REAL GO-GETTER FARMER AT THE LOVE GAME

NZ Truth, Issue 1180, 12 July 1928, Page 8

REAL GO-GETTER FARMER AT THE LOVE GAME

NO LEAP YEAR LOVE ABOUT LEOPOLD

_ — , ■ ■ . • ■ The Way She Pushed A Bicycle Won Him

ADORED HER BECAUSE SHE WAS "SO STRONG"

(From "N.Z. Truth's" South Auokland Representative.)

Here's some stuff to set your pulses tingling. Hero worship, with an inverted social perspective. •It isn't the strong man this time, with a demure, idolising flapper watching the masculine bulging biceps. Oh, No! Leopold was the worshipper of a little school-teacher who "pushed her bicycle" divinely and "swam the Waikato River" like a frisky whitebait. Yes, there is stoush m this, too. — — ; ; — - — . s — ~« — . ; — o— : — : o • ■ — : — ' ' ' -

AND, if you should like to give this chapter of life a title, "Leopold the Lovely," or "I, by Me," might have something to recommend it. Leopold had a lot of respect for two people, to wit, the adored object of his unrequited love, and— guess — Yes, himself. But this is too pleasant a story to give you m potted form. You must be led gently to the .Heeney climax. Leopold Hodgins, a young farmer of Horsham Downs, as previously indicated, plunged into a love-at-first-sight enthusiasm over a young lady who nurtured the mental resources of the young idea m that locality. : However, not being possessed of that power immortalized by Burns, "to see oursels as ithers see us," Leopold, the bold lover, was destined for a rude shock, when, after writing a letter setting out hie own good points, and incidentally asking (and expecting), the young woman to marry him, she handed the missives over to another swain as the basis for a hiding for Leopold. Get this zest about life — and love! As a matter of fact, for many months he had cherished loving thoughts towards her, admiring her from afar, as it were, glorying m her physique and swelling with admiration at thoughts of her natatorial prowess. He had heard that she was capable of swimming the Waikato River, an iiiniuimiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiitititiiiniiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiimiiiiiituiiiniiiiiniiiiiiitininiiinniiiiiiiiiiii

achievement that sent a glow of longing for the lad|y through his body, and convinced him that she was Just the girl to make a wife for a. man like him. Although his love was mostly cherished from afar, Leopold was by no means a bashful swain, and neither is he by any means unmindful of his own great personal: charms. He realizes that he is a distinct catoh for some young lady, but, unfortunately, the girl he would most like to see the proud, possessor of his. love, affection and romantic name, is this teacher at the local school. Quite oblivious of the great romance being woven m the small abode where Hodgins has dwelt with his housekeeper for some years. th ( e school teacher was surprised towards the end of last year, to receive a ; sealed envelope through the post which bore the tidings of Hodgins 1 great love arid his wonderful magnanimity. In it he asked her to become Mrs. Leopold Hodgins. . As the young lady's thoughts had not run to anything ao ambitious, and as, m her wildest dreams, she had never conjured a picture of herself as Mrs. Leopold Hodgins, she naturally was somewhat overwhelmed by Leopold's offer. Unfortunately for Leopold, she did not quite, regard him m the same glowing light that he sees himself, and -while she might have felt. somewhat flattered that she of all the girls m Waikato, should be Leopold's chosen one, she reflected that she could not bring herself to the high pitch of sacrifice that would be necessary to prompt her to accept his invitation to share his Joys and sorrows, until death would them part. ■•'■.- The plain truth must be told. She did not love Leopold. Receiving no reply to his message of love and hope, Leopold allowed a month or two to elapse before he decided to- try again. This time, he put all his cards on the table and was quite frank m his outburst. He told her, figuratively, what a lucky girl she was to be courted by such a fine chap as he; m fact, there were fewer finer when he was dressed up; that there were very few girls who had the chance of marrying a. man with a thousand notes to his credit; and expressing wonderment that she did not accept so unique a chance while it offered. . The young school teacher had by this time, become somewhat alarmed, and she handed over the letters to a young farmer friend of hers named Reginald Pelham Chibnall, and sought his protection from further attentions of the amorous Leopold. ■ A further letter followed, m which certain suggestions were made, and it was after the receipt; of this that the young lady appealed to Chibnall for protection.. . ' .

