Stockton's Stories; The Christmas Wreck. a Story of Assisted Fate. an Unhistoric Page. a Tale of Negative Gravity. the Cloverfields Carriage. the Remarkable Wreck of the "Thomas Hyke." My Bull-Calf. the Discourager of Hesitancy. a Borrowed Month (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 Excerpt: ...got down, and went to inquire if there were any packages of goods waiting for the Cloverfields family, while Elijah remained in his seat. This was a very familiar spot to the old negro. In former times he had been in the habit of driving here two or three times a week, and as he sat on his old seat on the carriage, with the same old reins in his hand, and the two black horses of the olden time again before him, and the familiar scenes all about him, Elijah actually forgot for the time being that he had ever resigned his ancient post. "Look hyar," said Montague, presently returning with a package in his hands. "Hyar's some drygoods from Richmon, ' an' ef we hadn't druv down hyar, I'd been sent arfter 'em ter-morrer in de cart or on mule-back. De train's comin' in ten minutes; might as well wait, an' see ef dar's anythin' moh." Elijah grumbled a little at waiting, but Montague, whose soul delighted in being stirred, even by so small a matter as the arrival of a railroad train, insisted that it would be unwise to go away, when a few minutes' delay might save a lot of future trouble. And so they waited. Soon there was heard a distant whistle, then an approaching rumble, and the train rolled up to the station and stopped. As she had always done, Gamma tossed her head and looked to one side, while Delta pricked up his ears; but, as he had always done, Uncle Elijah kept a firm hand upon the reins, and spoke to his horses in a low, quiet tone, which had the effect of making them understand that they might safely remain where they were, for under no circumstances would the train come their way. Out of the open window of a car a young man put his head, and looked up and down the narrow platform, and then his eye was caught by the Cloverfields carri...