The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-11
A CAR-DRIYERs ROMANCE.

lie IS worth loving, for love him So
Chambers Journal.
4 CAR-DRIYER'S ROMANCE.
How He Won the Heart of an Albany Belle
and Became a Popular Preacher.
Many years ago, freckle-faccd, red
haired, round-shouldercd Vermont boy,
nineteen years old, was employed as
driver on a horse-car in Albany. Living
not far from the corner of State and
Eagle streets was a sixteen-year-old, be-
witching maiden, who was one of his
passengers almost daily. We will call
her Louise Robbins. THIS driver, whom
we will name Henry Martin, in order to
conceal hisidentity, though far from pre-
possessing in appearance, had as ten
der heart under his rough exterior,
and far more genuine manliness than
the majority of the city swells who pa
raded state street then just as the dude
does To-Day.
But Miss Louise thought the young
rar-a"iyer the most awkward and I'M
couth specimen o. maa flesh she had
ever set her soft, laughing black eyes
upon, She drew his portrait and pre-
sented it to lady friend, and labeled
it The Red Rose, or the Horse ar
Heater" Many were the jokes she and
her ass ciates perpetrated on poor, in
Offensive Henry Martin, and he was not
50 stupid rs not to know it. Yet, un-
natural as it may seem, the more she
rldiculed him the fonder he grew OF
Miss Louise; for the awkward youth,
while fully realizing the great gulf be
.ween their social stations, could not
help worshiping the ground she trod on.
He knew how prepost rous it was for q
car-driver to cherish affection tor the
laughter of so wealthy an Albanian,
yet her image was ever before him,
though he struggled hard to destroy his
mad love. He aScertained her name by
watching the store packages sent 10 her
home, and an old diary still in his pos
session shows the name of Louise Rob
bins on every page.
His letters to his widowed mother in
Vermont at that time were filled with
glowing descriptions of dark-eyed
schoolgirl whom he thought the pretti-
est and dearest lady in all the land -
and to that mother, the only person in
the world who knew the value of his
noble heat, he told the s.ory OF his 81
lent worship OF Miss Louise Sensible
| mother tha' she was, she warned HIM Of
| ais folly, which must end only in bitter
| disappointment.
Atlast there came day when Louise
was his only passenger. With tenn
| pest in-his soul and tears streaming down
ais face. he sammercd cut the declara-
ion that she was an angel. that he
knew he has no right 10 talk to her so.
but oh. Miss Robbins, If You knew
now love you, You would not blame
me, for | can't help it. Louise did
not scream or Get frightened; she only
| aughed II his IA e, and said; on get
back to that horse O. he VIII run away
and XII us both. and don t YOU dare act
ike fool again Notwithstanding
| Louise was still iii hcc teens, she had
| listened several times to the fearful en-
treaties Of fashionable young and old
men, who not only knew that she was
! 4 fascinating creature. out were surely
aware that she was the only daughter
IF very wealthy gentleman. She had
| lold them all that they were very kind
and she would always be their Gear
friend, sister, cousin, or anything but
their wife. But poor Henry. with his
fiery head, northumberland face. big
hands, red ard chaPped, did not quite
FAIL in touching 4 tender place in her
neart. and when she had gone TO bed
that night, though she laughed almost
historically when she thought OF the
car-driver's ludicTOus performance,
there came the conviction. here is 9
genuine man, the only one Of my adj
.nire who means what he says, anC
ior the first time she piticd man. Their
| she grew angry with him for his audaci
tv, called her father TO her and told hin
Of the incident, but when the angry
father said he would have him dis
charged and fired out Of town the mex
day she pleaded that he was Il poor
simple fellow. and that he did not meal
to do anythirg wrong. But the fathe
was obdurate, and the following dal
Henry was not surprised when he wa:
not only discharged by the company
, but was warned to leave the city. tn,
, newspapers stated that the "blear-e eyed
red headed ruiiian, Henry Martin, hat
made indecent proposals to an unpro
tected young passenger in q hOrse-car
and that he deserved to be lynched.
| At night he Crept near the abode O
Louise, that he might possibly nave on
more glimpse OF her, when policeman
r. arrested him as u suspicious character
}. and he was taken to the lookup. Will
there messenger brought tiny enyel
ope containing a little bunch Of flowers
forget me -nots, and half sheet OF pa
lper on which were these words: -
c know YOU meant no harm. | don
II love You and | don't love any mar
e Please go away and not come back &c
d ten years. l.. r."
= To most Young men this would ne
: have been very cheering letter, but
y Henry il seemed the very gate OF He:
- ven.
Next day he wa, liberated on tn
promise that he would leave the citl
Ii had taken all of the earnings to SUI
port his mother, who was an invaliC
b The street railroad owed him only fiy
Co. dollars, which was all the money /
had in'the world With four dollars c
it he houghta bouquet and sent it t
Louise. In the center of it, on piec
Of brown paper. were these words: g
!, shall return ten years from yesterday
{ My hair may change, but my hear
z never. ! shall think of you every hoU
. and pray for you each night Freckles.
He found man who was shipping
blooded horse toChicago, and by tai
ing care of the animal Henry was q
lowed free passage to that city. Whe
he arrived in Chicago he had only tie
) cents left. He spent five cents in
stamp and stationery and wrote to h
mother There was 10 dependency
. that letter. He got a job in a livcl
= stable that day at good wages.
II Within a few days horse was stole
! from the stable and Henry was arrestt
on suspicion of being an accomplish. t
lay in Jail for ten days, when he was libe
a ated for.laek of evidence just as he W:
booming down with brain fever. T
] was sent to the city hospital, where fl