A PRACTICAL JOKE SEVERELY PUNISHED.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 295, 25 September 1873, Page 6

A PRACTICAL JOKE SEVERELY PUNISHED.

An old coal dealer who had made a great deal of money by retailing coals, and living in a very penurious way, conceiving that he had at last sufficient to enable him to leave off business, and ! live like a gentleman, built himself a neat villa in the country, to which he retired. Bat suoh is the force of habit, ; that to the great annoyance of his family, who wished him to, <' sink the i shop " he wuTialways unhappy unless in the cellar manuring hi* own coals. Among others who had often expostulated with him on the impropriety of so doings was a favorite nephew, to whom he had given a good education, and supported in the first style. Oae moaning, walking in his garden with his nephew, he said to him, '< Henry, I want a motto, or something of thai kind, to put up. up, frox^ of mjf heqse. $

Prospect-place — this Villa, and t'other Lodge. Come, you are a scholar, give me one, and let it be in Latin." " Well," replied the nephew, « what think you of — M Thus is industry rewarded.!'." " The Very thing," says the uncle, " if you'll only put it into Latin." The nephew then, taking out a pencil, wrote on a slip of paper, Otium sine dignitate (Ease without dignity) which he gave his uncle, who read it. thus — Eottwn sinne dignitat. "Ay, Henry," said, the old man, «« that'll do famously !» The next day, he sent for a painter, who happened to know as little of the dead language as himself, and the words were painted in large characters on a conspicuous part of the house. On the Sunday following, he happened to have a large party ; and, after dinner, as the company was strolling about the garden, to view his improvements, some read the words, but said nothing (not wishing, probably, to show their ignorance) — some said " they wese prodigiously fine" — "so novel" — " so appropriate ;" and to those who did not exactly happen to observe them, he was kind enough to point them out, and to explain the meaning, saying, " thus is industry rewarded," and that "he was not ashamed of having gained a competency in trade." However, among the company there happened te be a Charter-house boy, who told the old gentleman that there must be some mistake, for they were the last words he should like to have put upon a bouseof his. This brought about an explanation ; and the poor old coal dealer was so struck with the malice and ingratitude of his nephew, that he instantly destroyed a codicil to his will, in which he uad left him £5000, took to his bed, and died.