FOUNDER OF HIS RACE 79 



impression of reserve power. All three were stylish 

 and well cared for, while Morgan was ungroomed and 

 neglected ; there were a few burrs in his heavy black 

 tail, too, which seemed to strike the New Yorkers as 

 extremely amusing. The ^Morgan, himself, however, 

 had never seen anything very comical about a mere 

 cockle-burr, and was nettled at their foolish remarks and 

 jeers. 



''Yes," repeated Nye, ''fresh as flowers, and fed to the 

 top-notch. Those men have a fine plan to take us down 

 a peg or two." 



"Is it a clean, fair race, think you?" asked Evans, 

 under his breath. 



"It's no clean and no fair race," Nye gave reply, in- 

 dignantly, and in the same low, resentful tone he added,* 

 "they want our horse to run three separate races, one 

 after the other, and him all tuckered out with a day's 

 plowing." 



"It ain't fair," agreed Evans, vehemently. "My horse 

 ain't only tired, but my saddle and bridle, that I left 

 over here t'other day, ain't light and easy like theirs. 

 It ain't reasonable. . . . Not but what Morgan can 

 do it," he added, quickly, "but it's hard on him." 



"Of course he can do it," assented Nye, confidently. 

 "They say we've got to show 'em — or shut up our brag- 

 ging over to Benedict's — with the word being passed on 

 from North to South, as never was !" 



"All right," said Evans. "We'll show 'em. As long 

 as Morgan's alive we ain't got no cause to shut up brag- 

 ging." 



"Every man to ride his ow^n horse," Nye further ex- 

 plained. 



"My legs are a leetle mite too long to be pretty," 

 laughed Evans. "But if Morgan can stand it, I can." 



* Morgan Horses, Linsley, page 137. 



