CORRESPONDENCE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 221, 23 May 1873, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

We do not hold ourselves in any way responsible for the views and sentiments expressed by correspondents. Alii communications must be accompanied by the correct name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.

' (To the Editor of the Mount Ida Chronicle.) Sin,—To-day I had finished digging the praties, and got them hilled up. (Musha, I have the great crop entirely, and sorra a better fruit ever grew in the Garden of Eden.) Well, I was eating my supper and thinking how you Naseby boys were getting on, and whether you would be buying a few tons of the praties, when bang goes the door of my cabin. " G.ude evening, Denny." " Good even, sir," says I; " take a bucket and sit down." And who should it be well, a descendant of one of the Apostles. " Weel, Denny," says he, " Fu are ye ?" " Purty well," says I, wondering all the time what brought him to see me, for, although I attend mass when we have the clergy, and pay my dues when I have the money, and am well respected, I never have much of his company, or any of his people—maybe its because I sometimes take a drap with Barney and Phil of a Sunday afternoon, instead of pulling a' long face and looking -what is called religious. " It's braw weather," says he, " and noo we hae the taties in, we'll be gled to see the rain fa'; and wi' a few heids and plucks we'll get ower the winter brawly." " Yes," says I. " but I'm thinking that we have more praties than we can use ; and I was just writing to the Hogburn to see if I can sell some of mine. Ned. is selling a lot. " Weel," says he, " I hae a petition I want you to sign, frae the Piners of the Hogburn." " What are they pining about now ?" says I. " It's the water," he. " Well," says I, " If the water don't agree with them I would, sure, ask the Government, to send them to a warm place, for I hear '' wet feet is bad for the con sum shun. I j had a brother who pined away and died ] with that complaint." " Ye dinna onder-1 stand." says he. "The piners means the j first men on the place." " Eaith, thin," ' says I, 'fit's time they left it. They, should have made their piles before this." I " O," says he, " that's jisfc.fat they want to { do. My freend of the casks, wha is a j water squatter as weel, wants to gang to ' the Marephenua, if the Government will | gie him a good price for his water." " Is ! he ill ?"■ says I. " Na," says he; " a wee thing stiff in the joints—rheumitez, l| think." " Well," says I, " I'll see Bar- j ney in the morning, and hear what he | says." (A nice man, Barney—lets me j have a thrifie tea and sugar and will take ' praties and hens in exchange, and keeps a drop of the crathur worth drinking—and I am a good judge.) When I got to Barney's, Sandy told me he was at the Pour Mile for a load of hens ; so we went and had a drop of the \ poteen. Well; Sandy is a great politician, ! and at the petition he goes pell-mell, when , in comes Barney, so I axes his opinion of I the petition. He", swore that the tames-1 ters would want the Government to buy | their tames next, whin the railways I started. " And besides," says he, " stop j the works and all the people will lave but the water squatters; and who will buy our praties and hens, for they grow their own fruit, such as peaches, praties, cab-, bages, and onions ?" and he sent the petition to.a place Sandy said was "gey het." Just then up rides Phill. " What news ?" says I. PhilL stops at the Hogburn —he has a Government job there—but sometimes he comes to Hyde. Phill. likes his drop, and is not mane, and we have a drop together at a house where he I is very welcome, and where he makes himself quite at home. They do say he ', is not welcome wherever he goes, and they do blame him for making free with bits of furniture, but then, like the sodger, he is paid for it. " What do you think of the petition of the Piners?" says I. "W"hat petition?" says he; so I told' him. " By the finger that burns I" says he, " I heard of it; but it was never seen on the Hogburn. I would as soon see you sign the pledge as that," says he. " I might do woisethan that," says I. "By the man of the mast, the pubsVpuld miss you, and the Hogburn would miss the water more. Why, Denny, we will all have to leave if the works are not carried out.'- _ Well, I think it's few names will go to the petition in Hyde, and I hear no one can see it at the Hogburn. "Well," says Phill, "D. has got ten miles of the Head Bace, and no doubt he will be giving the Hyde folk a turn. I hear he is going to give good wages for good men. The Hogburn people are not well pleased at him for taking it out of their hands, but we can show them many things besides race cutting. Just look at our roads. And we have another D. here who has puzzled the best of them, and given the Judge all his work to unravel the skein." "A clever chiel," said Sandy; " and noo that Armstrong and Mervyn hae gone against Mac and progress, he would

mak' a gude member i* the Council. It is said he is related to a great man in Victoria." " Troth," says I, " a good idea, and he is an Irishman besides. I'll rote for him if he will stand." and sae will I," said Sandy. Barney was just going to speak, when they called.him to bed; so we took the hint and went home. Arrah I forgot till this letter was gone to sign my name, and to tell you that the sow had ten young ones.