The St. Johns herald., 1891-11-12
ASLEEP ON THE BOX.
The Interesting Experience of an
 Empire City Jehu.
He Tells About a Perilous Ride Which He Gave Four Congressmen-A Pleasant Reminder of
 Sunset Cox.

"Yes, there's good deal of knack in drivin' hack through the streets of a crowded city"
 It was my friend the Jehu who ad- mitted the soft impeachment as we tackled down Broadway. says a writer in the New York Herald. The carriage was one of the Fifth Avenue hotel rigs, and was the latest thing out of the var nish shop apparently, but with a pre- cision born of long practice and an ease which the elder Weller could not have surpassed in his palmiest days the driver succeeded in just missing wheels on every hand.
 ''You see, it kinder gifts to be second natur to miss wheel" he said. Ut ain't so much the eye nor yet the touch, as it's instinct. I believe I could drive from here to the battery, barrin' the holes and ditches of the pavement rip pers, with binders on and not touch wheel. Why, bless you sir, I've walked up more nor once and found was driv- in in my sleep. Oh, that ain't no soak, though it does sound like it perhaps.
 ''l remember once when my little Jimmy was sick with the scarlet fever. The old woman was poorly, and sat up with the gal every minute I could get off. We was pressed for work, too, for it was in the presidential canvass an the bigbugs was comin' an goin' on every train. So I had to keep to the box when otherwise I could have took day, or may like week off.
 "Well, sir, one night, when I was clean done up with watchin' and driv- in, had an order to take four con- gressmen to the Cortlandt street ferry to the limited I had these same horses-onsteady nags, but as good a pair as you will find in any gentleman's stable, and fellows as knows the way as well as I do myself, and I've been drivin' it for fifteen year.
 ''It was Friday afternoon, and the way was pretty sure to be full of trucks, yet we started pretty late too. The passengers was nervous, and one of emit was old Sunset Cox, rest his soul-who knew me well, says: Put her through, Jerry, an there's two dol lars extra waitin' for you
 "''All right, MT. Cox,' says I, you'll be there, never fear
 ''I give old Billy there a cut which he understood meant 'time,' an away we went. had 'em well in hand, and it only required touch to keep 'em on the alert, though l do believe they knew as much about steering this here vehi- cle as I myself. Then I got to thinkin about little Jimmy and wonderin' if the doctor was goin' to pull her through. The next thing 1 knew, sir, l didn't know nothin'. I was fast asleep. An we goin' licl1ety split down Broadway, and that street half jammed! It makes me sweat now to think of it!
 Suddenly I felt something tugging at my coat tails, and pulled in. It was Mir Cox, who wanted me to stop for something. We were in front of the post office. He had quick eye, and he says, gettin' as pale as ghost: My God, man, you were asleep"
 ''I owned up the corn at once, though it was done so low the other passengers did not hear a word, and 1 told him the reason, an how I had been settin' up nights with my girl Jimmy.
 OOn b Sdy WOIO, says ue. aHO upon my soul, sir, I see tear in his eye. "When we reached the ferry: Here's your fare,' says he, no changer an he walked quickly into the feTy-house. spread out the bill, which was all in wudge, an what do you think, sir? It were twenty! That were the sort of man Sunset Cox was. No wonder that he did not get rich in congress.
 ''Yes, sir, 1 had druv all the way down to Park place in my sleep, an if I had been wide-awake, with forty eyes to keep on the trucks and wagons, couldn't have done it slicker. Nothing like habit, now tell you!
 "Who, Jimmy? Oh, she's all right, an as slick gal as you'd like to see. She's in the second grade, grammar, an she's goin' to the normal and to make a :teacher-that is if some young fellow don't snap her up for wife before. There is danger of that, too, for she's mighty handsome-lool1si like her dad, eh! Thank you, sir! Yes, don't mind a smoke now and then, if it's Q real