QUESTIONABLE VALUE. 171 



and gets the perhaps candid and just opinion that 

 he will. He may be asked the probable expense ; 

 this a first-rate man will generally pretty accu- 

 rately tell you. The owner, then, perhaps, cal- 

 culates, or gets the information, that keeping in 

 the rough on corn, and six weeks in the stable 

 physicking and getting into condition, will be, 

 say 147. or 15L ; vet.'s bill (medicine, keep, and 

 firing), we will say 127. Here we get 277. 

 Well, the owner may say and, I will answer 

 for it, does say it is a good deal of trouble and 

 money; but he is a very valuable horse, so it 

 must be done. As probably neither the vet. 

 nor friend may know the qualifications of the 

 animal, they cannot contradict the assertion as to 

 its value, nor is it their business to inquire into 

 the matter ; but there is one thing by no means 

 improbable in such a case, which is, that they not 

 only do not know his value or merits, but cannot 

 for the life of them see either the one or the 

 other. 



Now let us look into the fact of this horse really 

 being, as represented, " very valuable ; " my life 

 on it, the great reason the owner has for asserting 

 that he is so is, that he gave a great deal of money 

 for him. Well, he comes up, realising all that 

 was promised, perfectly sound, but perhaps a good 

 deal scarred, if the remedy was effectually applied. 

 The owner, not liking the look of this, or for some 



