THE TERRIBLE ADVENTURE OF SING HOP.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue IX, 26 August 1899, Page 46

THE TERRIBLE ADVENTURE OF SING HOP.

A STORY FOR LADS AND LASSIES. Sing Hop is. as you will have guessed, a little "Chingy," and he lives in Auckland. He has made the acquaintance of little Frank Kelly, who is fidl of fun. but does not care so much for study as he ought. Frank knows more about what is going on than is known by half the men. Among his possessions is a "coaster.” a sledge on wheels (you know the sort of thing), which" he made, with the help of Tim Rafferty, out of the boards in a packing box. and four round pieces of wood that he picked up and used for wheels. His coaster has no brake, but it will run down hill with the speed of the wind. Frank manages to hold it back with a barrel stave which he pokes under the front of the wheels and grips with all his strength—when he wishes to go slower than lightning—which is not often. Frank Kelly and Tim Rafferty have already begun to smile upon the Chinese merchants, who may. after a while, have stocks of firecrackers and other noise-making inventions that help so well to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day when that glorious day comes round. Now Sing Hop. although I hate to say so. has "wagged" it from school like a white l»oy—that is. a bad white boy—sometimes. He was about to go to school when Tim invited him to go to Constitution Hill and have some fun. Frank and Tim overpersuaded Sing Hop. He was afraid to go. but the bad boys talked so much that he went with them. \\ hen the three boys reached the hill, which is the steepest one in Auckland, all the other boys were in school and the two white boys had it all their own way teaching little Sing Hop to ride a coaster —Frank Kelly's. Sing Hop was a little timid

at first. He stood by and grinned when Frank and Tim went down a steep grade. By and by he agreed

to go down with Tim, who ing up to a great practical joke, and so humoured Sing to get his confidence. At last Sing agreed to take one ride alone—using the barrel stave for a brake as he had seen Tim use it. "Now.” said Frank to> Tim. exultingly. “Now." answered Tim. in a hoarse whisper. Wheel what a cry little Sing Hop set up when he started down the grade alone! In less than half a

minute he was the worse-scared boy in New Zealand. The barrel stave fell from his hands and he clutched both sides of the coaster. He had a clear course and a speedy track. Speedy? His flight down Constitution Hill will be historic for at least a year on the hill, which is a long time for boys to remember any one thing keenly. One hundred feet down he found himself chasing closely a cur dog, which was more scared than he was. "Ki yi!” yelled the dog. "Ki yi!" yelled Frank Kelly and Tim encouragingly. It was a bad day for the dog. The coast et ran as if to make a record for speed. Little Sing Hop felt the wind sweep his face as if it were a hurricane speeding by. Behind him a large collection of stones chased the coaster, as if racing with it. The two boys at the top of the hill and a passing man saw Sing Hop speeding on with the fury of a cyclone. Then came a collision. Another bark was wrecked—that is. the coaster hit the cur dog and threw it into the air with such force that it turned half a dozen somersaults before it struck on its feet. Then the coaster made a sudden curve and ran right in the direction of the passing man. Biff! Crash! The passer is down. His hat is tossed in the air. His teeth are jarred. He can hardly realise what has happened to him. "Go it. China!” yells Tim from above. Frank also lends his yell of encouragement. 1 am sorry to tell what happened then, but I must. There was an ash barrel in the street into which the coaster had suddenly turned. Sing Hop saw it; perhaps the coaster had a grudge against that barrel. At any rate the barrel was in the path. Another flash of time and the coaster has struck the barrel. Then, .for the first time since he started to “eoast.” Sing Hop loses his hold. The coaster rises like a skyrocket. Will it never come down? Sing Hop r'ses even

faster and falls as suddenly. Head first he strikes in the barrel, which is not very strong. There has never been a barrel that could stand sueh a shock and come out as good as new. Sing Hop acts like a battering ram. A Chinese

laundry man's horse that sees this (Mirt of the scene runs away in fright. The cur dog thinks that Sing is after him again, and flees with his tail between his legs, howling dismally. You may not believe it, but Sing Hop broke through the side of the barrel, which* was nearly empty. There were just enough old cabbage leaves in the bottom of the barrel to save his life by furnishing a soft cushion for him to strike upon. "He's killed!" yells Tim in horror. "Sure!” is the fearful answer of Frank. The two white boys ran to a place of hiding, thinking that they already hear the policeman on the beat chasing after them. Sing Hop managed to get out of the barrel. A Chinese laundryman. after he had caught his runaway horse, came to his rescue. Sing Hop had a ride homeward in the laundry waggon. He no more cares to play with the two white boys, nor has he ever been known to “wag it” since. They say that they cured him of the bad habit.