RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



to go me one better. My telegram, however, made it 

 easy for Crawford to secure an option. 



In a letter of September 27 I said to Mr. Craw- 

 ford: 



" Use your judgment, but the contract must be 

 such as will hold legally as well as morally. The sum 

 we agreed upon to bind the option was $1000. Pay 

 this and the money will be paid to you on transfer 

 of option contract. As the season is getting late it 

 seems to me it would be advisable to close the matter 

 as soon as we can. Maud S. was driven staying-up 

 miles yesterday in 2.21, 2.11, 2.12!. She ought to 

 be able to go for a record about October 15." 



My insistence disclosed a weak spot in Jay-eye-see. 

 The gelding was more seriously injured than the 

 public knew, and finally Crawford wrote me from 

 St. Louis that the horse had a slight ailment and 

 would be priced at $50,000. 



Jay-eye-see never regained his old form, but, under 

 date of April 14, 1886, Mr. Case wrote me from 

 Racine: 



" Jay-eye-see and Phallas are as fine and sound as 

 can be. I am watching for some enthusiastic man 

 with a chip on his shoulder." 



I knew to the contrary, but why call the bluff? 



The Hickory Grove Farm of Jerome I. Case was 

 one of the most famous of its day, but now is a mem- 

 ory. December 22, 1891, I received the following 

 telegram : 



50 



