A PRETTY LITTLE STORY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1184, 11 December 1883, Page 1

A PRETTY LITTLE STORY.

The other Hay, in-the'port of Shields, a hogshead of treacle burst while being rolled from a dray in front of a grocer* premises. Nearly one ton of liberated treacle obeyed* the laws of liquids andfoundits level oh the* street, < how the bed of a yellow river, in which the grocer stood aghast, knee deep. Consternation, however,, gave place: to action. An empty cask was got, and into this, with shovel, basin and bucket assisted by his man,his maid and his mother, he poured the golden . fluid. The women and bairns also got to work with,.great activity ; but to their dismay a detachment of police came upon the ground, beat back the rebels before the juvenile portion of them was half sick \ and formed a “cordon blue ” round the grocer’s treasure, that he might pick it-vall up - himself. But the urchins were not to baffled. They held a conference, and laid a plot by which, through the instrumentality of the simplest of their number they should secure a shpre of.the fSpoiu | Tjiiminy' was to be taken to the butside bf the-ring, and, at ia favorable moment;; thrown in among the treacle, his friends pledging them selves .to lick him clean, .and assuring him his “ claes wad be |ijae worser his mither wad riivver knavp Tom my required no persuasion; he sneaked close to the heels of a policeman; bis companions rushed upon; him, and in a moment he waßimmersed. lV ßeing still in petticoats, he presented ttjvlst surface, compared with what any of his breeched brethren would have done;‘to) the sweet substance oo which,bejolled, and a burst of triumph, loud, long and laughable, hailed him,as he emerged, exclaiming, to s keep up the trick, giim! who did' it ?” The innocent police, never dreaming of deceit, instead of arresting him for felony, helped him out; of t|e| mess, and scolded the wicked rogqj«| who had pitched him into it. . These, seizing their prize, harried him into a convenient corner, where his worshippers were as numerous as bees). Swetajing eternal friendship to Tommy, .-’they licked him inside and out,, and ihen sent him home all clammy, to be “ licked'! again by his mother. ,■ : ...jj ( i t i, ( &