Young Gentlemen of Waitaki

NZ Truth, Issue 1149, 8 December 1927, Page 8

Young Gentlemen of Waitaki

UARD by 'Oamaru, stands a fine stone building known to the world as Waitaki Boys High School. The lads who unravel the mysteries of learning within its cloistered walls believe m brevity m all things — m their short pants and m their speech. They refer to their school as "Waitak." In this college, some very fine men are m the making, but there are also some who will never be fine men. The whole bunch of this latter species ■seemed to be aboard a south-bound express one day very recently. It is presumed that the boys of Waitaki are being trained m the art of being gentlenien. Perhaps the rest of the passengers had old-fashioned ideas of what a young gentleman of 1927 should really be; but even m these enlightened days there is a limit to what tolerant people can stand. At Palmerston South, the express tarries for the space of a few minutes to allow the passengers to imbibe a cup of tea and swallow a rail-way-pattern sandwich. Naturally, there is a rush; but, by exercising consideration for others, the interval is usually a happy one. True, tea often invades the whiteness of roomy saucers; but good-natured apologies are given and received. The waitresses at Palmerston South are auicls and efficient young ladles. For

the short time an express is at the station, they deliver almost countless orders with a marked courtesy and freedom from mistakes. They keep cool under the most trying circumstances.

Therefore, when these young fellows from Waitaki, having scented the food, rushed the counter — spilling the tea of at least one passenger m their mad stampede — there was little excitement m Palmerston South. Strange as it may have seemed to them, they were not accorded a civic reception, but wefe treated with the same consideration the other passengers received. . The fact that they had to wait a, few brief seconds astounded these boys, and they were. not slow to voice their disgust. One bright, yet diminutive, specimen with the fact that he was a Waitaklan glaringly advertised by the red and black tie under his chin, gazed wrathfully around and, m a voice of one born to rule, demanded "Where is that d d slushy?" This juvenile lout thought he was a real man of the world; but, had the caustic remark of more than one passenger penetrated his elephantine hide, he would have realized that the privelege of wearing a red and black tie must not be confused with ownership of th© entire universe,