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Abergele Sparks.

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Abergele Sparks. Journalism has its tricks of the trade like every other business and calling, and I shall never forget how one of my first attempts at writing to the newspapers made me look and feel a veritable ass. It was like this. A young pulpiteer was about to leave a cer- tain village in Anglesey for fresh fields and pastures new-as well as, for more £ s. d. Well, his friend's were desirous; < V showing in a prac- tical form their appreciation of his past good work in their midst, and they decided upon pre- senting the young fellow with a handsome mar- ble clock, which was to be presented to him at a public meeting .called for the purpose. Being only flesh and blood, the recipient was anxious that a report of .the meeting should appear in a certain weekly newspaper, and he therefore hunted up the local correspondent to that journal, who happened to be myself. But as the meeting was to be held in the evening, and my home being about sixteen miles distant, I told my friend that I could not very well manage the business. But we got over the difficulty by my suggesting that everything '91, would be all right if I called upon him early in the afternoon on the day of the meeting to take down in writing his prepared speech, as weill as the oration of one of the elders of the church who was to make the presentation. And that is just what happened. On leaving the little village I felt I was in. clover, and that I had done my duty to the State, as well as to the marble clock and the man who sold it! Be- 'in fore mounting my bicycle the young minister ful- filled another important part of the contract by slipping into my hand a gdlldl coin of the realm value 20s. After an hour's hard riding I was at home pegging away full speed writing a des- criptive report of the meeting in order to send it away with that night's post, because the news- paper was published at Carnarvon on the fol- lowing afternoon, and when it did appear the account of the never-to-be-forgotten farewell meeting to the Rev. So-and-So and the presenta- tion of the lovely marble clock was given special prominence, headed in the blackest and boldest of type in its columns. < Don't think me egotistic when I say it was a glowing report, with dozens of interjections, such as Hear, hear," Loud applause," Thundering cheers," and Laughter." But I have only given you one sidle of the picture. There's another side to it. Here it is. The great meeting did not take place at all that par- ticular night as reported, for the simple and sufficient reason that the reverend gentleman met with a rather serious accident by being thrown out of a trap whilst driving to the school at which the function was to take place. He was taken back home and was laid up for a fortnight, with the result that the meeting was postponed for that length of time. But the vil- lagers badly wanted to flay hands on the joker who had sent to the newspaper that prophetic re- port in which it was stated that the Rev. So- and-So was so visibly affected with emotion that he shed copious tears! I verily believe that even the marble clock was so disgusted with the whole business that it refused to tick a single second for six weeks. Well, that was my first and last attempt at trying to act the prophet. There was no harm done, and a good report, whether it be true or not, will live for ever. -.r:

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