SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



was never ashamed of his initial occupation, and 

 the circumstance once served him well in a court 

 of law. He was a witness in some Parliamentary 

 bribery case, and, on getting into the box, Mr. 

 Attorney-General Cockburn pounced upon him. 



" What is your name ? " 



" John Frail." 



" What are you ? " 



" A barber at Shrewsbury." 



" Ah, John Frail ! According to my instructions 

 a very frail man ! Have you been long at Shrews- 

 bury ? " 



" Yes. Nearly all my life, and " — not relishing 

 the joke on his name — " I know you, and you should 

 have known me. I shaved you many times at 

 Shrewsbury when you were courting two sisters." 



Mr. Frail was soon informed that he could leave 

 the box. The shrewd wit that served him upon this 

 occasion benefited him through life. He was a man 

 who meant to make his way in the world, and he 

 so accomplished his purpose that at this moment 

 the name of the Frails is one of the best known in 

 Turf official circles. 



I am not prepared to say that everything at 

 Shrewsbury was managed on the lines that now, say, 

 prevail at Windsor or Manchester. Ways and means 

 then, in the absence of a considerable public, formed 



155 L 



