TWENTY SHILLINGS IN THE POUND.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1160, 20 March 1874, Page 2

TWENTY SHILLINGS IN THE POUND.

Referring to tho conventional maxim that any man who pays 20s in the pound is honest; a "Plain Speaker," who writes for the Grahamstown Star,says:— 1, for one, am not above admitting that I do not believe in all the honesty implied in this expression, paying 20s in the £l. When a man has 20s to pay the £1 with, and does not do so, he is dishonest; but, on my word, when a man has not got the 20s to pay with, I do not see how how he is to do it, unless by doing somebody else. Then it is that true genius asserts itself —somebody is done, the 20s in the £1 paid, and the payer is an honest man. Creditors should remember this, but they won't. I never heard of but three decent creditors. They were truly decent fellows. A friend of mine and his mates bottomed a shaft on Back Creek, in the good days, and found it a duller. They hadn't a cent amongst them, so what do you think they did until something turned up. They kept apparently working away as if they had not bottomed, and they lived thus. Three bakers travelled round the load. One from near at hand came round early every morning; another, from a little further off, arrived about ten o'clock ; and the third from a greater distance, showed up in the afternoon. They took as much bread as they c xrld reasonably be expected to eat (and they had large appetites, on their own showing)', from each bread seller. After three weeks the bakers became pressing for money, and one Saturday they all, unfortunately, arrived at the same hour. Their surprise at finding out the quantity of b:-ead my friend and his mates u.ust have eaten was only equalled by t! cir indignation at seeing there was no

chance of payment. At last baker No. 1 said, " Well, I'm (condemned) if you can have eaten all the bread, you know. Now, just tell us what you did with mine, and I'll let you off." My friend said, " We swopped yours at Bill Sonandso's store for groceries." Replied the baker, " By George, that was smart; I forgive ye." Baker No. 2, not to bo outdone in generosity, offered similar terms to those of No. 1. He was told that they had swopped his bread at the butchers for meat. He forgave them. " Then, what in nation," says baker No. 3, " did ye do with my bread ?" They asked him couldn't he guess. "No, he couldn't." "Why they eat it." He forgave them.