AND OTHER SKETCHES 195 



and altogether such a patched up relic of what had once 

 been a good hack, that his new owner was glad to sell 

 him for sixty dollars. 



About three months later the same gentleman was 

 standing in the market square of the Limestone City 

 when a farmer drove up a very handsome, bloodlike 

 chestnut gelding, with not a white hair on him, hooked 

 to a democrat wagon, in which he had a couple of baskets 

 of butter to sell. The appearance of the horse attracted 

 the citizen's attention, and in response to enquires as to 

 his breeding, he was informed he was by Judge Durell, 

 out of a mare by Jack the Barber. The breeding being 

 exceptionally good and the looks of the gelding away 

 above the average, an offer of $175 was made, condi- 

 tional upon the horse being a good driver, and as he 

 showed good action when moving up and down the mar- 

 ket square, he soon changed hands and the Kingstonian 

 congratulated himself upon having at last secured a 

 stylish looking good driver at a small figure. Once the 

 horse was put to steady driving he commenced to fail 

 very similar to the gypsy's representative, and more than 

 one remarked that he was getting more like the other 

 horse every day. Finally, his heels commenced to change 

 color, and before a month had gone by it was evident 

 that previous white marks had been painted over both 

 in his forehead and on his feet, until one day he stood 

 revealed as the identical horse that the gypsies had sold 

 the same owner months before and which, after buying 

 him back for sixty dollars, they had again succeeded, 

 through the ingenuity of one of their brethren, who was 

 an adept at playing the innocent farmer act, in selling 

 the second time to the same party who had been so 

 grievously taken in and well cooked at the first attempt. 

 A little dye had removed the white marks and thus 

 changed his appearance to a casual observer. 



Another very good horse story had its origin through 

 a funny circumstance that happened in Toronto some 

 years ago. A wealthy resident of Toronto, whose pride 

 of lineage could not be any stronger if he boasted the 



