THE OLD BROWN COAT.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 185, 8 May 1847, Page 4

THE OLD BROWN COAT.

AN AMERICAN STORY, BY CAPT. MARRY AT,R.N. " I reckon you see nothing very particular in this, do you?" said an American acquaintance of mine, bringing out the cuff of an old coat, and holding it up before me, dangling it between his fingers and t;humb. " I can't say that I do," replied I, " but I presume it has some secret merit which remains to be explained." " Exact-/y," replied my acquaintance, pro-

nouncing each syllable of the word apart ; " yet the coat, of which this is the remaining cuff, was the occasion of my being just now pretty considerable well to do in the world ; I guess I'm right, ain't I ?" continued he, appealing to his wife, a pretty young woman, who stood by him. "Well, then, l'll just tell my story.and leave you to decide," said he, turning to me. " You must know that there was a time when I was rather hard-up, and how to go a-head was the business. I had tried at mercantile speculation, and sunk an immensity of dollars. I had turned lawyer, but that would not answer any way. I took to fanning — no luck there. Went out super-cargo ; ship went on a reef and lost cargo. Returned to New York, speculated a long while upon nothing ; didn't lose much, that's certain, but didn't realise ; at last I gave up business, and resolved to amuse myself a little, so I went south and joined Bolivar ; I fought with him for three years, and a good officer he was ; but he had one fault as a general, which was, that his army never got paid. I wanted my three years, and finding there was neither pay nor plunder, I got tired of it, and made my way home to the States, and at last arrived at the capital with only one extra shirt and not a cent in my pocket. I happened to meet with a tailor, whose customer I had once been, when I had money and paid my bills ; and he observed that my coat was rather shabby, and that I could not appear in it. I knew that very well, and that all he wanted was an order for another ; but as I had no chance of paying him, I thought it advisable not to take the hint. ' I think,' iaid I, ' that with a new velvet collar and brass buttons, it might do very well for an evening party.' " " ' I see,' says he, * that's an old country custom, wearing an old coat at a ball ; I guess you're going to Mr. T's to-morrow night. A regular flare-up lam told. President there, and everybody else. It's hardly worth it,' continued he, touching the threadbare cuff. " Yes it is," replied I, " there'll be a regular jam, and a new coat would be spoiled. I'll send it to you to-night, and you must let me have it in the morning, so good bye." " Well, the coat came home the next day, not early in the morning as I expected, but past meridian, and I walked up and down my bed room in my trousers, thinking what I should do. At three o'clock I called upon Mrs. T., and left my card ; went back again and waited two hours, for an invitation — no invitation. Called again at five and left another card, telling the nigger that I had not received an invitation, and that there must be some mistake ; whereupon an invitation came about an hour after my return, just as I was putting on my hat to call again and leave another card, and in a very fierce manner, I reckon. Well, I went early to the ball, and my coat looked remarkably gay. You could see that the velvet collar was new, and the buttons gliitered famously, but you could not see that the cloth was not a little the worse for wear. In short, my brown coat looked very smart, and I was a considerable smart fellow myself just at that time. " This won't do," says I, as the rooms became quite full. " I may stick against this wall till day- light, but I shall never go a-head ; so at last perceiving a young lady speaking to the daughter of the Secretary of the Navy, after they parted, I went up and bowed to her. Having heard her name, I pretended to be an old acquaintance, and accused her of having forgotten me. As I was very positive and very bold, she presumed it was the case ; and ivhen I gave her my name, which I refused to do till we had been talking for some minutes, as it happened to be a very good one, she considered that it was all right, and in another quarter of an hour we became very intimate. I then asked her if she knew Miss , the daughter of the Secretary of the Navy. She replied that she did, and I requested her to introduce me, and offering my arm, we walked up co the yourjg lady together, and I was introduced. Now, thought I, lam going going a-head a little. After the introduction I commenced a conversation with Miss E , and a gentleman fortunately relieved me of my first acquaintance, whose arm I had dropped. I coutinued my attention to Miss E , exerted myself to the utmost, and on the strength of my introduction and my agreeableness, 1 was soon intimate with her, and she accepted my arm. As I paced her up and down the room, I asked her if she knew the daughter of General S , who was near us. She replied in the affirmative, and I requested an introduction, which was immediately complied with, and I offered Miss S my other arm, and paraded them both up and down the room, making them laugh not a little. " Now I'm going a-head, thinks I, and my old brown coat looks remarkably well. " * Here is the President coming up,' said Miss E , * do you know him V "'I did once, a little, but he must have forgotton me since I have been in South America so long.!

" The President came right up to us and addressed the young ladies ; I made a sort of half-bow. " * You don't recollect Mr. ? ' said Miss S . "' I recollect the name well,' replied the President. 'You are well supported Mr. — ; you have the Navy and Army on each side of you.' " ' And the highest officer of the State hefore me,' replied I, with a low bow. ' I ought indeed, to feel proud. It makes amends for all the privations I underwent in my last campaign with General Bolivar, for the General and his aid-de-camps fared no better than the meanest soldier.' " That last was a hit. I did not say that I was aid-de-camp to Bolivar, but they thought proper to fancy so ; the President made me a bow, and, as it appeared, he wanted to have some information from that quarter ; and he asked me many questions, all of which I was able to answer with precision. After a quarter of an hour's conversation, during which the whole room were wondering who if was that was so intimate with the President, and many were trying to catch what was said, the President presuming, as Bolivar's aid-de-camp that I could give him information upon a certain point, and not wishing to have the answer made public, said to the young ladies, 'I am going to do a very rude thing — I wish to ask a question, which Mr. — would not like to reply to except in strict confidence ; I must take him away from you for a minute or two. I beg your pardon Mr. — , but I feel and shall be truly grateful for the sacrifice you will make in giving up for one moment such charming society.' ' I fear the loss will only be on my part,' said I to the young ladies, as I dropped their arms, and followed the President to a vacant spot in the orchestra. The question the President put to me was one I could not well answer, but he helped me out of the difficulty by answering it himself according to his own views, and then appealing to me if he was not correct. I replied, that I certainly was not at liberty, although I had left the service of General Bolivar, to repeat all that I knew ; ' fortunately,' continued I, bowing, ' where such clearsightedness is apparent, there is no occasion for the question being answered.' 'You are right, Mr. ; I wish all about me had your discretion and high sense of honour,' replied the President, who had one of my new brass buttons, between his thumb and finger ; ' and I perceive by your reply that I was also right in my conjecture.' I bowed and retired. " I am going ahead now, at all events, thought I, as every one was looking at me as I retreated. I had been walking arm-in-arm with the daughters of the first officers of the State. I had been in confidential communication with the President, and that before all the elite of Washington. I can now venture to order another suit of clothes, but never will I forget you, my old brown coat. t: The next day the tailor came to me, he had heard what had taken place at the ball, and I amended my wardrobe. Everybody came to me for orders, and I ordered everything. Cards were left in showers ; I was received every where, the President was my friend, and from that moment I went a-head. faster and faster every day, till I am as you now see, well off, well married, and well up in the world." " Now I do pertinaciously declare, that it was all owing to the old brown coat, and I have kept this cuff, which I show now and then to my wife, to prove I am grateful, for had it not been for the old brown coat, I should never have been blessed with her for a companion." "But, ," said his wife, round whose waist he had gently encircled his arm, " the old brown coat would have done nothing without the velvet collar and new brass buttons." " Certainly not, my dear." "And they would not have effected much without they had been backed by — " " „" What ?" "Impudence," replied the lady, giving him i slight slap on the cheek.