LIVED ON THE CHEAP.

NZ Truth, Issue 60, 18 August 1906, Page 6

LIVED ON THE CHEAP.

LIKEWISE ON HIS CHEEK.

A Boardiiig House Bilker Bagged.

New Zealanders are much disturbed at present m considering whether Mr Seddon's promise of a free breakfasttable is likely to be realised by his successor. What Mr Seddon set about to accomplish for one meal for all time, another, with no political abilities worth mentioning, if audacity and infernal impudence be (excluded, had, for a time, at least,, succeeded m securing for himself : free bed, breakfast, dinner and tea, and, what is tetter for the world outside and unfortunate for himself, has further secured free board and lodging m an hotel run at Government expense, for the next three months. This individual is nineteen-year-old Harry Duvall, a young ne'er-do-well, who came to grief at the S.M.s Court on Thursday morning, when Dr. McArthur ?*mtenced him to three months' imprisonment for having secured board and lodging from July 4 to a recent date, by means of a false pretence. Harry, it seems, represented himself to Marie Antoinette Nattrass, board.inghousekeeper, of Murphy-street, that he was employed m the Public Trust Office,' and having had a 'disturbance with another boardinghouse-keeper, wanted to be put up, and, as he was only paid once a month, his landlady, perforce, would have to wait a month for her money. Harry's late arrival at breakfast and

HIS IRREGULAR HOURS . aroused his landlady's suspicions, and, the end of the mpr^t/h heing nigh, a settlement was anxiously awaited. Just when his 'boax'rl and lodging ought to have been squared, Harry met with luck, whether bad or good, it is hard to say. He $aye it out that his aunt had died at Auckland, and' as she had an estate it was necessary that he should repair to the northern pity to wind it up. The aunt!s demise was all the more, sad because* only a few month's previously, according to Duvall's story, his grandmother had kicked the bucket, and that had meant more expense to him. The landlady, being a' confiding sort of person, took it all m, though she wanted her money ; hut Harry assured her .that a Mr Smith would settle for that. Harry got away, hut soon after his little game was dropped to . Mr Sm ith (h ad not guaranteed to pay Duvall's board, the aunt at Auckland was far from dead, and Harry dear had left his last boardinghouse heavy m debt. In fact, it, seemed that Harry was a bounder and an all-round

BOARDINGHOUSE BILKER. He had, it seemed, been employed m the Public Trustee's Office, but had left m May lust. Moreover, it seemed that Harry did. not hesitate m the least to take down his own relations. A letter from the "deceased" aunt was found m his possession, and it seemed by that letter that Harry, by strong arid tragic -tales ;of boardinghouse fires and the loss ot every stitch of clothing, had extorted from his relatives, money that they could ill-af-ford. Dr. McArthur tutted a deaf ear to Harry's assurances of -. dealingfair l ly and squarely' with' all "concerned., and told him straight out that. he was. convinced " tha;t ; v;he- .sailed under false pretences.' Harry!, it seemed,' had pot; into the confidence; of .Mr . F., H. Smith, by telling him that he was awfully ill : and would have to go into the hospital. It was then that Mr Smith ■■ assured the young take-down that if things came to the worst he would not see him atuok. , Hence.it was that the scapegrace mentioned .Mr' Smith to 'his landlady as 'his guarantor. Having had" that matter fully explained, Harry next, assured the Bench that he did indeed want to go into the hospital, but the Magistrate was unsympathetic enough, to remark that if he wished to go into the hospital he could go after doing three months' gaol.