Chapter 43.
A Friend in Need The election day came at last.
There was no lack of work for Jerry and me.
First came a stout,
Puffy gentleman with a carpet bag.
He wanted to go to the Bishopgate station.
Then we were called to a party who wished to be taken to the Regent's Park.
And next we were wanted in a side street where a timid,
Anxious old lady was waiting to be taken to the bank.
There we had to stop to take her back again.
And just as we had set her down,
A red-faced gentleman with a handful of papers came running up out of breath.
And before Jerry could get down,
He had opened the door,
Popped himself in,
And called out.
Bow Street Police Station,
Quick!
So off we went with him.
And when,
After another turn or two,
We came back,
There was no other cab on the stand.
Jerry put on my nose bag,
For as he said,
We must eat when we can on such days as these.
So munch away,
Jack,
And make the best of your time,
Old boy.
I had found a good deal of crushed oats wetted up with a little bran.
This would be a treat any day,
But very refreshing then.
Jerry was so thoughtful and kind.
What horse would not do his best for such a master?
Then he took out one of Molly's meat pies,
And standing near me,
He began to eat it.
The streets were very full,
And the cabs,
With the candidates' colors on them,
Were dashing about through the crowd as if life and limb were of no consequence.
We saw two people knocked down that day,
And one was a woman.
The horses were having a bad time of it,
Poor things.
But the voters inside thought nothing of that.
Many of them were half drunk,
Hurraying out the cab windows if their own party came by.
It was the first election I had seen,
And I don't want to be in another,
Though I have heard things are better now.
Jerry and I had not eaten many mouthfuls before a young poor woman,
Carrying a heavy child,
Came along the street.
She was looking this way and that,
And seemed quite bewildered.
Presently she made her way up to Jerry and asked if he would tell her the way to St.
Thomas' Hospital and how far it was to get there.
She had come from the country that morning,
She said,
In a market cart.
She did not know about the election,
And was quite a stranger in London.
She had got an order for the hospital for her little boy.
The child was crying with a feeble,
Pining cry.
Poor little fellow,
She said,
He suffers a deal of pain.
He is four years old and can't walk any more than a baby.
But the doctor said if I could get him to the hospital,
He might get well.
Pray,
Sir,
How far is it,
And which way is it?
Why,
Mrs.
,
Said Jerry,
You can't get there walking through crowds like this.
Why,
It's three miles away,
And that child is heavy.
Yes,
Bless him,
He is,
But I am strong,
Thank God,
And if I knew the way,
I think I should get on somehow.
Please tell me the way.
You can't do it,
Said Jerry.
You might be knocked down and the child would be run over.
Now look here,
Just get in this cab,
And I'll drive you safe to the hospital.
Don't you see the rain is coming on?
No,
Sir,
No,
I can't,
But thank you.
I have only just the money enough to get back with.
Please tell me the way.
Look here,
Mrs.
,
Said Jerry,
I've got a wife and dear children at home,
And I know a father's feeling.
Now get you into that cab,
And I'll take you there for nothing.
I'd be ashamed of myself to let a woman and a sick child run a risk like that.
Heaven bless you,
Said the woman,
And burst into tears.
There,
There,
Cheer up,
My dear.
I'll soon take you there.
Come,
Let me put you inside.
As Jerry went to open the door,
Two men with colors in their hats and buttonholes ran up,
Calling out,
Cab!
Engaged,
Cried Jerry,
But one of the men pushing past the woman sprang into the cab,
Followed by the other.
Jerry looked as stern as a policeman.
This cab is already engaged,
Gentlemen,
By that lady.
Lady,
Said one of them.
Oh,
She can wait.
Our business is very important.
Besides,
We are in first.
It is our right,
And we shall stay in.
A droll smile came over Jerry's face as he shut the door upon them.
All right,
Gentlemen,
Pray stay in as long as it suits you.
I can wait while you rest yourselves.
And turning his back upon them,
He walked up to the young lady who was standing near me.
They'll soon be gone,
He said,
Laughing.
Don't trouble yourself,
My dear.
And they soon were gone,
For when they understood Jerry's dodge,
They got out,
Calling him all sorts of bad names and blustering about his number and getting a summons.
After this little stoppage,
We were soon on our way to the hospital,
Going as much as possible through bystreets.
