The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1902-04-18
MAN IN THE FUR COAT

daunt. "and | NUT he on the move"
what. withou, finishing the de-
bate on ghosts;" demanded Ernstone.
I'VE have finished it,"
NO: there was an amendment.
Wilson has just asserted that. allow
ing an intelligent purpose, it is with
in the province Of reasonable specu.
lation to admit the possibility Of
spectral appearance
\ grave young man IL the corner
nodded.
(which doe, away entirely with the
existence Of the traditional chain
~clanking ghosts Of our nursery days.
he explained.
"Oh. ] grant YOU" said Mordaunt,
"thc chain-clankinggh j. quite OBJ
soletc now. Morc's the pity
THE chain clanking." unused
Ernstonc. may be- taken to have
been in some sort the tonal express
lion Of past regrets. and suggestive
entirely Of the Ghost with a Past
Pormi, me to congratulate you upon
, THAT very excellent coat ofyours. Nor.
ldaunt."
Mordaunt had. while Err.tonc was
. speaking. unhitchcd from a peg a
magnificent fur-lincd coat. which he
was proceeding to put on. not with.
out a degree of conscious, il subdued.
pride.
There is not such another coat in
Oybridgc. | am willing to wager"
continued Erns,onc.
Perhaps Mordaunt was Of the
seme opinion. a, he left his friend.
lodgings and stepped out into the
night. The air struck upon his face.
an cast wind blew. and now and then
n bclated nowilakctouchcdhim clam.
mily as he walked.
lie lSd not gone far when. turn.
ing Il corner of the street. he Sudden
~ Jaw on the opposite pavement the
. figure Of a mar passing beneath a
! lamp-post, Ilis eye vas oddly at.
. ircted by thi, figure. 1t was walk.
ing in the same direction u. himself
and parallel with Mordaunt. keeping
pace with him as he stepped briskly
on.
II was not only thi, circumstance
however. that had excited Mordaunt',
attention. Ii wa. The singular coinci,
dencc Of the man being clad. lik,
himself, in u heavy and magnificent.
ly-lined fur coat. lie sleeves surround.
cd by deep sable cuffs, its collal
turned up about the ears of il,
wearer, concealing his face.
The parting words of the grave
young undergraduate REQUIRED to hin
--"There's not such another coat il
4 Oxbridgc. ! will wager" And yet
here, not a quarter Of a mile from
the house which he had just left, h,
was confronted by a stranger wear
ing precisely such another coai a.
hi, own.
Mordaunt was piqucd by the coin
'cidenee. lie was annoyed. too, b,
what appeared to be a persistcncy o
imitation on the part of the stranger
The street was a long one, snc
there were few foot passengers about
After trayersing another hundred
yards Mordaunt, experiencing a sen
sation of resentment against tn,
man whose fur coat seemed kind O
impairment comment upon his own
determined to cross the street, ant
I by this means put 10 the test hi
growing suspicion that the strange
vas making a mock Of him.
He did so; and as he left the pave
ment the stranger on the opposit
side left the pavement too, and q
the same moment crossed the road
passing q littlefn front Of Mordaunt
Mordaunt stared at him; but tn
stranger took no notice. In the dark
ness his face, half hidden in the enor
nous folds of his coat, was effectuall,
concealed. He proceeded TO walk
still parallel with Mordaunt, on tn
opposite pavement as before, thei
srelative positions unchanged.
Mordaunt repeated his expert