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Show TBITCKS DRIVES X HIXSOXP v an MB. VAN BIUCER'S EUOC&HAalrAt aXEAJJ TIllEr INSI'IRES Tllj: YOU.N'OEIt 31. M.. , Youdk Van xtibber'a ucceos M an srasrteur crock so eaxlteO tlio members of liia act who bad lost moaej by It Uiat ybungMr.TraTera said he, too, would go out and prey upon society ami In flv-ehoursatcal t-SO. He would dotblslatbeguiao of a bansora cab driver. He sal J. next to a snealk tbief, a cab driver that overcharges! was in his opinion opin-ion the moat ot'ject.'onalde manner of thlof and one Uiat made bla money most eatily and with Iitth personal danger. To make it worth walls, bla friends wagered that be could not make the sum ht named between the hours of 7 and mid. night. Travers himself selected these hours, as he was afraid some one would recognize him if he drove, through tho streets in the daytime. He had great difficulty in procuring a bantoin cab, and had over dozen called to the club door for the 11 r-pueeof r-pueeof uegotiatlnr: with Uietlrlv-era. Uietlrlv-era. He finally found one who consented con-sented to give up his turnout, for the iveniug for $20 down, and a guarantee that it would be returned in perfect order and with the proper number ot wheels intact. Tracers borrowed the man's ithabby cape coat and tent his man after a high hut of bla own which was most disreputable. Then he tlimlxnl up on the box, wrapped the blanket around his legs and wavgjl bla whiinlanh i;t a charmingly1 tif'oics-slonal tif'oics-slonal manner. Hi friends applauded ap-plauded In dumb show from tho club window, and he tainted them sedately as he turned into the atimie. It waa milto dark, but the nlirlit was pleasant and the stars shining brightly. The avenue stretched iltfter way marked by two long lined of street lighU and croeaed I-y the moving lamps of many more hann cabs and tho brighter lights of broughams and the red glow of theomnlbuies.IIebad not the lea t ides what the proper tariff of prices was, bat as he had never found a hansom cab driver who did, he did not allow this to disturb him. He felt rather all the more, qualified to rob and blackmail his panstieers. He was crawllngslowly up the street whenagoutieman came down the steps of a large private bonie, hailed him and jumped into the cab before It had stopped. Travers lifted the trap and aald: "Whereto, sir?" to the top of the gentleman's high hat. The high hat turned and twhted and tho gentleman gen-tleman said: "Broad way Theatre in a hurry." Travers had his own idea of a hurry. He hit the horse a vigorous In-h across the head, which caused it to start forward so suddenly that the fare Inside wasahot out over the doors and Travers only saved himself him-self from going over backward by clenching the reins. They readied the theatre in fire minute. The doors had just been openatt. "Well," said Travep'cbecfftilly. "I get yon here in time to avoid the rush, anyway." "How much"" said the fate. "Oh, anything ycu pleos-i for myself." my-self." said Travers, 'an J $5 regular fare." "Five, what?" gsjjTil the atra riser. a ..a dollars," said Tra.err. What do you expect to jay 2or a ride behind, s Turcborrt! like tint? You said tt lurry, and didnt I hurry? It'll cost me $3 to doctor that horse up n it is. I can't use him no more tonight." to-night." "Well, I won't pay it," ball the rentleman," imllgua,ntly. U' robbery, and I'll take jour number. It's downright extortlos." Travers calmly unwrapped his ilankets, stuck his whip in lt--ocLel, and prepared ta descend. Jver two dozen men gathiret. tround the gentleman, somo 01 tirtu telling him to have tho driver irrefcted, and the other half urging rrmrs "to taUe It outVn him." Traew mealy went forward aud robbed hU horw's leg) tenderly. "Ixok at thai," he. said to tho moat offunslve looking individual In the crowd. "Lookatthal8Wellinginthat leg. All though racing him for this man that calls himself a gentleman. rutty gentleman be , ain't he? fuming a horcr.u.1 trying tomb a poor driver ef his fare. I gueea I won't lie able to use Uiat liorfearain for two days, and Where's my earnings earn-ings coming from while he's laid up? That's what L want to know.11 The olTen.he indi vidua 'sail the swelling, which waa ixf at all evi-dent evi-dent to any one else. wri the "worse he eercfi:lUacd the Crowd began to murmur iudlgnantly. The gentleman pulled out a toll ofbillapervonslyandgaveaK bill to Travel who sighed a he took it. "I'd like to punch your head for It," said Travers gloomily, but the gentleman did not wait, and Travers drove slowly awaviuUl the corner shut him oc'cf sight, when he whipped his horse llo a gallop. "Thatli very good for a starter," said theamateur whip. At the next corner twe uen Terv much Urn orse fdf dining, waved at him, and fctf and tnmbled Into tbecaSiL . 