Jerry rung the great bell and helped the young woman out.
Thank you a thousand times,
She said.
I could have never gotten here alone.
You're kindly welcome,
And I hope the dear child will soon be better.
He watched her go in at the door,
And then he patted my neck,
Which was always his way when anything pleased him.
The rain was now coming down fast,
And just as we were leaving the hospital,
The door opened again,
And the porter called out,
Cab!
We stopped,
And a lady came down the steps.
Jerry seemed to know her at once.
She put back her veil and said,
Barker,
Jeremiah Barker,
Is it you?
I am very glad to find you here.
You are just the friend I want,
For it is difficult to get a cab in this part of London today.
I shall be proud to serve you,
Ma'am.
I am right glad I happen to be here.
Where may I take you to,
Ma'am?
To the Paddington station,
And then,
If we are good in time,
As I think we shall be,
You shall tell me all about Mary and the children.
We got to the station in good time,
And being under shelter,
The lady stood a good while talking to Jerry.
I found she had been Polly's mistress,
And after many inquiries about her,
She said,
How do you find the cab work suits you in the winter?
I know Mary was rather anxious about you last year.
Yes,
Ma'am,
She was.
I had a bad cough that followed me quite into the warm weather,
And when I am kept out late she does worry herself quite a good deal.
You see,
Ma'am,
It is all hours and all weathers,
And that does try a man's constitution,
But I am getting on pretty well,
And I should feel quite lost if I had not horses to look after.
I was brought up to it,
And I am afraid I should not do so well at anything else.
Well,
Bark her,
She said.
It would be a great pity that you should seriously risk your health in this work,
Not only for your own,
But for Mary's and the children's sake.
There are many places where good drivers or good grooms are wanted,
And if you ever think you ought to give up this cab work,
Let me know.
Then sending some kind messages to Mary,
She put something into his hand,
Saying,
There is five shillings each for the two children.
Mary will know how to spend it.
Jerry thanked her and seemed much pleased,
And turning out of the station we at last reached home,
And I,
At least,
Was tired.
Captain and I were great friends.
He was a noble old fellow,
And he was very good company.
I never thought that he would have to leave his home and go down the hill,
But his turn came,
And this is how it happened.
I was not there,
But I heard all about it.
He and Jerry had taken a party to the great railway station over London Bridge and were coming back,
Somewhere between the bridge and the monument,
When Jerry saw a brewer's empty dray coming along,
Drawn by two powerful horses.
The drayman was lashing his horses with heavy whips.
The dray was light,
And they started off at a furious rate.
The man had no control over them,
And the street was full of traffic.
One girl was knocked down and run over,
And the next moment they dashed up against our cab,
Both the wheels were torn off and the cab was thrown over.
Captain was dragged down,
The shaft splintered,
And one of them ran into his side.
Jerry,
Too,
Was thrown,
But was only bruised.
Nobody could tell how he escaped.
He always said it was a miracle.
When poor Captain was got up,
He was found to be very much cut and knocked about.
Jerry led him gently home,
And a sad sight it was to see the state he was in.
The drayman was proved to be very drunk and was fine,
And the brewer had to pay damages to our master,
But there was no one to pay damages to poor Captain.
The farrier and Jerry did the best they could to ease him and make him comfortable.
The fly had to be mended,
And for several days I did not go out,
And Jerry earned nothing.
The first time we went to the stand after the accident,
The governor came up to hear how Captain was.
He'll never get over it,
Said Jerry,
At least not for my work.
So the farrier said this morning,
He says he may be okay for carting and that sort of work.
It has put me out very much,
Carting indeed.
I've seen what horses come to with that work around London.
I only wish all the drunkards could be put in a lunatic asylum instead of being allowed to run foul of sober people.
If they would break their own bones and smash their own carts and lame their own horses,
That would be their own affair,
And we might let them alone,
But it seems to me that the innocent always suffer.
And then they talk about compensation.
You can't make compensation.
There's all the trouble and vexation and loss of time.
Besides,
Losing a good horse like that,
That's an old friend.
It's nonsense talking about compensation.
If there's one devil that I should like to see in this bottomless pit more than another,
It's the drink devil.
I say,
Jerry,
Said the governor,
You are treading pretty hard on my toes,
You know.
I'm not so good as you,
More shame to me.
