FLOODS AND FOOLERY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4577, 20 June 1923, Page 4

FLOODS AND FOOLERY.

BLENHEIM’S UNCONSCIOUS HUMOURIST. A CLOSE CALL FOR CASEY. The recent floods have shown, once again that comedy ever follows closely on the heels of tragedy; the court jester takes the tail of the dignified procession headed by the tragedian. Blenheim is blessed with the inclusion among its citizenry of an original character, enjoying the appellation of Casey, a name which betrays the distressful land of his birth —and they say that his face is a, sufficient indication that he hails from the Emerald Isle.

Casey has a workmate whom ne 1 sticks to like glue to a blanket, and they were both doing good work rescuing people caught by the flood. When the rescue work was accomplished Casey and his mate started to wade back to high land. The mate, by the way, is a very tall man, and Casey is very short,. The mate got through all right to the railway embankment, but Casey was soon in difficulties; as a matter of 'fact, he was very nearly drowned. He had gone down twice, and as he came up the second time his mate shouted, ; “Try and float, Casey! try and float!” Gurgling and spurting the water out of his mouth, the: valiant son of Erin replied, “Float be d—■ —d, it’s nine d.avs before ye can float!” The colossal coolness and inimitablehumour of the incident, which was , credably vouched for to a represenitacredibly vouched for by a reputable citizen of Wellington who was travelling through at the time, is astonding. Like all born humourists, Casey is a very serious-faced man; he seldom smiles, and never seems to see the funny side of his remarks, his humour being of'the. unconscious order —the best of all from the listener’s pgjnt of view. One day Casey doing some work pn the roads, and scattering the stones about in a somewhat unorthodox fashion. Presently his Worship the Mayor, came along in his car and, noting what was being done,, he pulled up and said to Casey, "What are you doing this for ?” “Just for twelve bob a day,” replied the imperturable Casey.