American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-01-30
A Hack Adventure.

ONE evening last week there was a
wedding in this city, at which quite
number of the elite of San Francisco
were present. The affair passed off most
pleasantly: the fair bride and the manly
groom received the congratulations of
their friends; their happiness was toast
ed in bumpers of champagne, and it was
late ere any offered to depart from the
pleasant scene. One lady was there
whose good husband had been forced to
remain at his Office to prepare business
of moment for the morrow, and upon an
intimate friend he imposed the pleasant
duty of waiting on Madam to her bone
The friend most gladly accepted the task.
He had known the lady long, and knew
her to be as charming a companion as she
was u devoted wife and mother. Even
the fact that he was lawyer and used
to deep plunges in the opaque waters OF
probate proceedings had not left him
devoid of all human sympathy; neither
had it quite extinguished those qualities
of pOlitcness for which he was noted in
earlier days.
As the night grew long Madame ex-
pressed n desire to depart, and her cav
alier rushed forth and about the clus-
tered carriages until he found the special
Jehu with whom he had made specific
contract.
With her nubia twined about her head
and her cloak snugly drawn about her,
that the fog 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
IAN right" Then the hack moved slow
ly off.
Now It 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: at is time we reached the
house, is it nots"
IL think So" replied the lawyer;
perhaps the man has mistaken the
street. Ho! driverr'
There was NO answer, SO the lawyer
pOked his head out of the window and
yelled, "Ho! driver," again.
Blessed if don't believe the mans
drunk" he exclaimed, pulling in his
head and addressing his companion.
Perhaps he is only asleep" responded
Madam, with true womanly charity.
well, 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 otherr'
"My goodnessr' exclaimed Madam,
gazing out through the fog, "this isn't
our neighborhood! Where are wes"
blessed if know" answered the at
torney, with deep caution. Say, you!
Bill Johnl Bob! Georgei Henry Angus
tusI Driver! Wake up, confound yOu"
But there came no reply
Then the lawyer let down the narrow
sash at the front of the carriage and
peered upward to the drivers seat 1t
was vacant! Blanknation! there's no.
body on the boxr' he roared. The two
stared at each other for a moment, the
horses meantime keeping up their monot-
on0ns trot.
"Well" sighed he.
She sighed without saying "well"
Blessed if there is but one thing 10
d." he exclaimed, and in q jiffy, to her
horror, she saw her cavalier squirming
upward through the narrow window.
"Ohi suDpOsing he should stick therem
che said 10 herself. with hopeless groan !;
but he didn't stick-he was not con-
structed on the principle of Daniel LAM
bertrand after q fearful struggle sue
ceeded in reaching the drivers place and
obtaining possession of the reins. He
stopped the horses, and then followed a
consultation, he talking from the box and
she from within, the result of which was
that he turned the horses and drove back
over the route they had come. The fog
was dense and bitterly cold, and the i'm
promptu driver was arrayed in lavender
kids and a suit of light broadcloth, the
7 coat being of style known as clswham-
mer- He had driven about ten minutes
when Madam felt that the hack had
come TO q standstill. The next moment
the door opened and she beheld her
guide, philosopher and friend, his teeth
fairly chattcring with cold.
"Ii-i-s there an-n-n-nything I can
-wr-rrr-ap myself i-i-i-i-n?" he asked !;
it's q lit-t-t-tle coOlish outside" She
uncOiled the nubia from her head and
wrapped it about his neck and chin.
"Thanks, he murmured from under the
layers of splitzephyr, and again re-
out a license. 1t lacked twenty minutes
of two O'Clock =. IN. when he discovered
the residence of his charge and pulled
up the horses ut the door, She led him
into the house. His face was generally
blue; but q f1aring 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 head to foot. She made him sit by
the fire, kind woman that she is, and
made him q hot Scotch toddy, which
seemed to dash into every portion of his
frame and cheer his blood with its ting.
ling warmth; and when he had been half
thawed and half dried she brought flor
he declared that he must drive that hack
back into town. pile of great coats and
shawls and wraps, in which she SO en-
veloped him that when he babe her good
by it was with difficulty he could climb
on the hack, SO swathed and bundled
was he.
1t did not take long for him to drive
those horses into the town and leave the
hack 1t livery stable to be called for, /"
and up to this day the sleepy hostler
who opened the stable-dOor has not
ceased to wonder who was the gentleman
in lavender kids that drove q hack into
the stable at half -past two o'clock in the
morning.
1t was Just after the hack had driven
away from the house of Madam that her
husband, worn out with the task of the
evening, came home. To him, as he
slipped his tumbler of grog, she told the
whole story, and when she had finished
she said: +" 1t was such q narrow escape!
just think! We might have been upset
and killed."
Indeed you might" he replied, his
face solemn at the possibility.
And oh, Ned" she continued; I'm
SO glad you didn't go to the wedding"
Are you, dear, and why:"
Because, love, you never. never
could have crawled up through that lit
tie hack window" And she patted his
broad back and filed another glass of
grOg for him.-Saa Francisc0 Cal.
Platn-Spoken, Truth-TeIling Women.