I was very lucky because Jerry Barker owned me. He treated me well. But many drivers did not own their horses. They rented the horses from big owners. They had to pay a lot of money every day.
One day, a driver named "Seedy Sam" came to the stand. He looked very poor and miserable. His horse looked very weak and tired. Governor Grant saw the horse. He told Sam that the horse looked very sick.
Seedy Sam was very angry and desperate. He said he had to pay eighteen shillings (silver coins used for money) every day to the owner. He had to earn that money before he could buy food for his six children.
Seedy Sam worked sixteen hours every day. He did not have a day of rest for many weeks. He said he was very poor. He had to give his clock to the owner to pay his debts.
He said the fares were too low. Sometimes he drove many miles for very little money. People often put too much heavy luggage in the cab. He had to use the whip because the horse was too tired to move.
Seedy Sam said he did not want to be mean to his horse. But he had to put his children before the beast. Jerry Barker looked very sad. He knew that Seedy Sam’s life was a struggle.
A few days later, a new man drove Sam’s cab. He said Seedy Sam was very sick in bed. Sam had a high fever. He was shouting about his hard work and the lack of rest.
The next morning, the man said Seedy Sam was dead. His last words were about having no rest on Sundays. Governor Grant was very quiet. He said this was a warning for all of them.