A MISTAKEN KINDNESS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 30 October 1914, Page 2

A MISTAKEN KINDNESS.

A Bishop, on a visit to a cathedral town, was walking through the close one afternoon,, v when he observed a small boy making ineffec tual attempts to reach the doorbell of one of the church dignitaries, in his kindness of his heart, the Bishop immediately said, "Let nv. do that for you, my little man ;' and he seized the bell-handle and gavi a sounding peal. The little boy looked up gratefully, and with a smile—and a wink—said, "Now we must cut and run !" And he suited the action to the word, leaving the Bishop to explain matters as well as,-the awkward situation, would allow him ! The Temperance Society was to meet that afternoon. Mrs; Phillpotts dressed in a hurry, and cam? panting downstairs. She was a . *. very fat woman. i "Addie,. run up to my room and -^^fc* get my blue rosette—the temperance ■ badge," she directed the maio'. "1 have forgotten it. You will know it, Addie —blue ribbon and gold lettering." " Yes, mum, 1 knows it well enough." Addie could not read, but she knew a blue ribbon- with gold lettering when she saw it, and therefore had no trouble in finding it, and fastened it promptly on the dress of her mistress. - Mrs, Phillpotts was too busy greeting her friends to observe that they smiled when they shook hands with her—some of them almost laughed. The gold lettering on the ribbon read :— "Bournemouth Poultry Show. — First Prize Bantam." Smithe was a constant Worry to his friends. They never knew when to and when not to treat him seriously, since, as lie frankly admitted, he delighted in pulling other people's legs. One day he and Brown met casually in the street, and stopped, as friends often do, to gossip for n while. "Big blaze —that fire at the factory in Johnson-street last night, wasn't it ?" asked Brown. "Yes," replied Smith ; "I went down to have a look at it. Ami, my word, there were several mighty narrow escapes there, too !" "Escapes !" cried Brown, excitedly. "But the morning paper said there was no one in the building." Smith nodded. "'Oh," he said, "the fireman brought the escapes down with them ! Solong, old chap !"