ON TRIAL. 336 



In order that your servant may become familiar with his 

 surroundings and get things in running order, allow a day 

 or so to elapse before calling on him to make a formal show- 

 ino- of what he is worth. The manner in which he takes 

 hold of his work, his success in dealing with difificulties, his 

 treatment of the horses and the degree of neatness he exhib- 

 its will be disclosed immediately, and an experienced owner 

 knows, as soon as a man begins grooming, the extent of his 

 ability. Should your new man keep his coat or waistcoat on 

 when trying to clean your horse, the writer advises the 

 reader to quietly look for a coachman, as the man in the 

 stable has but little claim to that title. Grooming, if done 

 properly, is hard work, and a man who understands his call- 

 ing prepares for " a sweat " by changing his ordinary clothes 

 for a pair of old trousers and a flannel shirt. 



A fair test of a coachman's ability should be made before 

 that functionary is offered an opportunity of proving the 

 lack of it by breaking his employer's neck or ruining a fine 

 pair of horses and a carriage. Such a test could be made in 

 this manner. Have the applicant put together a set of double 

 harness that had been entirely taken apart as far as the 

 buckles will admit, harness a pair, drive to the owner's 

 door and, accompanied by a person who knows how to 

 drive, go through a crowded section of the city, making three 

 or four stops and turns. On returning to the stable let him 

 take the horses out, give them what he considers the neces- 

 sary care before putting them back in their stalls, and then 

 attend to the livery, robes, carriage and harness. If he is 

 unable to put the harness together, sufficient proof is given 

 of his inability, notwithstanding he " isn't used to that sort of 

 work," or that the harness is not the same as that to which 



