The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-03-16
KENOSHA WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, MARCH, Is 1865


beside me was what took at first to b
some anatomical curiosity in a glass case
but these were the legs of the driver, seel
f through a little window, as above mention
ed; this spectacle also affords, l suppose
, some pleasure or it would surely be exclu
ded from the view of the passengers.
Ever since my husbands departure tn,
cab had never ceased to exclaim, in an ex
q cited and irritable manner, ''Rilloke Rill0ker'
by which artful exclamation as | subse
f quently made out, he was striving to lure
? some other person to occupy the super6cies
| have already alluded to; but in this infa
2 nous purpose, am happy to say, he did not
, succeed. Although unable to look out of the
window Except at the legs of the driver,
by reason Of intervening Opaque bodies, (the
size, by the by, of all my fellow passengers
was stupenduops, although continued trav-
ell IN such conveyances would should have
Imagined, produced tenuity), was yet I'M
able to calculate by the time consumed that
L must be getting near my destination.
One or two persons having left the vehi-
Gle, | began to think that | might be able
to extricate myself without much difficulty.
So felt for my purse, and by exertions,
which may fairly designate as ''superhu
man, managed to get it out of my pocket.
First felt in the gold department, simply
because ones fingers always do get there
when one wants the silver one. One never
carries gold, when one goes out with ones
husband shopping, for obvious reasons, and
i therefore was not surprised to find none
Then | felt in the silver departments and a
shudder shook my frame, for there was
nothing there. However, always carry
stamps and the man would surely take
twelve stamps instead of fourpence. Alas !!
that very morning had given my sister all
my stamps save one toput on a quantity of
charity circulars she was posting; and that
one she had laughingly refused to take up
on the ground that it had no gum on it and
looked as ifhad been used before
! That doubtful stamp was all that | now
found myself possessed of in the way of e-
gal tender
Hot and cold, pale and flushed, fever-dry
and damp with the dews of terror, all these
physical changes took me one after the 9th
Ell, while mentally my reason was shaken
to its very center. f.
i-had never been in the position of an
unprotected female before | scarcely knew
what it was to be without coachman and
footman within call. As to being alone and
penniless, could scarcely picture to myself
the actual horrors of such situation. Att
this moment, over the shoulder of my oppo-
site neighbor, beheld prison-van pass by
as though it had been sent to me for sign
A little later while | was still GevisinIi
scheme after scheme of escape and dismiss
ing one after the other as impracticable, a. |
mob Of people INSTRUCTED our progress, the
hgures III the foreground of which were
policemen and lady well dressed the lat
ter Of whom had been taken up for shop
lifting.
'Sarve her right ma'am,' observed the
only member of my own sex now left in the |
vehicle; and the hard manner in which |
she said it shattered in an instant the re-
solve had formed of asking her-for the
love of all she held sacred--to lend me a
tourpennybit.
felt certain she would see me borne
away to prison or the hulks, or whatever
dreadful destination my circumstances
might earn for me, without paug of sym.
pathy or pity
| fancied [ remembered the very words of
some penal statute specially directed against
persons who obtained ride in public con
veyance, under falls, pretenses, the last three
words in particular were impressed upon my
memory.
How many days would elapse wonder
ed, before | should be permitted to commu-
nicate with my husband?
AS for asking strange gentleman to
lend me fourpence, | was sure that l could |
never do'that. felt to begin with, that
should scarcely be able to make myself
hoe r1 kba a., l.
iterate:
''What ma'am ~
And then | would have to repeat the
question dozen times.
And now we were getting awfully near
the Terrace for which was bound.
We passed through Westbourn Place.
where there were many tradesmens shops
with which dealt; and perhaps | could
have pursuaded the conductor to step with |
me INTO the grocer's or the hair-dresser's and
so get paid; but | dared not to let these
people know that ever travelled in an ON
nibus; it would get all over the neighbor-
hood; no-anything was better than such |
disclosure as that.
Past the g leaning shops we ratified, and
into the familiar terrace, within a stone
throw of my home. /
The lady for Westbourn Terrace - cried
the conductor, stopping the vehicle, AMI
tlinging open the door with very loud
crash.
''Never mind" said |, feebly-s'never
mind my good man; it's of no consequence;
I'll go on little further
Just as you please, ma'am, returned the |
and looking at me rather queer
ly; there's no hextra charge to the journeys
end" /
Thank goodness for that" murlnured I, /
cannot then, be declared defaulter to a /
greater extent than fourpence. The offence
is not increased by my sitting here; and
surely, procrastination is better than the I
peril.
BY waiting until this horrid machine stops
shall have an opportunity of private con
ference with this Man, and my passionate
appeal may move him. |
Not however , that | had much hope of /
this; for he was hard and shining man. |
upon whom the rain seemed to have no eff |
feet beyond making him shine, the more;
and tears would probably be even less re-
garded. |
After had observed that, ut was of no
consequence where got out" the other
passengers all fixed their eyes upon me fur. !
lively, and although strangers to one anotb
er, exchanged meaning looks among them
selves.
/ knew very well what they were winking
about. They concluded | was out of nv
mind; and when thought of the dear chill |
dren at home, fiattening their noses against |
the drawing room window, in hopeful ex-
pectation of their mammals return. and of |
the loose money that was lying in my dress
ing case, any smallest coin of which would
be worth forty times its weight in virgin /
gold, If it was only i'll my pocket instead of
there; felt that was very nearly going
mad III reality. However, these wretches /
went out one by one; aud heard the con
ductor scramble over the roof of the vehicle
doubtless to tell mis- friend the driver. what
a queer fare they had got inside, who was
determined to get her monev's worth Inv