CHAPTEE XLII.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1624, 30 November 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTEE XLII.

"Mustn't feel surprised at anything you may see," said Shuter, as, at the appointed hour, we arrived at the rooms where the Kangaroo Club held its sittings. " Club meets only for a bit of fun, you know. Contains men of mark, for all that— doctors, lawyers, journalists, and so forth. Nobody stands on his dignity, though. Sorry I didn't tell you not to come in evening dress — breach of rules. Won't matter, though — only visitors. Here we are I" Passing through a large ante-room, hung round W-ith' hats and overcoats, Shuter took a small metal badge from his pocket, and showed it to a man in livery who sat by the inner door. From beyond this came a hum of laughter and conversation, which ceased , suddenly as the janitor tapped at the door, drew a small slide, and announced us through the opening, under the extraordinary style and title of " Kangaroo Thirty -seven and two unknowns." < The door slowly opened, and we entered a large, plain room, brilliantly lighted and furnished with three parallel tables of different sizes, at the largest of which sat a company of some sixty or seventy persons, attired' in every variety of careless morning dress. The board was plentifully, supplied With cigar-, boxes, decanters, bottles r and glasses of every, description ;' but upon the next, and much ..smaller, table were to be seen only jugs and , mugs ( of-, white earthenware. This table was -unoccupied, as,was also the third and smallest, was, supplied, with vessels of the com..iaonest tinware. <„'•, , ,'*.-' f .\* down;,here!,f6r, a. few moments,".; ;^hisp^ed !,Shu,tjer, and, .ourselves near Sjthe dopr, ; 3ve;,^e>ble'io\-liaxe;a'go^dilpbls at Rafter ßarely; glancing in tHpur^direoti6h^wegr(r.on^feh .their conversation , asjjf lihey^ha^pt^seen u?^^ C,£ft' ' t, , v, 1 ?, , ,• J, tfeatiirfl^^^

Eules forbid it. Known only by this," and he pointed to the little badge beforomentioned, which he had now fastened to his breast, and which, I saw, bore the number thirty-seven. As he spoke, another member was announced as " Kangaroo Twenty-nine," and, without rising from his seat, a tall man at the foot of the table opened the door by moving a lever at the side of his chair. The new-comer walked forward and took his seat at the board at once, the delay in our case' arising, as Shuter explained to us, from the fact that we had yet to ' be presented to the president. " And here he comes 1" he concluded, as the clock struck eight, and, rising from the table, six of the members who were distinguished from the others by wearing at the button-hole a small silver kangaroo, instead of a number, walked to the door of an inner room and ranged themselves three on each side of it. The tall man at the foot of the table then rose, approached this door, tapped, opened it, and, turning round, announced in a stentorian voice — " The Grand Kangaroo !" All at the table immediately rose, and I could scarcely restrain my laughter when, in ludicrous contrast to this magnificent announcement, there appeared, conducted by the big man to a vacant chair at the head of the table, a little pot-bellied gentleman of about sixty, with a bald head, a fiery nose, and a jovial twinkling eye. Dressed in an old tweed shooting-suit, and red leather slippers, his appearance was the reverse of imposing, but, seating himself nevertheless, with the dignity of an emperor, he took from his pocket a short ebony staff, tipped with a silver kangaroo, and struck with it three times upon the table. The others immediately sat down again, and, after pompously clearing his throat, the Grand Kangaroo demanded, in a rich oily voice to have the business of the' evening laid before him. There was nothing, returned the tall man — who rejoiced, it appeared, in the title of Deputy Grand Kangaroo — but the presentation, by Kangaroo Thirty.sevon, of two Unknowns. The Grand Kangaroo thereupon condescended to look in our direction, and having ordered his Old-Man-Kangaroo to bring us before him, the six individuals already mentioned, conducted us with great affectation of ceremony across the room, after which on^ of them gravely presented Shuter with a pencil and a slip of paper. Writing upon this, something which we supposed to be our names, the latter handed it with a low bow to the Grand Kangaroo, and that potentate, having duly perused it, placed it upon a plate before him, set fire to it with a match, and solemnly watched it until it was consumed. He then placed his staff of office upon the table, rose from his seat, and, laying aside for a moment his burlesque dignity, welcomed us with the easy courtesy of ordinary life, but no sooner had we been conducted to seats than we heard him, as magniloquently as before, calling for the " Eules of Fine." " The Eules of Fine for this evening," he proceeded to read, when a paper had been laid before him, are as follow : — " Any member who shall address orreler to another member , by name; a fine of the first class. Any member who shall make use of any Latin or Greek phrase; a fine of the second class. Any member who shall make]use of any quotation, or j>art of quotation, from Shakespeare ; a fine of the third class. Any member who shall sing, hum, or whistle any tune, or part of a tune ; a fine of the fourth class." (To he continued.)