LEAVES FROM A DIARY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1649, 17 November 1873, Page 2

LEAVES FROM A DIARY.

Colonel Gorton, the brander-in-chief ofi the Colony, recently published a; repprtj which was; laid on the table of theAssem-i bly. It may pr.ssibly be in connection j with this that the extract we how make' from the Wellington. " Post" found itsl way into print :— [ The following .fragment, apparently j from a diary, has been picked up and) forwarded to usj in hopes that the lost! leaves may find their way back -to the! rightful owner. As no clue appears in the MSS to guide us, we publish what we have received in the trust that some one may be found whom the cap will 'fit:— Thursday. ■ — Disappointment,, to-day. Went to the servant girls' department. there (name illegible). Great nuisance.' Told me he'd allow me to brandyand water him to any extent, but objected to any other branding. Obstructions as usual. Besides this, a man in his position should not resort to such buffoonery. Wonder at him. Me;n. :Be quits with him some day, eh ? Tuesday,— — nui, (beginning of this word illegible) 2 p.m. — A great stroke" today. Went to R.M s room. No one ■there. Horn tied to see shelves of books no marks on them. Rushed to hotel, got brand and did them all. Immense improvement. A chair, too, a nice chair, branded that. Back to luncheon, feeling perfectly satisfied I'd done my duty. 5 p.m. — Don't quite understand jthis.' Two letters— -one from R.M., asking whether it was from a fellow-feeling that I branded his. calf-bound law books, and asking me to pay for damaging his private property. Other letter from irate voluni teer officer, telling me I've spoilt furniture 'belonging to him, and asking me if I've mistaken his wooden arm chair for my own head. Instead of thanking me for the ornamental touch I have given— oh, dear ! there's not a bit of artistic feeling in either, no, by jingo there isn't. Thursday, Waihi Stockade.— Did pretty ;well here ; very little escaped me, I can tell you. Happy thought struck me just as I had stamped the last rung of a ;ladder ; lot of armed constables walking about, all of them Government property ; they should be entered in my books ; , spoke to officer in charge ; he must be no good; said that he didn't see it in that' light— that the men would object ; said, too, if I.tried the branding on with them, 'he'd let me know. Some people: are densely obtuse- -that's a f#ct. • However, mem : telegraph to #ie Commissioner '"on" the 'subject. Another bright idea. There's, a Commissioner of St nips ; why the deuce isn't there a Commissioner of Brands? Suppose if they made me one, there'dbe extra screw. Memo.— Speak about it in Wellington. Friday.— Fair day's work, but more disappointment. Marked 279 posjs and 339 sleepers. Found some of the old posts put into the ground brand downwards. | Insisted on contractor at' l ohce reversing | them. Man said he'd see me (word here illegible) first. Argued the point, but finally gave in, and branded them 6ver again. Suggestion came to me- shingles strewn on the line should be branded^ Said so. Found no one to agree. A rude workman muttered something about a necessity for branding my own loose shingle first. Don't know what he meant. Mem.- : ' i Make 1 inquiries. Contractor a ; horrid man. Told me, with a broad grin, as I was going away, that all the posts and sleepers |'d just nicely, marked had been condemned -the day before. Stupid man not to have told me before ; he ssw me at work. That's the class of persons which does not , thoroughly appreciate my untiring efforts in the service of the public. Home, very tired, I start for inspection tormprrpw., ; There was a rumor in Oamaru on Saturday that a young Lothario had eloped with a fickle fair^the.wjfe of a laborer, and that the husband i 8 reported to have accepted the modest sum of L 5 in full satisfaction for the loss of the lady.