The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-09-13
From Belgrayia.
THE PIG-TAX.

III the window OF our reading room at
Llanhowell, looking out rather sadly
on the scene before lis. The coach
had Just cone in from Moryaea, and
| its passengers were dismounting, and
its smoking horses were finding their
| own way stablewards, whilst the
stable-helpers were busy Harvesting IN
| the fresh team ; and we looked at this
rather sadly, because 1T 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cease running and be superseded by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 It's brilliant new paint drawn up
against the side of the hotel.
" Deed, it will be fine thing for the
town., sad the doctor, who was of the
party.
" Yes, my boy, indeed it viii" cried
Lawyer Evans. & shall 10 all my
business now in London. No use wait
ing for assizes and circuits now. /
shall take you ali up to Westminster
now, my boys ~
Devil doubt you," said the Cap
tain, making face What as if
you didn't ruin us quick enough the old
way All, we'll, [ liked the old times
best. You II be a shabby outskirt of
Manchester by and by"
O. but, Captain, consider the mo-
ton OF the times 2" 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, you
aren't patch upon what your fathers
were. Why, Jones, I've seen your
father drink forty glasses OF ale, and
then cheat a sober man in the bar
gains"
. Well, yes, he was a wonderful man,
my father, wonderful !"
And there was Lawyer Roberts,
who robbed everybody right and left,
and lived like fighting cock for fifteen
years ; and wasn't found out till after
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, and where can you
show me a 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 {?
Shilling III the pount 2 cried Sir
John shilling III the pountn Why,
thatll bea pount q day out Of my peck
ct. O tam I! [ 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 a ire
mendous 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 they
were all very fond of Sir John and
indeed his strong ale WAS something to
be remembered. But, lie went on,
when silence was restored, we must
all make sacrifices-you, and [, and
everybody-I have to make 'em first
of all. Do you know what the war
costs me, my frients and tenants I'll
tell you-mOre than a pOunt a day T.
'DCud d1l1Cy = cried all the tenants
: a pount a day ! Think of that, David
Sir John paying pount day to the
war. Dear me - And now, my frients
and tenants, it follows that you'll have
to make some sacrifices too, went on
Sir John; but tIifing-noihing to
what [ have to do. My frients and
tenants, TIE raised yOur rents fire per
cent. oil around. Now shout for your
Queen and country and your landlords
and protectors "
And they paid it ~
fcoursethey did, and were thank
full to get off SO cheap. Wasn't Sir
John paying shilling in the pound for
the country ali the time 0, you're
very loyal race -
And SO we are, Captain, and very
font of Queen Victoria, and we don't
mind paying for her too, cartain-onlv
what we've paid before it's The new
things we don't like, Captain. Bnd
what did Sir John do when the war
was over 2"
g He forgot to take off the five per
cent"
Z Dear me that was clever. Yes,
| give in to you there, Captain Sir
John was Il very clever man. But we've
got clever men in these days, too, Cap
tain"
g But we were talking about intel
lect, " said the Captain, after a pause.
during which the coach had driven off.
and the square IN front of the hotel
had resumed its normal quietude.-
. Now, to my mind, as far as intellect
went, [ never knew anybody to beat
old David Gaur, of Penliyn."
I" 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. |
The finest intellects have flaw some |
where but, in his particular way
David was the cleyerest man [ ever
knew"
But, indeed, what Wds his way,
Captain | never knew him do any
thing but run about at fairs, and earn
a sixpence where he could"
What did you never hear of Da-
vid Gaur and the pig-tax -
No, infect"
"Then you don't know half the
traditions of your country. Why,
Jones, |, whom half an Englshman,
and have followed the colors halt over
the world, I'm a better Welshman than
you are. Why, [ thought everybody
knew about David Gaur and the pigs"
Tell it to US, Captain tell US the
story"
You know" said the Captain hem