A Money-Making Mishap.

Manawatu Herald, 6 August 1903, Page 2

A Money-Making Mishap.

A Sydney Bulletin correspondent tells the following good yarn I witnessed a pathetic incident today. A blind organgrinder’s machine broke down with a wild whirring note as he was finishing “Love’s Serenade” in front of a suburban hotel. The landlord rushed out to' see whose soul had just been lost, and 17 men, eigßit women, and 44 clildren collected before the last wild cry died away. Two men offered to fix the machine up. The blind man was still frantically turning the handle, while his little girl was trying to atop him saying it was no use. The two men started to overhaul the ma-

chine while the crowd increased.' Humour spread it round that a drunken nan had wrecked the machine, tine sole support of the blind man and 14 kids, the womem tflßkd up their eyes, and said, •Phat a aheeme! ” The two . experts, whose efforts were breathlessly watched by,the crowd, at last pronounced the machine incapable of further torture. A pin which connected the revolving disc with the handle had been lost—had fallen into the bowels of the machine probably ; it was all up with it until another pin was fitted in its place. At this juncture a force-ful-looking man with a bleary eye proposed a collection, and made a short speech picturing the 14 youngsters starving at home. He wasted no time as the crowd showed an inclination to dodge down a side street or slip into the adjacent pub. The collector followed them into the pub, and levied on all, the landlord contributing a shilling “as it was his pub the machine had shied at.” Finally the forceful man presented the organ grinder with 6s 3d, and that worthy wiped his sightless eyes and said “ Gawdblessyer ” 17 times. Then he left. Three minutes afterwards a cynic arrived, and, addressing the few who were still lounging about, said, “ Collecting for a horgangrinder here ? ” Somebody nodded. ‘ Fourth collection I know of to-day,’ said the cynic, “he takes the screw out of his machine and puts it in his pocket. Then the other bloke takes the hat round.”