SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6668, 14 December 1899, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

The monthly meeting of the Belfast School Oammittee was held on Monday evening ; present — Messrs Ellis (chairman), Wotton, M'Cracken, Watson, Anderson, Craig and Morgan. It Mas decided to close the school for the holidays on Dec. 21, and reopen on Jan. 29, 1900, and to hold the annual school picnic at Sumner on the first Friday in February, i ■ The monthly meeting of the Broonifield School Committee was held on Monday ; present—Mr W. Leslie (chairman), Messrs J. Connolly, J. Cuneen, E. O'Rourke, G. Cunneen and Thomas Cunneen. The master's report showed the number on the roll to be 40, and the average attendance for the mon.th 27.7. The report on the examination was received, and was considered most satisfactory. The necessity of another water-tank was discussed, and as one was considered insufficient to supply both scholars and household purposes, the Chairman was requested to write to the Board, asking it to supply, another. It was decided to hold the children's picnic on Dec. 21, at Sumner, and to close the school for the holidays from Dec. 20 to Feb. 4. THE MIA MIA STEEPLECHASE 4 (Auslvalasian PastoralisW .Review.) It was Saturday night, and the hut was deserted save for Smoky Rudd and Bob Whelan ; the other hands had gone into . the township in search of such diversion as the Travellers' R«st afforded. Bob Whelan looked up from the study of an ancient" newspaper towards Smoky, who was laboriously putting a patch into a pair of moleskins. . ti ■ "Look here," he said, "I want, to ' gq| down to see my girl next Saturday and I haven't a moke. I'll give you ten bob, those riding boots, and. a new lash" for old Blazes ; he'd carry me there and back all right." Smoky shook His head but did not look U P- ■ "I'll make it fifteen bob." " No. I don't want no fifteen bobs, nor boots, nor lashes: I don't swop Blazes unless I get 'dm back fer nothin'," and Smoky grinned reminiscently. His morals were somewhat lax, and the memory of the £8 on one occasion and the £6 on another that he had received for the old hqrsei was pleasant to him, also the recollection of the midnight flights that followed the sales. " Better enter ..'im for the Cup," suggested Whelan, "if he's worth so bloomin' much." Smoky chuckled. '• You can pull my laeg all you want, but it wouldn't be the first, time Blazes 'as bin entered fer a* race an' won it. Did I never tell you about the Mia Mia Steeplechase ?" Bob shook his head. Smoky's yarns were entertaining, though not often elevating, he stretched his legs along the bench, leant back against the wall, and began to fill his pipe, and requested Smoky in picturesque terms to begin, which Smoky did, after carefully folding up his trousers. " I was pretty stumped after gettin' rid of fourteen quid that Blazes had helped me find, and I was obliged to be a bit careful where I went for fear of gettin' lagged. I drifted away west to a place called the Mia Mia Downs, an r I decided I'd sell Blazes agen if I couldn't get a job. I lines up to the men's' hut, and the cook gives me some tea, an' tells me the boss wants a groom. I seen 'm, an' lie takes me on at ten bob a week — not much, but I wanted me 'orse t' get some condition on to him. The boss's name was Stein ; plenty of stuff, a fine place, lots o' company, and the manager was his eldest son — a big smart chap called Dick. Well, me an 1 Blazes got on right enuff, an' arter we>'d bin there a few months, the people in the nearest township started gettin' up a bazaar in aid of some hall, and nothin' would do Dick Stein but that he must getup a race meetin' as well. He was one o' them blokes oo'll twist everyone roun' 'is finger, and them thinkin' they're 'avin' it all. their own way. He gets them to make it a grass-fed meetin', that is, fer 'orses straight off of* the grass, and 'c directs the drawin' out of the programme — a bare-back hurdle race,- two short races, one and a half