ROUND THE WORLD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2211, 4 February 1886, Page 2

ROUND THE WORLD.

"/Ejjles," in a recent number of the 'Australasian,'tells the following story of a famous "gentleman rider" and a , crack professionalA good many yean ago three little boys played truant from school (Penola, S.A.), and by way of pass-, ing a pleasant afternoon, perched them* solves on a pound fence and threw stones at the notice-board, in an earnest-emuta '. tionas to which could moflt diafigure .it, Nemosls, in the shape of Constable Qordon, the local policeman,_overtook two of them after a chase, iii-whislj the long flr legs of the constable proved of inestimable: value. The smallest of the boys disappeared. The wary constable looked, everywhere, but the little scapegrace yras nowhere to be seen, It was not until an informer assisted him that he espied him seatod on the limb of a peppermint tree, as far out as he could possibly go The constable ordered him down, but little Tommy declined. He threatened to follow him out to the end of the branch, but did not do it.' After a lengthened parley . Tommy surrendered, and Constable Gor* dondetainedthoyoungsters for an hourand then let them go. Tommy says that Gordon taught him a lot in riding afterwards, although he was not game to ride on the same limb of the peppermint tree. Constable Gordon was the gifted Lindsay Gordon, the Australian poet, and little Tommy is now Tom Hales, the jockey.

Lot us hear no more cant (says Truth) about the' noble sport,' for it is evident that the English turf is now a vile welter of knaves and fools, and the Prince of Wales has been very ill-advised in plunging into sueli a pandemonium. He is pretty suro either to lose money, like the Duke of York, or character-like George £ IV., and in these times Royal personages K< cannot afford to placo themselves in • ' equivooal positions. The. new electors certainly will not relish the notion of the enormous sum which the Prince receives from the country being squandered on the turf. We shall make a tremendous Radical stride after tho next election, and Royal personages will have' to look sharply to their comings in and their goings out, as their palmy days of luxurious indolence and lavish extravagence arc pretty well over. Tho general anct strong feeling against Royal grants, winch have been given with scandalous profusion during the present reign, the Queen and her family having received upwards of £20,000,000 from tho taxpayers, is vory likely to develop into an .abhorrence of Royalty as an institution, unless the great herd of Princes and Princesses are vory careful in their proceedings,