LIFE WITH THE TKOTTEKS. 125 



for that in St. Paul, I concluded that I could afford to pocket 

 my feelings. The papers came out with all sorts of state- 

 ments, one man going so far as to say that I did not intend 

 to drive my horse a good mile, and that, if I did not beat 

 the record made at St. Paul, the public ought to come down 

 and hang me. The only fear I had was that the track would 

 not be in such a condition as to make it possible for Rarus 

 to go a good mile. The cattle and horses had plowed it up 

 until it looked like a garden. Mace had shown Hopeful a 

 mile there, and driven him in 2:14f, and, as a matter of 

 course, I was anxious to beat that. I set to work myself on 

 the track, and got it into the best possible condition I could. 

 Mr. Charles M. Smith, the best starter in the country, was 

 there in charge of the judges' stand. The night before the 

 race, in a talk at the hotel, Mr. Smith told me that he was 

 afraid there would be a riot in case Rarus was unable to go 

 well. Of course, I knew that Rarus could not be right on 

 an edge, having traveled so far in the cars, and having al- 

 ready gone three heats in the same week, and I thought 

 myself it would be very doubtful whether he would be able 

 to beat Hoi:)efurs mark of 2:14|. Mr. Smith said to me he 

 thought it would be a good idea for him, on the following 

 day, to make a little speech to the public, state the facts of 

 the case, and to try and make them understand that I had 

 come there to give them the best possible race I could with 

 my horse. When the time of the race arrived, and I brouglit 

 out the horse, Mr. Smith, in a very neat speech, stated the 

 case to the public. They didn' t seem to notice much what 

 he said, and took it very coolly. 



When I brought Rarus out to warm him up there was a 

 disposition on the part of a good many to hiss, and in other 

 ways to show their hostility to myself and horse. The 

 weather was varying, and looked as though it might rain at 

 any moment, and I concluded that, contrary to my usual 

 method, I would warm Rarus up, and try to give him his 

 best mile first. I got the word and drove him in 2:15|^, 

 thereby beating the best mile that had been accomplished 



