The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-06-29
CAN WOMEN DRIVE:
An Old Liveryman's Experience OF the

''lsnt it rather strange that women never
learn how to drive horse properly?" re-
marks some irate man as lie inSpectS a tired
animal, and finds the bride over its ears, and
the bits half way down its throat.
.!I5ut women can drive" cries a champion
of the SEX. "Don't they drive seven or eight
miles to market with vegetables or loads of
hay? Don't they take their babies out to
ride whenever they can get hold of horse?
Why there never was woman who couldn't
drive, aud some Of them can handle horse
much better than their husbands cam
"Can women drive? and do you let them
handle your best horses ?" were the questions
put to a good-natured livery-kceper by all
interested party.
"Drivc,' answered the letter out OF equincs,
II should think they could, but as to letting
them our best horses that is another matter.
We have horses in our stables few men can
drive. We keep what we call safe horses for
| ladies' usc-the kind that will go anywhere it
you just guide them, old family nags, sensible
| enough to trot along and mind their own
business and not fret if they are pulled two
ways at once"
''Do you object to letting horses out for
| women to drive.
"No, indeed; We have from twelve to tif-
teen ladies week, come to us for horses, and
we give them good ones, too, but somehow
l
We don't cale to give them high-spirited
animals. Now look at tha. sOrrel,' point
ing to one from whom the harness had just
been removed. IL let that horse this morn
| ing to q bit of a woman with wrists no bigger
than my two fingers. didn't want TO let it
go, because it's such an uggly puller, she said
she wanted to take an old aunt that was
visiting her out to see the town, and she
drove off quietly enough. But half all hour
| oft I her cor,in0 down Woodward
avenue like a streak of lightning, everybody
running to get out of the way, and the old
aunt hanging on for dear life. She just had
tie lines wound around those wrists, and
braced her feet on the dash board. and whe n
she came to corner whiskcd around it OF
one wheel. The rig came in all right, bul
that horse won't get its breath for week.
''Dont they often meet with accidents anC
hav. a smasll-up:"
''NU. 1t is curious, but d woman will take
a team through a dozen hair-breadth escapes
, and bring it back all right. Wc have amy
amount OF trouble with mel, who take oui
: best rigs, get Oh a spree, and break things al
tC leCcs. woman is either more cautious.
, O, she will call upon every mai III sight tc
, help her out Of the scrapc. They are moro
, apl to lose their heads in a crowd or collision
/ hut there is most always some special provi
, Ience at hand to help them. If you notice
1 the most disastrous runaways happen whcI
some man has the rCins.'
1 Further talk developed the fact that wOme!
were not consilerate in their management 0
horses. They forget to blanket them in wintc
, and TO tic them in the shade in the sunme
They sometimes use the reins for hitchin
strap, and have settled dislike to learnn
| proper names for harness. Not one in hun
ircd could tell the difference between th
surcingle and the martingale, or had the leas
- idea to which end of All animal the crnppe
s belonged, and if compelled to divest hors
y Of its trappnss would undo every buckle i
e tie service. and take the collar off over tn
Y animal, head, to all Of which the intelhgeI
e beast would submit as if charmed, by beill
II talked IT, during the process III the wItclllr
d tones Of woman's voice.
IS All Of this may be a libel on the sex, but
ST is certainly true that when an cid tami
y horse. with ten-minute gait, comes see.saV
S. ing down the street with a cOmically reckle
st air of running away, woman's head lOol
E. out from under the buggy top, woma
Sc guides the seed in his eccentric orbit, and
&c womanS voice shouts in distinct tones, NV
nt O-o-a,' at the same moment that the reins IL
jcrked and the whip applied, while pedest
ans sCud to the walk in terror. However Ii
a Bile a woman is to run over a COW or a sire
I'd car, she will always stop or turn out for
ar baby. This is one of the instincts of Il
ne material heart, TO which even "get up q
n-g" is sacrificed.