That winter was especially cold and wet. There was snow, sleet, or rain almost every day for weeks, and the wind made things even worse. It was miserable standing at the cab stand for hours at a time. At least Captain and I only had to put up with it for half a day each. Poor Jerry was out there all day, huddled in his cab trying to keep warm.
To help him through it, Polly often sent Dolly to the cab stand with hot food. One such cold, rainy day, Jerry had barely started eating when a gentleman came hurrying toward us, raising his umbrella to signal that he wanted to hire the cab.
When Jerry saw him, he immediately handed his bowl back to Dolly, who was still standing there keeping him company.
"No, no!" the gentleman cried when he saw what Jerry was doing. "Finish your soup, my friend. I don't have much time to spare, but I can wait until you're done and your little girl is safely off toward home."
With that, he climbed into the cab and sat down to wait. Jerry thanked him, and then turned to Dolly.
"That's a true gentleman, Dolly," he told her quietly. "He isn't too wrapped up in his own concerns to spare a thought for a poor cabman and his girl!"
He quickly finished his soup, and sent Dolly home. We drove the gentleman to his destination, and I suppose he was pleased with our work because after that he hired us on a regular basis.
The gentleman's name was Mr. Wright. I think he was fond of horses, because he often stopped to pat me and give me a kind word. It's a rare thing indeed for customers to pay any attention to a cab horse. With few exceptions, most people would be just as likely to pat the engine of a train!
One day Mr. Wright and a gentleman friend of his hired our cab to take them to do some shopping. The second gentleman went into a store while Mr. Wright stood and waited outside. I saw Mr. Wright watching a pair of fine-looking horses that were standing across the street in front of a wine seller's cart. Their driver was nowhere in sight, and after a few minutes the horses grew restless. They weren't tied, so they started forward on their own.
They'd only gone a few steps down the street when a man emerged from the nearest shop. He raced after the cart, shouting angrily. When he caught up to the horses, he immediately started whipping both of them as hard as he could. He even struck them on their heads. It was terrible to watch!
Mr. Wright saw it all. He crossed the street and hurried toward the wine cart.
"Stop that right now!" he called to the driver in a stern voice. "Otherwise I'll have you arrested for leaving your horses unattended and for cruel conduct!"
The man spun around, looking surprised. He frowned and cursed at Mr. Wright, but at least he stopped whipping the horses.
As the driver jumped into his cart, Mr. Wright pulled out a notebook and wrote down the name and address painted on the cart.
"What are you doing?" the driver demanded.
But Mr. Wright merely smiled and didn't answer. He returned to the cab just as his friend came out of the shop. When the friend heard what had been going on, he laughed.
"Don't you have enough business of your own to look after, Wright, without worrying about other people's horses and servants?" he said.
Mr. Wright frowned and was silent for a moment. "Do you know why this world is as bad as it is?" he said at last in a serious tone.
"No," his friend said. "Why?"
"It's because people think only about themselves," Mr. Wright told him. "They aren't willing to help the oppressed or stand up to wrongdoers. I can't watch anyone acting in a cruel way without trying to put a stop to it. If I didn't, I'd consider myself just as guilty as the one committing the wrong."
"I see your point, my friend," the other gentleman said, sounding impressed.
Mr. Wright nodded. "Many a business owner has thanked me for letting him know his horses were being mistreated. I'm sure the wine seller will be no exception. Let's go right now and let him know what I saw."
Jerry had been sitting in the cab listening to all this. He tipped his cap to Mr. Wright. "I wish there were more gentlemen like you, sir," he said. "The city would be better for it."