NO REWARD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 29 January 1927, Page 6

NO REWARD.

STORY OF A LOST PURSE. It is one thing to find a purse in the crowded street, and —after the initialslinking feeling of doubt at the chance of being mistaken for a pickpocket with his- hand on the 100t —to welcome the approach of a constable and -give name and particulars and parse to the custodian of the law, with a swellingsense of having justified, one’s sell in, the eyes of the world to the contusion, of one’s enemies. It is- quite, another matter to pick up a. pursue containing a large sum of money on the beach, in view of. passers-by, have more than one .prospective owner inquire for a lost purse-: with money in it, and- to have no. officer of • the: police to take indisputable control of- the. treasuretrove. Are- we rich, we let the matter drop when the police- take over. A glow of exercised honesty, is all we accept. The reward-, question is not so hard a problem when , in, police hands. The average, sergeant, is practical enough to arrange that chilrdren. and adults who return lost articles °f get a. return for their trouble and adherence. to : principle. There was. no .policeman on a nearby. beach, when a. railway employee cycled to the- beach with his son for an outing, In, the course of. the day s pleasure: they earner upon -a, purse—-a black purse. Opening the recptacle, two one pound- notes,, and- one of-, ten shillings were revealed. After resting content- with- that- for, some time, a, further search was made, and. another corner of the, family vault yielded up a smalLpacket; wrapped, in paper —a counle of 1 ‘fivers' ’; £l2, 10s in all. The finder’s- first thought was the constable on -the corner, but the foice was not represented in uniform, so a resolve was made- to hand over the spoil to tlie police in Hawera. Subsequent events cb aspired against tins proper resolve. Some- ladies approachad, and it was now that the situation became unpleasant for the railwayman. The responsibility of the find began to weigh heavily upon hini. One of the ladies bad- lost a purse. He had to grapple with the situation, and' put- questions for identification. The first ladv soon said she was not the owner. -Some children came up, and said they knew the owner. The now handler of our railway rolling stock determined to push the inquiry right through. A mile wall* brough him to a house, where the lady had lost the nurse. There were .points which, though they did not absolutely establish identification, indicated that the lady was tlie owner of the- and it was passed over. And that was all. j H© feels that in not having been offered: a cup of tea. to refresh him after his mental and physical exertions that the world, is-a hard; and unsympathetic sphere.