KISSED A POLICEMAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 248, 19 October 1922, Page 7

KISSED A POLICEMAN.

Ex-Superintendent MeGrath told a good story :tt the social tendered to him in Dunedin on his retirement. The incident happened in Wellington in his younger days. Policeman MeGrath was on his beat spick nad span, shining buttons, and white gloves—that was the get-up in those day*. There were not ; many preliminary instructions for tho novitiate, but a policeman knew pretty well that if he saw a drunken man he had to run him in, and if he saw a fight he had perhaps to take a hand. PolicpI man MeGrath was, however, altogether unprepared for what did happen. He noticed a email boy, beautifully dressed, wandering about Lambton Quay, evidently lost, but he was not sure that it was the duty of a policeman to interfere with such a case. He, however, decided to pick him up, and quickly found that the child had been foolishly taught by his parents to look on a policeman as a bogy man—"if you are not a good hoy I'll give you to a policeman." The boy could only speak broken French, and when secured by Policeman JlcOrath he scratched and fought, rolled in the street, and altogether made a pretty mess of the policeman's new uniform. The boy, however, was finally cajoled to a lolly" shop, and hi* fears quietened, but in the process of eating the lollies he further soiled his own clothes and also the policeman's nice uniform. The boy was then taken to the police station, where two frantic French parents were telling- of their loss. The mother was aghast «hen she saw the state of her child* clothe?, and started to turn her wrath on the policeman But, Marie." protested the fond father, "the child is safe," and he thereupon throw hie anne round the policeman ami kissed him soundly. That was a reward," continued McOrath, "I neither expected nor dwrprl. especially as my mates continued to call mc Marie for some mouths." JLJi.^