LIFE WITH THE TEOTTEES. 217 



the inside view of her great mile in 2:08|. This trial took 

 place over the Cleveland track. She Avas advertised to give an 

 exhibition and I was asked to drive tlie runner to accom- 

 pany her, sometliing that I was pleased to do as I always 

 greatly admired this mare, and was glad to see a horse 

 whose owner was brave enough to buy the best trottter in the 

 world succeed. After Mr. Bair had his mare i^roperly 

 warmed up, as he considered, we went out and tried to do 

 the trick. I have heard a great many x>eople remark that 

 nobody is interested in seeing a horse trot to beat the watch. 

 In some cases I think they are right; for instance, if some 

 cross-roads man conies out with a cheaj) horse and wants to 

 try to make him beat 2:35 and he can not go better than 

 2:34f, people take no interest in it, but in my turf career I 

 have always noticed that when some horse that the public 

 thinks has a reasonable chance to do something that no 

 other horse has ever done, whether it is to go against 

 another horse or against the watch, comes on the track, 

 they take interest enough in the loerformance to give their 

 time and money for the privilege of seeing the animal try. 

 I have seen Dexter, Goldsmith Maid, Rams, St. Julien, 

 Jay-Eye-See, and Maud S. successfully lower the trotting 

 record, and when they would do it the large crowds that saw 

 them would cheer in a manner to convince the most skeptical 

 that they were deeply interested in the matter. 



I had for a runner the day Maud S. trotted at Cleveland, 

 a handsome brown horse called Dart, that belonged to Mr. 

 W. J. Gordon. After we scored down two or three times 

 the judges gave the word, and after going about seventy-five 

 yards the mare broke. Bair stopped and returned, and on 

 getting the word the next time she went away steadily and 

 fast, the pace seeming to me a little too speedy. Bair said 

 nothing to her as she moved by the quarter pole at a rate of 

 speed that rather frightened me, as I thought no liorse 

 could live at that pace. She went on down to the half- 

 mile pole at the same terrific gait. I staid well back with 

 the runner, as I thought the mare was going fully as fast as 



