THAT BACON DID IT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 186, 28 July 1876, Page 4

THAT BACON DID IT.

"iE^les" writes as follows in the Australasian:— '"Twas ever thus. A landed proprietor, with a splendid estate, some time since received a visit lrom a Government surveyor, whoso business it was to mark out a road through Mr A's property. The land was duly surveyed and the official said that he thought the road should go in a certain indicated direction. Now this didn't suit Mr A. at all. The new road, if carried out as projected, would cut up his best grazing paddock. He remonstrated with the surveyor, who was spending the evening with him, and beggod him to take another look round and see whether he couldn't make a deviation of a mile or so, and skirt the paddock instead of cutting it jn two. Now there were some flitches of bacon hanging from the kitchen rafters in Mr A'e dining-room {he was one of tbe good old Euglish farmer stamp, and dined and smoked in his kiicheD). The surveyor cast his eyes upwards, as if endeavoring to mentally evolve a different route from his internal consciousness, an d t h ey jis upon the flitches. 'Bless my eoul, 1 said he, ' what very fine bacon, Mr A. Do you know— a side of that bacon would take a road anywhere?' By some curious coincidence a couple of the best flitches found their way that evening to the the surveyor's camp, aud marvellous to relate, the road did ekirt the home paddock without cutting it up."