The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-03-03
The Duke Of WeIIington's Experiment.

/ In grOund-hOOr room In one of the
large public buildings of London a mar
sat writing 1T table covered with
| papers. He was short, strongly built
figure, with a prominent nose, and 9
I face hard and massive as 4 granite
statue, wearing tile 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 lie was no other
than the Duke of Wellington, and his
browning victory at Waterloo was still
but a few years old.
There was the tinkle of bell outside,
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 moment"
The Dukes face darkened, as we'll It
might, for the man III question was the
most pertinaciOuS bore whom he had
ever encountered. The bullet-pr
cuirass was his own invention, and he
never lost chance of declaring that
the safety of the whole British army de-
pended upon the instant adoption of
this unparalleled discovery" wchih
he carried about witk him, and ex-
hibited at all times and in all places.
Had this been all, he would soon
have been disposed Of but, unluckily.
he had contrived to interest IN his in
vention one or two of the Dukes per-
sonal friends, and to get from them let
tiers of recommendation which even
Wellington could not easily disregard.
Something must clearly be done. how
ever; for although the fellow had hith-
erto been kept at bay, he was evident
~ determined to give the Duke no
peace till the matter had been fully
gone into.
For moment Wellington looked go
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 CLEAN of winter sunshine upon a
precipice.
''Show him in" said he, briefly.
The observant secretary noted both
the tone and the smile that accom-
panied it; and he inwardly decided that
it would have been better for the in
ventOr if he had not insisted on seeing
the duke.
In came the great discoverer-a tall.
slouched, shabby. slightly red-nose5
man, with would-be jaunTy air, which
gave way little, however, before the
.lron Duke :" penetrating glance.
Il am glad to think that your Grace
appreciates the merits of my inven-
tlon," said he, in a Patronizing tone.
They are, indeed. too important TO
be undervalued by any great command
er. Your Grace cannot fail To remem-
Der the havoc made by your gallant
troops at Waterloo among the French
cuiraSs ers, whose breasiplates were
nos bullet-proof; whereas. if"
Have you got the thing with you?'
interrupted Wellington.
The inveutc" unwrapped very
snowy looking cuiraSs OF polished steel,
and was just beginning a long lecture
upon its merits. when the Duke cut
him short by asking:
AAC lOu tuAbC suIC IL - Obilct
proof ~
Quite sure, your Grace"
PUT it on. then, and go and stand ir
that corner"
The other wonderingly obeyed.
MIR. Temple" shouted Wellington
to his secretary. tell the sentry out
side TO load with ball-cartridge, and
come in here to test this cuirass. Quick,
nowr'
But quick though the secretary was,
the inventor was quicker still. The
he realized that he had been
set up there on purpose to be fired at,
and to be shot dead on the spot if his
cuirass turned out TO be not bullet-proof
after all, he leaped headlong through
the open window with yell worthy of
a Blackfoot Indian, and darling like a
rocket across the courtyard, vanished
through the outer gateway; nor did the
Duke of Wellington, from that day
forth, ever see or hear of him again
Darid Ker, ia Hayper'S Magazine.