I wish I was.
Well,
Said Jerry,
Why don't you cut with it,
Governor?
You are too good a man to be of the slave kind of thing.
I'm a great fool,
Jerry,
But I tried once for two days,
And I thought I should have died.
How did you do?
I had hard work at it for several weeks.
You see,
I never did get drunk,
But I found that I was not my own master,
And that when the craving came on,
It was hard to say no.
I saw that one of us must knock under,
The drink devil or Jerry Barker,
And I said that it should not be Jerry Barker,
God helping me,
But it was a struggle,
And I wanted all the help I could get.
For till I tried to break the habit,
I did not know how strong it was,
But then Polly took such pains that I should have good food,
And when the craving came on,
I used to get a cup of coffee or some peppermint or read a bit in my book,
And that was a help to me.
Sometimes I had to say over and over to myself,
Give up the drink or lose your soul,
Give up the drink or break Polly's heart,
But thanks be to God and my dear wife,
My chains were broken,
And now for ten years I have not tasted a drop and never wished for it.
I have a great mind to try at it,
Said Grant,
For tis a poor thing not to be one's own master.
Do,
Governor,
Do.
You'll never repent it,
And what a help it would be to some of the poor fellas in our rank if they saw you do without it.
I know there's two or three who would like to keep out of the tavern if they could.
At first Captain seemed to do well,
But he was a very old horse,
And it was only his wonderful constitution and Jerry's care that had kept him at the cab work so long.
Now he broke down very much.
The farrier said he might mend up enough to sell for a few pounds,
But Jerry said no.
A few pounds got by selling a good old servant into hard work and misery would canker all the rest of his money,
And he thought the kindest thing he could do for the fine old fellow would to put him out of his misery.
The day after this was decided,
Harry took me to the forge for some new shoes,
And when I returned Captain was gone.
I and the family all felt it very much.
Jerry had now to look for another horse,
And he soon heard of one through the acquaintance who was undergroom in a nobleman's stable.
He was a valuable young horse,
But he had run away,
Smashed into another carriage,
Flung his lordship out,
And so cut and blemished himself that he was no longer fit for a gentleman's stable,
And the coachman had orders to look around and sell him as well as he could.
I can do with high spirits,
Said Jerry,
If a horse is not vicious or hard-mouthed.
There is not a bit of vice in him,
Said the man.
His mouth is very tender,
And I think myself that this was the cause of the accident.
You see,
He had just been clipped,
And the weather was bad,
And he had not had exercise enough,
And when he did go out he was in full of spring as a balloon.
Our governor,
The coachman I mean,
Had him harnessed in as tight and as strong as he could with the martingale and the check rein,
A very sharp curb,
And the reins put at the bottom bar.
It is my belief that it made the horse mad,
Being tender in the mouth and so full of spirit.
Likely enough,
I'll come and see him,
Said Jerry.
The next day Hotspur,
That was his name,
Came home.
He was a fine brown horse without a white hair in him,
As tall as Captain,
And a very handsome head,
And only five years old.
I gave him a friendly greeting by way of a good fellowship,
But did not ask him any questions.
The first night he was very restless.
Instead of lying down,
He kept jerking his halter rope up and down through the ring and knocking the block about against the manger till I could not sleep.
However,
The next day,
After five or six hours in the cab,
He came in quiet and sensible.
Jerry patted and talked to him a good deal,
And very soon they understood each other.
And Jerry said that with an easy bit and plenty of work he would be as gentle as a lamb,
And that it was an ill wind that blew nobody good,
For if his lordship had lost a hundred guinea favorite,
The cabman had gained a good horse with all his strength in him.
Hotspur thought it was a great come down to be a cab horse,
And was disgusted at standing in the rank,
But he confessed to me at the end of the week that an easy mouth and a free head made up a great deal.
After all,
The work was not so degrading as having one's head and tail fastened to each other at the saddle.
In fact,
He settled in well,
And Jerry liked him very much.
Chapter Forty-Five Jerry's New Year For some people Christmas and the New Year are very merry times,
But for cabman and cabman's horses it is no holiday,
Though it may be a harvest.
There are so many parties,
Balls,
And places of amusement open that the work is hard,
And often late.
Sometimes driver and horse have to wait for hours in the rain or frost,
Shivering with the cold,
While the merry people within are dancing away to the music.
