THE CHASTISEMENT OF MR. FLINDERS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 33, 21 January 1911, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE CHASTISEMENT OF MR. FLINDERS.

“Boozy” Flinders, as the neighbours called him, was an idte, tel- ‘ iow. With a wife a great deal too good : for him. She bore with shortcomings, round excises for him, and took in wadiing to help him earn 3 But 1 one dav Bcozy came home more u toxicated than usual. He threw himself upon the bed, without stopping to take off hi* shoes, and went to sleep. Then Mrs. Flinders’ patience gave way, and she resolved to administer a suitable punishment. She procured at once a large sack, ripped it open, spread it on th ' bed by the side of her husband, rolled him over upon it. and sewed him np m it with a good strong twine, leaving onlv his head free. ! Six or eight hours later, when sbthought he bad had enough sleep for 1-er purpose, she rolled him over on hi* face, and with a stout, serviceable ‘ cine, borrowed during the interval, she I b.'"a’i operations. , , , ■ YVli-what’s all this? demanded B-i< zv. rousing h’msc-lf and b ginning : to squirm. . . i His wife was too busy to answer him. j Whack! whack! whack! fell the cane wielded bv an :.rm which had Wen developed at the washboard, and was icrve- 1 r.ow bv a li zhteous indignation. Whack’ whaik! whack! For the first few moments Boozy roared in anger and tried desperately to free himself, but it was no use Ihe sack held him securely. And still th* ; l,l< ws fell. - I Wh ids’ whack! whaik! whack! ; whack! From blustering he went to pleading. | “Oh, for pity’s sake, Mart by,” he bagged, squirming and wriggling, ‘‘let ! up! Are vou trying to kill me? ’ | “No (whack)' I’m reforming you j -whack’) You lazy, drunken (whack!) I vagabond I’m giving you (whack!) what you've been needing (whack!) for h ling time!” AVhack! “Ob pool gracious. Marthy! Ouch! Don’t. I’ll stop drinking! I'll go to work! Ouch! Don’t Marthy!” “If I'll stop now !ind let you out of that sack will yon promise to turn over i a new leaf and he somebody after this 0 ” demanded his wife. “I will!” be pi-cmi-ed, thoroughly sober now. “S> help me!”

She ripjied the sack -pen again and let him out, and to h’r surprise per- ! hap* a* much as that of the neighbours. Boozy kept h-'s promis*. Mrs. Flinders never had oocason to administer anj < ther dose of her medicine.