The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-12-10
A Cabman'
Experience
By EDWIN BRINsLEY

upon the marvellous electric ulSpidy
But soon he heard his cab door open
and shut and a mans voicesay:
Wake upr'
John Burns turned and looked
through the glass behind him upon the
features of very old man. The only
part of his apparel that was not GOV
cred by his cloak was his hat, which
struck the cabman as something re-
markable. 1t was what is called bell
crown, with large curled brim and
covered with short fur. The chang
ing electric displays lighted the wear
er's face, showing a countenance not
only old, but there was an eve twinkle
In the eye.
"Northward." said the passenger.
"On what street"
THE Bloomlngdale road"
"The whatT
"That one" The speaker pointed to
Broadway Cabby put on the power
and, turning at the corner, entered
that part of Broadway lying north OF
Forty-second street and now the live
Hest part of upper New York. After
reaching a less crowded portion of the
thoroughfare he asked the old gen
tleman behind him just where he
should take him and received orders
to turn into One Hundred and Fortieth
street. From that time the passenger
kept pointing out the way till he pull
ed up before an old fashioned house
situated among modern edifices. The
flare" opened the cab door and, sup
porting himself with a staff, tottered NJ
the walk to the front door.
From this point John Burns in tell
ing the story appears confused. He
doesn't remember whether the house
was lighted or in darkness. He can't
say that he saw the old man go into
the house. His impression is that
there were no lights in the windows
and If his fare went inside he must
have gone right In through the closed
door. The only thing John Burns re
members distinctly Is that the wind
blew aside the mans cloak. which
reached to his ankles and exposed q
pair of legs no bigger than those of a
skeleton.
However this may be, the cabman
who, it has been said, was in need OF
rest soon began to doze In his seat
He was awakened by blaze of light
coming through the doorway of the
house before which he was stopping
and saw distinctly two persons there
The one was his passenger, the other
a lady. The latter was dressed very
much In the present mode of high
waist. panniers and cllnging skirts
The man who was bowling himself out
flourIshed his bell crown hat. bowed
very low and scraped excessively with
his feet After number of such
caperings, which made John Burns
wonder. he came down the walk, turn
ing to throw a kiss to the lady who
still stood in the doorway. Then the
Illumination seemed to go out all of 1
sudden. and the passenger stepped int
the cab. closed the door and said:
Down the Bloomingdale road"
Having learned that the Blooming
dale road meant Broadway. cabby ask
ed no questions. but motOred south
ward. He received no order to leave
the thoroughfare or to 20 to any par
ticular place, so he drove on past the
junction at Broadway and Thirty
third street and Madison and Unior
squares and thence straight south
ward through what is now lower
Broadway. The life of the city grew
became the midnight OF great city
Ii llvened up as they passed the City
Hall park. adjoining which most OF
the newspaper offices linger. but died
out as they approached Trinity church
at the head Of Wall street Burns was
directed to turn into Rector street
bordering the churchyard on the south
"Stopr' said the stranger.
John Burns drew UP TO the curb.
II am under deep obligations to You.
said the passenger in a tone that
sounded to John Burns very pompous
"You have taken me to call on my wife
at her residence. and | nm now goine
to pay visit to a gentleman whom
was reluctantly Obliged 20 punish FOL
some annoying remarks he made about
me. Good evening"
with a flourish OF tie bell crown hat
in lieu OF fare. the strange maj
seemed to fit up the side Of stone
wall. through an iron railing. and dis
appeared beneath n monument located
but a few feet beyond the rail.
Whether John Burns awoke from q
dream or was so astonished that he
didn't know whether he was asleep OF
awake he fails 10 make Il appear
As to what he did the next day &c
clear up the matter he Is explicit He
motored up TO the dwelling where he
had taken the stranger and asked OF
one passing who lived there.
Don't know" was the reply. THAT:
the Jumel house. She lived In the
early part Of the last century and mar
ried Aaron Burr in his old age"
who was Aaron Burr
Former vice president OF the United
States. He killed his political rival in
a duel"
From the Jumel house John Burns
drove 10 Trinity church and. entering
the chnrchyard. went TO the monument
overlooking Rector street On the
stone Is cut:
IN MEMORY OF
ALEXANDER HAMILTON