SOME OLD ACQUAINTANCES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2299, 31 December 1891, Page 4

SOME OLD ACQUAINTANCES.

The lion. P. Buckley, AttorneyGeneral, visited the penal settlement at Milford lately. The Wanganui Herald states that during his round of inspection he recognised , in one of tlie prisoners a former client. '•' Hello !:" exclaimed the genial AttorneyGeneral, "What brings you here?" The luckless one promptly replied, "Because I couldn't get you to defend me, sir ! " The joke was not lost upon the Hon. P. Buckley, whose memory reverted to two occasions on which he had persuaded a Wellington jury to return a verdict of " Not Guilty "in favor-of tlie prisoner, who had licit fared so well on his last trial, and was, in consequence, studying the interesting gealogy of Milford ! Mr Buckley recognised in another detinue, a halfcaste who at one time had been a clerk in a lawyer's office in Napier. "Well, my man, what are you doing here? " queried the visitor. " Oh, five years," softly lisped the guileless youth, as he twirled his hat and looked the picture of innocence. " What for V" asked Mr Buckley. " Oh, I only altered a iiu chequea little," modestly replied the dusky one. " How much did you alter it ?" queried Mr B. The prisoner hung his head sheepishly and twirled' his hat still more so as he whispered "£50," "Ah! .1 see, replied Mr i Buckley. " Well, my lad, you see you have made a very bad bargain, and undertaken to work for five years for Government at £lO a year!" The lad stared blankly before him for a moment, and then exclaimed, "By George ! I never looked at it that way before !" " Didn't you," retorted the Attorney-General. " Well I'd advise you always to look at it in that way another time. It will perhaps save you from such an uncongenial job as the one you are now on." The advice we ho P e > be