I wonder if the beautiful ladies ever think of the weary cabman waiting on his box,
And his patient beast standing,
Till his legs get stiff with cold.
I had now most of the evening work,
As I was well accustomed to standing,
And Jerry was also more afraid of Hotspur taking cold.
We had a great deal of late work in the Christmas week,
And Jerry's cough was bad,
But however late we were,
Polly sat up for him and came out with a lantern to meet him,
Looking anxious and troubled.
On the evening of the New Year,
We had to take two gentlemen to a house in one of the West End squares.
We set them down at nine o'clock,
And were told to come again at eleven.
But,
Said one,
As it is a card party,
You may have to wait a few minutes,
But don't be late.
As the clock struck eleven,
We were at the door,
For Jerry was always punctual.
The clock chimed the quarters,
One,
Two,
Three,
And then struck twelve,
But the door did not open.
The wind had been very changeable,
With squalls of rain during the day,
But now it came on sharp,
Driving sleet,
Which seemed to come all the way around.
It was very cold and there was no shelter.
Jerry got off his box,
And came and pulled one of my cloths a little more over my neck.
Then he took up a turn or two and down,
Stamping his feet.
Then he began to beat his arms,
But that set him off coughing.
So he opened the cab door and sat at the bottom with his feet on the pavement,
And was a little sheltered.
Still the clock chimed the quarters and no one came.
At half past twelve,
He rang the bell,
And asked the servant if he would be wanted that night.
Oh yes,
You'll be wanted safe enough,
Said the man.
You must not go,
It will soon be over.
And again Jerry sat down,
But his voice was so hoarse I could hardly hear him.
At a quarter past one the door opened,
And the two gentlemen came out.
They got into the cab without a word,
And told Jerry where to drive,
That was nearly two miles.
My legs were numb with cold,
And I thought I should have stumbled.
When the men got out they never said they were sorry to have kept us waiting so long,
But were angry at the charge.
However,
As Jerry never charged more than his due,
So he never took less,
And they had to pay him for the two hours of waiting.
But it was hard-earned money for Jerry.
At last we got home,
He could hardly speak,
And his cough was dreadful.
Polly asked no questions,
But opened the door and held the lantern for him.
Can't I do something,
She said.
Yes,
Get Jack something warm,
And then boil me some gruel.
This was said in a hoarse whisper,
He could hardly get his breath.
But he gave me a rum down as usual,
And even went up into the hay loft for an extra bundle of straw for my bed.
Polly brought me a warm mash that made me comfortable,
And then they locked the door.
It was late the next morning before anyone came,
And then it was only Harry.
He cleaned us and fed us,
And swept out the stalls,
Then he put the straw back in again as if it was Sunday.
He was very still,
And neither whistled nor sang.
At noon he came again and gave us our food and water.
This time Dolly came with him.
She was crying,
And I could gather from what they said that Jerry was dangerously ill,
And the doctor said it was a bad case.
So two days passed,
And there was great trouble indoors.
We only saw Harry and sometimes Dolly.
I think she came for company,
But Polly was always with Jerry,
And he had to be kept very quiet.
On the third day,
While Harry was in the stable,
A tap came at the door,
And Governor Grant came in.
I wouldn't go to the house,
My boy,
He said,
But I want to know how your father is.
He is very bad,
Said Harry.
He can't be much worse.
They call it bronchitis.
The doctor thinks it will turn one way or another tonight.
That's bad,
Very bad,
Said Grant,
Shaking his head.
I know two men who died of that last week.
It takes them off in no time.
But while there's life,
There's hope,
So you must keep up your spirits.
Yes,
Said Harry quickly,
And the doctor said that Father had a better chance than most men because he didn't drink.
He said yesterday the fever was so high that if my father had been a drinking man,
It would have burned him up like a piece of paper.
But I believe he thinks he will get over it.
Don't you think he will,
Mr.
Grant?
The governor looked puzzled.
If there's any rule that good men should get over these things,
I'm sure he will,
My boy.
He's the best man I know.
I'll look in early tomorrow.
Early next morning he was there.
Well,
Said he.
Father is better,
Said Harry.
Anyway,
Mother hopes he will get over it.
Thank God,
Said the governor.
And now you must keep him warm and keep his mind easy.
