River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-09-12
From Belgravia.
THE plts-TAX.

We were sitting one summer evening
in the window of our reading.room al
Llanhowell, looking out rather sadly
on the scene before us. The coach
had just come i'll from Morvaea, and
its passengers we're dismounting. and
it's smoking horses we're finding their
own way stablewards, whilst the
stable.helpers were busy Harvesting IN
the fresh team and we looked at this
rather sadly, because it was the last
day Of the old coach The new station
of Llynpenmaen was to be opened ON
the next day, and the coach was to
cease running and be superseded by
the railway bus, which was now stand
ing in its brilliant new paint drawn up
against the side of the hotel.
" Deed, it will be a fine thing for the
town., said the doctor, who was of the
party.
:" Yes, my boy, indeed it WILL cried
Lawyer Evans. Il shall do all my
business now in London. No use wait
ing for assizes and circuits now.
shall take you all up to Westminster
now, my boys2'
Devil doubt you," said the Cap
tain, making a face. What as il
you didn't ruin us quick enough the old
way All, well, l liked the old times
best. You II be a shabby outskirt OF
Manchester by and by"
.. but, Captain, consider the mo-
/ tion of the times r" cried Jones Bryn-
bella, who was manufacturer and a
radical consider the progress Of
the intellects."
Pooh. intellects 2" cried the Cap-
tain contemptuously /; "why, Du
aren't patch upon what your fathers
were. Why, Jones, I've seen y,ur
father drink forty glasses OF ale, md
then cheat sober man in the Iar-
gains
Well, yes, hewas a wonderful nan,
my father, wonderful !"
And there was Lawyer Roberts, |
who robbed everybody right and eft, |
and lived like fighting cock for fifteen
years and wasn't found out till otter
the funeral, when all the parish follow
ed him to the grave. Oh, don't talk
about intellects =
" Inteed, he was very clever, yes,
sure"
Well, now, aud where can Won
show me man like Sir John Do YOU
remember what Sir John did at the
time OF the Crimean war ~
"No inteed, ] forgot
" You'll remember, | daresay, that,
whilst the war was going on, the Gov
eminent put on a shilling income tax 2
Shilling In the pount r. cried Sir
John I; shilling in the pountp Why,
that'll bea pount day out of my peck
ct. @ tam / can't slant that And
he came down to the Plas from Lon
don, where he'd been attending Parlia.
ment, in very bad temper. The rent
day was on just then, and the tenants
dinner and at the dinner, Sir John
made a speech as usual. My friends
he said, we are are engaged in ire
mend0us struggle, in a very pig war,
We must all put our shoulders to the
wheel, for the sake of our Queen and
country. Ii need is, You must rally
round your old chief You should
have heard the roar there was, for thev
were all very fond of Sir John and
indeed his strong ale was something to
be remembered. But, he went on.
when silence was restored, we must
all make sacrifices-you, and |, and
everybody have to make 'era first
Of all. DO You know what the war
costs me, my frients and tenants III
tell yOu-more than pount day r.
'DeHd daioBt ! cried all the tenants
IA pount day Think of that, David
Sir John paying pount day to the
war. Dear me - And now, my frients
and tenants, il follows that you'll have
to make some sacrifices too, went on
Sir John; but tTihing-nothiug 10
what | have to do. My frients and
tenants, Ire raised your rents fee g)er
cent. an around. Now shout Tor your
Queen aud country and your landlords
aud protectors :"
!" And they paid il 2"
" Otcoursethey did, and were thank
ful to get of SO cheap. Wasn't Sir
John paying shilling in the pound for
the country all the time o, you're a
very loyal race -
" And 50 we are, Captain, and very
font of Queen Victoria, and we don't .
mind paying for her too, captain-only
what we've paid before It's the new
things we don't like, Captain. Bind
what dld Sir John do when the war
was over
I" lie forgot to take off the five per
cent
" Dear me that was clever. Yes.
give in to you there, Captain Sir
John was very clever man. But we've
got clever men IN these days, too Cap
tain
But we were talking about intel.
lect, ! said the Captain, after pause.
during which the coach had driven of.
and the square in front OF the hotel
had resumed its normal qmctude.-
. Now, to my mind, as far as intellect
went, lneyor knew anybody to beat
old David Gaur. Of penliyn."
Oh, come, Captain, now, that won't
do. Why, David was half an idiot"
That may be. said the Captain. +.
. don't say he was clever all round. I.
The finest intellects have daw some.