288 AT THE SIGN OF THE STOCK YARD INN 



realm of live-stock improvement, and in the fall of 

 1881, as he had been only a minority stockholder, 

 he decided to engage in the publication of a .weekly 

 to be under his own ownership, devoted to these 

 same interests, and sever his former connection. 

 The Chicago Fair of that year rivaled in every 

 particular any state fair ever held in Illinois up to 

 that date. I had just been admitted to the bar in 

 Chicago, and was preparing to go west in the fall of 

 that year to grow up with Colorado; but it seems 

 that "the boss" had other plans, which were 

 shortly to be revealed. He resigned his position 

 as editor of "The National" during the summer 

 months, and devoted all his energies to the show 

 scheduled to be held in September. It had been 

 impossible all these years, after providing for his 

 family and the education of his children, to save 

 money out of his editorial salary, and now even 

 that was voluntarily relinquished! But he took the 

 chance. I spent my vacation months working as a 

 clerk in the Fair Association's office. After the 

 show was over I had some $85 of my wages still 

 in my pocket, and it so eventuated that this 

 slender fund was destined to help "start some- 

 thing." After conferences with friends during the 

 fair, he had decided to begin late in the fall the 



