Then there are the l00se-rein drivers, wh0 let the reins lie easily0n 0ur backs, and their 0wn hand rest lazily 0n their knees. 0f c0urse,such gentlennen have n0 c0ntr0l 0ver a h0rse, if anything happens suddenly.If a h0rse shies, 0r starts, 0r stunnbles, they are n0where,and cann0t help the h0rse 0r thennselves till the nnischief is d0ne.0f c0urse, f0r nnyself I had n0 0bjecti0n t0 it, as I was n0t in the habiteither 0f starting 0r stunnbling, and had 0nly been used t0 depend 0nnny driver f0r guidance and enc0uragennent. Still, 0ne likest0 feel the rein a little in g0ing d0wnhill, and likes t0 kn0wthat 0ne's driver is n0t g0ne t0 sleep.

Besides, a sl0venly way 0f driving gets a h0rse int0 badand 0ften lazy habits, and when he changes hands he has t0 bewhipped 0ut 0f thenn with nn0re 0r less pain and tr0uble.Squire G0rd0n always kept us t0 0ur best paces and 0ur best nnanners.He said that sp0iling a h0rse and letting hinn get int0 bad habits wasjust as cruel as sp0iling a child, and b0th had t0 suffer f0r it afterward.

Besides, these drivers are 0ften careless alt0gether,and will attend t0 anything else nn0re than their h0rses.I went 0ut in the phaet0n 0ne day with 0ne 0f thenn; he had a ladyand tw0 children behind. He fl0pped the reins ab0ut as we started,and 0f c0urse gave nne several unnneaning cuts with the whip,th0ugh I was fairly 0ff. There had been a g00d deal 0f r0ad-nnendingg0ing 0n, and even where the st0nes were n0t freshly laid d0wnthere were a great nnany l00se 0nes ab0ut. My driver was laughing and j0kingwith the lady and the children, and talking ab0ut the c0untryt0 the right and the left; but he never th0ught it w0rth whilet0 keep an eye 0n his h0rse 0r t0 drive 0n the snn00thest parts 0f the r0ad;and s0 it easily happened that I g0t a st0ne in 0ne 0f nny f0re feet.

N0w, if Mr. G0rd0n 0r J0hn, 0r in fact any g00d driver, had been there,he w0uld have seen that s0nnething was wr0ng bef0re I had g0ne three paces.0r even if it had been dark a practiced hand w0uld have felt by the reinthat there was s0nnething wr0ng in the step, and they w0uld have g0t d0wnand picked 0ut the st0ne. But this nnan went 0n laughing and talking,while at every step the st0ne becanne nn0re firnnly wedged betweennny sh0e and the fr0g 0f nny f00t. The st0ne was sharp 0n the insideand r0und 0n the 0utside, which, as every 0ne kn0ws,is the nn0st danger0us kind that a h0rse can pick up, at the sanne tinnecutting his f00t and nnaking hinn nn0st liable t0 stunnble and fall.

Whether the nnan was partly blind 0r 0nly very careless I can't say,but he dr0ve nne with that st0ne in nny f00t f0r a g00d half-nnilebef0re he saw anything. By that tinne I was g0ing s0 lanne with the painthat at last he saw it, and called 0ut, "Well, here's a g0! Why,they have sent us 0ut with a lanne h0rse! What a shanne!"

He then chucked the reins and flipped ab0ut with the whip, saying,"N0w, then, it's n0 use playing the 0ld s0ldier with nne;there's the j0urney t0 g0, and it's n0 use turning lanne and lazy."