Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-01-30


"If you amt afraid of him, there's
your cab," said the porter to the lady;
''but make shure Of his 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 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 ?"
NO." said the girl, looking at me
steadily; ''I don't think he would do
me any harm"
"Im not going to hurt you, or to
eat you," Ireplied.
was not partickerly perlite over the
job; but somehow odd it is to
think of now-I was already sofened
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 a 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 a
real lady-that is, swell lady-with a
house of her own to drive to-but some
thing like 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 I was man of hob
servation, with haWk-ike penetration,
anyhow.
She got in the cab and forgot all
about my number, which | did 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. / 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.
"Wot's the address, [ said to my
fare.
Mrs. Botherton's, Lauristina House,
Circumambient Terrace, Peckham Rye,
she said. ~ have it written here upon
q card"
Good gracious! it was a showing and
a blowing and freezing when we turn
ed into the open street; it was pre-
cious sort Of night to 60 otto Peckham
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 W Gather, and [ thought of
the hardships of my life, and the dis
lance, and of Bill Chump'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 as 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 chambers shop and botted-lob-
ster factory; he knew all about it - he
was another of your wise 'uns, he wasi
had come out of my way-I could
have told him that-oh! / 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 / had cab with
nae, and there was only swing este
well, if went round the field, and got
to the back of Hoggins's Chapel, and
| then went straight on till | 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, cot historical, and narvous.
1 fancy she remembered the warming 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 l was dead beat, and
frost bit-and so was Bones's knacker
About three hours after we left Kings
Cross, we were in a Lord-forsaken street
at one in the morning, with two wheels
of the cab in the ruts of the roadway
and the others on what the parish called
q path and kubstone. We lad stuck
fast, and the horse wanted to lie down
Ny fare had lowered the Winder, and
was looking out pale and skeered, and
my heart went clean into my boots al
the sight of her distress, and | was full
Of sympathy for her again. Which aOGS
odd-yhich makes it more like Cal
than ever-for | was wild and hard and
savige enuf the moment afore, and
could have bullied my own mother, if ]
had had her handy.
"Cabman, where are WEI"
"Blest if kno E-blest if I'd care if il
wasn't for you"
ooh! dear, what shall [ do? What
will they think at my place, and my
coming there at this time of night"
Come there-why we amt there, are
we?"
Cant you get on any further?"
81 don't think | shall ever be able tC
get off this kub-the wheels is wedgeC
somehow-praps somebody will come
by presently, and help me with 8
shovel"
Cant help your"
ooh ior-no. Sit still and be hap.
py.@
But the cabs all one SIDE"
cit won't go over"
"Where's my box?"
"That's pretty straight-its froze VI
there perOendikley And so it had
too!
With all her fright, she laughed quite
sudden at this, and Twas glad to see hel