RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33445, 29 January 1974, Page 24

RANDOM REMINDER

INTER-LOPER

Power board meter readers have spme amazing experiences according to cartoons about them—a likely incentive for recruiting for this profession. This is a story of a country meter reader who parked his car on the side of a picturesque country road one lunch time to enjoy the meat sandwiches and home-made cakes dotingly prepared for him by his ever-loving wife. Having unwrapped the afore-mentioned delicacies, he laid them tenderly on hte seat alongside him. Then it was that he noticed in his rear vision mirror a runner in white shorts and red jersey, probably in training for the Commonwealth Games; and behind the runner

loped a huge dog. He watched as the runner and dog grew bigger and bigger till he could even hear their footsteps. Then the runner flashed past the car and grew smaller and smaller, but the dog did not. Temporarily the dog had had other things than running on his mind and as a preliminary was sniffing in choosy fashion the back tyres of the meter-reader’s car. From a long way ahead the runner, suddenly aware that he was alone, turned and called to his dog. Nothing happened so he called again and again and again. Then it was that the meter reader, ever helpful and co-operative as meter readers are, looked back and saw that the dog’s

chain was caught up in his car’s bumper bar. Ignoring the lack of respect just shown his rear tyre and subduing his fear of big dogs, he left his seat and got out to untangle the dog and so let it on its way. The big dog quickly showed its appreciation by bounding on to the front seat and hastily gulping the neatly set out meat sandwiches and cakes, leaving not a crumb behind. Then, without so much as a glance of thanks to his benefactor the brute resumed his way rejoicing, as the meter reader related to no one in particular his personal opinion of the whole canine family. An opinion quite probably shared by his right hand back tyre.