The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1875-02-18
A Hack Adventure.

number of the elite of San Francisco
were present The affair passed off mos
pleasantly; the fair bride and the manly
groom received the congratulations o
their friends; their happiness was toast
ed in bumpers of champagne, and 1t wa
late ere any offered TO depart from thu
pleasant scene. One lady was there
whose good husband had been forced t.
remain ut his Office TO prepare business
of moment for the morrow, and upon an
intimate friend he imposed the pleasant
duty of waiting on Madam 10 her home
The friend most gladly accepted the task
He had known the lady long, and knew
her 20 be as charminga companion as she
was devoted wife and mother. Even
the fact that he was a lawyer and used
TO deep pluDges in the opaque waters Of
probate proceedings had not left him
devoid ofall human sympathy; neither
had it quite eXunguished those qualities
of politeness for which he was noted in
earlier days.
As the night grew long Madame ex'
pressed desire to depart, and her cav
alier rushed forth and about the clus
tered carriages until he found the special
,jehu with whom be had made specific
contract.
With her nubia twined about her head
and her cloak snugly drawn about her
that the tog might not penetrate, Mad
am tripped from the house to the hack
and entered the vehicle, followed by her
escort, who shut the door and cried out
"Ali right :" Then The hack moved slow
ly of.
Now il requires about twenty minutes
sharp driving TO reach Madam's resi-
dence from where the wedding took
place, and when this time had more than
expired she interrupted the conversation
by saying ait 10 time we reached the
house, is it not Z"
az think So" replied the lawyer /;
"perhaps the man has mistaken the
street. Ho! driver!'
There was no answer, so the lawyer
poked his head out Of the window and
yelled, "Ho driveri' again.
Blessed if don't believe the mans
drunk % ho exclaimed, pulling in his
head and ADDRESSING his companion.
perhaps he is only asleep" respond
Cd Madam, with true womanly charity.
DWELL, if he isn't tight the horses are,
the lawyer replied "just see how the
carriage goes from one side of the street
TO the other"
"My goodness" exclaimed Madam,
gazing out through the fog, "thls isn't
our neigh borhood Where are we 2"
blessed if | know" answered the at
torney, with deep caution. "Say, you :.
Bill!John Bob George! Henry! Angus
tas Driver Wake up, confound you"
But there came no reply.
Then the lawyer let down the narrow
sash at the front ef the carriage and
peered upward to the drivers seat. 1t
wac vacant "Bianknation there's no
body on the box !" he roared. The two
stared at each other for moment, the
horses meantime keeping up their monot-
onOus trot.
"Well - sighed he.
She sighed without saying "well."
blessed if there is but one thing to
do" he exclaimed, and in iiffy, to her
horror, she saw her cavalier squirming
upward through the narrow window.
-'Oh surprising ne snUuIu SUCK thoro!' |
she paid to herself, with hopeless groan;
but he didn't stick-he was not con-
structed on the principle cf Daniel Lam
bertrand after fearful struggle sue
ceeded in reaching the drivers place and
obtaining possession of the reins. lie
stopped the horses, and then followed
consultation he talking from the box and
she from within, the result of which was
that he turned the horses ond drove back
over the route they had come. The
fog was dense and bitterly cold, and the
impromptu driver was arrayed in laven-
der kids and suit OF light broadcloth,
the coat being of style known as claw
hammer. He had driven about tea
minutes when Madam felt that the hack
had come to a standstill. The next
moment the door opened and she beheld
her guide, philosopher and friend, his
teeth fairly chattering with cold.
H-i-i-s there an-n-n-nythlng / can
wrrr-r-ap myself I-i-ii-n :" he asked
dts lit-t-t,tle coolish outside" She
uncoied the nubla from her head and
wrapped it about his neck and chin
Thanks" he murmured from under the |
layers of split-zephyr, and again resum-
ed the position Of "A hack driver without
a license. 1t lacked twenty minutes of
two o'clock a. m. when he discovered f.,
the residence of his charge and pulled
up the horses at the door. She led him
into the house. His face was generally !
blue, but haring red knob shone forth :,
where his nose commonly had place
his eyes dripped water, his hair was !
damp with fog, and he shivered with
the cold from heaG 10 foot. She made
bin sit by the fire, kind woman that she :
is, and made him a hot Scotch toddy, |
which seemed to dash into every por- "
ton of has frame and cheer his blood I
with its unging warmth and when he :. .
had been half thawed and half dried she =
brought Cfor he declared he must drive .
hat back into town a pile of great u
,oats and shawls and wraps, in !"
which she so enveloped him that when y
ne babe ergood by it was with difficulty u
ne could climb on the hack, SO swathed n
and bundled was he. 3
II did not take long for him TO drive o
hose horses into the town and leave the II
hack at a livery stable "to be called tor
md up to this date the sleepy host
Or who opened the stablo-door has fo
lot ceased to wonder whe was the gen ra
leman in lavender kids that drove pl
lack into the stable M halfpast two y