The Curling Pond.—Rob Tait and the Sheriff.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 55

The Curling Pond.— Rob Tait and the Sheriff.

The curling pond is where the laird, the minister, the farmer, and the labourer used to meet on a common ground. We well remember one mm, the shoriff of a county, a scholar and a gentleman of birth, whose bosom friend on such txoursions was one Rob Taifc, an inveterate poacher. The sheriff would bo " skip," aud Rob was beyond all question a roost noted player. " Como on, Rob, my man," he would say; "show us' what yo can dae. Eh, man, but that's great ; that's the kind o' shot ye read about in books. There's no your match iv a' the countryside. I love je like a brother, Rob." A week later the speaker would bo on the bench and the great player arraigued before him for some of his manifold offences. •• Robert Tait, 60 days," would come the sentence in cold, judicial tones ; and Rob would take it all in good part a3 from a friend, knowing that when he came out of prison and the winter returned there would Le no estrangement. — Macmillan.