HAPPY THOUGHTS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1969, 27 April 1875, Page 4

HAPPY THOUGHTS IN NEW ZEALAND.

('Concluded from Saturday's issue )

(Inside my room). There is no bolt on the door, and the key has been taken out of the lock. It can't be helped—l must go to bed, and if the "other gentleman" should come, why he must, that's all. Happy thought! First unpack my portmanteau, and place my brushes and all my dressing tackle on the table, so that I may have no trouble in the morning. I do so, get into bed, and now for sleep — odd I can't shut my eyes without thinking of the red-haired man —never mind, sleep, sleep. # # * * .. * *

I have been asleep, and am awakened very suddenly by a hu?ebody almost bursting open the door, and stumbling into the room. He has a candle. I rub my eyes, and see—Good heavens! the red-haired man! And he is to be the teDant of the other bed ! I haven't-the slightest idea what to do. Supposing he was to turu vindictive now I am in bed and unarmed ; besides he has boots on, and I have read of ruffians kicking their victims to death.

Happy thought! Say to him jocosely— " I suppose you can sleep two in a room, eh ? " " He supposes he can, what then ? " 1 don't know what then; he mutters something not of a complimentary character. I think he goes to his bed. The process of undressing with him is decidedly rapid, as he simply takes off hi 3 boots, coat, and trousers, and throws himself into his bed and is snoring. The •whole performance did not -occupy, I should say, mare than two minutes. Happy thought! (if he were not so fierce) Take him about and show him off as one who exhibits the art of undressing and going to sleep in two minutes. I might dress up as a Leopard boy or something of.that sort, and we might make a lot of money. lam told they do these sort of things at the Thames. I lie awake watching him for some time; he seems very quiet, so I'll just go to sleep for a little while, then wake early and go out of the room before he is up. This is a happy thought! I do go to sleep, but unfortunately do not wake up quite as early as I had intended to—in fact v lam awoke by the ruffian yawning and then suddenly rising in bed. I feel that now he must get up before me. He does get up, and, omitting the use of water, simply puts on his trousers, coat and boots— without lacing them—and then proceeds straight to the dressing-table, seizes my brushes, and brushes what's on his head as hard as he can. I don't know what to do; I can't take them away, and even if I could I feel I couldV not use them until they had been washed. The ruffian leaves the room ; I rise, and, as j the chambermaidispassing, askhertowash my brushes. She replies "that she has too much to do'how,'but if I will leave them out she will do them by the afternoon." I can't lie ii bed,till the afternoon, and I can't go down stairs like this; what shall Ido ? ♦Happy thought! Cram my hat over my- head, pull up my coat collar, and run to the nearest hairdresser's. 2 his' I do. Tarn seated in a very uncomfortable chair, and have a large pinafore round myself, which deprives me of the use of my arms. The hairdresser is Tery ; civil, but before I can explain to him that I don't want my hair cut he has taken a considerable piece off one side. When I do explain, he tells me that he must cut it all round now, or it would look odd. He does cut it all rounds and it does look odd; in fact he cuts it so.well all round that my hat feels a size too large for me. Igo back to breakfast and make a very good one, but nothing compared to the red-haired man, who is seated a short way off, and appears to be eating against time. In fact, as the French exercise books say, "He has a good knife and a good* fork," the knife being Eerhaps the best weapon of the two, as c employs it to avail himself of the gravy on his plate. Although he commenced first I finish first, go up stairs to see all is right (as I remember I left my gold pin on the table and my portmanteau unfastened), and then "now for the goldmines." I stand at the door of the hotel, and can see numbers of men, some of them apparently younger brothers of the ruffian; and I ask the waiter who they are. He replies, " Going to work •shifts.'" Odd; I always thought women made those sort of things; but, I have heard a good deal of the scarcity of female labor in England, and, I daresay, it is the same here. Happy thought! Glad I'm not obliged to make my shirt or shift, as I never could do more than sew on a button, and only that by pushing the needle through with my thumb.