Dick Painter. 305 



Treadwell, Flowers, Dickens, King, Mansfields, 

 and many others there is a strong sporting 

 contingent. The Bicester country is one of the 

 best, if not the best, in England, such good 

 farmers abound all over it ; they set their faces 

 against wire, and it is believed to be the fact that 

 the country does not suffer from the presence of 

 that cruel invention. 



Dick Painter. 



This worthy was a well-known dealer in horses 

 who lived at Bicester. In the exercise of his 

 calling he gained a large circle of friends, and 

 earned an honest living. Dick was the youngest 

 of a family of four girls and four boys, who were 

 left orphans while still young ; and the girls, being 

 all older than their brothers, worked hard and 

 brought them up. 



They were plodding, steady boys, but none of 

 them showed any aptitude for business except the 

 youngest ; and two good gentlemen in Bicester, 

 forming a satisfactory opinion of his capabilities, 

 financed Richard, as they always called him, 

 and enabled him to go into Wales to buy horses. 

 From a small beginning Dick, by degrees, formed 

 a fine connection for buying, and dealt very 

 largely. 



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