THE YARRA YARRA OF OLD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 4046, 26 September 1887, Page 3

THE YARRA YARRA OF OLD.

• Under this head a writer m tho Argus has some pleasant sketches. Hero are two : What a Bhow the scapegraces made on board ship and on their first landing ! Many of them had been provided by their fathers with forecabin or house on deck, but mothers and sisters had clubbed their little savings and purchased their promotion to the saloon— for how could poor Dick or Tom, who, with all his little failings, wasjof most fastidious tastes and habit*, herd with quite common people on the main deck, or sleep among them m the steerage 1 Then Charley and Harry had the most luxurious fits-out that affection could devise or deft fingers fabricate — wraps and rugs, and socks, and flaunels enough to last n lifetime, but alas !to be speedily disposed of on the owner's arrival m thu land of gold. Here is a Bcene I witnessed on the wharf. A fine young fellow, with the mnnnera of Eton and Oxford, who hud landed with only two sovereigns m his pocket (after settling up with the steward and paying his little whist debts) magnificently chartered a cab to carry him and his muli ifarious belongings toa club to which he had an introduction, whilo a tall broadshouldered young Scotchman was cheapening the transport up town of his chest by dray. Finding that he could not get it carried to the Albion Hotel for loss than a sovereign, he (the Scotchman) concluded to give uimself tho job, and shouldering about a hundredweight and a half of luggage, he marched off with it through the mud as if it had been a bag of feathers ho was carrying. But mark the difference m tho subsequent career of these two immigrants. Tho one who earned his lirst wages m Victoria by carrying his own chest has now a hundred thousand sheep nibbling grass and growing wool for his behoof, and is a prominent member of tho Legislature of a neighbouring colony ; while the ex-Eton and Oxford youth is odd man about a suburban public-house,' sometimes bootblack, sometimes billiardmarker and potboy. Yot their so different fates camo about through no lucky or unlucky chance, but entirely through the natural sequence of cause and cfl'eot. Each has reaped according as he sowed. * * # * * Another pleasing case to describe is that of a University swell. At first ho behaved according to his nature and habit. He had introductions that stood his friend to the extent of threo or four dinners, and when he removed from thehotel he favoured on landing, it was with borrowed raonoy that he paid his bill. Then there was a protracted spell of cheap boardinghouse existence, during which his clothes bbcame shabby and every pawnable item of personal property that ho had belonging to him disappeared, down to the old watch big grandmother had given him and the slippers and braces that his cousins had embroidered fur his wear m the Australian bush. During this trying period he gave assiduous heod to the state of the weather. So long as tho wind was m the east ho could stavo oft' his landlady's importunities by telling her that no ship oould get round thu Louwin or tho Otway m such a wind, nnd that consequently, his remittances from home wore delayed, Ac. But the time camo when his room, or bod, was poremptoiily required for a new (and, it was to bo hopod, a paying) lodger, and ho had to flit, leaving behind him what little there remained m tho form of baggago or effects. Then a weary trudge to Forest Creek, chumming with teamsters as opportunity offered, frying their chops for them, and sharing thoir tucker, So he fared along till ho reaohod tho diggings, and wob permitted to join a party sinking m the Forty-foot-hill, tho members of which wore nearly as poor and shiftless as himself. They bottomed on gold, however, and did protty well for a fow months, but at tho ond of that timo poverty Bottled down upon them, and they woro mils meat, sans bread, sans tobacco, saiw luoifcrs, saiis everything. So tho party agrocd to disperse, each to go his own gato, and do tho best ho could for himself, and my friend bothought him that if only ho could got tack to Molbourno ho might still bo able to make something of the little Latin and less Greek that he retained iv his memory. So to Molbourno ho goes, somehow or other, but m tho last stage of dilapidation and destitution, m which condition he called at an important senii public college and offorod his servidos as a tutor. ' Tho highly rosnoctablo principal starod at him m astonishmont. Had a scarecrow dosertcd its post of duty and come to toacli his young Rontlcm.cn tho humanities ? Howovor, ho tested tho applicant, and found him to bo fairly up to tho mark of colonial classical masters of that day, but whon ho glancod again at tho stato of his broeohes ho saw that tho thing was wildly absurd and impossible. He " was sorry," &c, " but if a fow shillings would bo of any prosont uho," itc. " I am litorally starving," replied tho young follow, " bulcauuol ucuepl charity " (tho

gentle blood m his veins telling at last), " but will thankfully accept any kind of honest work that I can do." "H'ra," said the master, with some hesitation, " there is a vacancy m the establishment, but I don't like to mention it to you ; it's that of boots." " I'll take it," said the Oxford under-graduate, " and commence m the morning." And so it was arranged. The housekeeper saw that he had a good supper and bed, and at 5 o'clock next morning he was introduced to his new duties.whichtook tho form of six-and-twenty pairs of damp and muddy boots, for it was m July that all this transpired, and there had been a great football contest the previous afternoon. The now functionary reviewed the situation with a gruesome Bmile. How to make a beginning with his task he did not know, but it had to be got through nevertheless. Then suddenly ho had an inspiration. On Forty-foot-hill he aud his mateß used to put up their auriferous drift into a tub and rouse it about with a shovel — he would try the same plan with the boots and the shoes. Which ho accordingly did. He put tho whole fifty-two of I them into a barrel, with water, and stirred them up, and round and round, with a spade, until he got the rough of thn adhering clay fairly dislodged. But fancy the row there was when the boys came down. The shoes were damp and shrunken, and they could not be got to pair. There was like to be a revolution m the college, or at best insurrection ; but, fortunately, the comic aspect of the business came into a prominence, and the trouble ended m a good laugh. Well, my friend remained on as boots, aud soon became a favourite m the establishment — putting the boys up to new tricks m cricket and football, and writing . their Latin voraes for them m the harnessroom, until the principal of the coLlegu, who had been keeping a watchful eye upon him all tho time, saw that ho was capable and trustworthy, and found a good situation for him as an usher m another important educational institution. After spending a useful year or , two m this place ho returned to England, ' at his mother's urgent requeat, took his degree, took orders, and became his father's curate. He is now m possession of tho Wiltshire vicarage which has been m his family for several generations, and is a most oxemplary country parson, of whom the severest critics can say nothing moro disparaging than that ho is ovorleniont to tha irregularities of youth. Also it may be montionod that ho came back m time to marry his sweetheart cousin before time had set its marks upon her comely face.