AFTER THE MEETING.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXX, Issue 81, 7 April 1894, Page 3

AFTER THE MEETING.

« WHAT BEFELL OUR CITY FATHERS ! It wca si magnificent transition from the reverently sublime to the screamingly ridienlous, and itj|ocourred ia the Government bandings last nigbt. That auguit and dignified body the City Fathers were meeting in solemn conolave aad the weight of Empires seemed to sit on eaoh expansive brow. The profoutdest of metaphysical syllogisms were bsing deduced from the most abstract of premises, only to crystallize into a resolution which secured to a greater extent than before the welfare of the Blumboring citizens. The soene is changed — tbe official who locks the doors, coming round at 10 o'olook didn't notioe that the Counoil was meeting, and— well he locked up the unconscious bargesses. Meeting concluded, City Fathers friendly conversing move stately towards the door. Phew ! looked ! A proposal to get out of the window was rejaoted as infra dig. " Perhaps the back door is unbooked," and back through the chambers, through the Town Clerk's room, and into another passage, the light of a solitary matoh flickering in the hand of Cr . Talk about the fantastic vagaries of tbe characters in tb.e " Castle of Otranto "1 And then the matoh goes out, and it is " confusion worse confounded." By this time it had ooourred to the City Fathers that the poiition was funny, and that it would aot be inadvisable to laugh, and aoeordiagly a laugh was proposed, seconded, and carried. On an amendment another match was struck, and in its unoertain light might be seea two Councillors who had perhaps opposed eaoh other most strongly on a motion to open up Foster's Chanael, united in an effort to open the front door ; tbe msmbor for such and suoh a Ward might be ee&n trying to move a window with as much eucossb as be had moved a resolution. Then Cr remembered a passage through the judge's room, and away trooped tha City Fathers over tables and chairs until a back door was Etruok, and — " Good graoioua ! leok at Cr ," greeted a rather obeee councillor's efforts to tumble from a window into the moonlit back yard ; " Might as well try to keep up the Lock-up Bank." In the yard some timber was tumbled over and then a gate enoountered. "Oh dear 1 ita looked," and the member for suoh and such a ward " homeward" perhaps, shinned over the top. The next in the file looked undeoided; he was — well he was of Piokwiekiun proportions, aad ha turned and fled, and the ether Fathers followed him. Over the timber again, forgotten in the hurry, and after an exploration down another side passage the street was reaohed after a nocturnal perambulation which would furnish material for an Ingoldsby Legend. It was proposed, Beoonded, and carried uaanimouely, -'That tho looking for an outlet from the Government Building at night time is in close affinity to looking for an outlet for the flood water."