GLADSTONE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3394, 24 December 1889, Page 2

GLADSTONE.

From Our Own Correspondent,

There being nothing in Gladstone to communicato of interest, I determined to made a sudden and humpectod peregrination among thi> neighbouring stations, and now send Vou an account of my first trip. Starting from Masterton I wended my way towards the Tauoru, and going through the To Oro Orb district could not but admire tho promising sUto of tho crops, more particularly the oats nro really . admirable. I stopped at the boarding-honso where tlie accommodation is really vory good indeed. Tho next day brought me to Mr Beetham's homestead, Tho road thither leads throueji a beautiful hilly country, and tho variety'of scenery is, most attractive, Pegged hills and gullies, hero and there, variegated by bush, Up hill and down dalo you go very pleasing and pleasurable indeed in fine ive»tbc;i, but not so much in tho winds, which uul'ortunately accompanied me. From the woolshcd to tho homhtead is but n, short distance over flat country, but here cultivation appears to have had the effect at least of making ■ tho scenery homely and pleasant, A long, very serpentwing leads you over a gully to tho station, rather au imposing build.ing,road iiestling pleasantly among a grovcof bluegums, In fact, Hrancepeth reminds you very much of a good well-to-do English country gentlomari'sseat. There is a park-like plantation, which moro particularly struck the, down in the valley before you came to the street on proper, But more about my peregrinations anon. ' " : :' '.,

: A painful tragedy :is; reported from Newark,, New Jersey.A' father,, demented by the .loss ,0/ ■hisi-child,: went tp her'grave afld shot himself .dead,

A Boating Disaster. Travelling through life it is no uncommon thing to meet local celebrities whose small light is magnifier! by an admiring few, but seldom, if ever before, have wo had tbo pleasure.of dropping across a local Colombus, Deep iiwhe forest wilds of .the. Bnsli, close, hyjhe.. w side of the great Matakahi, Btau'?B tho village of'Oldtrmn, Phcenix-like it has sprung up out of ibo'asiies.oh burning logs," and'stands -to-day Jfliving mouument to the industry of • the hardy fewj for to-day it ia, and,. •; i yesterday it' was hot. - Th'itf people of S Oldham are not great in number, lint in intelleot and genius'' they niusb indeed be reckoned in the foremost rank jif for no'iSr reason thaji tliat / Oldtnan han deviled an emulation of the famous discoverer of Alone and unaided (for there are utmj royal .damas inlOldham.to lend thei^By golden aseistanco), our ColombiJß had]H tired by, tbo ambition to exj'ilpVft the'*"* yet nnknown Makahahi, constructed by himself ut frail craft, and having got together a crew of one, (who was a tried and trusty friond)','he invited ,: ; two ladies to accompany him on tho \'; voyage, All being ready, the anobor!'■ ' was weighed, and gracefully the skiff shot into hiid-stream. ■. JJut bVlhowv<! v short and uncertain are the joys of life, What unlonkedfor catastrophes hang on mere Indus, And thus it waß:—One of the /ladies'happening ; to turn round, tb'wave her' haudker* -i * chief batter at a masher on shifted her position about liwrTa inch, and caused the boat to'Kdt.jjangerously, .The 'skipper rbticbfijing'v alarmed jumped overboard, and the skin"-'relieved -of his weighs gently stood up on end and Bhot crew and passengersover jh.)stern, Tilth the excitement commenced, but as ol'tyn occurs in time'of dire peril, help was at hand, and in a few moments the ladies were'.landed in safety on the bank, Not so tho skipper and the crew, however, to whom attention* was now turned. Nowhere to bo* seen wns the good commander, but it was noticed that the crew's heels were convulsively kicking- just above high water, It was suggested that a mermaid bud her arm round his neck or that n lish had liiiu by the hair, Someone more practical than tho rest, remarking that the portion wasn't a healthy one; procured a clothes line, witli which ho managed to hook tho crew round the legs, and ' afcor a tough pull he wiib (bagged ashoro, It was found: that his hta;l, had been imbHded in llie Jflf beyond his power to extricate himself, and although pretty short of breath hesobnenme round. But ; wherewas the skipper, that wan the question, Gravo feaiß were entertained, and some talk of sending for tho drag, Others .thought his body.. might be lower down the river, so a search party set out to see if they, could li.id any traces, but when night caracnothioghadbecudiscovered, The .: next day news canio that our Columbus had been found, not as wo expected entangled in the slimy river weeds, dij Jyirig; battered and bruised ..•.; on tho bank, but safe at home in'his whare. Somehow ho. bad got out o*4 the water unnoticed, and feeling tliKv'' although he bad .taken - a prominent part in Ibe business, it had not redounded altogether to his credit, he had slid gently home without so much as a " fare-ye.-weli,-' to avoid the chuff of 1113 friends, and now if anyone wants to.rile that youth they've only.•■ got to say " How I should like a tiip : up the Mukakahi," A . CHRISTMAS CHEER.

According to announcement, and following his usual.custom, MrW, Perry had .his shopy dressed for the display-of ChristnjHß . nipats. The weather fortunately was comparatively cool, and relieved on that score the various managers were' atile to make ; ' n. bettor display than they otherwise-'' wonld havo done, Given a week of cold weather liko tha Home Christmas season,' our local butchers would be in a position to make an exhibition - worthy of the name und hard to ho boaten. As it was, the'slibw this year of prime meat was in advnnco of'any former Christmas show in Masterton, and a credit to the district.

