Enlivening the Town.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 451, 8 May 1890, Page 2

Enlivening the Town.

The cry of dull timea was on Tuesday afternoon relieved for at least a abort time by • sensation which even the demon who at night rings the firebell when there ia no fire oould not raise to such a pitch. There was indeed all the excitement of a fire without a fire, but there was at least some excuse for getting excited. The usually docile quadruped which gives the motive power to a spring trap owned by Mr Barbsr, of Te Arai, had become disgusted with the drowsiness of Gisborne, and pricking up his ears he sought to set an example of what might be accomplished by a little “go.” And go he did: with flowing mane and reeking flank he dashed up Gladstone Road, quickly clearing the track where the track remained to be cleared, and brushing unpleasantly near the trap owned by an in> duatrious Patutahi lady. In tbe meantime all kinds of people in all descriptions of attire had rushed out, Big men and little man, lean men and fat men, men with bate and men without bats, without floats and with ooate, with oocupatione and without them—all business for the moment appeared suspended. But there was a method in the madness of this animal which had grown so sportive on the rich feed ot||Ta Arai, for square in front of the business premises of the Mayor he tilted into a three horse dray—* faint crash, Te Aral-fed was released, thg trap left in front at the Mayor's nlaofl, for general inspection, and a race ensued between the erstwhile trap horse and the trio toiling along with the dray. The cargo was jettisoned for a distance alqng Gladstone Road, and .wav raced the gallaqt steeds, without the impulse of a Mazeppa on their hacks. The lightweight soon showed the track, and meantime a crowd had collected at th* scene of the wreck. The only architects of whotq Gisborne oan boast were present making a survey of the scene, while contractors and build.™,- drivers, and others in the trade were strongly repr*seqted, to say nothing of bankers, public ins. reporters, clerks, agents, drapers, grocers, and other units of the community, tbe crayfish and melons incident being thrown into the shade. The general verdict was that the trap was strongly built to have stood such a collision and bean so little damaged, but what was most interesting was the moral to be inferred, sorqo seeming to think that it was an indication that the times had broken up.