364 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 



of the true quality, and after you have imbibed, will read 

 you a letter that accompanied it. 



PRECEPTOR. " That good wine needs no bush," is an old 

 and true adage. I hardly ever drink till after dinner, and 

 do not feel capable of giving an opinion that would be 

 worthy of much weight, but that brandy I took the thim- 

 bleful of is as smooth as oil, and nearly as fragrant as the 

 breath of the morning. 



PUPIL. I want you to try a bottle of that sherry at 

 dinner. If you praise the odor of the brandy, you will be 

 completely carried away with the aroma but the letter 

 will say better than I what needs to be said: 



" CHICAGO, June 1st, 18 . 



" MY DEAK FRIEND. Having a little spare time on my 

 hands, I thought I would acquaint you with what is going 

 on in this tight little town. No doubt Hod keeps you 

 much better posted on all pertaining to horses and other 

 &c's, of which he is so good a judge; but there are things 

 of which I know a little myself, and which I could not 

 help bringing to your notice. In this country where the 

 air is clear, and no salt vapors borne on every breeze, a 

 man can keep healthy as easy as a horse. All that he has 

 to do is to eat, drink, laugh, and take his share of exercise 

 to get along first-rate. But down where you are now, 

 there is a vast difference. The sea fogs and the sea winds 

 penetrate everything, and a man can no more be healthy 

 without a drop to repel these insinuating ocean-bred 

 vapors, than a man can keep warm in his shirt sleeves 

 when the wind blows from off the lake. So I send you a 

 variety of my very best, and if you are still too obstinate 

 to take it in moderation yourself, for the sake of the 

 reputation of your Western friends, treat your visitors with 

 more respect than only to be shoving one of John E.'s re- 

 galias at them, without a drop to moisten their palates, 

 which would make smoking endurable. Surely, men can- 



