The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-01

o'clock or my agent Will conO my hair.''
 CHAPTER VI.
 "A Bit About Australia"
 W HAD cup of coffee and some & cold ham, while the young man of go~gles and leather ulster
 warned away on the hearth rug.
 "You find me in the deuce of mess, Mr.- By the bye, you haven't told me your name. Twisden? Any relation of old Tommy Twisden of the Sixtieth? No. Well, you see I'm Liberal candidate for this part of the world, and I had meeting on tonight at Brattleburn. That's my chief town and an internal Tory stronghold.
 q had got the coiSaial eX-premier fellow, Crumpleton, coming to speak for me tonight and had the thing tre7 mendously billed and the whole place ground baited. This afternoon I got wire from the ruffian saying he has got influenza at Blackpool, end here am l left to do the whole thing myself. l had meant to speak for ten minutes and must now go on for forty, and. though I've been racking my brains for three hours to think of something. I simply cannot last the course.
 "Now, you've got to be a good chap and help me- You're a free trader and can tell our people what wasnout protection is in the colonies. All you fellows have the gift of the gab. I wish to heavens I had it. I'll be for evermore in your debt"
 had very few notions about free trade one way or the other, but saw no other chance to get what wanted
 My young gentleman was far too ab sorbed in his own difficulties to think how odd it was to ask a stranger who had just missed death by an ace and had lost 1000 guinea car to address meeting for him on the spur of the mo- ment. But my necessities did not all low me to contemplate oddnesses or to pick and choose my supports.
 "An right I said I'm not much good as a speaker, but I'll tell them a bit about Australia
 At my words the cares of the ages slipped from his shoulders, and he was rapturous in his thanks. He lent me a big driving coat and never troubled to ask why I had started in a motor tour without possessing an ulster and as we shufied down the dusty roads poured into zny ears the simple facts of his history.
 He was an orphan, and his uncle had brought him up. I've forgotten the unc1e's name, but he was in the cabinet, and you can read his speeches in the papers.
 He had gone round the world after leaving Cambridge, and then, being short of job, his uncle had advised politics. I gathered that he had no preference in parties. Good chaps 1T, both,'' he said cheerfully, "and plenty of blighters too. I'm Liberal because my family have always been Wings But if he was lukewarm politically he had strong views on other things He found out I knew a bit about horses and jawed away about the Derby entries, and he was full of plans for improving his shooting-al4 together a very clean, decent, callow young man.
 As we passed through a little town two policemen signaled us to stop and flashed their lanterns us. Beg pardon, Sir Harry said one. We've got instructions to look out for a car, and the descriptions no unlike yours. "Right-o," said my host, while l thanked Providence for the devious ways I had been brought to safety.
  my hosts mind began to labor heavily with his coming speech. His lips kept muttering, his eye wandered, and I began to prepare myself for a second catastrophe. I tried to think of some thing to say myself, but my mind was dry as a stone The next thing knew we had drawn up outside a door in street and were being welcomed by some noisy gentle men in rosettes.
 The hall had about 500 in it, women or two young men.
 The chairman, a weaSely minister with a reddish nose, lamented Crum- pIeton's absence, so1iloquized on his in huenza and gave me a certificate as q trusted leader of Australian thought There were two policemen at the door and I hoped they took note of this testimonial.
 Then Sir Harry started.
 I never heard anything like it. H. didn't begin to know how to talk. He had about a bushel of notes iron which he read, and when he let go O. them he fell into one prolonged stutter Every now and then he remembered a phrase he had learned by heart heightened his back and gave it of like Henry Irving, and the next mo ment he was bent double and croonint over his papers. It was the most ap paIIing rot too.
 (T0 Be Continued.)