Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-09-22
THE DUKE OF WKLLINGTON'S
( EXPERIMENT.

In a ground-foor room in one of
the large public buildings of London
a man sat writing at table covered
with papers. He was a short, strong
ly built figure, with prominent nose,
anil a face hard and massive as
granite statue, wearing the set look |
peculiar to men who have surmounted
great difficulties and confronted great
perils. Few, indeed, had had more
practice in both than this man, for
he was no other than the Duke of
Wellington, and his crowning victory
at Waterloo was still but few years
old.
There was the tinkle of bell out
side, and then murmur of voices
in the anteroom but the Duke never
raised his head from his writing, even
when his secretary entered and said,
''If it please your Grace, that man
with the bullet-proof breastplate has
called again, and wishes very much
to see your Grace for a moment
The Dukes face darkened, as well
it might, for the man in question was
the most pertinacious bore whom he
had ever encountered. The bullet
proof cuirass was his own invention,
and he never lost a chance of declar-
ing that the safety of the whole
British army depended upon its in
slant adoption of this unparalleled
discovery" which he carried about
with him, and exhibited at all times
and in all places.
Had this been all, he would soon
have been disposed of; but, unluck-
ily he had contrived to interest in his
invention one or two of the Dukes
personal friends, and to get from
them letters of recommendation
which even Wellington could not
easily disregard. Something must
clearly be done, however; for al
though the fellow had hitherto been
kept at bay, be was evidently deter
mined to give the Duke no peace till
the matter had been fully gone into.
For moment Wellington looked
SO grim that the secretary began to
hope for the order which he would
gladly have obeyed, viz, to kick the
inventor into the street forthwith.
But the next instant the iron face
cleared again, and over it played the
very ghost of smile, like a CLEAN
of winter sunshine upon precipice
"Show him in, said he, briefly.
The observant secretary noted botl
the tone and the smile that accom-
panied it; and he inwardiy decided
that it would have been better fol
that inventor if he had not insisted
on seeing the Duke.
In came the great discoverer-;
: tall, slouching, shabby, slightly red
| nosed man, with would-be jaunt,
/ air, which gave way little, however
, before the ''Iron Dukes" penetrat
7 ing glance.
''I am glad to think that you
+ Grace appreciates the merits of m
| invention,' said he, in a patronizin,
/ tone. "They are, indeed, too i'm
7 portant to be undervalued by an
5 great commander. Your Grace ca
i not fail to remember the havoc mad
j. by your gallant troops at Waterlo
among the French cuirassiers, who's
/ breastplates were not bullet proof
: whereas, if"
: ''Have you got the thing wit
: you?" interrupted Wellington.
!. The inventor unwrapped yer
e snowy looking cuirass Of polishe
: steel, and was just beginning Ion
:. lecture upon its merits, when th
e Duke cut him short by asking,
+; care you quite sure it is bulle
n proof?"
s'Quite sure, your Grace"
e 'sPut it on, then, and 90 and stan
II in that corner"
n The other wonderingly obeyed.
), tMr. Temple" shouted Wellins
: ton to his secretary, "tell the sentr
n outside to load with ball-cartridgt
e and come in here to test this cuirass
is Quick, now -
d But quick though the secretary wa
n the inventor was quicker still. I'll
d moment he realized that he had bee
e set up there on purpose to be fire
e at, and to be shot dead ON the spt
'e if his cuirass turned out to be n
= bullet-proof after all, he leaped heat
IL long through the open window wit
n yell worthy of Blackfoot Indian
1t and darting like rocket across Il
1t court yard, vanished through IL
outer gateway nor did the Duke I
Wellington, from that day forth, ey
see or hear of him again.-Dav
Ker, IN Harper's Magazine for Oct
y 1o,