An Amusing Incident.

Opunake Times, Volume I, Issue 10, 3 August 1894, Page 4

An Amusing Incident.

A rather good story is told about a cadet 'in the Geneial Government Duildings at-Wellington. The iucident took place in the days when uo specified lunch hour was allowed, and consequently sandwiches were greatly in vogue. Sandwiches become monotonous when they are indulged in daily; just as the Colonel in "Patience " seems to have found toffee to have been, when he remarks in plaintive tones :—" Nothing but toffee ! Toffee for breakfast, toffoe for diuner ! and toffee for tea ! " Speaking about toffee leads to the subject of this short story, for it bears reference to that much coveted sweetmeat. The youth had a fairly keen appetite, and was in the act of making a raid on his sandwiches, when, to his unspeakable horror and amazement, some substance secreted within the slices of bread and butter closed his mouth effectually—in fact, for a time he may be said to have been seized with lockjaw. It was not difficult to discover the cause of this little contretemps. No doubt one of his fellow lodgers had boen seized with a desire to be funny at his expense, ami had inserted inside one of the saadwichos a very plastic piece of toffee, which vvai warranted—like good gum—tu stick, if it woffkl do nothing else. To add to the embarrassment of the luckleas youth, the office door opened, and suddenly there entered one of the great guns of the Civil Service, who made certain enquiries which necessitate! a prompt roply. Had it been the Arch-Duke of Austria he could not have articulated a siDgle word, as his mouth was like Jericho, " Straitly shut up," and the " gun " was compelled to retire without the desired information. What the prominent official may hive thought he never expressed in words—no doubt, in his own mind, he took it for granted that. the junior was under the influence of •.nentil aberration, or, at the least, 'iad scarcely recovered from a a " alcoholic trancj." There wa.s no time .'or explanation.