RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32639, 22 June 1971, Page 27

RANDOM REMINDER

CHAIN GANG

Yesterday, a note about discipline among secondary school boys. Today, a reminder that boys Will be boys, no matter what their ages. A correspondent was astonished, on a recent visit to his regular garage, to note that the man who does the tyres there was limping around the gadget which holds the wheel while the tyre is being dislodged. It was little wonder that he limped. One ankle had a chain around it, locked into place, and at the end of the chain there was a heavy metal ball. What crime the poor fellow had committed was never made clear, but the ball and chain gave every

appearance of having come from the local gaol, an establishment with, a long and interesting history. But the ball and chain had, in fact, been made a year of two ago by members of the garage staff to mark the forthcoming marriage of one of their colleagues. It was not a big ball—only about six inches in girth—but it was heavy. More important, the length of the chain had been decided upon with Machiavellian cunning. The chain was too long for the ball to be propelled by foot, but too short to allow the unwilling wearer to pick up the ball and put it in an overall pocket. He simply had to limp about his appointed tasks, and endure the

taunts of his fellows. At five o’clock, promptly, the mechanics adjourned to a handy hotel, taking with them their deep enjoyment of the poor man’s predicament, and the key of the padlock. The man left behind was in a fearful predicament. He had promised to take his wife to the pictures that evening. His friends, having been told of this, kindly offered to alert “The South Tonight” to record his arrival at the theatre. In the end, the victim had to hold the ball in one hand and hobble along to the hotel to beg them for the key. And he probably had to shout for it.