RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32252, 21 March 1970, Page 21

RANDOM REMINDER

MOTHER LOVE

A friend we have in Wellington has decided that he is not prepared to go again, on his frequent visits to Auckland, to a night trotting meeting. About a year ago, he was attracted by the bright lights of the totalisator and spent an evening at the course. Some time before the programme ended, it came on to rain, but he waited until the last of his eviltempered selections had plodded in last. And on his way from the course he was horrified to notice a very small child, crying, as it lay wrapped in blankets on the ground. It was under a tree, but that afforded very little pro-

tection from heavy, driving rain; and when he saw the infant, it had been raining at least half an hour. This incident haunted him for some time. But now he has something to replace it. He was at the same course a few weeks ago, and was standing, with a good many others, on a vast, sloping, metalled terrace, looking at the horses in their entirely misleading track warmups. He noticed, near his feet, a child not yet able to walk, done up, on a very warm night, in the sort of outfit one associates with Eskimos when the weather isn’t too gobd. The baby, certainly not a

year old, had been left on the ground. But as babies at the crawling stage are wont to do, it had taken off on a voyage of explora-

tion, without being aware of the dangers of a slope. And it had lost balance had rolled several yards down the hill. This, not unnaturally, was very uncomfortable and caused it to burst into tears.

From a knot of people on the rail, some 50 yards away, the child’s mother arrived. Embarrassed? Solicitous? Gentle? Contrite? Comforting? None of these. The child, helpless and frightened, was given a couple of extremely hearty slaps because it was crying.