The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-03-20
THE PASSENGER IN THE GRAY CLOAK.
EN pAN I'D h Elk

EY DAVID NEE
"Wheu WAS i young fellow said
Mr. Tomas Bullion. of the we'll known
London firm of Bullion, Silver.ey Il Co.,
II was the most positive man alive
never let anybody else say word " h IN
once I'd made up my mind about any
thing. II Ed heard Nelson talk about
sea-ights or 5 yer about cooking, I'd
have been sure to contradict them, and
make GU. knew more about it than they
did. Somebody said once to my poor
brother Jack, the lawyer-who was
rather dictatoridl sort of chap him
self-that he did well to lay dorm the
law. for he certainly hadn't gained much
by t"kiag it up. But | was every bit as
bad as he was, and worse too
Mr.. Bullion brought out this last con-
fession with that self complacent EN-
phasis wherewith an EngliShman will
sometimes own himself guilty of things,
which, if laid to his charge by any other
man, would probably Impel him to
punch that other man head on the spot.
""Iou remember that story he pro
ceeded, "about the argumentative man
who, hearing Waterman calling on,
under his window one bitter January
night, Past one O'Clock, and fine star
light morning" jumped out of bed
rushed to the window, threw it up, and
bawled out to him, Yes, but Is it pas
one o'clock Well, sir, that's just the
sort of fellow that was when | first
started; but I've had a lesson about con
tradicting and being positive that viii
last me all my life.
''This was how it happened. One colo
morning in the early spring q don't ex
actly remember what year it was, bnt
anyway more years ago than I'd particE
larly care to count n0e), was going into
the city as usual by omnibus. There
were four or five other men in the same
line of business as myself who generally
went in about the same time as | did
and when got into the bus that morn
ing, found the whole lot of 'em to-
gether. the only man there that didn',
know was queer locking chap who sa,
in the far corner, with his hat so prlle'
down over hi, eyes, and the i ar of hI>
gray COAX So turned lnnnd bis eek
that his face could hardly be seen at all
aud he kept so still that | made sure he
mast be asleep, and thought no riorr
about him.
"Wrll, We ali beg IN talking and Sone
how or other we came rouud to the h..t
tie Of Waterln and there got NJ DIS
putG about whether the gate of lInugou
mont had really shut against the Frenci
by one man or not. Sam Lockitt, o.
Lockitt 4 Redwood (he's dead now
poor fellow - stuck cut that il had, anG
|, OF course, cortradicted him fiat, anG
said that it was all bosh, and that NJ
one man could be strong enough to do it
-tN, We "ll KNOW .G'HF ways, ON.
says Sam; you say black WAS white, il
snj body else said it wasn't. Did you
happen to be engaged at Waterloo your
self without knowing it,
"Never you mind, says |, if wasn't,
met others who were. hic;l is the ame
thing
- oi course it is. sa's Sam, winking
at the rest. Why. Trr, you're as good
as that c"uGlr, man in the stony, who.
when they a. hed b N if he'd ever seen
ne King. T. pile, "Noa, niver saw the
King. but I've OF a cousin as once COON
very nigh seem the Dock o yelling
tom
"Well, then got q.litc savage, for in
those days could never abide being
laughed at; but before could break out,
one of the other fellows struck in sud
denly:
"'Look here; Weir just three to three
Sam and we two against Tom and you
two. This gcntlem IN ere [pni' ting to
the man in the gray cloai) has ,h,' cast
ing vote. Big pardon, 81: ,hic', WY
do y0u say 1t was??'
1.-The gray-cloaked man turned Ii s
head slowly round, just like that moving
wax figure in Madame Iussaud $ and
said in sharp, chopping kind of voice
as if he were giving orders to cut some
body head oft: 'One nan shut the gate
1t was Colonel Med pnnell.
"'Oh, indeed. says |. You don't hap
pen to be friend of Colonel Nc D,nnell.
do YOU? or perhaps you're Colonel Nc
Donnell himself and We re 20 take YOUR
own word that you did it, | suppose: >
What d. goH know i!bn.t Waterloo, |
should like to know
The man never answered q word hur
Just turned down the collar If his cloak
lifted is hat about an inch oi1 his head
and looked me full N the face
Talk of being hit by thunder bolr .
If half dozen thunderb bolts had gone
down my throat, one after the other, |
couldn't have been more utterly lnnred
This man whom d been contradicting.
and bullying, and asking what he knew
about Waterloo, was the Dnkc of Wei
lington himself,
I've never been positive since that
day, and, what's more, dou't think |