TWENTY SHILLINGS IN THE POUND.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 346, 11 April 1874, Page 3

TWENTY SHILLINGS IN THE POUND.

Referring to the conventional maxim that any man who pays 20s in the pound is honest ; a " Plain (Speaker," Avho writes for the GrahamstoAvn Star, says :— I, for one, am not above admitting that I do believe in all " the honesty implied in this expression, paying 20s in the £1 . When a man has 20s to pay the £1 with and does not do so, he is dishonost; but, on my Avord, when a man has not got the 20s to pay Avith, I do not see hoAV he is to do it, unless by somebody else. Then it is that true genius asserts itself — somebody is done, the 20s in the £1 paid, and the payer is an honest man, Creditors should remember this, but they Avon't. I never heard of but three decent creditors. They Avere truly decent fellows. A friend of mine and his mates bottomed a shaft on Back Creek, in the good days, and found it to be a duffer. They hadn't a cent amongst them, so what do you think they did until something turned np. They kept apparently wor u;» s cvw»y no it tney had not bottomed, and they liA r ed thus. Three bakers i;ravelled. round the lead, One from near at hand came round every morning ; another, from a little further off, arrived about ten o'clock ; and the third from a greater distance, showed up in the afternoon. They took as much as they could reasonably be expected to eat (and they had large appetites, on their own showing), from each bread seller. After three weeks the bakers became pressing for money, and one Saturday they alf, unfortunatly, arrived at the same hour. Their surprise at finding out the quantity of bread my friend and his mates must have eaten was only equalled by their indignation at seeing there was no chance of payment. At last baker No.l said, " Well, I'm (condemned) if. you can have eaten all the bread, y>u know. Now, just tell us what you did with mine, and I'll let you off." My friend said, "We swepped yours at Bill Soaudso's store for groceries." Replied the baker, "By George that Avas smart : I forgive ye., "Raker No. 2. xiud lt> be uulCUme in geuuiustty, Oflbtud similar terms to those of No. 1. lie Avas told that they had swopped his at the butchers for meat. He forgave them, • ' Theu what in the nation," says baker No. 3, " did ye do with my bread ?" They asked him couldn't he guess. "No he couldn't." " Why they eat it." He forgave them.