RANDOM REMARKS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 132, 18 February 1909, Page 5

RANDOM REMARKS.

(Contribution* to this column are always welcome from any part of the district. The Editor does not vouch for the authenticity of the stories, nor is he responsible for the criticisms.!

| Early one morning I climbed up the To Kuiti-Hangatiki road, and sat me i down upon a log near that sharp bend t that overlooks the town. After sitting ; for some time musing in a philosophical way, I was startled to hear the soft, sweet notes of a flute. I turned my head in the direction of the pleasing found, and observed a tall, but elderly man, approaching. At each step the tune became more beautiful and ex- | hilarating. and my blood rushed I through my ncdy in sheer joy. On his j coming nearer I saw that he was in--1 finitely wise, and almost superhuman in h:s wonderful grace and beauty. "My friend." said he. "what doest i thou here" 1 So soon as he spoke I knew I had I met one of those spirits, which, for . long ages have been known to inhabit I this vicinity. j "Good spirit," said I, "the terrible ■ afflictions of humanity have bowed my hind in sorrow, and I love to sit, and muse o'er the joys of the world to come, for the joys of thi-< world doth seem to me a poor remuneration for its awful pathos." The Good Genius looked nt me with eyes of wonderful pity and love. Beneath his gaze I melted away into a delightful trance, the like of which I j hal never experienced before. When j he spoke again a peculiar thrill passed through me. "Scc'sl thou." he said, "that long valley tying below us?" "I see." said I, "a deep haze, but whether a valley or bottomless ravine I know not. I pray thee, good Genius, what doth it mean?" "In that valley," said he, "lies the township of Tc Kuiti. Thou canst not see it at present, as a light gush of wind has so enveloped it in dust that it is totally obscured. But if thou waitest till the gust hast passed, thou mayest see its tall minarets, glistening domes, and sky-piercing spires." As if by magic the wind pa'scd. and the great beauty of the scene bewildered me. "Great Genius." said I, "1 have ■seen London and many of the largest and most beautiful cities on earth; but this doth exceed them all." "Ah." said my interpreter, "thou art a Te Kuitian."

"Nay. good sir," said I, "I have but been there »tnc day." "Thou hast been long enough," he replied, "to become inoculated with their absurd pride. Take warning, friend. Guard thyself against it." I bowed my head in remorse and meekness, for J knew the truth of his words. When I raised my head again, he was looking at me so lovingly that I ventured a further question. "What." said I. "is that large edifice lying right to the other side of the town""

"Thct," he replied, "is what the people here call a government building. It is a branch of a great institution which takes heavy taxes from the people, and then gives them back again, and bursts with pride and selfrightcousnes *." He spoke in a tone of sorrow nnd regret, and I felt the truth of his words. "Turn thine eyes away," he said, "to where thou sccst a group of mortals flocking round an old man in the street Seest thou it?" "Yes." said I, I" sec an old man standing in the street, and by his face I should imagine him to be in great anguish. Pray what meaneth it. Who are they?" "The man thou seest" said he, "has a section of land, and those who are climbing over each other, and struggling at each other's throats, are the Land Agents." "It is a sad sight," said he, after a pause, "but look further down the street where another crowd is standing. Seest thou the man with the bottle under his arm? He is the beloved of the town so long as he is thus armed; but let him stumble, and, as the vultures flock round their prey, so would the inhabitants flock round him, and rend him to pieces. Sccst thou that man who has left the crowd, and has now sat himself down upon the roads id«r?" "He seems infinitely happy." said I. The Good Spirit looked sadly at me and said: "He is happy, for he has the cork." "What," said 1 again, "is that long building to the north of the town?" "That." said he, "is what you mortals call a school, in it the children of this town arr taught with considerable pcwJr to read and write." The Genius was smiling.

My eyes now wandered over the town for some time. "What," I said, at last, "is this small box-like building almost at our feet? Jt is a striking contrast to the magnificent splendour of the rest of the town."

"That," said the Good Genius "is the Church of England Vicarage." He would have said more but he was so stricken with sorrow that he wept, and the tears fell fast upon the stony ground. It was some time before 1 raised my eyes, for 1 too had wept. When I looked again, the Genius was gone and I was alone upon the hill above the town.