186 



HISTORY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



arm to the assemblage, then, pointing his fore 

 finger in vacancy, his phiz looked beseechingly. 

 This was done in silence, to command attention. 

 Then came the opening: "Gentlemen," said 

 he, with a short pause, "you are all aware of 

 the great importance of the breeding of Bates' 

 Shorthorns, and how exceedingly popular I have 

 made them in this country and in England, 

 and I have the honor of being selected above 

 all other men as the sole auctioneer for that 

 excellent tribe, the breeders of them knowing 

 how thoroughly I am posted in their pedigrees ; 

 having every one committed to memory, I can 



vouch for their 



being correct. As 

 there are many 

 in this herd that 

 have top crosses 

 in Bates I shall 

 expect you to bid 

 very spiritedly. 

 This is all I have 

 to say/' He then 

 looked gravely 

 at his audience, 

 but his gravity 

 was not that of a 

 cynic, for I sup- 

 pose he felt like 

 the ass when 

 amongst the 



monkeys, that they were all "making faces at 

 him." 



"Now, Mr. Haines, have the first animal 

 brought before me." 



"There, gentlemen," said John, "is a most 

 beautiful animal, one of the most fashionable 

 pedigrees (which he read) that a fancy man can 

 desire; she has four top crosses in Bates, by 

 Dukes, in-bred to Duchesses, and one in Ox- 

 fords. Now, gentlemen, give me a bid." Si- 

 lence ruled for a while. He calmly repeated, 

 "Come, gentlemen, give me a bid." The audi- 

 ence looked at John and John looked at the 

 audience. "I have seen animals not so good as 

 that, not so high in Bates, sold for five thou- 

 sand dollars. Give me a bid, gentlemen; she 

 is to be sold. Shall I say a thousand dollars for 

 you, Mr. L. F. Allen?" who shook his head. 

 "You, Mr. F. Rotch ?" who looked over his nose 

 on to the ground. "What do you say, friend 

 Stevens?" who wriggled in his boots, as if he 

 wanted to bid, had he the purse to endorse him. 

 A gentleman from Rahway offered him $100. 

 "Did you say one hundred ?" said John ; "I sup- 

 pose you meant one thousand the very lowest I 

 expected to be the first bid, but as Mr. Haines 

 will not allow any under bidders, and means to 



W. H. TODD, VERMILLION, O. 



sell, 1 suppose I must take it." S. P. Chap- 

 man offered $125; there she stood and John 

 looked as if he was struck dumb; twisted his 

 curled mustache round his fore-finger, hung his 

 lower lip, looked solemn, mumbled out in his 

 confusion, "Gentlemen, I am surprised at such 

 a Bates cow as that going at $125 ; going, go- 

 ing remember, I shall knock them down quick- 

 ly." One dollar advances were afterwards 

 made, until she reached $133 "going, going, 

 gentlemen; I cannot dwell gone." John 

 looked like a mummy rising in a muddle when 

 the next animal came out, and the next sale 

 went on as in the beginning; he looking inci- 

 dentally like a "live auctioneer/' until the sale 

 was postponed. 



Luther Tucker, Sr., was the "chiel takin' 

 notes" for the "Country Gentleman," who ex- 

 pected John to be a shining light, and sustain 

 the flattering advertisement he had given him, 

 and more fully support the Bates mania. Both 

 felt gloomy and forlorn in their unexpected dis- 

 appointment. To make a little amend, John 

 sketched a flattering picture of the Haines un- 

 sold bull, so high up in Bates, to be "transferred 

 on stone," to appear in the "Country Gentle- 

 man" at the editor's earliest convenience. When 

 it appeared, John's zeal for the Bates mania 

 cheeringly revived, and he again considered 

 himself the leading star of the Bates clan; his 

 cheek added an additional shade of brass, and 

 he again felt in his prodigality that he was born 

 a wonder, was ready for the second sale, and 

 that he was armed and equipped to again urge 

 on the Bates fiction with the strictest propriety. 

 I am sure that all who attended the Haines 

 sale will vouch for the truth of my statement. 



About this time I was preparing a herd of 

 seven of the Herefords for the State Show at 

 Poughkeepsie, N. Y., the first time I ever fed 

 for show, and they were in fine store condition. 

 The Shorthorns were always pampered for this 

 purpose. The Shorthorn breeders controlled 

 that society, demanded high prizes for them, 

 which were more in the aggregate than all the 

 other breeds put together. 



The above gentlemen I have named were the 

 leading stars to make premiums and appoint 

 judges, and they combined together to shut out 

 all opposition to them. I made a plea to the 

 committee for the privilege of showing against 

 the Shorthorns. They insisted that I had no 

 right to expect to be heard ; that the Herefords 

 were so far inferior to Shorthorns that they 

 could not listen to such a preposterous propo- 

 sition, notwithstanding my stalls were crowded 

 with admirers and with the novelty of seeing 

 the "new breed" that the Shorthorns seemed 



