HOW CURRAN CORRECTED AN ANTICIPATOR.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1609, 10 April 1875, Page 5 (Supplement)

HOW CURRAN CORRECTED AN ANTICIPATOR.

CtTRRAN was often annoyed when pleading before Lord Avonmore, owing to his Lordship's habit of being influenced by first impressions. He and Curran were to dine together at the house of a friend, and the opportunity was seized by Curran to endeavour to cure his Lordship's habit of anticipating. ' Why, M!r. Curran, you have kept us a full hour waiting dinner for you !' grumbled out Lord Avonmore. ' Oh, my dear Lord, I regret it much. You know it seldom happens, but I've just been witness to a most melancholy occurrence.' ' You seem terribly moved by it. Take a glass of wine. What was it? What was it?' 'I will tell you my Lord, the moment I can collect myself. I had been detained at Court—■ in the Court of Chancery. Your Lordship knows the Chancellor sits late.' I do, I do ; but go on.' ' Well, my Lord, I was hurrying here as fast as ever I could—l did not even change my dress— I hope I shall be excused for coming in my boots.' ' Pooh, pooh ! never mind your boots. The point—come at oace to the point of your story.' ' Oh, I will, my Lord, in a moment. I walked here— I would not wait even to get. the carriage ready. It would have taken time, you, know. Now, there is a market exactly in the road by which I had to pass. Your Lordship may perhaps recollect the markef —do. you?' 'To be sure I do; go on, Curran—go on with the story.' ' I am very glad your Lordship remembers the market, for I totally forget the name of it—the name—the name ' 'What the deuce signifies the name of it, sir ? It's the Castle market.' 'Your Lordship is perfectly right—it is called the Castle market. Well, I was passing through that very identical Castle market, when I observed, a butcher preparing to ki,U a calf. He had a huge knife in his hand— it was as sharp as a razor. The calf was standing beside him. He drew the knife to plunge it into the animal. Just as he was in the act of doing so, a little boy about four years old, his only son—the loveliest little baby I ever saw—ran suddenly across his path, and he killed—oh, Heaven! he killed ' ' The child ! the, child ! the child ?' vociferated Lord Avonmore, ' No, my Lord, the calf,' continued Curran, very coolly; 'he killed the calf, but —your Lordship is in the habit of anticipating.'