The stayer. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1896-1903, 1901-10-24
CHAPTER |.
THE CABMAN'S FARE.

crinber wind swept down the crowded
thuroughfarc, nipping the noses and
ears of the gay pedestrians, comfort
ably lnuilled III their warm wraps.
broadway WAS thIougcd with the
usual holiday shoppers and pleasure
SEEKERS. Cabs with their laded steeds
driven by weather beaten Jchus, and
private carriages behind well groomed
hon >ts handled by Inverted cuachmen,
,rf;IN made their way through the
crowds and deposited their fares at the
entrances Of the brightly-lighted thea
tcls or fashionable restaurants. y
wilcucd mag, seated on the curbstone
il the corner, seemed to shrink into
herself with the cold as she ;urned the
crank of her tiny barrel-organ and
ground out u dismal and scarcely au-
,ibie Cacuphuuy; while an ANXIOUS
eyed urwsboy, not yet III his Teens, shlN-
cred Oh the opposite side Of the way,
as. with trcmulous lips. he solicited u
purchaser for his unsold stock. One
could hardly be expected to open a
warm oVtrcoat on such a cold night,
for the sake of throwing a cent to an
old beggar woman, or of buyinga news
paper from ragged urchin. Even the
gayly decorated shop windows failed
TO arrest the idle passerby; for II re-
,luiied perpetual motion TO keep the
blood in circulation.
Tie giant policeman on the crossing,
h.. of he law
swaveG the crowd of vehicles and pedes-
trians with the authoritative gestures
of his pundcrOus hands and CALAMITY
escorted bands OF tmid women through
the iueXtricable maze.
And withal, the cable cars, with their
discordant clangor, rumblcd rapidly
TO and fro, like noisy shuttles. shoot
ing the wool of the lnany-hued fabric
which is the life of Il great city.
Presently from one of the side streets
there came Il cab. which started leisure
ly 10 cross Broadway. The big police
man, with his eyes fixed upon an APP
preaching car. held up warning hand,
10 which the driver seemed to pay no
attention. for the reins remained slack
and the listless horse continued to
move slowly across the avenue.
Several people turned to look with
mild curiosity at the bold vabman who
dared thus to disregard the authority
uf blue cloth and brass buttons. Their
surprise turned quickly 10 nnazement
nuddismuy when their eyes rested upon
him: for his head had fallen forward
upon his chest and his llnp body
swayed upon the box with every mo-
ton of the cab lie seemed unconscious
of his surroundings, like one drunk
or in stupor.
At his side sat q young UIan closely
JnuiIied in his oyerroat, and with a
Aeaishin cap pulled well down over his
ears. His face vas deathly pale. Those
who caught sight Of his features saw
that his bluodless lips were firmly set
and that his eyes -littered with few
rrish light. He carried one hand in the
lapel Of his coat. With the other he
shook the inert form OF the uIcun-
scious cabrnan, in an effort to arouse
him to a sense Of the impending danger.
The situation flashed upon the
Eripman on the car. Instantly he
threw his weight upon the brake
wheel, at the same time loudly sound
ing his gong The policeman, too, un-
dersiOod in a twinkling what was
about to happen. and rushed for the
horses head. But IL was too late
The cab was fairly across the track
when the car. with slackened speed,
crashed into it.
Just before the collision, the young
man in the sealskin cap sprang from
the box to the street. He landed upon
his feet; but, losing his balance, he
fell forward upon his left arm. which
still remained in the lapel Of his coat.
lie must have hurt himself: for those
standing near him heard him groan.
but the center Of interest was else
where. and no one paid much atten-
ton 20 the young man, who, arising
quickly, disappeared in the crowd
The csb, inter lettering for an in
slant ON two wheels, fell over upon
It's side, with loud noise Of splinter
ing wood and breaking glass. The
0riv,r oiled of the box in "a heap.
At the came time, the panic.stricken
passengers on the car rushed madly
for the doors, fighting like wild
beasts IN tneir haste to reach place
" safety.
After The first frenzicd moment. il
brcaIHe evident that, although badly
shaken up, the passengers had re-
'elNed no injuries, except such bruises
rs they had inflicted upon each other
IN their mad struggle to escape. by
Tins time crowd had collected about
the overturned cab, and several more
policemen had come TO the assist
ance ~ the tirst one, who was now
seated serenely upon the head OF the
cab-horse, precaution seemingly
superfiuons, for the poor beast,
though uninjured, appeared to be
quite satisfied 10 rest where he lay
until he should be forced once more
10 resume the grind OF his unhappy
existence,
The cabman bad been rudely
shaken by his fall He had lain as
though unconscious for the space Of a
At