mile handicap, and a steeplechase. I drove into town a couple o' days arter with Mr Dick, an' 'c points out the course they was goin' to mark fer the steeple — a fair snorter, over two miles long, and bloomin' great tworail fences. I says that no grass-fed 'orse could get round, but he* laughs, and says that 'ed get round on the Gin — a big black mare of 'is, an' a reg'lar clinker. . Well, nex' day he comes up t" me an' tells m« t' get 'is mare in, an' stable her. I looks at him pretty 'ard, fer blimme, it was 'im as made it a grass-fed meetin', an' then marks out a course no grass-fed horse could get round. I thinks, well you're a rotten kind of a bloke ; but never mind, two can play at that game. I says, all right, Sir! an' I s'pos# it'd be no harm t' get my ole prad in ; I want an 'orse as the boundary-riders took the one I 'ad. He agrees t' that, an' I goes out in the afternoon and gets the two of them in. Ole Blazes 'c was. as fat as mud, an' the mare was jes in nice condition. I puts 'er in a loose-box, an' ole Blazes in a little paddick jes below the house. This was about two months before the meeting, an' everything goes along nice an' steady ferabout a fortnight. The mare was gettin' a bit spiy, an' I was gettin' a bit of the weight off of Blaze?. First I giv' 'im only dry chaff, then, after a bit, a very fair share of the mare's oats. I was afraid to giv' 'im much bran for fear Stein 'd notice it, an' drop t' my little game. But the mare was gettin' into form far ahead o' my horse, an' I thinks t' myself, now this won't do ;• I must get more feed into Blazes an' less into the mare. Stein, he kicks up a row about too much feed bein' used, an' give orders that the bookkeeper Avas to allow each man a certain quantity each week. I 'ad seven 'orses t' feed, but six only gpt dry chaff, for they weren't used over mucn, an' the allowance of bran an' outs for the Gin wasn't enough to divide between 'er an Blazes ; an' of course the boss 'd come in mostly twice a day t' see things was goin' right, an 'c used to exercise 'er Imself. I knew if I could only fill 'er up with some kind o' grew stuff at night she'd eat less by day, an' 'd keep nice an' soft. But 'ow was It' get green feed when the place was jis startin' t' get brown, an', besides, I'd never 'aye 'ad the time t' get enough grass cut t' be any good ; so I was near floored ; till one mornin' I thinks of the vegetable garden. There Avas about an acre of cabbages in it, fit t' cut, an' I minded hearin' a bloke tell 'ow ed fattened a poor draught 'orse in two weeks on, milk an' cabbages. I didn't believe it, but I thought it was good enough t' try. So that same night I orf down t' the cabbages and brings up a cabbage, an.' gives it to 'er nibs. She eat it better than I thought she would, . so I gets three more, an' she eats the lot. Then I cleans up the leavin's, an' puts a bit of feed in the box, but she wouldn't touch it* an' I knew I'd scored a point. I wasn't satisfied with the cabbages alone, nothing' would do but I must try the milk. They was milkin' about teu. cows, an' the cook at the house used t' skim milk, an' put the waste in a barrel outside the door, an' a ooy used t' take it away t' the pigs nex' mornin'. So I knew I could get milk easy enough. But, Lor' Jove us, d'ye think she'd Jook at milk, not till jes' about a week before the meetin', an' then she seemed t' get a cravin' fer it, an 1 'd drink as -much as three parts of a kerosene, tin of. a nigh*, pn* what with- the

