A LITTLE JAUNT.

Colonist, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8329, 17 August 1895, Page 2

A LITTLE JAUNT.

I [CONTBIBOTED.] The Chief Magistrate of the City (Francis Trask, Esq), yea erday afternoon added one more item to his already 1 npthened list under the head of " Hospitality," by taking out to the head of the Brook street waterworks a g<onp of rea'ly jolly good fellows, consisting of Messrs Jamieson (agent of the Westport Coal Company), James Suisted (Chairman of the Westport EUrbor Board), Nahr (representing the firm of Nahr and Co, Westport), J. P. Petrie (travelliog correspondent of the ' Otaso Daily Times ' and ' Witness '), and the following gentlemen of the town ; — Messrs Gecrge Bout, Maginnity, Baigent, Christophers, Reeve?, andCanavan. The weather whs Queen's, tha roads excellent, the whip (Mr Harling) O X., the cattle spirited , the liberality recherche, and the scenery fall of majestic grandeur, At the waterworks the company, answering the challenge of his Worship, went into activities, and the foe soon lay low all around. Tale and joke, laughter and anecdote, pleasantry and harmless badinage, beguiled a pleasant hour by the 000 l pollucid waters of the bro klet-fed pond above the concrete dame and by-wash, all lightened and brightened by the genial rays of the afternoon sun, daring a pause of which the the Mayor tells us the waterworks, originally made by the old Provincial Government, costing £60,000. were handed over to the Nelson Ciiy Counoil for £30,000, and that the revenue since accruing therefrom is more than Back interest doubled ; that this fountain head is 350 fe-.t abovn the city levels ; that the main is ova' four miles long, and rang a between a maximum and minimum diameter of eighteen inches and seven ditto ; thst the City C uncil, of which he (the narrator) has been a continuous member for eighteen years, is twenty yeara old, that the City Council has, and maintains forty-two miles of road?, st-eets and footpaths; and that the citizens, whom he has lived amongst for the ltst thirty-four yeara, are the happiest, the most friendly and charitable of fo:k, whereat the compaay applaud with a oheer, and Mr Track with bis ever genial countenance all eglow. turns again and again to greet everybody with hem-tit good wishes. Then others getting the pleasant infeo ion, tell iv flowing aocents between goodnatured nods aud hems, remin'<Bcenc9B of their yonng dajs, When a'l the world wag young lad, And every goosa a Bwan, and of the happy hours spent in this lone delightfu! spot with her who had years since brightened their homes in a life partnership. A dead Bilenoe, fraught evidently with those gay visions of the past, flits by, when one, more sad of meio, g is cp and te Is the story of h man, who tiring of life's journey, oairse here and worthily ended it by one bold plunge into the cold, claar waters of the dam ; another oame and found her lover oheek by cheek with that of other maid, and t en the water ran oi ja^t the same, the birds join eong as oheeri y, the son he shone as brightly to tue still whirling earth, a? thie maid once more reads the et >ry of blighted love's you-, g death. F.e.-ently a dead marine inverted is set up in the loose soil of the mountain fi*nk, aod the joyoas party all aiming, King David like, attaok violently the lone -necked gl»ss inversion. Eauh threw ti.l their arms ached, but 6ti'l the dead maiine survived the shower of air-thiokened ' missiles, when a well-directed shot fron: Commander-in -Chief Tra*k laid his blaol J muzzle in the dust for ever, amid th< ( checte of the battalion, \?ho teformini f into an irregular squad, regained ii good form the four-wheeled citadel I which rolled up and down the steep cresoen 5 like grades semicircling the Reservoir, where the water being out, showed to ad ian tag ' the W6ll cemented bottom and secure ova , siJes thereof. Then it rolled to the well ap , pointed home of the junketing host, when r ihe company reva lad in wit and learning, gooi humor, joviality and go nd oheer, in lea, cake and champagne, in hearty good wishes to M Major. Trask and his. Here's one mor bumper to them, and long life and prosperit, , to them, cays r Ajor. J I — ■ '■