The Shasta courier., 1866-11-10
SHASTA COURIER.
MY FARE.
A CABMAN's STORY.

Pm not working man, because L am.-
Don't you run away with the idea that be.
cause 60 morning and find my horse and
cab waiting ready cleaned for me, and
jumps up and drives off, as | don't work as
any mechanic, because | do; and | used to
work harder, for it was Sunday and week
days, till the missus and me laid our heads
together and said, if we couldn't live on six
days work at cabling we'd try something
else; so now I'm only a six days man
Hanson cab, V. r. licensed to carry two
persons.
None O. your poor, broken kneed knack
ers for me- | takes my money into the gov
ernor regular, and told him fiat that if
couldn't have decent horse | wouldn't
drive and Ispoke bit sharp, having work
ed for him ten years.
Take yer choice, Steve Wilkins" he
SAYS; and | took it, and drives Kangaroo,
the wall-eyed horse, with a rat tail.
l had a call one day off the stand by the
Fondling and had got into New Ormond
street, close by; and | takes up an old
widow lady and her daughter, as beautiful a
girl of seventeen or eighteen as ever | SET
my eyes on, but so weak had to go and
help her down to the cab, when she thanked
me so sweetly | couldn't help looking again
and again, for it was a thing | wasn't used
to.
Poor girl" says 1, she's an invalid
She's ust such a one as my Fan would have
been if she'd lived" and says this to my.
self as | gets on to my box, feeling quite
soft for though | knew my gal wouldn't
have been handsome, what did that matter
| dn't like to lose her
- Let's see," | says again. she wants
fresh air. We'll go up the hill, and through
Hampstead !" and | touched Kangaroo on
the flank, and away he goes, and | picks out
all the incest bits l could, and when | comes
across pretty bit of view, pulls up, and
pretends as there's a strap wanted tighten
ing, or fresh knot at the end of the whip,
and so on. Then l goes pretty quickly
along the streety bits, and walks very slow
ly along the green lanes and so we goes on
for good hour, when the old lady pushes
the lid open with her parasol, and tells me to
turn back.
''All right num-" l says, and takes 'em
back another way, alters following the same
plan, and at last pulls up at the house where
| supposed they were dodgers, for that's "A
rare place for lodgins abou. here
has the young lady leaning on my arm
when she gets out when she was at the
door she says, Thank you," again, so
sweetly and sadly it almost upset me- But
the old lady directly after asked me for the
fare, and tells her, and she gives me six
pence too much, and though | wanted to
pocket it, wouldn't, but hands it back.
Thank you, cabman," she says, that's
for being so kind and attentive to nv poor
child"
God bless her, num-" says l. Il don't
want paying for that"
Then she smiles quite pleasant, and asks
me if it would be worth my while to call the
next afternoon if it was fine, and | saws it
would; and next day, just in the same way,
| goes right off past Primrose hill, and, see
ing as what they wanted was the fresh air,
makes the best of my way right out, and
then, when we were amongst the green trees,
Kangaroo and me takes it easy, and just
saunters along. Going up the hill l walks
by his head, and picks at the hedges, while
them two, seeing as l took no notice of 'em,
got to taking no notice o. me. | mean, you
know, treated me as if we was all friends,
and asked questions about the different places
we passed, and so on.
Bimeby | drives em back, and the old
lady again wanted to give something extra
for what she called my kind consideration :
but, s. No Stevey,' | says to myself, :. if
you can't do a bit of kindness without being
paid for it, you'd better put up shutters. and
take some other trade" Sol wouldn't have
it, and the old lady thought that was of.
Tended, but laughed, and told is the young
lady had paid me; a d so she had with one
of her smiles. and | said I'd be there again
the next day if it was fine.
And so | was; and so went on. day after
day and week after week and | could see
that though the sight of the country and the
fresh air frightened the roor girl up BIT,
yet she was getting weaker and weaker, SO
that, at last, | half carried her to the cab,
and back again after the ride. One day, while
| was waiting, the servant tells me that they
wouldn't stay in town only on account of a
great doctor. as they went to see at first. but
who came to see them now and last of all,
when went to the house, | used always to
be in fidget for fear the poor girl would be
too ill to come out. But no; month after
month she kept on, and when | held her she
used to smile SO sweetly and talk so about
the trouble she gave me that one day, feel.
ing bit low, turned quite silly and hap
pening to look at her mother, standing there
WIN tcdiS ~ cyCc' udu W hurry In
and get up on to my seat as quick as |
could to keep from breaking down myself.
Poor girl always so loving and kind to
all about her-always thanking one so sweet
" and looking all the while so much like
what one would think an angel would look,
it did seem SO pitiful to see her get lighter
and lighter. week by week-so feeble that at
last used to go up stairs to fetch her. and
always carried her down like child.
Then she used to laugh and say, g DON'T
let me fall Steven"-for they got to call me
by my name, and to know the missus by her
coming into help a bit; for the old LADY
asked me to recommend 'em an honest
woman. and | knowed none honester than
my wife, And so it was with everybody
it didn't matter who it was-they all loved
that poor girl; and I've had the wife come
home and sit and talk about her, and Fanny
as died, till she's been upset, she cried SO
terribly.
Autumn came in very cold, and put an
end to my jobs there Winter was VERY
severe, but KEEP on hearing from the mis-