milk an' the cabbages she was eatin' dashed little else, an' Blazes was doin' great, an' his skin stinin' with the oats that should ' 'aye bin inside o' the mare. One day Stein sees 'im doin' a two forty roun' the paddick on 'is own, an' 'c say* t' me, ' Are you feedin' that there 'orse, Rudd?' 'No, sir,' I says, 'the only feed 'c gets is the clennin' out o' the other 'orses' boxes.' ' 'E's doin' well on it, any'ow,' 'c says. ' Oh, 'c's a beggar t' go fer about ten minutes,' says I, ' but then Vs done,' I says. But after that I took good care t' give 'im a roustin' up every mornin' first thing, and then .ed keep quiet the rest o' the day. 0' course, I never touched either of 'em with a brush, an' I'd turn The Gin out into a sandy yard every dav for about an hour, so's she'd roll an* keep dirty, but you could see both 'orses was fed, their coats was that nice and smooth-lookin'. They both 'ad t' be paraded before the stooards before they could pass as grassfed, so I set me mind to think 'ow they v pass my 'orso anyhow. It took some think- • in', I tell you. But this was me way, the night before the meetin'. The night before the meetin' I goes an' gets a handful o' fat off of the cook, an' a pannikin o' salt off of the butcher. I goes down an' collars 'old of ole Blazes, takes 'im down to a clayhole. gets a dob o' yellow clay, plasters it- all over one side of 'im, and clogs 'is mane. Then I takes a bit o' grease in me 'and an' rubs all Ms 'air the Avrong way up, till 'is coat was shiny, but 'c looked like a French '.en. Then I gets a ole brush, and keeps on dabbin' it in the dust, and brushin' 'im right away agen. Well, in the end 'c lobkfed pretty rough, I can tell you, 'but I' wasn't quite satisfied, so I takes me salt, which I had' dissolved in a little water, and rubs itTinto 'is shoulders* an' neck ; an' nex' mornin' 'c looked as 'ed bin out at grass fer about five years, and thin as if someone 'ad ridden 'em all night fer all c was worth. The salt act. was prime : it 'ad dried fine, an' looked jes like real sweat. "It was seven mile in to the township from the Downs, and Mr Dick, afore 'c ■tarts off, 'c tells me to bring the mare along about one o'clock, an' ses 'c, if you can ride you can 'aye a few jiimps, if you get on that brown 'orse in the Lane paudick, an' make j the pace fer a. while. I tells 'im I'd like the ride, but that I'd .take my own old neddy, as ,'c 'd do right. enough over 'arf a dozen fences. Right you are ! *c says, but don t get in me road,*; 'ft says. " Of course, alV'arids on the station must go t' see the boss take down the other toffs. Bitt I ses t' them, 'c' ai'nt won yet, bldkies ! We gets t' the course a bit before one, and I ties Blazes to a tree, an' starts canterin' the mare round. ' There was a terrible big crowd, an' the races was goin' first rate. There was about fourteen horses lined up fer -each race, and of course it was only post entry. The fellows when they got a few drinks into them were just startin' fer. devilment. I 'ad a drop o' whisky ; not much, just enough t' keep away mosquitoes. The steeplechase was last but one, an' was t' start at five o'clock. At quarter to five I saddes the Gin, takes 'er up t* me noble Dick, 'oo was talkin' an' laughin' with 'is girl. He arsts if I'd seen the other 'orses that was in fer the steeple. I tells 'im that I'd seen eight, but that I'd judge the only one likely t' give him trouble was ole Reindeer, but that 'c was lookin' a bit weak. Sorry there aint.a booky 'ere, 'c says, and I'd make a pot. Then off 'c goes t' the startin 1 post. I whips up an' 'as another whisky, then down, to old Blazes, strips to me singlet an' pants, cuts a good stick, an' jumps on bareback, an' barefooE. There was three fellows at the startin' post to inspect the 'orses, an' there was ten beasts lined up, riot any of 'm up to much, an' only one beast among 'em that 'd seen a bite o 1 oats. Any'ow, they passed the lot. I rode up and gave the chap my five bob. " Good God !" 