18 



ASHGILL; OR, THE LIFE 



in one year, proving herself a stayer of the first water), 

 with a foal at foot, and of Esterling, also adorn the 

 room; and as showing his loyalty to a true gentleman 

 and illustrious sportsman, a photo of the Prince of 

 Wales occupies the place of honour over the mantel- 

 piece. The table in the corner groans under the weight 

 of the colossal Warwick Cup, won by Rapparee, and 

 which was presented to John by his father. This 

 splendid silver trophy is of exquisite design, and 

 represents, in a group of figures, Sir Thomas Lee 

 receiving Charles I. at Stoneleigh Abbey. 



Amongst other treasures is a gold box, the gift of 

 Mr. R. Gladstone, and fashioned out of the hoof of 

 Beauty, a winner of the Chester Cup. Much prized is 

 the illuminated testimonial presented to him, together 

 with a dessert service of gold and silver, in 1876 at 

 York, on which occasion Judge Johnson, exceeding his 

 brevity in giving a verdict, " Won by a head," said in 

 his speech, " Won by a head and honest heart " a fine 

 epigram from one who had up to then been identified 

 with him for more than a third of a century. 



Like the great majority of John Osborne's old 

 friends, Judge Johnson has been called away to the 

 silent land. Now approaching the allotted span of 

 human existence, the old-time jockey, the hero of 

 hundreds of fights, must have many sad, yet pleasant, 

 memories of departed associates, who admired his 

 qualities of head and heart as much in the far distant 

 days as does every man directly or indirectly connected 

 with the Turf in the present. " Time tries all " is an 

 ancient adage, but its truth was never more fully 

 emphasised than in the career of John Osborne, who 

 comes out of the alembic as true as refined gold. In 

 the foregoing pages a faint effort has been made to 



