The Brookhaven leader., 1884-02-07
4 CAR.DRIYER'S ROMANCE.
How He Won the Heart of an Albany Belle
and Became Popular Preach'r.


and Became Popular Preach'r.
Many wears ago, n freckle-faced, red
haired. round -shouldered Vermont boy,
nineteen years old, was employed as a
driver on a horse-car in Albany. Living
not far from the corner of State and
Eagle streets was siXteen-year-old, be-
witching maiden, who was one of his
passengers almost daily. We will call
her ouise Robbins. This driver, whom
we will name Henry Martin, in order to
conceal his identity, though far from pre-
possessing in appearance, had as ten
der heart under his rough exterior,
and far more genuine manliness than
tie majority of the city swclls who pa
ia led state street then just Is the dude
does to Gay.
But Miss Louise thought the young
car-driver the most awkward and un-
Couth specimen of man flesh she had
ever set her soft, laughing black eyes
apon, She drew his portrait and pre-
scented it to lady friend, and labeled
il The Red Rose, or the HorseC ar
Heater Many were the jokes she and
her ass ciates pcrpetrated on poor, in
offensive Henry Martin. and he was not
natural as it may seem, the more she
lidculed him the fonder he grew of
n iss Louise; for the awkward youth,
while fully realizing the great gulf be-
tween their social stations, could not
help wolshiping the ground she trod on.
lie knew how prepost rous it was for a
car-drivcr to cherish affect on tor the
daughter of so wealthy an Albanian,
vet her image was ever before him,
though he struggled hard to destroy his
mad love. He aScertaincd her name by
watching the store packages sent to her
hone, 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
anl TO that mother. the only person in
the world who knew the value of his
noble heart, he told the story of his 81
lent worship of Miss Louise. Sensible
mother thai she was, she warned HIM Of
his folly, which must end only in bitter
d sappointment.
At last there came a day when Louise
was his only passenger. With tenn
pest in his soul and tears streaming down
his face, he stammered out the declara-
I on that she was an angel, that he
knew he has no right to talk to her so,
"but oh, Miss Robbins, if you knew
how love you, you would not blame
me, for l can't help it." Louise did
not scream or get frightened; she only
laughed n his face, and said: '1Ou get
back to that horse or he VIII run away
and Kill us both, and don t you dare act
like fool again Notwithstanding
Louise was still in her teens, she had
listened several times to the fearful en-
treaties of fashionable young and old
men. who not only knew that she was
fascinating creature, but were surely
aware that she was the only daughter
of very wealthy gentleman. She had
told them all that they were very kind
AMI she would always be their dear
friend, sister, cousin, or anything but
their wife. But poor Henry, with his
fiery head, weather-beaten face. big
hands, red and chapped, did not quite
fail in touching tender place in her
heart, and when she had gone to bed
that night, though she laughed almost
Historically when she thought of the
car-driver's ludicrous perfol nance,
there came the conviction, here is a
genuine man, the only one of my adj
mireys who means what he says, and
for the first time she pitied man. Then
she grew angry with him for his audaci-
ty, called her father to her and told him
OF the incident, but when the angry
father said he would have him dis
charged and fired out of town the next
day she pleaded that he was poor,
simple fellow, and that he did not mean
to do anything wrong. But the father
was obdurate, and the following day
Henry was not surprised when he was
not only discharged by the company,
but was warned to leave the city. The
newspapers stated that the ''blear-eyed,
red headed ruiiian, Henry Martin. had
made indecent proposals to an unpro
tected young passenger in horse-car
and that he deserved to be lynched. y
AT night he crept near the abode ol
Louise, that he might possibly have one
more glimpse of her, when policeman
arrested him as suspicious character
and he was taken to the lookup. While
there messenger brought tiny envel
ope containing little bunch of flowers
forget-me -nots, and a half sheet of pa
per, on which were these words: -
= know you meant no harm. L dom
love you aud l don't love any man
Please go away and not come back fol
ten years. l.. R."
To most young men this would no
have been very cheering letter, but t.
Henry it seemed the very gate OF Hea
ven.
Next day he was liberated on the
promise that he would leave the city
1t had taken all of the earnings to sup
port his mother, who was an invalid
The street railroad owed him only five
dollars, which was all the money h'
had in the world. With four dollars o
1t ne bought a bouquet and SEM :: t.
Louise, In the center of it, on piect
OF brown paper, were these words: -.
Shall return ten years from yesterday
fby hair may change, but my hear