Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-01-29


box, with iron clamps at every corner
of it. I knew one of the perlice again.
I knew the porter; saw the boy wink
at both of 'em and laugh, and / knew
that / was sold-clean done for; and at
nv age, too, thirty-twO and q arr, and
with my eggsperience. | was sure OF 1t
before a word came out of their grim
ming mouths.
"He amt engaged, he says" shouted
the boy.
81 said I was engaged; but if the fare
warn't more than a mile"
"Come, come; that won't do here"
said the perliceman; eve can't have
any of that nonsense. Give me your
number, and give this lady ticket, and
take her to Laurestina House, Circum-
abient Terrace, Peckham Rye. and look
sharp about it, Pledge, or you'll hear
from us again" - slfa a.8a H
"This is pretty sort of go" l NUT
tered.
T eff you amt afraid Of him, there's
your cab" said the porter to the lady;
"but make shure of bis number, and
let 'em know at Shetland Yard, if he's
sarcy or asks too much. His fare is
exactly two-and-six; but you might
spring another sixpence, as it's a bad
night, and if he's civil; but he does not
deserve it for all that. You are sure
you are not afraid to go with him ?" a-r,
mo" said the girl, looking at me
steadily; ''I don't think he would do
me any harm"
"Pm not going to hurt you, or to
eat you" Ireplied. g,f..ar.. ..
was not partickerly perlite over the
| job; but sOmehoW-and odd 1t is to
think of now-I was already softened
| by the sight of one of the prettiest little
faces that mortal man ever clapped his
eyes on. She was certainly the pretti-
est little woman [ had ever seen-and
one sees lot Of women in thirty-two
years, if you look about you properly
and she wasn't happy; but seemed as
if she'd been a-crying a good deal
And she wasn't what you would call
real lady-that is, swell lady-with a
house of her own to drive to-but some
thing like a trim, nicely dressed, neatly
built little bit of a servant maid, who
was going to her new place, and had
the whole of her property in that box
which they were Jumping on to my
roof. And that's exactly what she was;
which shows that l was man OF hob
servation, with hawk-like penetration,
anyhow.
| She got in the cab and forgot all
about my number, which | aid not re-
mind her of; for many of these fares
get in like lambs, and turn out like rag
ing tigresses when it comes to settling
up. l thought | might as we'll be eau
tious. But the perlice looked at my
badge, and the porter booked the num-
Der of my cab behind which was a
mean preceding, though | pretended
not to see him. ta
"Wot's the address?' said to my
| fare. -" Sd" .-=
| Mrs. Botherton's, Lauristina House,
Circumambient Terrace, Peckham Rye
she said. II have it written here upon
a card"
Good gracious! it was showing and
a blowing and a freezing when we turn
ed into the open street; it was a pre-
cious sort of night to go otto Peckham
Rye, when one had built upon fare
Stepney way-and the road all ice, too,
and the 'orse not so firm upon his hoOfs
as he had been eighteen or twenty years
ago.
The little good humor that was in me,
Or had come out of me at the sight Of
the young woman in the cab, soon froze
up with the Gather, and [ thought Of
| ME hardships Of my life, and the dis
lance, and ofsBill Chunlp's .sing-song
at Stepney, until was in wus temper
! than afore. -
Of course [ lost myself had never
been further than the Rye afore, and it
was cross country to me, and no mis-
| take. AS for getting information from
anybody, that was as much out Of the
question if I'd been driving about
the back slums of the South Sea Islands.
[ pulled up at no end of houses where
| the lights were behind the blinds as if
the folks were up and lively, and those
those who did answer the knock-they
weren't many OF 'em-gaped at me
open-mouthed, and had never heard of
such a place. All but one old man VINO
kept a chambers shop and botted-lob-
ster factory; he knew all about it he
was another of your wise 'uns, he was!
l had come out of my way-I could
have told him that-oh! 1 was ever so
far out Of my way! If took six turn
ings to the right and then crossed a
fl eld-oh!he forgot I had cab with
nae, and there was only swing gste-
| well, if l went round the field, and got
to the back of Hoggins's Chapel, and
then went straight on till I came to
Smith street, should see Circumambi-
ent Terrace marked up. Which never
did that extronary night, will take my
solemn oath on. [ never found the
Ferris; to make my story short, it was
beyond all my powers in the dark, and
nobody about. The fare when she
woke up, got historical, and narvous.
I fancy she remembered the warning at
the railway station, and thought p'raps
that had done it on purpose 'to pay
her OUT for having to carry her against
my will. And was dead beat, and
frost it-and so was Bones's knacker.
About three hours after we left Kings
| Cross, we were in Lord-forsakens street.
at one in the morning, with two wheels