MAN'S ATTIRE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9442, 12 May 1909, Page 2

MAN'S ATTIRE.

A parallel ease ia some respects to I’affaire Amy Bock is related in the New Zealand Times. Some fourteen or fifteen years ago, a policeman who telis the anecdote, received telegraphic advice that a certain ploughman working for Farmer X. was not exactly what lie represented himself to be. A detective and a mounted man were sent to’enqaire. The result can be surmised. The fair one, dressed in male attire and having all the appearances of an active young ploughman, shortly afterwards related the history of this adventure to the police officer. It appears that it was not crime, bat a marriage contracted with a worthless young man, that caused this amazing young woman to take the course she did in this instance. Soon after her marriage she disooverd that her worthy husband had a wife in Australia. Thereupon she left him and went into service at different places. But everywhere she went h&r unfortunate marriage leaked out until In desperation, she decided to try her hand at “being a man.” With characteristic energy, she aooa purchased the requisite clothes, effected a change behind some friendly scrub from her own garments, which she burned, to the new ones, and with a swag on her back started on her new career. After several weeks, during which she slept in a hut with three big men, whu had not the slightest inkling as to who their companion was, she obtained a job aa handy man cn a farm, and had other adventures before she obtained work at a sawmill. While there she attended a dancing class, and as every young fellow had a girl, she required one too. A nice little Miss O accommodated her in this respect, and the two were in the habit of “ walking out” together. She improved the time whilst she”waa at the mill by learning to smoke a clay pipe and doing a little judicious swearing and swaggering, which she stated helped her disguise a good deal. When she left this employment and after doing somayidd jobs she ultimately engaged with a farmer in a big way as a ploughman, working a team df big horses, j; Although the rough work was naturally very bard on her, aha kept to it with great pluck, and soon became quite a fair hand at the horses. • Discovery, however, came at Hast, and the masquerader had to move on.