And that brings me to the horses.
You see,
Jack will be all the better for the rest of the week or two in a warm stable.
And you can easily take him up a turn and down the street to stretch his legs.
But this young one,
If he does not get to work,
He will soon be all up on end,
As you may say,
And will be rather too much for you.
And when he does go out,
There'll be an accident.
It is like that now,
Said Harry.
I have kept him short of corn,
But he's so full of spirit,
I don't know what to do with him.
Just so,
Said Grant.
Now look here.
Will you tell your mother that if she is agreeable,
I will come for him every day till something is arranged and take him for a good spell of work.
And whatever he earns,
I'll bring your mother half of it.
And that will help with the horses' feed.
Your father is in a good club,
I know.
But that won't keep the horses,
And they'll be eating their heads off all the time.
I'll come at noon and hear what she says.
And without waiting for Harry's thanks,
He was gone.
At noon I think he went and saw Polly,
For he and Harry came to the stable together,
Harnessed Hotspur,
And took him out.
For a week or more he came for Hotspur,
And when Harry thanked him or said anything about his kindness,
He laughed it off,
Saying it was all good luck for him,
For his horses were wanting a little rest,
While they would not otherwise had it.
Jerry grew better steadily,
But the doctor said he must never go back to the cab work again if he wished to be an old man.
The children had many consultations together about what father and mother would do and how they could help earn money.
One afternoon Hotspur was brought in very wet and dirty.
The streets are nothing but slush,
Said the governor.
It will give you a good warming,
My boy,
To get him clean and dry.
All right,
Governor,
Said Harry.
I shall not leave him till he is.
You know I have been trained by my father.
I wish all the boys had been trained like you,
Said the governor.
While Harry was sponging off the mud with Hotspur's body and legs,
Dolly came in,
Looking full of something.
Who lives in Fainstow,
Harry?
Mother has got a letter from Fainstow.
She seemed so glad and ran upstairs to father with it.
Don't you know?
Why,
It is the name of Miss Fowler's place,
Mother's old mistress,
You know,
The lady that father met last summer,
Who sent you and me five shillings each.
Oh,
Miss Fowler,
Of course.
I know all about her.
I wonder what she is writing to mother about.
Mother wrote to her last week,
Said Harry.
You know,
She told father if he ever gave up the cab work,
She would like to know.
I wonder what she says.
Run in and see,
Dolly.
Harry scrubbed away at Hotspur with a hush-hush like any old hostler.
In a few minutes,
Dolly came dancing into the stable.
Oh,
Harry,
There never was anything so beautiful.
Miss Fowler says we were all going to go live near her.
There is a cottage now empty that will just suit us,
With a garden and a hen house and apple trees and everything.
And her coachman is going away in the spring.
And then she will want father in his place.
And there are good families round,
Where you can get a place in the garden or the stable,
Or as a page boy.
And there's a good school for me.
And mother is laughing and crying by turns.
And father,
Does he look so happy.
That's uncommon jolly,
Said Harry.
And just the right thing.
I should say,
It will suit father and mother both.
But I don't intend to be a page boy with tight clothes and rows of buttons.
I'll be a groom or a gardener.
It was quickly settled that as soon as Jerry was well enough,
They should remove to the country.
And then that the cab and horses should be sold as soon as possible.
This was heavy news for me,
For I was not young now and could not look for any improvement in my condition.
Since I left Birtwick,
I had never been so happy as with my dear Master Jerry.
But three years of cab work,
Even under the best conditions,
Will tell on one's strength.
And I felt that I was not the horse that I had been.
Grant said at once that he would take hot spur.
And there were men on the stand who would have bought me.
But Jerry said I should not go to cab work again with just anybody.
And the governor promised to find a place for me where I should be comfortable.
The day came for going away.
Jerry had not been allowed to go out yet.
And I never saw him again after that New Year's Eve.
Polly and the children came to bid me goodbye.
Poor old Jack.
Dear old Jack.
I wish we could take you with us,
She said.
And then laying her hand on my mane,
She put her face close to my neck and kissed me.
Dolly was crying and kissed me too.
Harry stroked me a great deal but said nothing.
Only he seemed very sad.
And so I was led away to my new place.
And that is the end of our story this evening.
Until next time.
Sweet dreams.
