298 "LOUD LAUGHS, LOW GIBE, AND BITTER JOKE." 



the vagabond. Here he stops every passing horse, 

 with something like the following very pleasant mode 

 of address. If he sees a gentleman on a horse that is 

 not a colt, he begins, in a particularly civil voice, 

 " Beg pardon, Sir ! what are you axing for the old 

 horse?" Should a servant be on one that looks in 

 good working condition, he begins, with, " Now, then, 

 how much for the notomy ? wo, old Step-and-fetch-it : 

 let's look at you" this of course loud enough to be 

 heard by all by-standers. The chance is, that some 

 friend or other of the dealer, seeing what is going on, 

 gives the thing a lift, and, addressing him, says, " I 

 say, Brown," (or whatever the fellow's name may be,) 

 " are you going to stand Smithfield ?" This raises 

 a laugh against both groom and horse. Now, nothing 

 people hate more than to be laughed at. The dealer 

 knows this ; so tells the groom to come on one side 

 out of the crowd. Glad to make his escape, he goes. 

 Here both soap and money are tried on : and, as the 

 groom would almost sell himself rather than be again 

 exposed to the sneers of the multitude, it will be no 

 wonder if he is anxious to sell the horse, which he 

 does if the price is left to him ; if not, he does all he 

 can to persuade his master to do so. The dislike to 

 this kind of publicity that most respectable persons 

 have is one of the many engines these fellows work to 

 obtain their ends, either in buying or selling; and 

 many good horses are really sold at half what the 

 owner expected, and many bad ones bought, actually 

 to avoid the slang and blackguardism of these low 

 vagabonds and their companions. 



Now we will suppose, what probably will be the 

 result, does occur. The former gentleman, finding 



