HAPPINESS AND THE PURSUIT OF IT. 
all, or not in accordance with ‘‘sealed sample”? We 
once despatched to an agency house a consignment of 
coffee. On its arrival in Colombo, a letter was received, 
asking us what we meant, by sending them 600 
bushels of parchment chaff, with only a few black 
shrivelled kernels inside ; no remark made on the 
subject, not even a sample ; the coffee was not worth 
the cart-hire, it was not worth putting through the 
mills, in fact it was Vv^orth nothing at all. Our 
reply Vvas brief and decided, that no such coffee had 
ever been sent them : the cartmen had sold the coffee, 
filled the bags up with this rubbish, which they declared 
had been loaded them, on the estate ; and that no 
sample was given. The final result of the affair was, 
that the contractor had to put up the value of the 
coffee, which, without his signature on the cart-note, 
would have been lost. But we suspect contractors had 
ways and means of securing themselves against losses, 
which probably we w^ere ignorant of, and as no doubt 
they did lose, at times : perhaps not so much, eventu- 
ally, as was supposed, as it was not likely they 
w’ould entrust property to people, of whom they knevr 
nothing, or could give them no security ; of course 
they lost to some extent, but their gains were out 
of all proportion, as compared wdth the loss. 
Mr. John replied to his friend’s request, “Twenty 
bushels. It will leave none for my own issue next 
rice day, but if you promise to pay it before the 
first, you can take.” Of course Mr. Toms promised, for 
his rice carts were sure to be up. The first arrived, 
but Toms’ rice carts didn’t : but Johns did, and demand- 
ed his rice, his coolies were kicking up a row, but Toms 
said he could not pay wdiat he had not got, and it 
thus happened, that if the borrow'ers were to be pitied 
the lenders were even worthy of more compassion, 
for to oblige a neighbour, whose carts were sure to 
arrive, he had fixed himself in a difficulty, from wdiich 
it was impossible to escape. Mr. John and Mr. Toms had 
a long consultation, as to what could be done, 
and could not decide, until at last a coolie came 
rushing up to the verandah, and all he could utter, 
for want of breath, was “ cmi,” The man who had 
been sent to look for Mr. Toms’ carts had found 
them, close at hand, would be up this evening. Mr. 
John now knew he would get back his twenty bushels, 
and a sound sleep that night had 
P. D. Millie. 