'c says, " what are you goin' to do?" " Goin 1 t 1 win this — — race," ses I. " All the others looks round and laughs like blazes," for o' course we looked .a bit off, me an' the old prad. The salt looked fer all the world like sweat marks, 'c looked terrible rough ; an.' me with old moleys, an' no saddle, among them there tembloomin' toffs, with their breeches, boots, spurs, whips, doeskin middles', an 1 the likes. " You'll pass 'im as grass fed," says T. '" Yes," says a, fat old fellow — " an' if you take my advice you'll take 'im 'onie," 'c says, " an' giv' 'ini'a feed of oats or 'ell die in a week." " You'll let me 'aye a cut in, anyway," says I, pleadin' like. " Eight you are,' says they laughin, " the more, -the merrier." "Well, we gets off, an' the first thing we comes to was a big double across a road, both new fences. Blazes an' me goes head over heels over the two of them, but landed on the right side each time. The crowd hollered an' yelled at me, an' made enough jokes t' start a comic paper, an' some o' the Downs fellows come across an' tried t' get me t' stop, they 'ad an idea I was blind drunk. I jes' laughed, as I climbed on, an' , ses, Put any arf-crowns you 'aye on me. We'd lost ground over them falls, but I i knew we could make it up in the nex' round. The two busters sliook Blazes up, 'c 'adnt known w*hat the game was at first, but when he larnt, 'c stuck 'is ears out, took hold o' the bit, an' went like a streak o' oiled electricity. When I caught ■up, I found oney six was left, and The Gin, an.' old Reindeer peggin' on ahead, end as fer the others, I seen the next round 'd do fer 'em, they was that blown. So it was me an' the other two for it. I took a bit of a pull, for there was a long way to go yet. We got round to the startin' post, and by j then three of the other six had dropped off, an' I knew if Blazes could take them there two fences 'c 'ad fallen over at the start, that we'd win. Well, 'c did, there was a whack as he struck the top rails, but 'c came down on his four legs, an' away -we went agen. I looked round to see 'oo was left, an' there was no .one, they'd all dropped out, an' in front o' me the Gin leading,* an' Reindeer a length behind. I shakes Blazes up an' gets pretty near, an' they thought they 'ad it all to themselves. Stein, 'c looks. round, 'earin' someone comin', an' 'c near falls off when 'c seen 'oo it was, then -'c makes the Gin shift along a bit, but she was a bit softer than 'ed an idea of, and she was sweatin' free an' puffin' a bit. She fell at the next fence, but Stein was up an' after us in less time ,thun it takes to say, but 'c hadn't a possible unless we fell, for the mare was pumped. I was level with. Reindeer, and Blazes goin' great, but blimme if 'c didn't full at the- next fence. Ses I to myself, 'So you're beat after all yer tricks,' but I hadn't given 'in, an' we up an' away agen, an' passed the- 1 Gin, who was all in a misery o' sweat an' winded. Stein was usin' 'is spurs all 'c knew, but we went past like the wind, an' after old Reindeer, but 'ed got too good a i start, an' that 'ed fall at the last fence was j our only 'ope. The crowd M r as jes mad with excitement, an' I could 'ear them yellin* my name an' cheerin' us, and yells fer Reindeer, an' we was gainin' a bit, but we 'adn't the time to do it in, though Blazes was as fit as when 'c started. We was near the> last fence, Reindeer was close up, it wasn't much to look at it, but 'c 'ad enough, an' 'c swerved an' run?off, an' before 'c could get raun' agen I was up to 'im, we went over together, 'ad tho race 'onie, about three 'undred yards, with cheers an' yells from the ole field, an' I won be a head. "We was cheered till all the lads was black in the face. An' it was worth twenty quid, that race, for we got the prize, an' some one went roun' with the 'at an' got a clear seven.' So all we Downs chaps got blind, paralytic drunk drinkin' Blazes' health. . ■ . " Stein never said a word about it beyond that Blazes wasn't a bad .'orse,. but I ro'do the Gin for 'im the followin' year, an' won agen. I stayed on the Downs about four year, an' Tin thinkin' of going back nexb shearin'. Hullo! I hear ole Boko comin,' ; 'ell 'aye a bottle in 'is pocket. We.'ll 'aye a drink an' turn in. " You can take Blazes nex' Sat-day if you want t' see yer girl, but I ain't goin' V swop 'im. ♦

The Rev Thomas Ladds, aged ninety-three, jusfe deceased, was for fifty years rector of LeigMon. Bromswold, Huntingdonshire. It is stated that during his incumbency of half a century's duration he slept, out of his parish only one night./ ...