Chibnall, therefore, walked over to Hodgins' place one day and demanded an explanation of his attitude towards the school teacher, and an opology for having written the last letter. An altercation followed, during which, Reginald is alleged to have lost his temper and hurled a couple of benzine-tins at Leopold, to be followed swiftly by a can of that day's milk. Leopold brooded over this affront and later stalked over to the farm where Chibnall is employed, and challenged him to fight. Reginald was not at^ home, however, when Leopold first called, so he waylaid .him on the road and insisted on fighting him. The . result was that both found themselves m the police court, charged with fighting m a public place, and it was then that Leopold's secret love

and blighted hopes were revealed to the world. During the hearing of the charge, Lawyer Strang, . who appeared for Chibnall, described him as .quite a decent, peace-loving young fellow, who naturally felt it incumbent on him, when requested "by the young school teacher, to champion her cause. To give the Magistrate an Idea of what led up to the affray on the road, Lawyer Strang handed m a couple of letters written by Hodgins to the young lady. . In the first of these the writer admitted that the young lady would probably be surprised to receive a note from him, but the reason for his writing was to ask her to marry him. He understood, he said, "that she was willing and that she only waiting to be asked." ! "The reason I am anxious to

marry you," the letter continued, "Is that you are so strong. I have often admired the way you push ' your bicycle along the road the way you- do, and when I heard you could swim the Waikato River, - Isaid to myself 'you 'will do me for a wife." The letter adds, "my little house is fit for any woman to live m," and concludes with the comforting ' assurance that "you won't have to milk cows." Not idrawing the anticipated response, and finding that, the young lady to whom so tempting an offer had been made, did not rußh straight into his arms, Leopold sat back to ponder on the enigma of woman. : ■ Then he reflected that perhaps he had not made himself sufficiently clear; or perhaps, he may have been somewhat misunderstood ; '■ or. again, that after all a lady does riot usually; like to concede a favor on the first asking. "So," thought Leopold, "I will ask again." And even once more he plied the question. In his second letter he was a little more pressing and not a little surprised and hurt. v "I am writing to you again," it opened, "to again ask you to marry me." It then goes, on to refer to a row he had with a neighbor m which he sought

to justify his own part m the affair. "I have heard," the letter continues, "that, you have offered to marry me despite my faults and what people are saying 1 about me./;. I have been told that you stuck uj£for ma ,w.b,en.-,.Qthers were running me ' down and . you said you would not mind marrying me yourself, but that I: would have to ask yOU first. -'. .;' ;■ ■.'■'■: ' ; ;;' '■;■ '.• "" "When I heard that," the letter proceeds, "I appreciated your offer and said: 'I will have you for my wife.' It is hardly fair of you to turn me down now, after having promised to marry me." The writer then adds, with some show of' indignation, '%hy don't you marry me now that you have the chance?" . Then comes a little testimonial to himself: "If the house-keeper has. got on well with me for the past five years, you ought to be able to get on with me." And still another little pat on the back, "You never saw me dressed up before you offered to marry me. 1 don't think you need be ashamed to walk up the streets of Hamilton with me when I am dressed up, as there are not many finer looking men m Hamil- . ton than me when I am dressed." The writer next proceeds to tell of his wealth. : He is, he says, worth £ 1000 and there are not many girls who have the chance of marrying a man worth £ 1000. "I can't do more than give you all I have m this world." Then oomes this somewhat pathetic, but unconvincing argument, "I will foe terribly disappointed if you don't marry me, as I have told a lot of people that we are to get married soon: You offered to marry me, now keep your word. lam willing to have you." But with all his wealth, all his pleas and all his manly beauty, Leopold failed to make the. desired impression on the school teacher, who prefers to push her cycle daily to the schoolhouse, and to put up with the irritation of a class full of fractious children, than to risk a journey on the unknown seas of matrimony, at least with Leopold Hodgins. • Magistrate Paterson dismissed the charge against Chibnall, and convicted and fined Hodgins £1 and costs. Nettled by his defeat m this legal encounter, Leopold has since issued a challenge through the public press to. Chibnall m the following words: "I, L. Hodgins, of Horsham Downs, hereby challenge R. P. Chibnall, of Horsham Downs, to three two-minute rounds with gloves. Bout to take place m any building m the district. A few days later Chibnall replied through the local paper accepting the challenge and arranging to meet Leopold at the Hamilton Town Hall today (Thursday), the proceeds of the house to go to the local unemployment fund. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii nun iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii m