A Story of Mr Toole.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3106, 17 January 1889, Page 2

A Story of Mr Toole.

■ Tliey have been romancing concerning Mr Toole in l France, and the story has found it . way. to London.'. M. Alfred do Sonveniereis tr gentlemen with vivid imagination ,and an excel- I '] lent literary turn. His story is too good a ono to escape repetition, Toole himself is made by: the journalist to tell'it in the presence of a? party assembled ■ at "tlie' famous Strand tavern, tlio Coulhole." i They-' lmd been laughing :(so we are told) at Ins efforts of ventriloquism "little society .tulentß," as the journalist called tliem." "And these, sauie littlo talonts," is rnado to sayj "have Sometimes a great utility in life." Then he; told his story.ij, V Some years ago (proceeded Mr Toole) I.tias passing one evening- through Driiry: lanoenmy way to the Gaiety Theatre where ! was at that fimeiplaying-'a l role. My attention was. suddenly attracted by antithetic voiCe Imploring charity. I stopped and looked arouhd me. The voice proceeded from. a misshapen being, apparently a cripple crouched in tlio corner.of an archway, " leading irto one of'those winding alleys so numerous in this populous quarter. His white air and beard and his cracked voice indicated clearly that the beggar was an old man,; "A few pence for a poor old nian, sir,"/ said the tremulous voice, "l am cold and hungry-olv so hungry I I have eaten nothing since " What misery," I exclaimed, gazing at the old 111:111. "Is it that you are condemned to begging at your ago? Have you no sons or daughters I" " Alas lyes,gentleman." said tlio beggei; in a smothered tone, as if ashamed to acknowledge the truth, '• but they have : abandoned me," '"lt iV infamous," 1 added, and I drew from my purse half-a-crown, As I handed it to the beggar my customary suspicion seized me; Perhaps, after all, it was a made-up cripple, " I prefer to assist you moro effectively," I remarked after an instant's pause, -"You have refuge somewhere? Where do you live? I expected to be enlightened'as to the genuineness of my beggar ; , tho. slightest-hesitation on his part would' have, put me. on s my guard at once, i 'Not wer ii quarter of a mile from , hero," replied the cripple, " I will i take you to my lodging, sir, if you like," " Very well, go ahead ; I jyill follow," 1 answered,' 1 The-beggar started off on his crutches,/dragging, after him two stumps of legs; and he mancenvred rapidly along the muddy and slippery sidewalk of Drurylanei At length wo crossed Covent Market and Long Acre,- and entered that quarter which you all know—Seven JJirtls. The adventure commericed-to only half-way pluase me.' " Are we far from your room, still? I asked, catching up' with, the beggar. " 1 haven't much time to spare," As I ; spoke I drew out my watch, an excellent chronometer of Dent's,, of i considerable value. Looking sudI deuly up I surprised an ugly' covetous glance beneath the beggar's biißhjr. i eyebrows, "Oh, 'ohI" I said to myself, " that's a mighty young , eye : for an old man," My sußpiciona (Mr Toole says) returned with triple force. • . . But I determined to push the i adventure to an end, and more i so as my companion now turned to • mo aud said in his ciacked. falteri ing tone, "Here is iny home, gentleman I" He slipped through the i half oponed door of the dilapidated building and started up a rich staircase with the agility Iliad before remarked. I had difficulty in following him in the i nauseating obscurity. At the third storey the old beggar stopped: I hoard him feeling about in the dark, and then came tlio sound of a key turning in a lock. " One moment, my good gentleman," said the ticmbling voice. " I will light a candle." Some secon'ds passed,' then the dismal gliramor of a tallow candle lit up a room which struck me as tolerably spacious. The beggar had-slipped behind me ond I now heard the sharp, click of the key in the lock, I had expected to And a 'sordid miserable hole, fitted out with a broken stool and a bundle of straw in the comer for a bed; instead of which theraom was furnished with a certain degree of luxury, and the floor was covered with rich carpet., What does this mean I asked in stupor. You have' deceived me." I turned towatds the door. The old man had vanished; a man in tho vigor of life, a white wig in his hand, his face covered with pencilled wrinkles looked upat meahdlSighed. "You look surprised," he said in a mocking tono. " There are. miracles still in our' daye, you see, My good legs liave come back to me, and uiy crutches—look there ?" He pointed towards the corner near the door. -'.'Well, what do you jvant of me?"' I asked re6olutely_.enough, "I want you to lend me your watch." impudently answered the man, "Mine happens to be at the jeweller's just now, and your's looks like a'tolerably good one, I'll .warrant it keeps good time," After all, it was but one man,' and a struggle man to man demands but ordinary - 1 courage, But my pseudo-greybeard drew a revolver from his pocket. "No,"'.pud ho, holding the muzzle to my face, " the watch andthe puree first." . I drew back; Indignation and anger at letting myseir into such an absurd trap almost suffocated me j but' what:! could I do against this man armed, * All at once an idea occurred to me. "Imp of Satan I I'll catch you yet I" chlled out a gruff voico behind tlio beggar. Instinctively; he : tuined round. I took J ilio 'opportunity 'to* [.rush upon him and snatch- tlje revolver from his hanjls, now,"/ said I holding uie revolver tinder - his. nose. " Open that door this instant or I will blow oiit your brains." Tho robber looked at me with a stupid »ir. • He was a resolute fellow, no doubt, but the revolver and the mysterious voice together wero too much ; for him. . Growling savagely-like a bulldog, ho - opened tho door land:' slammed it savagely after me, Pee- a ing my way along" I; found the stair- * case, and with some difficulty - gained the street, I- directed - Tny once towards the Strand, J arrived Imlf-an houi"- late' r at. my /Theatre,where reigned the.greatest inquietude iitmy. non-apptiai'itico. * I kept- tl|o

