so uncommon particular never to give us a sixpence over, or to cram all the luggage inside. Of course, some of 'em tip us pretty handsome now and then, or else we could not live, but you can't depend upon that."
The men who stood round, much approved this speech, and one of them said,
"It is desperate hard, and if a man sometimes does what is wrong, it is no wonder, and if he gets a dram too much, who's to blow him up?"
Jerry had taken no part in this conversation, but I never saw his face look so sad before. The Governor had stood with both his hands in his pockets; now he took his handkerchief out of his hat, and wiped his forehead.
"You've beaten me, Sam," he said, "for it's all true, and I won't cast it up to you any more about the police; it was the look in that horse's eye that came over me. It is hard lines for man, and it's hard lines for beast, and who's to mend it I don't know; but any way you might tell the poor beast that you were sorry to take it out of him in that way. Sometimes a kind word is all we can give 'em, poor brutes, and 'tis wonderful what they do understand."
A few mornings after this talk, a new man came on the stand with Sam's cab.
"Halloo!" said one, "what's up with Seedy Sam?"
"He's ill in bed," said the man, "he was taken last night in the yard, and could scarcely crawl home.
