HENRY c. Mcdowell and ashland 



but, when I do get there, you will see what energy 

 and taste will do for the Improvement of the place. 

 I want not only to have the farm, the house and 

 the stables beautifully kept, but I want to breed the 

 best trotters in the world — a pretty hard contract, 

 but I shall make an effort to carry It out; and I hope 

 at least to make It sufficiently attractive to keep my 

 friends, when they call, longer than ten minutes." 



In another letter from Woodlake Major Mc- 

 Dowell spoke hopefully of the future of King Rene, 

 and added: 



" I wish the next time you come to Kentucky you 

 would leave your watch in your pocket. I should 

 much have enjoyed a longer chat with you gentlemen. 

 I might have induced you to spend the night with 

 me when I could have uncorked the bottles of my 

 horse talk, as well as some other bottles. If city 

 people could appreciate what a God-send a visit was 

 they might move more leisurely." 



When McDowell was in full possession of Ash- 

 land he greatly improved the place, and did not have 

 to complain of his inability to keep the New York 

 delegation to dinner. In fact, his dinners in the 

 month of October were elaborate affairs, and those 

 who looked up at the portrait of Henry Clay caught 

 the fever of eloquence arid rounded out so many pe- 

 riods, that midnight still found them at the social 

 board. The energy, the vivacity of youth, comes 

 back to me when I recall those occasions, and for 

 the moment forget that many of the happy group 

 sleep where neither winter's roar nor summer's thun- 



151 



