Fast Driving.—Teams passing.—Clearing Snow.—Impassable Roads.—Stuck in a Snow-drift.—Upset.—Demolishing Juveniles.—Mind your Children.—In the Ditch.—Damages for Bad Roads.—Unsafe Bridges.—Horses shying.—Whisking Tails.—Runaways.
All the morning
“Out of the bosom of the air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow,
Descended the snow,”
But when the sun turned downwards towards his couch, he shone out clear and bright, making every snow-flake glisten and sparkle in the bracing air; so Mrs. L. determined to utilize the splendid weather, and pay a round of country visits. Of course I had to drive her.
The steeds needed no whip to urge them on. Swiftly we glided down the street, and over the bridge we trotted fast without drawing rein. The boards creaked and cracked, as when one strives to creep upstairs, unheard, at midnight. My wife said in surprise:—
“Eldon, did you not observe the notice threatening prosecution according to the utmost rigor of the law to all crossing the bridge quicker than at a walk? Why do lawyers break the law?”
“All right, my dear; if the bridge had broken down while we were trotting over it, I could not have sued the owners for damages.[65] But as we are over it, we need not discuss the subject.”
“But,” urged my wife, “it is not right to drive so fast.”
“No; I know it. In fact it is an indictable offense to drive through crowded streets like these so as to endanger the safety of others.”[66]
“How fast may one go?”