98 LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 



Mr, Conklin was in San Francisco at the time, but he 

 never seemed to take much interest in the details of the 

 races. He always api^eared satisfied to leave everything to 

 me, and never wanted to bet any money, with the exception 

 of what I bet for him, and for that reason I never said aily- 

 thing to him about this race. Mr. Conklin' s son was there, 

 but I did not even tell him, and if I remember rightly, he 

 had a few small tickets on Goldsmith Maid. I told Mr. 

 Kenner that I would like to have him manage the betting, 

 that I had not told any one else what I was doing, and 

 that he was to look after that part of the race entirely, 

 while I took care of the other end of it. I think the arrange- 

 ment was, that we were to divide the i^rofits or losses of the 

 130ol-boxinto three equal parts, the sharers being Mr. Kenner, 

 Mr. Conklin, and myself. While this was going on, I saw 

 Budd occasionally, but I did not consider that he had any 

 claims to know my business, and I did not tell it to him. 

 The bettin"g opened on the race two or three days before the 

 day fixed for it, in the Lick House saloon, Goldsmith Maid 

 starting off the biggest kind of a favorite. On the day of 

 the race Mr. Kenner played Rarus rather carefully, not 

 daring to pile it on too hard for fear it might spoil our 

 chances. When the day of the race came on and the people 

 arrived at the track, they were a little surprised to see a man 

 continually backing Rarus against Goldsmith Maid at the 

 odds. So persistently did this man play my horse, that 

 at the end of an hour he had forced him up in betting con- 

 siderably. The effect was somewhat like that of a man buy- 

 ing all the wheat offered on the Chicago Board of Trade, 

 thus forcing uj) the price of it. About the time the race was 

 to be called, a sample pool was : Goldsmith Maid, $500, 

 Rarus, $450. A friend of Budd' s came do\\Ti to the stable 

 where he Was standing and told him in my x^resence how the 

 betting was. Budd seemed to realize that there was some- 

 thing going on, and he turned and asked me what I thought 

 made that betting. I told him very frankly that it was my 

 money going on Rarus. He seemed surprised, and then I 