At the Kiiripuni Mr AV, I Morris had a choice display, 1 | caused quite an attraction locallmThe liimhß and other csrcesses'were' dressed io a most scientific way, and the liberal collection of small goods, flowers and evergveens, assisted $ show,.. ' .-.;■'■./.■, "..'

~ Mr Holloway.'in charge'of No, 2' shop, has the advantage of corner site, and lie made tho most of it. The interior of tho shop was lined in a semi-circular form with carcaßses of -' lamta, calves, pigs; fat sheep: ami monster quarters of beef. ''These were gaily fl'rnamentrd with artificial and real flowers and overgrceos, and tho !ii(!it reflected from the ceiling showed everything qp to tho best advantage. The two windows were decorated to the highest dogma (hit taste and talont could design,' In tho ' centre of each was a splendid fat sheep, bred by Mr W. Day, of the Opakl. They had not been weighed, but wero estimated to turn tho scale at loOlbs. Small goods made up in all known fashions and floral and ever, green decorations, finished off the exhibition, which attracted an admir- ' ibj? crowd, ■ The .head quarters of Mr Perry's ■ business is the centra shop in Queiyt street, and here tho chief display made. Tho grand Christmas shylof ' meat draw admiring crowds around it until a late hour. As the shop stands hack from tho'footpath a few feet tho largo "verandah in front was abhi to bo utilised for tho display without impeding tho. traffic' A" powerful reflector threw a strong light on to the frout and enabled passers by on tho other sido of the road: to see everything advantageously. In the centra of the. window was a fountain - ' playing, whhh effect of cooling the atraosphero*!f well as being refreshing to the eye, Mr G. Foy, the manager, deserves, every crodit | for tho tasteful and scientific niannor in which he had dressedtho goods, and their tjenoral arrangement. Soma I two dozen carcasses of lamb, oma> niented to the'highest : degree, first I took the oye, Tbeso hung under the. verandah on each side of the window. i; ' I The window space was .occupied with ■" iovery variety of ohoico and well garnished meals. Inside the slag ;'tho larger curcasfios and joipjf .wore hanging. The,most;generally •, admired was a hcnuiifnlly ; dresM *• and splendid calf,,.bred by Mr Perry. The! fitytfas displayed to' the The kidneys ,in ; size lo.oked more like, those of ah ox, ' A fat' ewcj'ohe of'a'" pen of five that took,first piizo Aft Masterton Show, bred by Mr Stuckey, wsb a picture. ; A fat .sheep, bred.by. Mr R. Ailen, was remarkably even alf through, and although its weight r was probably l|olbs, its'fiitbad'noti'beea P»t on" in a lumpy manner/ As an bid Jtfdge remarked," a KoVe sVen %

sheep I iwvor did ► , ue." The beef was represented liy ' Mr Btuckey'it lira prize f«t beast, which turned tho sculp at 1020lbs. It was from his colobralcd Hereford herd. ' ' '. Although Mr K, Hockley 'did not uiako a show on so largo a scale us his competitor, yet what lie had wis excellent in quality and dressed with skill. At tho dootwav ii lino tm sheop was h great atlrnciion, and ranged round the interior of tho shop vera quarter!! of beef, veal, lambs mid ... pigs Tho window was filled with i small goods, for iho making which Mr Hockley is justly celebrated. Mrs G. Morris hud a largo table in . front of her shop on which was arranged a collection of poultry, including fat geese and ducks, prime turkeys and fowls, ready dressed for the table, wKM « monster goose hung fromNSffi door post, awaiting l) orders. f Taken altogether thoXnws sh.w of 1889.is highly croditabk Natural History. Some of tho " natural history" paragraphs that go tho rounds—especially of tho more sensational kind-ara rf it very suspicions character. Prom tinio to time we read of tho Arbor DiaMi, a carnivorous tree, found in central Africa, Mexico, and other out of 'h« way places, which devours men, and is adored by devil worshippers, In a professedly scientific book ispued in America, and inn by bookagents, dealing with the World's Wonders, ;W' there is.s brilliantly colored lithograph ™ shoeing a party of .idolaters iininolnting a human victim by throwing him into one of the trees. The strange tuiug in, that botanists know nothing of the plant in question, Worse than the Stako is tho title of a column article now goin the rounds, vividly describing the Irightfui death of s gigantic soldier who is killed insido of two hours by tho bite of a Mexicm spider or tarantula, We would not caro to say that the story is a lie; but we confess that we do not believe that a Bjiider as venomous as a rattlesnake exists cither in Texas or out of it, All spiders bite, and soma are poisonous. Of known to science, the little htipo of New Zealand is perhaps as iMd us any; but no authentic case of 'd«ith from itsbpo is known, It is commonly believed that the venom of the Italian tarantula prolines a nervous complaint. reß':niblim; St VituVs dance, but tho fuel if not established, It .j thero is so exceptionally deadly a spider in Texas, how it is that the best scientific works dealing with such subjects make no reference to it. -Ty»n.