The Southern herald., 1896-03-13
A SATISFACTORY FOG.


~ last W seen one. saw all the log j
ever want TO see last night"
1T was thick" observed. "and it
seems to have left you feeling rather
tired"
Il anu tired said the colonel. 1T
wasn't the fog that tired me 50 much as
the after effects. Do you know that I
spent this morning at the police sta
tion. and paid 4 flne. all on account of
that beastly fog9 III tell you about It
If you've nothing better to DO than to
listen.
"I.ast night went TO the Lyeeum
theater. and when came ont found
that the fog was so thick that couldn't
even see a lamp post until had walked
into II. l enjoyed it at first, for it was
n new experience, and started to walk
home, thinking that l could fnd my
way without difficulty. A man who has
found his way down from the tenth
story OF a Chicago hotel, l,when the build
ing was burning, and the corridors
were black with smoke, ought,
thought, to be able to get the better Of
any British monarchical fog that was
ever yet made. But found before long
that 1 had made a mistake. / lost my
way, and, after wandering for an hour
or so. was mighty glad to walk into
a cabman, who was leading his horse,
and, as supposed, knew tbe London
streets as well in fog as in clear
weather. So l Just climbed into the
cab and told the man where 10 take me;
and then pulled up the windows to
keep the choke-damp out, and start
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.
eve had been slowly cruising around
ENTHUSIASTICALLY running into an
ash box or wandering on to the side
walk-for about an hour (as i should
iudge) when the cab stopped and the
cabman opened the door. was going
20 get out, thinking that we had
reached my hotel, but the man stopped
me and said: Better stop where you
are, siri'
"'And where's thatT said I,
"'Blest If know said the cabman.
TO tell the bloomin' truth, sir, l don't
know where we are any more than the
dead. 1t may be Whitechapel (though
it don't smell like it) and Il may be
Camden Town (though the road is a
little too rough for that. Anyway
we're nowhere's near Piccadilly way,
which is where you want to go, and
that's the only thing I'm sure about
"T don't see,' said l, that this con-
Germs me. 1 hired you to take me to
my hotel. I'm in no sort of hurry;
but all the same If l were you I'd earn
that fare instead of remarldng on the
geography of London
"There amt no sort Of use in wan
dering round in this way said the man.
You must see that yourself, sirl Wen
never get nowhere unless perhaps
we walks into the river or some bloom
in canal. l put it to you, sir! if that's
the sort of thing you'd like
81 began to see that there was more or
less force in what the cabman said, so l
asked him what he proposed to do about
Il.
II think, sir he said, Tint I'd bet
ter leave you and the cab here for bit
and try and lnd public house-if there
is one opener police station, so as we
can know In general way where we are
You can sit quite comfortable in the
cab till come back
"'All right says I. Only you'd bet
ter find lamp post and make the horse
fast to 1t, or else anchor him with d
weight or something Of that sort.
don't want him to start for Picadilly
or his own responsibility.
swell, the cabman led the horse
along little further till he came to a
lamp post, which he hit middling fair
with his nose or his forehead Judging
from the remarks he made), and then
hc tied the horse and went off, saying
that he wouldn't be gone very long.
II don't know whether he found Il
public house open and got drunk, or
whether he found a police station and
got locked up, or whether he was run
over and killed, or just suffocated by the
air. All do know is that have never
laid eyes on that cabman since he left
me.
"Well, I sat in that cab until morning.
There was no kind of use in deserting it
and trying to find my way on foot-I
had had quite enough of that.
ut was just beginning to get little
light, when a man lurched up against
the door, and after a little general
swearing got it open and climbed in.
He told me to drive to somewhere that
sounded like Victoria street, but might
have been almost anything else, and i'm.
mediately fell fast asleep on the seat be-
side me. Istruck match and managed
to make out that he wore q good hat,
from which it was clear that he WASH I
vagabond, and SO decided to let him
have his nap out He leaned up in the
corner and snored like ligh-pressnre
steamboat.
About eight o'clock the fog thinned
50 much that decided to make start
for Picadilly. My intoxicated friend
was still fast asleep, and now that l
could see him saw that he was mid
dle-aged old party who looked as IL he
might be bank president or something
o. that kind, with too much fondness
for port wine. / did not think it worth
while to turn him out, SO just cast the
horse loose, climbed the box and drove
of at slow walk, keeping close TO the
curbstone. had my slouched hat on,
and when / had pulled the cabby's
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