280 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



degree at the Union College of Law in the class of 

 1881, of which our present distinguished Chicago 

 congressman, Hon. JAMES R. MANN, was a member. 

 I was to be a lawyer or a newspaper man one or 

 the other; I did not know which. I preferred the 

 attractions of the law at that time, and pursued 

 its study accordingly; but fate ordered my course 

 otherwise. All through my law course I worked 

 "on the side" on the Shorthorn catalogues, and as 

 an assistant to the editor of the "Journal," and one 

 day something happened. 



It was the custom of the office to publish in 

 the paper an editorial review of each catalogue 

 prepared. These were, of course, written by the 

 editors; but it so happened that when one which 

 I had just finished compiling for the late Hon. 

 WILLIAM M. SMITH of Lexington, 111., was due to be 

 reviewed, no editor was on hand to do the work. 

 The paper was about to go to press, and what was 

 to be done about it? The business manager came 

 to me and asked if I thought I could do it. I was 

 naturally gratified, as well as very much surprised, 

 that anyone should think me qualified to discuss 

 such delicate questions as those touching the breed- 

 ing of the Shorthorns of that period. I would try. 

 The manager, STEPHEN G. BRABROOK, knew nothing 