: revolver as a'' tributeof war". "And --you 860,'-continued Toole, "howmy talent' of ventriloquism tint ■Tight helped me out of that ugly ;SC«re,":

The Wool Market- * • ' A Chat With the Foreign Buyers. This season's wool sales have been attended, by tho representatives of several influspitial,Yorkshiro manufacturers, and one buyer is on tho look-put for anything suitable for the Nottingham hosiery factories. Anj other hails from Boston, U.S.A., whoso choice of a class of light wool lias-made the grower of that article rejoice at his returns. Hitherto, our annual wool sales have been somewhat unattractive, and the custom of the producer in Canterbury has been to sond but a small portion, scraps or pieces for the most part, to local market, But tho advent of and American buyers has ■ worked a complete revolution, To £ ascertain the cause, a representative of this journal, who had witnessed the day's proceedings at the wool sales, met some of the foreign buyers, . and gathered useful somo in formation from tlieni, There are no fewer than eight additional buyers present at this, third of the series of sales for 1880-00, and the reason for this is that thero is, at the presont time, a larger buying power than there is any necessity for, Tho English buyers have hitherto been content to go to the London Docks, examine the wool there, attend tho sales and get such lots as suited them or such of them as they were able to get bold of at those times. But last year a fow of tl;6 manufacturers entered into arrangements with some to buy what thoy could in These experts came, saw and purchased. Thoy evidently bought well, and acted up to their instructions; for no sooner had the present sales commenced in New Zealand, than first one and, then others camo forward to secure their

portion ol the season's clip, The

reason is easily obtained. The charges on wool purchased here aie < much less than when the wool is consigned to tlio London brokor for disposal, a saving of something like five-eights of a penny being effected on shipments direct the purchasers factories. Thus, if a buyer is commissioned to buy, say £20,000 worth of wool for one or two factories, and he can secure this . amount, his expenses are but a trifle in comparison, But when this commissioner comes to New Zealand and finds himself confronted by, say eight ta ten other similarly commis- ; sioned, the process is not so simplo. These oiglit or ten buyers , are ex. pected to return their employers the fwnol they wero sent to buy, but at a tain price, of which they are conoily kept advised. There are, therefore, difficulties to overcome, and the buyers, though perhaps meeting on the best of friendship, have their little differences. Therefore these gentlemen are particularly . on the alert, and do not hesitate to , make their grievances known, as those present at the sale yesterday can testify. For instance, the buyers yesterday complained of the charge . of 2s 6d per bale for delivery from the /'store to the ship, mjd positively f stated that'next season the brokers need not attempt to make the charge, as they would not pay it, l'hey also complain that they are put to too groat expense in the matter of attending the sales. They consider that the whole, of the wool in New Zealand, is only sufficient to warrant one sale being held at the principal towns, Thoy complain jtely of having to, as it were, round" after small lots, and sometimes, as was the case yesterday, having to go to the same warehouse two or three times over to inspect a line of wool not in or not unpacked. They contend that their time is unnecessarily trenched upon, aud that wool-growers would reap considerable benefit if these annoyances \?ere roduced to a minimum. Speaking of the wool they say that it is at least 10 per cent lighter and in better condition than last seasons, land thi3 has induced them to strain a point in favor of some of the clips, which they have bought at a higher price tban their instructions warranted. The American buyer, for instance, who has to pay a duty of lOcents per lb_ on every line he sends to his' people, does not feel gratified. at the imposition of auy additional charges at this end. They vontend also that the wool could as eHx be inspected in Ly Helton, near tire ship's side, as in .the numorous stores in town; and that, provided the saleroom, was in the centre, where all could, reach it with ease, there is not wool enough here to warrant more than onej or at least two days' sale being held in the year. -Lyttelton Times.

Crooked Running. The Westland correspondent of llio Lytteltou Times under date Jauuary 7th, writes as follows upon the above subject '.—Thp dissatisfaction fell over the running'of several racehorses at the recent meeting bids fair to produce some concerted actioii upon the part of the Clubs. When I last vyrotp, the Greymouth meeting had not completed, and it was not known if the same thing would occur there. Unfortunately it did. In some of tlio races there were only one or two starters out of a good number of acceptances, and once or twico horses wWch promised well kept in the bsjpjronnd all the time. Many plans have been suggested to prevent Y recurrence of this, but .all present, some difficulties in carrying them out. It is probable that before very long the West Coast Clubs will have a conference and agreo to support each other better than they have done in the past. It is no use for one C,ub to disqualify if the others do not confirm the disqualification, an experience gained by the Westland Racing Club when they disqualified Hose and Gold and Barney, with their owners, about two years ago. In this caso the disqualification was endorsed but after a short time the Greymouth Club removed it, and the consequence was that crooked running became moro noticeable lliau ever. Thut the blame rests principally with the Stewards may easily bo seen from the fact that where they act more strictly, as in Hokilika, the straightest running is seen.. There seems very little doubt that if the Clubs agreed on some common line of action and adhered rigidly to it, the public Ytfteld have but small ground for and racing on the Coast become far more popular than.it bidß ' fair to be at present. ' " liouou on Oobns. M lor Well's "Itougli on Corns." A complete, permanent Quick relief bunions. At nil chemists Probst, - v