184 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



a duty which has latterly devolved on Mr. Daley, 

 the Carlisle clerk of the course, who is quite the 

 Incledon of the Turf, and especially great in Irish 

 songs. Joe was always fond of writing a little poetry, 

 and he was propped up in bed his very last afternoon 

 to indite a Farewell to all his sporting friends ; but 

 the pen dropped from his hand when he was half 

 through the thirtieth line. Among racers, Beeswing 

 and Crucifix were his idols ; and he must have writ- 

 ten many yards of " copy " about this brace alone. 

 Card-selling was not the flourishing trade twenty 

 years ago which it has since become, and was confined 

 to a few at each place. The railways have, as it were, 

 thrown open the trade, and from 800 to 600 live by 

 it almost entirely during eight or nine months of the 

 year. Of these about 400 confine themselves to cer- 

 tain race circuits in the north, while the remaining 

 200 or 300 follow the races, week after week, with 

 quite as much regularity as the members of the ring. 

 In point of sex, the profession is about equally di- 

 vided ; several of them are married, and a most 

 remarkable " elopement in married life" once came 

 off in their circle at Hampton Races. Since the 

 celebrated " Jerry " died, they have owned no head 

 among the men ; but " Fair Helen," who once kept 

 an eating-house at Derby, is their present Queen ; 

 and a handsome dame she is too, with her fine black 

 hair. Her predecessor was " Big Ann," who reigned 

 next in succession to " Sally Birch." Sally died at 

 Chester Races some years ago ; and her late subjects 

 were so loyal, that they not only subscribed three- 

 pences and sixpences to buy her a coffin and shroud, 

 but they stayed a day longer in the town, in order 

 to attend her funeral. In point of humour, nothing 

 has ever yet approached " Jerry ;" and he was equally 

 at home, whether dressed as a Broadway dandy with a 

 huge straw hat, or enacting the captain in a red coat, 

 a spy-glass, and a beaver " cock and pinch." On the 



