SIXTY YEARS ON THE TURF 



and have a chat over a sandwich and a glass. " Now, 

 Hodgman," was his general salutation, " come and 

 have your bitter beer, and I'll have my whisky and a 

 sandwich." One year (when he was Sir Charles), 

 just as we separated, three friends from Scotland came 

 up to me. 



" Hodgman," said one, " I've some fifteen-year-old 

 whisky — the right stuff. Have a drop ? " 



" No, thanks. I've just had a bitter with Sir 

 Charles Ptussell." 



"Sir Charles who f* he sarcastically returned. 

 At that moment Sir Charles passed by, and I said 

 to him, " Sir Charles, some Scottish friends of mine 

 say they have some fifteen-year-old whisky. Would 

 you like to try it ? " 



"No thanks," he replied, ^^Five-year-old whisky 

 satisfies me if it is good stuff when laid doivn." 



" By Jove ! " said the owner of the whisky, " it 

 was Sir Charles, and, after all, there is a deal of 

 truth in what he said." 



Everybody is familiar, in a way, with the Ladas 

 who won for Lord Rosebery the Derby Stakes of 

 1894. There may, though, be some — here and 

 there a stray one — not aware that his lordship 

 owned a colt of the same name in 1869, a period at 

 which the " Primrose Lord " had only passed his 

 majority by the space of a year. He was a brown 



286 