'VCf Trawrg, etstatical-ly, etstatical-ly, "this Is where I live. I'll take every txnt they've jgot" "Where to?" ho aked again. "Wherever you tjlease," shcuted hack one of beiccuints1,'aud get there la a hurry!" Invent drove them directly to the Thirtieth precinct police station and called to a small boy (0 bring out the sergeant, "These men," sJd Travirs, "took my cab at 4 this afternoon, and they've ker me ever since, and now they don't know bere they want to go and they wont get out or pay ie lare." The two passengers, who had promptly fallen asleep as soon a-they a-they were settled in tho call, staggered stag-gered drowsily into the station boute. whesc the sergeant auiated them to two cells, took Travers' name and number-and gave him $10 from the roll one of the men carried, which he declared waa little enough for five hours' service. He bad really driven the men less ttA9 Ave minutes. "That dissipation will vst them quite a little sum," he soliloquized grimly. "It Ulusirates the evil effects ef-fects of strong drink." He was passing a too well-known gambling bouse on Twenfy-.venth street, which is well known to every one except the police, when a young gentleman he ksew ran gleefully down tbeMspa and hailed him. The youth's, name was Forbes, and he, cams of rich but honest parents. 4 ineooytok mm to drive mm to Delmonlco's, and tltravers whipped up bis horse, rurntritlng sadly on bow effectively an fit bat and cape will change one to one's fticads. As he ruminated be devised a scheme which pleased him so that be laughed aloud, "How much?" said young Mr. Forbes grandly, pulling out a wad of money, competed of bills of large denominations. 'One dollar." said Travsra. The youth handed him a twenty-dollar btlL ' "- Cn,r"thn5etlt?"be said, "it's the smallest I have." 'I'll keep the change, thank you, Mr. Forbes," said Travers, calmly. "Or, If you like, I 'I drive up to your father's with yoa arid get him tochangelt, acdl'll tell hl&what irood luck you had atitbBiUblca. He'll be so ph-aseoV' , K, --"Confound you,' said the boy, crowing pale.i-"rny. name's boI Forbes. (Jive Tns backthaj saoner or I'll bave you risjted.i. .. "So, you wont, JJr 'orbos," sjd Travera. vpr. if you do, I'll tell. I cum youUvMiot. j,? ra, keep It, and sfuen ypu an beaw tor night loll tha Koveraer all about It, and proralae. him scvor to go thorn again. Tost'vegototTsnlfhtv ekaos -ThoTOBBa: rnAn. glowered and iwors under bis braath, but Travera hirruped-tu his horse and started mLWrWmmmWmi offgayly. He only needed fifteen more and it was still early. v At Twenty-third street and the avenue a voune man with a bag in. h&" hand 'waived to him antThe drew up to the curbing. Thona young girl stepped out from the shadow of the steps and sprang into the cab, and the young man followed fol-lowed her. He gave Travers an ad dfess up town, to which he took 4hem quickly. ".Strangers In the city," said Travers. "I I bad any way of knowing who Jhey wtre, so that I could gut their money lack, I'd pluclci'em." Tbeyoangman and the-girl entered en-tered the house aud remained there a few minutes. They camu out looking greatly troubled, and the girl was crying. The young man gave him another address and Travers madu off for It. It waa a bouse attached to a church. "They area runaway couple," said Travers, Tra-vers, ;and they're trying to get married." They were apparently uesuccessful thla time, for they came out again immediately, and the girl was sobbing bitterly. "Can you tell me," said the joung man with her, 'do you happen hap-pen to know of any clirgymau who livef near here or ajuitice or tome one who can perform the mtrriagu ceremony?"! Travors whistled softly and gazed at the stars. "I know or one," he aid flnrlly. "Get in." They got in and Travera drove them to the hou-eof a young rector who was a friend of Ids and who had just been married. "Tell this gentleman," said Trivet, Triv-et, "that Mr. Corliss Traxensent you to him. This Mr. Travers is a great swell and n friend of this clergyman's, and his name gce, see?" The young man seemed Miuewhat surprised, butsaid nothing, and entered en-tered thu. house. WIxlu became out he vtat MuHInr.au'.l the girl was smiling, too. "I did as you said' "he exclaimed, aihHfl had not he rrouldn't have married us. There wis no reamn why he should not, for we an- both nr age and all that sort of thing. I'm very much obliged to jou tor the suegestion. I suppcrje U1L1 Mr. Travers is one cf your regular fares." , "I uaeil todr ive his fo4r-in-hamt," said Travers smiling. 'Wo won't need you any more," said the .oung man. "and thank you again. Here's J 13; Uiat will cover it, and jou can keep the change." Mr. Traven. raced Mack to the Club with bis ?oOand told hi story, which was fortunately believed. Then he enclosed the ditlerent sums he bad taken to the address from which hln first fare had descended to the addressea on the pollco blotter blot-ter and to the home of Mr. Koibett. The last $IS bo kept. 'I earned that," he said. He won $3U0 ou the bet, aud th' next day tha cabman whose hansom be had borrowed sent him a pitiful note from the TuinU, where nebau teen taken, charged will extortion aud blackmail. "Sure enough," said Traers, gloomily. I forgot the. cab had a number." The drivers bail bond amountea to Just f3i and Travers paid it, and, then, in fear let his protege shout ! skip his bond, Mi promlHai hiji a recular engagement for etch day or tho three months' probation As he does not need the hau-oro more than three or four times a wnk, be finds it a bit expensive, but thvk other men are using it rrctly. It promises to cost 1 raven-about raven-about f.'.OO before the three nioutba are up. |