Eltham

[NZBC]

A man walked into the shop of a Chinese fruiterer at Eltham the other day, and his attention was arrested by three healthy looking Chinese boys, whose ages would be from about 9 to 13. Though not an anthropologist the man's interest was aroused in these, representatives of one of the greatest Eastern races. He had never seen a Chinese boy at work or at play before, and as he watched these three sorting fruit he endeavoured to engage the Chinaman in charge of the shop in conversation about them. "Are those your boys," he asked. The shopkeeper acknowledged the relationship. and the customer, to keep the conversation going, remarked that they were fine boys. The Chinaman needed no encouragement to talk after that. "No like-ee work," he said, "too much play-play all-e time. Eatum up all a plofit, too." He reflected a moment, and then went on: "Too much row—row —row all-ee time: sometimes fight, too fight, fight, all-ee time." "Oh, well," he said, after another little pause, "can't help-ee," in a tone which conveyed to the customer his appreciation of the saying, "Boys will be boys." Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 301, 17 December 1920, Page 2