The Marquis 



and showing his youngsters over a couple of made 

 jumps, to the stranger from the city, who had 

 come down into Virginia to buy, and didn't care a 

 rap for the price, if he could find what he wanted : 

 "A horse that could carry his weight (he rode at 

 a hundred and eighty), that could gallop, and jump 

 the side of a house if need be," was the way the 

 stranger, whose name was Williams, expressed it. 

 The next day was a hunting appointment, and 

 Fullerton was giving Williams his choice. Wil- 

 liams stood looking on indifferently; he had been 

 searching for what he wanted for a month, and 

 he knew a good horse when he saw one. At last 

 he called to Fullerton. 



"That last one," he said, pointing to a short- 

 coupled, thoroughbred brown gelding, "looks as 

 if he had some bottom and might possibly stand 

 up under my weight. I'll hunt him to-morrow, 

 what do you say?" Fullerton nodded. The 

 Marquis looked away in disgust. He had known 

 that brown gelding from a foal, and he never had 

 shown any nerve, though he might possibly look 

 well to a plow. 



The men passed quite near the Spring Run pas- 

 ture on their way back to the house, and Williams 

 stopped for a moment, leaning, arms on the gate. 

 "See here, Fullerton, you didn't show me that 

 one," he exclaimed, "now that's what I call a 

 19 



