GEN. GBANT AND THE COLT. 153 



fco have had a faithful picture of the scene. The old man 

 was apparently verging on that period of life allotted by 

 the psalmist as its close, but possessing all the vigor of 

 manhood. His form was tall, spare, and sinewy, the right 

 arm gone, yet with the left he controlled the bounding 

 motions of the vigorous colt easily, the grace of whose 

 movements was rather heightened, than otherwise, by 

 the constraint. His hair was white, hanging in long locks 

 down his back. His clothing was home-made, a kind of 

 blue jean, that set off the tendinous frame to far better 

 advantage than the smoother broadcloth would have 

 done. The fire in the grey eye was as brilliant as ever 

 flashed from beneath the silky veil of the most radiant 

 belle. The animal was of course thoroughbred, a deep 

 chestnut, with lithe limbs and glossy coat, his form pos- 

 sessing the symmetry due his breeding. The General's 

 square, massive face expressed pleasure more than I 

 had ever seen it while receiving the ovations of the most 

 demonstrative crowd. General Logan, with one or two 

 officers of the Agricultural Society and Driving Park As- 

 sociation, were the only persons present. The coifs 

 bridle was decorated with knots of blue ribbons, betoken- 

 ing the first premiums he had received. The old man, 

 after allowing a few minutes to elapse for the General to 

 scan his beautiful proportions and lightness of movement, 

 said, "There is your namesake, General. I have bred 

 many a good colt, but this is the most likely one I ever 

 raised. He has taken twelve blue ribbons, and nary red 

 one." 



The General very handsomely signified his admiration, 

 and the old man replaced in the stall the colt whose elas- 

 tic step was not a whit more bouyant than that of the man 

 who had owned his progenitors for many a generation. 

 I am quite a hero-worshipper, yet I thought more of Ge- 

 neral Grant for the unassuming way with which he granted 



