THE ST. LOUIS FAIB. 281 



the impudence to tell more than one lady that you thought 

 her the most beautiful. 



PUPIL. I was just as sincere in the twentieth case as 

 the first, and when telling the last fair one she was the 

 prettiest creature I ever saw, I firmly believed it for the 

 time being ; and " why not," as the Spaniards say. If we 

 held to the same opinions formed in boyhood, there would 

 be a small chance for improvement, and we would not be 

 the progressive individuals we claim. As we get more 

 experience, we change the crude opinions formerly enter- 

 tained, for those we have discovered to be better and 

 nearer the truth ; and as to the impertinence of telling a 

 lady she is handsome, in a deferential, proper manner, I 

 have yet to see the first one" that was much offended with 

 the impudence. The story I am going to relate partly 

 illustrates this ; and not to waste any more time in circum- 

 locution, I will rehearse it. 



Seven or eight years ago I spent the latter part of the 

 summer in St. Louis, stopping at the Abbey Park, then 



under the charge of the enterprising Charlie . There 



was a perfect round of trotting, pacing, and running, and 

 the stables were filled with animals that were taking part in 

 these Olympic struggles, and with those in preparation for 

 the approaching great St. Louis Fair. The grand Lexing- 

 ton, the handsome Revenue, the fleet Euric, the powerful 

 Doubloon, France, Waterloo, Princeton, Little Arthur, 

 imp. Barnton, and a dozen other thoroughbred stallions 

 were having the finishing polish put on their glossy coats, 

 and when they were led into the ring, the welcoming 

 shouts from twenty thousand people testified that their 

 merits were appreciated. Much as Charlie had to do in 

 superintending the affairs at the Abbey, his energetic man- 

 agement carried things along so smoothly that there was 

 still time to drive through the pleasant suburbs of the 

 King City. In many of these excursions I accompanied 



