THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON. How it was Viewed by an Observant Coloured Scriptural Student.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 93, 14 March 1885, Page 4

THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON. How it was Viewed by an Observant Coloured Scriptural Student.

I bead considerable to Jim about kings and dukes and earls and such, and how gaudy they dressed and how much style they put on, and called each other your majesty, and your grace, and your lordship, and so on, 'stead of mister; and Jim's eyes bulged out, and he was interested. He says ; "I didn't know dey was so many un nm. I haint hearn 'bout none un urn skasely, but old King: Sollermun, onless you counts dem kings dats in a pack er k'yards. How much do a king git?" " Get ?" I say ; " why, they get a thousand dollars a month, if they want it ; they can have just as much as they want} everything belongs to them." " Aint dat gay ! En what doy got to do, Huck?" " They don't do nothing ! Why how you talk ! They just set around." " No ; is dat so ?" "Of course it is. They just set around, except maybe when there's a war j then they go to the war. But other times they just lazy around ; or go hawking — just hawking and sp Sh ! D' you hear a noise ?" We skipped out and looked ; but it warn't nothing but the flutter of a steamboat's wheel, away drwn coming around the point ; so we came back. "Yes," says I, "and other times, when things is dull, they fuss with the Parlyment; and if everybody don't go just so, he whacks their heads off. But mostly they hang round the harem." " Roun' de which ?" "Harem." " What's de harem?" "The place where he keep his wives. Don't you know about the harem ? Solomon had one ; he had about a million wives." " Why, yes, dat% so ; I— l'd done forgot it. A harem's a bo'd'n house, I reck'n. Most likely dey has rackety times in de nussery. En I reck'n de wives quarrels considable ;en dafc 'crease de racket. Yit dey say Sollermun de wises' man dat ever live. I doan't take no stock in dat. Becaso why ? Would a wise man want to live in de mids' er such a blimblaminin' all de time? No— 'deed he wouldn't. A wise man 'ud take en buil' a biler factry ; an den he could shet down de biler factry when he want to res'." " Well, but he was tho wisest man, anyway ; because the widow she told be so, hor own self. " "il doan' k'yer what de widder say ; he warn't no wise man, nuther. He had some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see. Does you know 'bout dat chile dat he 'uz gwyne to chop in two ?" " Yes, de widow told me all about it." " Well, den ! Warn' dat de beatenes notion in de worl' ? You jes' take en look at it a minute. Dah's de stump, dah— dat's one er de women ; heah's you — dats de yuther one ; I's Sollerman ;en dish-yer dollar bill's de chile. Bofe un you claims it. What does Ido ? Does I shin aroun' 'mongs' de neighbours en fine out which un you de bill do b'long to, en han' ifc over to de right one, all safe en soun', de way dat anybody dat had any gumption would? No— l take en whack de bill in two, en give haf ud it to you, en de yuther half to de yuther woman. Dats de way Sollermun was gwyne to do wid de chile ? Now, I want to ask you : what's de use er dat half a bill?— can't buy nuth'n wid it. En, what use is a half a chile ? I wouldn't give > a dern for a million on urn." I "But hang it, Jim, you've clean missed I the point— blame it, you've missed it a thousand mile." "Who? Me? Go 'long. Doan 'fc talk to me 'bout yo' pints. I reck'n I knows sense when I sees it ; en dey am' no sense in sich doin's as dat. Do 'spute warn't 'bout half a chile ; de 'apute was 'bout a whole chile ; en de man dat think he kin settle 'spute 'bout a whole chile wid a half a chile doan't know enough to come in out'n de rain. Doan't talk to me 'bout Sullermun, Huck, I knows him by de back." "But I tell you, you don't get the point." " Blame de pint ! I reck'n I knows what I knows. En mine you, de real pint is down furder — it's down deeper. It laya in de way Sollermun \»as raised. You take a man dats got on'y ©ne or two chillen j is dat. man gwyne to be wasteful o' chillen ? No, he ain't ; he can't 'ford it. Me knows how to value 'em. But you take a man dats got 'bout five million chillen runnin' roun' de house, en its diffunt. He as soon chop a chile in two as a cat. Dey's plenty mo. A chile er two mo' er less, warn't no conaekens to Sollermun, dad fetch him !" — Mark Twain, in the " Century."

Lord Sudeley's fruit-plantations at Toddington, in Gloucestershire, extend to about 400 acres, and the land was formerly an arable farm rented at £1 per acre, which nobody would take. The past season has not been a good one, but seventy-five tons of fruit have been gathered. There are 50,000 plum trees, 900 pear trees, 9,000 damsons, and 550 cherry trees. Of small fruits there are 222,000 black-currant bushes, 120,000 raspberries, 20,000 redcurrants, 100,000 gooseberries, while 330 acres are entirely devoted to strawberries. There are also 10,000 poplars, 100 Scotch firs, and 100 cob-nuts, planted for sheltering purposes. Lord Sudeley has established a bee farm as well, which he finds a valuable aid in his fruit culture. There are 170 hives, and they have proved most profitable. Adjoining the apiary is a rabbit warren of 200 acres, in which 6,000 rabits are killed every season. Lord Suddley sells all his fruit to a jam -maker of Ealing, who has built a jam factory at Toddington, where 160 tons have been made this season. — " Truth." It appears that the Duke of Cumberland has come into another goodly fortune, in a singularly unexpected manner. The Duke of Brunswick left to him his villa at Heitzing, with all its contents, and on opening a certain iron safe on the premises, coins, notes, and stock were found to the value of £100,000. It is estimated that the South Australian wheat yield this year will average nine bushels nine pounds per acre. This will be an exceptionally good harvest,