CLEVEDON.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 367, 16 April 1918, Page 4

CLEVEDON.

" SLEEPYHOLLOW.'

(Continued). By Rip Van Winkle

" I met the Guide to-day and made a silly ass of myself/' said Dora.

" History repeats itself," I quoted. " Oh !" said Dora, " and did you used to do it too

T ignored the remark. " You were, I believe, speaking about the Guide," I said, " and if I am not mistaken, others have met him with a like result to yours. Therefore I said 'history repeats itself " Apology accepted and all is forgiven," said Dora. "It was funny thoygh. lie said ' good morning ' and I looked at him and said 1 Oh ! Good morning and how's your father ?' and then I blushed and said 'Oh ! I'm so sorry ; I really didn't know you with a clean faco—l mean without your whiskers.' Then I went redder than ever and I thought I had better talk about something else, so I said it was a fine day and I thought it looked like rain, but he didn't seem interested, so I asked him if there was anything new to be seen frdm tho summit and he said ' Yes, there was, and it didn't require any climbing to see it.' So I asked him what it was and he said it was a poor old man breaking road metal on a newly-formed grade along the Ness Valley Road. And he said he asked the poor old man how long he had been at that job and the poor old man said it was so long that he had forgotten when he started, but when he did start he was young and hearty and there were three more vigorous young chaps and a couple of teams ; but they had all grown old and infirm on the job and he was the only one left and he hoped to see the job through before the end of the war. So I asked the Guide when that would be and he said he couldn't say, but it might be before they finished metalling that bit of road. He said it was time someone kicked about the wasting of the rates on these jobs and that if it had been let by contract instead of day-work, the job would have been done long ago and at less cost. So I asked the guide what the difference was between contract and day-work and he said that when it was contract the men do the work for as much as they can get, but when it is day-work the men get as much as they can for doing the work. I said that sounded silly and he said it wasn't the only silly sound in Sleepyhollow, and that if I didn't believe him I had only got to go to the pictures on Saturday night when I would hear plenty of silly things at the back of the hall. He seemed awfully glum, so I asked him if he had seen any crabs lately. He seemed quite vexed at that and said 'no,'—just like you do when I ask you if you are going to church. So then I asked him what those men were putting up those new sticks for along the road to the wharf and he said it was another line to Whakatiddle- I asked him if it was one of those Mendelion lines for hanging cattle on that he was writing to the paper about and he sniffed and said no, but that it was another telephone line. So I asked him what they wanted with all these poles in Sleepyhollow and he said it was another piece of crass stupidity, but he supposed the settlers wanted the district to look like a defunct poultry run from which the wire netting had been stolen. I asked him if he had got any answers to his conundrum, and he said what conundrum and I said, 'doe3 the County Council know that New Zealand is at war?' He snorted and said something under his brsath and I thought he was going to bite me and he went into tho post office and that's all.''

" He went into tile Post Office," I asked

" Yes," said Dora

" Then see if you can get me a copy of tho next issue of the Okepoke Times," 1 said.

" What for ?" asked Dora

" In order to help along the circulation," I said, " and incidontly to see if the Farmers' Union is still in existence and if so, is it going to be run on Mendefion Lines— the ' down ' graders to bo fatted and killed off for not farming, sonsibly and scientifically." "Poor dear," said Dora, ''do you feel it coming on again 'i" " Now run away," I said, " and practice your tennis as its time your Club beat someone and possibly the North End may feel like having a go at you while you are in your weak state," and she went.

So I hied me out and sat me down beneath " my vine and my fig tree " ami pondered over Noah and his vioyard, and other things ; and on the breeze was wafted from afar " lif' all, fit' thirty, fif' forty, game." llmph ! I thought, " the North End are going to have a rough time of it after all." RIP VAN WINKLE