THE TROTTING-30RSE OF AMERICA. 249 



Jonathan Vielee, was a little, rough-coated bay mare, not 

 over fourteen hands two inches high (4 feet 10), tied at the 

 tail of the wagon by a rope-halter some three or four feet 

 long. There certainly was nothing in the conduct of the 

 little bay mare to deserve this attention from the practised 

 eye of Mr. Vielee. She was going quietly along, not tug- 

 ging at her halter, but yielding to it, and apparently enjoy- 

 ing the bright sun of Washington Hollow, as it laved her 

 sides and back, and bathed the landscape far and near, as 

 if she had belonged to Washington Hollow itself. To judge 

 by her manner, as she ruminated over a sweet quid, which 

 was occasionally replenished by a sturdy little boy of six 

 years of age, who held handfuls of succulent fresh hay to 

 her over the tail-board, she was in much the same tranquil, 

 shiny-morning mood as Mr. Vielee himself. Nay, it is not 

 impossible (if a certain theory of animal intelligence be 

 true), that, as she dropped her large, intelligent eye reflect- 

 ively upon Mr. Jonathan Vielee, she thought, just at the 

 moment when Mr. Vielee mentally exclaimed, " That's a 

 mighty game-looking little mare ! " we say it is not im- 

 possible, that, at that very moment, she might quietly have 

 thought, " There's a man who knows something about a 

 horse!" 



And Mr. Jonathan Vielee would not have been misrepre- 

 sented by the little mare, had she even given utterance tc 

 this idea. He had a sharp eye for the points of a horse ; 

 he had dealt a great deal in that way ; and, as he gazed at 

 the little mare's blood-like head, traced her fine, well-set 

 neck, firm shoulders, strong, straight back, long barrel well 

 ribbed up, powerful forearms, fine pasterns, short cannon 

 bones, and general display of muscle, he thought he would 

 like to inquire into her mouth, and take a peep or two at 

 her feet. Mr. Jonathan Vielee hailed the drowsy-looking 

 nigger who drove the wagon, and brought the drover to a 

 stand-still with a more respectful but not less meaning sig- 

 nal. Then those civilities which are due between all peo- 



