46 DRIVING AS I FOUND IT. 



HOESE DE.VLERS. 



We will now look a little into the character and 

 conduct of the regular horse dealer. I know of no 

 class of n^.en on whom so great and — what is much more 

 unfair — so indiscriminate a share of odium is thrown 

 as on the horsedealer. I am free to allow there are 

 some who are not altogether above reproach. We 

 must not, however, from this draw the inference that 

 it necessarily follows all horse-dealers are dishonest, 

 but my humble opinion is that tradesmen in any other 

 line are pretty much the same and in about the same 

 proportion is not perhaps absolutely erroneous. The 

 only difference is this, the horse dealer cheats one man 

 in the day to the tune of one hundred dollars, the 

 other cheats in smaller sums a hundred in the same 

 time, always keeping the fact in their minds that in 

 addition to this hundred customers he would be as 

 ready as the dealer to cheat any one man the amount 

 of the hundred if the opportunity offered. There is 

 one circumstance that ought to be taken into con- 

 sideration and pleads very much in favor of the fair 

 horse dealer — supposing our purchase from him does 



