Hide Article Text (OCR)
every word and motion—and how he conld with his whip pick a fly off the “ leaders” ear without raffling the hair ! Then he would enlighten you as to the many notables he had carried in the stage, and strive to Impress you with the fact that it was but an ordinary, an every day matter for him to honor some distinguished man by giving him a seat in the stage, and allowing him to be drawn by his horses ; you would also learn of the many hair-breadth escapes he had made, the many narrow places through which he had driven, and the wonderful deliverances of life and limb of passengers wrought out by his superior skill. But his great delight seemed to be, when within about a half or quarter of a mile of the village and post-office, to sound his horn, long and loud, then give his whip the loudest pop, and dash, jehu like, up to the “ tavern ” or post-office with a racket that would awaken every sleeper and set to barking every dog in the village.But these “ good, old-fashioned ” times have gone by, and the days of stage coaches are well nigh past. Railroad conductors and steamboat clerks have pretty much usurped the seat of the ancient stage driver, and he, poor fellow, is now almost in the condition of the buckle-makers when shoe-strings first came into fashion—out of employment. Consequently, there has been a great falling off in the estimate in which the public once held that public functionary. As might have been expected, “ men of genius ” no longer seek the position. The long tin horn has been abandoned. Ingenuity is no loDger taxed to plait the long whip-lash, or tastefully affix the beautiful silsen “cracker;” the fine “twelve-passenger,” Troy coach has been superseded by almost anything that goes on wheels, from a two horse wagon to a two wheeled cart mounted by a good box ; the four well fed, nicely curried, nicely combed, finely harnessed, spirited, fiery, club-tailed horses, have disappeared, and in their stead we often see two miserable-looking, half blind, wind-broken, splint-legged, spaven-jointed apologies for horses, much better adapted to be food for carrion-crows than as conveyers of passengers. However, the present writer and those accompanying him, or whom he accompanied— whichever you please, were fortunate enough, at Brunswick, to obtain a comfortable hack, two pretty fair horses, and a careful though not very experienced driver. With these they set oil for Linneus, distant thirty-two miles.THE COMPANY.
Newspaper Details
St Louis Christian Advocate
St Louis, Missouri, US
Thu, Nov 05, 1857
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Robert M.
USA 29 May 2024
Other Publications Near St Louis, Missouri
St Louis World Fair
St Louis Weekly Globe Democrat
Railroad Telegrapher
St Louis Free Press
Missouri Gazette Public Advertiser
