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on the Des Moines River. This was a great change from the Massa- 

 chusetts towns, and the elder Gleason's mode of life was correspond- 

 ingly modified. The palm-leaf industry was perforce abandoned, and 

 he devoted his attention wholly to the live stock business, handling 

 every year many thousand head of horses and cattle. To Oscar he 

 gave a fine little cow pony, and the boy took the keenest pleasure in 

 riding it after the droves of cattle. Once, he relates, he was helping 

 his father drive a large herd of wild steers, and they were crossing a 

 bridge over the Des Moines River. One of the steers bolted and 

 })lunged into the stream. After him went Oscar and his pony. " Look 

 out for quicksands," shouted his father. Oscar was then in deep water, 

 the pony swimming close up to the steer and biting at him to hurry 

 him through, and they soon safely emerged on the other side. This 

 occurred at the time of the great flood in 1869, Oscar then being 13 

 years of age. On arriving safely in the village of Springvale, they 

 had discovered that the dam just above the town had given away, and 

 there was great danger of all the citizens being drov/ued. At once 

 the elder Gleason gave the order for every one to turn out with teams 

 and stop the water by filling up the large breach with boulders and 

 rock. His example infused new life into the dazed citizens, who took 

 hold with a will, so that there were at work at this critical time not less 

 than 500 men with as many animals ; and they succeeded, by almost 

 superhuman efforts, in averting the threatened destruction. 



They remained in the West until 1871. Then Mrs. Gleason died, 

 and her husband and two sons returned East and moved to Vermont. 

 Here Oscar had a rare opportunity it) develop his passion for horses, 

 which became more and more marked as he grew older. At that time 

 traveling through the State of Vermont was the well-known horse 

 trainer, the late Professor C. H. Williams, and Oscar Gleason became 

 a member of his class. Foreseeing what great results must ensue 

 from an intelligent presentation of the art of educating the horse, he 

 <letermined to make it a life study and had the pleasure of putting 

 into effect his long-cheriished idea, which was both to train a horse so 

 as to make him gentle for family use and also to educate the people in 

 the different methods used in training and handling the noble brute. 



" While witnessing one of Professor Williams' exhibitions in West- 

 ern Vermont in subduing and bringing under perfect control a wild 

 and vicious colt, I was struck," he says, " with wonder and amazement 



