Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1896-03-13
A SATISFACTORY FOG.
by w. L. ALDEN.
Laureate.


at last I've seen one. saw all the fog |
ever want to see last night"
SIT was thick" / observed, "and it
seems to have left you feeling rather
tired"
81 am tired" said the colonel. ut
wasn't the fog that tired me so much as
the after effects. Do you know that l
spent this morning at the police sta
ton, and paid fine, all on account of
that beastly fog? I'll tell you about it
if you've nothing better to do than to
listen.
Last night | went to the Lyceum
theater, and when came out | found
that the fog was so thick that couldn't
even see a lamp post until had walked
into it, l enjoyed itat first, for it was
new experience, and started to walk
home, thinking that l could find my
way without difficulty. A man who has
found his way down from the tenth
story of Chicago hotel,when the build
ing was burning, and the corridors
were black with smoke, ought, l
thought, to be able to get the better of
any British monarchioal fog that was
ever yet made. But found before long
that had made mistake. l lost my
way, and after wandering for an hour
or so, was might glad to walk into
cabman, who was leading his horse,
and, as / supposed, knew the London
streets as well in fog as in clear
weather. So / Just climbed into the
cab and told the man where to take me; ;
and then ] pulled up the windows to
keep the choke-damp out, and stan ted
cigar, and felt pretty comfortable.
The cabman di Int dare to get on the
box and drive. though there didn't
seem to be any traffic in the street.
However, / didn't concern myself with
the cabman, for there is no use Of hir-
ing a cab and then doing your own driv-
ing.
1--WE had been slowly cruising around
ENTHUSIASTICALLY running into an
ash box or wandering on to the side
walk-for about an hour (as | should
iudge) when the cab stopped and the
cabman opened the door. ] was going
to get out, thinking that we had
reached my hotel but the man stopped
me and said; Better stop where yor
are. SIR
"And where's that?' said /.
"'Blest if | know said the cabman
n I i - l. 81. n Il
know where we are any more than The
dead. 1t may be Whitechapel (thougf
it don't smell like iD and it may b'
Camden Town Though the road is
little too rough for that). Anyway
we're nowhere's near Piccadilly way
which is where you want to go, ant
that's the only thing Pm sure about
"I don't sce,' said |, that this con
Gems me. hired you to take me t.
my hotel. I'm in no sort of hurry
but all the same if were you I'd earl
that fare instead of remarking on thu
geography of London
"'There amt no sort of use in wan
dcring round in this way said the man
You must see that yourself, sir! Wei
never get nowhere unless perhap
we walks into the river or some bloom
in canal. put it to you, sir! if that
the sort of thing you'd like
81 began to see that there was more o
less force in what the cabman said, so
asked him what he proposed to do abou
it
~ think, sir he said, that I'd bel
ter leave you and the cab here for a bi
and try and find a public house--if Their
is one opener police station, so as W
can know in general way where we arr
You can sit quite comfortable in til
, cab till | come back
"'All right says |. Only yon'd be-
ter find a lamp post and make the hors
fast to it, or else anchor him with
weight or something Of that sort.
don't want him to start for Picadill
OF, his own responsibility
well, the cahman led the hors
) along little further till he came to
0 lamp post, which he hit middling fla
With his nose or his forehead (iudgin
from the remarks he made), and the
Q he tied the horse and went off, sayin
S tl.at he wouldn't be gone very long.
~ don't know whether he found
= public house open and got drunk, {
!, whether he found a police station an
= got locked up, or whether he was ru
i over and killed, or just suffocated by II
air. All do know is that | have nevt
r laid eyes on that cabnan since he lie
| ME.
A "Well, | sat in that cub until morning
S There was no kind of use in deserving
, and trying to find my way on foot
had had quite enough of that
> at was just beginning to get lit
light when man lurched up again
'. the door, and after little gener
:, swearing got it open and climbed /
He told me to drive to somewhere III,
sounded like Victoria street, but migl
y have been almost anything else, and il
mediately fell fast asleep on the seat b
side me. struck match and manage
y tn make out that he wore a good ha
" from which it was clear that he WASH
vagabond, and so decided to let hi
:. have his nap out. He leaned up in Il
corner and snored like high-pressu
q steamboat.
{ "About eight o'clock the fog thinn'
50 much that decided to make a sta
: for Picadilly. Ny intoxicated friei
was still fast asleep, AMI now that
!. 'ould see him saw Il at he was mi
iie-aged old party Nho looked as IL
X