LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 275 



cident in his stable that winter I had many a pleasant chat 

 with the Governor. I soon learned one thino-, that he was 

 not an imitator. When he talked of breeding horses I t'onnd 

 that he had his own ideas of what would constitute a race- 

 horse and Avliat would produce tluit animal. When it was 

 announced through the i^ress that he had x^aid $44,000 to 

 Mr. Charles Backman for animals to found a breeding estab- 

 lishment people little thought that he would in a few years 

 produce one colt that would at jpublic auction bring more 

 than that amount of money, which he did as Bell Boy, bred 

 at his place, brought $50,000. 



An instance happened in connection with this colt which 

 gave a friend of mine an opportunity to laugh at me. In 

 my list of friends I had one, a character of the name of 

 Pollock. He was a native of Ohio and had the love for a 

 horse born in him. He was a self-made man, having fought 

 his own way up, therefore thought he had the right to use 

 his money in any way he thought fit, and for a man who 

 worked for his money was about as reckless with it as any- 

 one I ever saw, being always willing to loan it to me on my 

 word. It was suggested to him by a friend that it would be 

 a good plan to buy Bell Boy, then a yearling, for $5,000. 

 He interviewed me on the subject and asked me if I would 

 like to have an interest in him. I told him he might be able 

 to buy yearling colts at $5,000, but in the present state of 

 my finances I would not be able to joay for more than one 

 hair out of his tail at that price, and as I gave him no en- 

 couragement he let the matter droi). But I do not consider 

 we lost the $50,000 that Bell Boy brought, for he might not 

 have brought that much if we had owned him. Governor 

 Stanford has also sold a yearling for $12,500, and any num- 

 ber of other horses at very long prices, and it looks as if his 

 harvest had just commenced. Marvin's strong card, I think, 

 is his everlasting industry. He has probably ridden more 

 miles in the last ten years than any two horse trainers that 

 I know of. Some men imagine that a man gets to the tox> 

 of the ladder in his professiim by pure luck. I am a good 



