. They then manned their small boat and rowed to the nearest drifter and were taken aboard. Another boat actively picked iir> and secured the loose drift nets, while yet another drifter secured a tow line and drew the blazing vessel out beyond the maelstrom of floating buoys and stood by.

The entire population of this little vil’age her?, being of the fishing fVaV'rnitv. were now assembled «n the frowning cliffs. It was a weird and wonderful sight we witnessed. The drifter being of the old. converted wooden type burnt ficcolv for four hours till the flames reached the water line and she sank from our sight beneath the waves of the Pentium! Fir lb.

THE BOA’U'"YO HOUSE CBTJET. AVc luul naid fur bills after breakfnst <in Saturday morning when a none too attentive or obliging landlady noticed the cruet missing from the table that the two nice young brothers had occmaied. Questioned, the elder one readilv adm’'ted ho had packed it in bis bag as ’ e had purchased it from tlie V>edb - 1 for 2s 6d. Protests f-om that ' raid of all works” would not move him and a policeman was fetched, to whom he shewed bis bill. T T n ' uietly pointed to the item ‘‘cruet 2s lid,” and said, ‘‘He’s sold me this and given a ata:np-

ed receipt for it. It’s dear too at the price.” The officer refused to arbitrate as to its intrinsic value and. after ■considering awhile, the landlord to let him get away with it.

TUNNEL ALARM. I was travelling to Liverpool with my brother, aged 20, when three men entered our compartment and commenced playing cards for money. They invited my brother to join them and looked very annoyed when he refused. Presently they started whispering arid I caught the words, ‘When we enter the tunnel take .the plunge, 'lliis tunnel is shortish and therefore the compartments are not lit up.” Another replied, “Act quickly, git should be easy work in tlie darkness.” My feelings of suspense and alarm as I sat in the inky 'blackness of that, tunnel were terrible. Nothing happened but faint rustlings and clickings, and then a voico._ said, “Right-ho; a good job well done.” Emerging into daylight I saw that the men had merely loaded their" camera with a film which would haw been ruined if exposed to daylight.