REALISATION.

Otaki Mail, 6 January 1922, Page 4

REALISATION.

By F. J". Ryder. ; (Chapter li, : Continued). The following week when Mr Jones arrived at the hall all was confusion and mother was in a great stew. Now, mother, what's gone wrong. Oh, Mr Jones, everything is wrong! You see I have failed most miserably to get the people into the hall, for although i have the hall packed like sardines in a tin you see the crowd that still want to get in and now I am at my wits end to know what to do. I am so anxious that they should all hear you that I hate the thought they have got to bo turned away. Well, well, mother, now just do what I am continually asking you all to do, and that is to think what is the best thing *to be done. Oh dear, Mr Jones, I am too upset, pray tell me what to do. Now, mother, that's as easy as kissing you hand. What did we do when we failed to get all those interested into your little home. Why, mother, you and your committee went to work like Britons and secured this hall. Now this hall has proved too small; go one bettor and try and secure a bigger hall. Oh, Mr Jones, you always seem to be able to get out of a hole, and now I am than ever if you fail to get us workers out of the hole that we are in then I am afraid we are doomed to stop here, but lam sure you can't. Now, mother, don't let that worry you. Your road out is as simple as it is to go and get a bigger hall. But mind, mother, get it voluntary if possible for I am desirous that the hall shall be as free to the people us my speech, and I really believe that the owner of this hall will make one to your committee for you know we have had the use of his hall for nothing, not even the lights have we paid for. That's quite correct, and I feol sure he will be a .great help to us iu securing a larger hall for he has never missed one of our meetings. I'< know he is now as much interested as any oue of us. Now mother, lam going to tell those inside what has gono wrong and there will be no meeting until you have secured a hall that will accommo-1 date all those that wish to hear what* 1 have to say. Mr Jones then went in-! to the hall and said, ladies and gontle-' men, I have never made a practice of. doing things by halves, and I am not i going to start now. Owing to the fact, that there are many people still unable to .gain admittance and as you can all plainly see there is now room for more. ' I have to tell you there will be no meeting to-night. Oh, Mr Jones, be a sport and go ahead as usual, came from someone. Now, ladies and gentlemen. I am going to tell you the man who made that appeal is one of us who is too selftsh to-day. I will ask that gentleman if he were outside would he like to be forced to go home while others remained to enjoy, themselves. No, sir, I will be frank and honest; I ; would not, and I am pleased you havei put it up to me in the manner you have. I am more than pleased, said

Mr Jones, to hear your frank admission; I Bear in mind, ladies and gentlemen A . when I fail to get you interested, and! j fail to lead you straight then I u-illl 'fail to address you at all. J That's right, Mr Jones, do the thing I right or don't do it at all. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I apologise for I bringing you hear and sending you home, but if you only think you will see that you have' a lot to be thankful for. I can't see that, Mr Jones, what's the good of coming out and then hear nothingT Now, sir, just think how. happy you should be to think so manyj i people are getting interested in this j t little dry common sense talks of ours, I and just think from three people it has i. increased to several hundreds, and from the way things are shaping likely • to spread into thousands. I apologise. Mr Jones, I am like the last speaker, just thinking of myself, but now you have put it that way I am just as pleased to go home as I came as the next one. Then, said Mr Jones, I will wish mother and your committee good luck, and may God help her and her commit- '. tee to get the biggest hall in the town. ' You may rest assured we will do our j best, said mother. Now, with God's i blessing, I wish you all good night, i A couple of nights later mother and i her committee called at Mr Jones' house, and told him they had secured ! the finest hall in the town and upon the ' same conditions as the last one, and i that she felt that there was no reason to believe but what they would get it i free providing Mr Jones had still someI thing more interesting to tell them. Oh, mother, I have a little more dry talk left yet. Well if it's dry, Mr j Jones, then it will not be up to the ' past, for those that are out for sport may think it dry, but those of us that . are out to improve things for rich and ' poor can see nothing dry about it. Well | j I am glad, mother, to know you are so j easily interested. Well now, Mr Jones, how do you propose to let all your list- ! eners know of our success in getting 1 this hall and let them know the date ' of our nest meeting. Well, mother, 1 seeing you have secured the hall for. i nothing we must advertise the next j 1 meeting for nothing, and you know it's| quite a different matter to what it was when we shifted from your private house. Then we only had a dozen or; so to let know, now we have hundreds,! and we have no idea who they are. Now. I knew we had to face this dif-; jfieulty and we don't want this huge hall to look like a barn when we have our meeting. That being so we must endeavour to get as many there as pt&sible'; eveff then it will have a pretty I empty appearance. fi° yon suggesi we go about making the date fif our meetling known. Well, mother, I knsw you j are a regular brick but I do not know . if you -will eome up to my expectations 1 now. Oh, Mr Jones, I will do all in my j power to make our next meeting as j good as I can. You will then. I want I you and Mrs Jones to become two aaudwich women and do the £ri£eipal

streets when most folk are coming-to and fro from their work, the day of

our meeting. Now, Mr Jones, that's a snorter to say the least, but seeing that Mrs Jones is game to take it ori-I will do it also. Of course the funnier - you are dressed the more interest you will arouso and the less likelihood there will be of any of your friends knowing you. What's more, said mother, 1 don't care if they do, for there is no disgrace attached to it. I can see us getting a bumper house, but tell me, Mr .Jones, what are we to have on tne boards. Just this: "Mr Jones will speak at the great town hall at eight o 'clock, all and sundry are as welcome as the flowers of May; admission free and no collection." That will be grand, Mr Jones, and just fancy what a credit it will be to you if we get a good house without spending a penny in advertising. Tell Mrs Jones I will be down to-morrow to arrange our dress and what streets we shall take. In the meantime I will have the boards ready for you and just you see, mother, that you do your best and get me a good house. If you do I will try to amuse them by telling them fairy stories and sucn like. No you don't, Mr Jones, if we get you a good house you must promise i . something real, spicy and good on that occasion. Bight, mother, good-night. (To be Continued).