The Olden Times.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 209, 31 July 1884, Page 2

The Olden Times.

A -writer to fche Star says :—Auckland, a quarter of a century ago, jKwsessed many queer characters. It had a poliiican who had his sivteen working bullocks on the electoral roll, and rolled them too ; it had an~ other politician who on the death of Judge Stephen moved an adjournment of the Provincial Council, 'because there were two things he had never seen a dead j udge and a dead donkey J ;and there - was Peter Grace, the carter. Of all the odd stories told about the jovial but illiterate Peter, the following, which was recently related to * Zamiel* by an old indentity, is perhaps the oddest. Peter did a large amount of carting from the wharf, and he found he suffered considerable pecuniary loss through persons purloining his sacks. So one fine day he. had all his sacks branded with the initials " P.G." m large characters, and then Peter was happy. A day or two later, while on the wharf, he discovered a rival carter named McCormick throwing sacks. into a cart. Grace sided up, and "found that they bore his brand. * McComrick you thafeof ■the worruld,' -ho indignantly Rj»culat~ ed, 'them's me boigs.' 'Ye lyin* spalpane,' said the other, * they're moiu. Why, there's me own brind on them. P.>for ; McComrick and Gi for boigs.' Peter's want of erudition prevented him from denying that P. whs the initial letter of McComrick, and he lose the sacks.