Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-04-10
The Duke Of WslIIAgtaa's Experiment.
Harpei's Drawer.

, Inc 1uke Ol WelliAglons s tipeTlnsh
Harper's Drawer.
In a ground.hoor room in one Of
the large public buildings Of Len.
don 4 man sat writing at . table
covered with papers. He was .
short, strongly built figure, with .
prominent nose and a face hard and
massive as granite state, wear'
ing the set look peculiar to mea
who have surmounted great dim.
eulties and confronted great perils.
Few. indeed, had more pratice in
both than this man, for he was no
other than theDuke Of Wellington,
and his browning victory at Water.
loo was still but few years old.
There was the tinkle Of bell outs
side, and then a murmur Of voices
in the aDteroom; but the Duke
meyer raised his head from his
writing, even when his secretary
entered aud said: Ifitplease your
Grace, that man with the bullet.
proof bresstplate has called again,
and wishes very much to see your
Grace for moment The Dukes
face darkened, as well it might, for
the man in question was the most
pertinacious bore whom be had
ever encountered. The bullet.proof
cuirass was his own invention, and
he never lost a chance Of declaring
that the safety Of the whole British
army depended upon its instant
adoption of this 'unparalled discov.
cry, which he carried about with
him, and exhibited at all, times and
inl ali9places. Had this been oil
would soon have been disposed of
but, unluekily, he had contrived 70
interest in his invention one or tive
of the Dukes friends and to gst
from them letters of recommends
ton which even Wellington could
not easily disregard. Something
must be done, however; for al.
though the fellow had hitherto beep
Kept at bay, he was evide ntly dc.
ter mined to give the Duke no peace
till the matter had been fully gone
into. For a moment Wellington
looked so grim that the secretary
began to hope for the order which
he would gladly have observed,
via, to kick the inventor into the
street forthwith. But the next
instant the iron face cleared again,
aud overi it played the very ghost
of a smile, like CLEAN OF winter
sunshine npon precipice. Show
him in,' said he briefly. The oh.
servant secretary noted both tie
tone. and the smile that accom-
panied it; and he inwardly decided
that it would have been better for
that invsator if he had not insisted
on seeinglthe Duke. In came the
great discoverer-s tall, slouching,
shabby, slightly red.nosed man,
with a would-be jaunty air, which
gave way little, however, before
the Iron Dukes penetrating glance.
Il am glad to think that your
Grace appreciates the merits Of
NY invention,' said helm a patron.
izing tone. They are, Indeed,
too important to be underyalued
by any great commander. Your
Grace cannot fail to remember the
havoc made by your gallant troops
at Waterloo among the French
cuirassiers, whose breastplstes were
not bullet.proof; whereas, it,
Have YOU got the thing with your
interrupted Wellington. The In.
ventor unwrapped a very showy
looking cuirass of polished steel
and was just beginning q long
lecture upon its merits, when the
Dnke cut him short by askinSt
'Are you quite sure 1t is bullet
prootp Quite sure, your Grace
pat il on, then, and 60 aud stand
in that corner The other wonder.
ingN obeyed. 'Mr. Temple, shouted
Wellington to his secretary, tel
the sentry outside to load with ball
cartridge, and come in here 10 tsst
this cuirass. Quick nowP Bat
quick though the secretary Wa
the inventor was quicker still. The
monent he realized that he haA
been set up there on purpose to b
fred at, and to b. shot dead on We
spot if his culrass turned out to b
not bulletproof after all, he lesped
headlong through the open window
with a yell worthy OF q Blactfoes
Indian, aud, darting like a rocket
across the courtyard, vanishsd
through the outer gateway; nor
did the Duke of Wellington, mon
that day forth, ever see or hear q
him again.
something for the BABY.