CUPID HIT HIM BADLY

NZ Truth, Issue 1181, 19 July 1928, Page 4

CUPID HIT HIM BADLY

Leopold's Challenge To Fight Is Taken Up By A Wag

(From "N.Z. Truth's" South Auckland Representative.)

Tke wind that is proverbially ill if it does not blow somebody a little good, has wafted through the Waikato. The love affair of Leopold f odgins was, for him, a serious business — very serious^and $et the district has had its sense of humor refreshed by the zephyr of a projected round or two of two-fisted, he-man stuff.

BUT, no. The fight's off! Stay where you are Tex, old boy, and come back all we said about Cupid hopping between the ropes as third man. There's going to be no fight (except the Heeney — Tunney bout), and the curtain is rung down. Excelsior! Say what you like, Leopold is a man of his word and does not let anyone else make up his mind for him. What had he done, anyway? Merely fallen head over heels m love with a pretty little school teacher of Horsham Downs who pushed a bicycle with art incomparable and swam the Waikato river with grace divine. And he was prepared to give her everything, i.e., himself, £1000, freedom from milkmaid duties, again himself and. lastly some more himself, dressed (as he admitted himself) as few young fellows ■

rival was held m no way to blame for the breach of the peace. Worsted m love and beaten m the legal encounter, Leopold challenged Chibnall to a combat with gloves m any public hall m the district. Things were getting piquant. The challenge was accepted under the signature of Chibnall, m the local press, and the whole district was thrilled m anticipation of a fistic encounter that threatened to give the tongues that usually wag, something to wag about. The fight was to be of three twominute rounds and the acceptance of the challenge, fixed the Hamilton Town Hall as the venue, and last Thursday night at 8 o'clock, as the period for the love-at-first-sight liquidation. The whole population of Horsham Downs was prepared to invade the , town to witness

about Hamilton were attired. There's a rich prize or prizes! And

on a personal valu- | ation of the owner, you couldn't get down to an intrinsic basis without big figures and consiSerable arithmetic. However, that is not the point. As local history records, the object of so much concentrated adoration, having a different rule for an assessment of th^e value of ultra- fervent worshipping masculinity, handed Leopold's memoranda d'amour to one, Reginald Chibnall with instructions, it may be presumed, to give the self-adoring author a hiding if he persisted. The dairy farmers of Horsham Downs, with their wives, then began to take an increased interest m the little love drama that was developing within the walls of Leopold's cottage. Act number two was when Chibnall presented himself at the farm of Leopold, pitched a couple of benzine tins at him and a bucket of warm milk. Still, it's no good crying over spilt milk. The next thing that happened was a retaliation by Leopold along the highway. Both men were charged with fighting and Leopold was fined, while his

| rumbled along the public roads were being- made ready to bring m the surplus whom the available motors m the district could not carry. And then — the news spread about that the acceptance of the challenge Avas merely a forgery, and had been inserted m the newspaper merely by some "wag. A wave of disappointment swept the countryside that so fine an evening's entertainment should thus have been denied the people. In any case, however, the populace was doomed to disappointment, for three obstacles barred the way to such an encounter. In the first place the police had determined to refuse a permit for this demonstration .of love and hate, and secondly, the mayor had given instructions that the Town Hall must not be hired for such a purpose, and finally the N.Z. Boxing Association was entitled to a ruling vote. Unaware of these facts, however, a number of people gathered outside the hall at the appointed time, despondently .to disperse when the combatants failed to put m an appearance. Here's to love and laughter. . .

The Second Act

this meeting of the rival lovers, and vehicles that had not for years