The Trotter, 



159 



of few, indeed I may say, very few words, and never wasted his 

 breath in useless remarks. I knew his peculiarity. I told him 

 what I had done and what I wanted him to do. He never made 

 a comment, but merely asked if he could see the mare. I dare say 

 he stood looking at her for full live minutes without saying a word, 

 during which time he chewed up about a foot of straw, bit by bit j 

 and we tlien left the stable. He followed me indoors, but never spoke 

 till I poured him out a glass of sherry to drink the mare's health in. 



"Well, sir" (he always began an important sentence with "well, 

 sir"), "that I'll do with pleasure j and now will you show me the 

 articles ? ' ' After he had carefully gone through these word by word, 

 he returned them with this remark — 



" Any how the captain was not drunk when he drew up these 

 articles." 



"Do you mean to say that I was, then," I asked him rather 

 hastily ? " 



"Well, sir, I did not say so." 



" You have done well in making the match at catch weight, for 

 I know nobody can drive Morgan Rattler properly but the squire, 

 and he walks i jst. 3 but you ought by rights to have had 2^0 yards' 

 start in the two miles to bring tlie horses level, instead of 100." 



" Oh, then," I remarked, "you fancy there's so much difference 

 between the two, do you ?" 



"Well, sir," answered the old man, "I never said exactly that j 

 I know what old Morgan can do, but I don't know yet anything 

 about the mare. But still, you know, in trotting, four inches make 

 a great difference, and in making a match you should always try and 

 get all you can. However, send the mare over to-morrow. I'll do my 

 best with her, depend on it, and in a week's time I'U let you know 

 what I think of her." 



I knew it was no use trying to get any more out of him, and we 

 parted. The next morning Jem took the mare over, and in a few 

 days the old man discovered, to his great satisfaction, that Patty 

 Morgan, with his weight on her back, could travel the two miles 

 quicker than even old Morgan Rattler had done in any match in his 



