If this keeps up and her daddy gets wind of it, he’ll take his trade elsewhere, sure as the crow flies. Maybe worse—he might complain to Mr. Harrington.
The thought disturbed him somewhat. Not that his boss, Richard Harrington, owner of Louisville Hansom Cab Service, would believe he was doing anything untoward with the young girl. Surely not…she’s just a kid! She probably still plays with dolls and has make-believe tea parties, like my sisters. At that, a small smile curved his lips as he pictured the many times his twelve-year-old, twin sisters, Grace and Faith, had done just that.
Unbidden another image surfaced—that of his sister Olivia several years prior—when she’d developed a yen for one of the male teachers at her school. He remembered how he had been quick to blame the man for that attachment, until he had been informed of the truth, that it had all been dreamed up in his sister’s prolific mind in conjunction with one of the weekly serials in a newspaper she was reading…
Giving his head a firm shake to try and dislodge the dread those ruminations aroused, he steered his thoughts to drift back over the past few months.
The cabby business was doing fairly well…although not as booming as his boss had hoped. It was, after all, only one cab. More than once, his employer had talked about making another trip to New York to try and add one, perhaps several, hansom cabs to his fleet. A year previous, Richardson had been in New York visiting a friend and had become privy to a deal too good to pass up on a used cab. The idea intrigued him, so he’d bought it, had it refurbished, and shipped to Louisville. So far, however, he hadn’t made back his investment. The business employed two drivers—Dwight from daylight to dusk, and Tommy Sheffield for the evening and nighttime trade.
Dwight had enjoyed good business from the Derby. Thirty cents for one person, and forty for two, was their normal fare, but Richard had raised it during Derby week—following the traditions of most Louisville businesses—to fifty cents and sixty, to take advantage of the out-of-town visitors.
He’d only had one mishap where someone had beat him out of the fare—a man had hailed Dwight at the corner of Sixteenth and Jefferson to take him out to Churchill Downs, but upon arrival, had jumped out and run off without paying, promptly losing himself in the crowd. Dwight had given chase, but soon realized it was a lost cause and returned to his cab.
He had shrugged it off, figuring that the man wanted to put every cent he had on the horse he was sure would win the big race, so he’d figuratively tipped his hat and wished the man good fortune. The incident hadn’t dampened his enjoyment of the brisk business. Derby week, and the weeks before and after, had added many a coin to his take home commissions.
All in all, however, Dwight had found himself of late feeling hemmed in and restless. He wasn’t making enough to provide for the family, and it gnawed at him that his mother was forced to work as a maid to help make ends meet. When his father, Dwight, Sr., had been alive, they had enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class existence, and it galled him that he was letting his father down—although his mother refused to hear any of that kind of talk.
With a resigned sigh, he wondered for the hundredth time since his father’s accident, how a proud stevedore who had won an award once for impeccable performance and safety on the job, had slipped on the wet cobblestones of the wharf and fallen into the rain-swollen Ohio River that fateful morning. If the authorities hadn’t assured the family that there was absolutely no sign of foul play, Dwight would have believed his father had been pushed. But the man had had no enemies!
Aw well, at least we have one less to worry about and feed now that Pebs is married and gone.
With that thought, he allowed himself a smile as he pictured his lovely sister, Pauline, and her deputy husband, Tobias Keller, happily wed and living in Brownville, Nebraska—where the family had sent her to escape a bad situation in Louisville.
What a surprise their instant attraction and eventual love had turned out to be! Dwight had been so worried about her, knowing she was six hundred miles from home with no one but strangers, which included her proxy groom. He’d imagined her crying herself to sleep at night and housed in some sort of rattle trap cabin—although she had written right away that they had put her up in a beautiful home that had become a boarding house. When he had finally traveled there himself to give her the all clear and bring her home, and had seen the mansion, he’d been awed and quite impressed. Although it wasn’t, of course, nearly as opulent as the Fetterman mansion—where his mother was employed—it was still quite nice.
With a slight wince, he remembered the harsh words he had said to and about Pauline’s husband, Tobias, once he had been informed of the danger and close calls his sister had weathered since her arrival in the small Nebraska town. He’d been insufferably rude, but, thankfully, Tobias was the forgiving sort and had accepted his apology later. They had both chalked it up to the actions of an overprotective brother.
Then, his mind conjured up images of Pauline’s proxy husband down on one knee at her side as he made right a huge misunderstanding between the couple. The joy on his sister’s face at that moment was something Dwight would remember the rest of his life. Dwight’s desire to throttle Tobias Keller had disappeared in a heartbeat—to be replaced with a longing to experience that kind of affection and commitment himself someday.
Wispy
