NAPIER.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 137, 28 April 1883, Page 87

NAPIER.

Who is the young man lately from the old ccrantry with. — " well, not to put too fine a point it " — a face like a girl ? And is the little red 0-reek cap an importation also, or the work of one of his many colonial admirers ? . . .Why did a certain lady who tells her friends that she is not b-r-a-z-e-n-faced enough to go \xp to Professor Hugo to have her face read, scold her daughter for paying the admittance fee ? Did she wish to do Mr Hugo out of two shillings bocaiise he said her writing was bad and the writer uninformed..., l have been absent for some months, and during that time the Bank of New Zealand removed Mr Westenera, another boss ball-room pet, further South. I think that is all of note that happened. Summer time here is never very gay — it is always so hot... A certain young man who does a share of the scribbling for one of the largest grocery establishments in this town was requested by his employers the other day to take one of the horses (belonging to his firm), and ride to the Spit to transact some little business for them. Now this errand ought not, at the very outside, to have taken more than an hour, all things being favourable. But that is just where the fun comes in. In this instance the horse was too fresh, as it had been idle some weeks, and was in the meantime recruiting its energies on the accustomed allowance of oats, &c. The young man in qiiestion, who has lately taken upon himself the responsibilities of matrimony, was quite proud on seeing the animal he was about to mount led from the stable. It certainly did look well, and no mistake, but there was a rather peculiar smirk playing round the face of the groom (pro tem.J, as he helped the young man up, though the knight of the quill was too absorbed in the anticipation of an enjoyable ride to notice it. The clock was on the point of striking ten as the young man rode from the stable-yard ; he walked his horse quietly to the main street, then, thinking no doubt to show his fellow-citizens what ap rf accomplished horseman he was, he gave a sligV,-^ dig with his heel into the animal's side. How he has since repented that dig, covild hardly be told in words. At all events, the horse no sooner learned that its rider wished it to go, than taking the bit securely between its teeth it set off full gallop up the Shakespear Hill, round the Spit, back, up and down the several hill roads, repeating the journey several times during the day, and it was getting on towards nightfall, when, no doubt, the thought of oats and stable induced the unruly quadruped at last to make for home. The young man was not, of course, visible next day, having spent a rather restless night after his eventful ride to no-where-in-particular. He has since been heard to excuim iJiafc he never saw j any point in Cowper's ut-scud poem "John Gil- i pin," until recently, but Lo it :;ow prepared lo \ swear by the bard of Oin<-.y ou all necc-j^ry j occasions.