154 EVERY MAN HIS OWN TRAINER. 



bought the bay mare Rosa Mac, 2:20^, six years old, by Alex- 

 ander Button, sire of Yolo Maid, three-year-old record 2:14, 

 pacer. 



The next day I visited Bay District track and found O. A. 

 Hickok working some colts, among which was a very fine bay 

 mare, out of Alandorf by Onward, dam Alma Mater, and I 

 think, take her all in all, she was as fine a mare as I ever saw, 

 size, color, conformation and gait. I understood she was just 

 fairly broken and I really think she could show a two-thirty 

 gait. Hickok was very sweet on her and said he would be 

 very glad to give ^5,000 for her. He was working another 

 the same age, a seal brown stallion by Steinway, that was also 

 very promising. As he came up the stretch at the finish of a 

 mile Hickok took hold of him and spoke sharp. He squared 

 away and acted like a trotter. I verily believe he went a few 

 strides close to a 2:20 gait. I began to make up my mind 

 they had great colts in all parts of California. At the same 

 time I saw an old gentleman working a bay four-year-old colt, 

 by Guy Wilkes, which they all told me could trot in 2:30 or 

 better, and from what I saw I had no reason to doubt it. 

 There next appeared on the track Dan McCarthy, a very in- 

 dustrious man in the horse business, as he has all kinds and 

 colors. Dan is always ready to buy a horse of any kind at 

 his price. He was driving a nice brown gelding by Election- 

 eer, that I should'judge could trot in 2:30 or better when in 

 condition. I liked him and tried to buy him, but Dan and I 

 could not quite agree on the price, so we stepped in his wagon 

 and took a drive around by the Cliff House, and it is a grand 

 sight to a new comer to sec the seals playing in the water and 

 lying on the rocks. There were probably one hundred of 

 them in sight, barking and chewing at one another like pup- 

 pies. From there we took a drive down through the park 

 and back to the city. 



When we arrived at the Palace Hotel I met James Durs- 

 ton, who lives just across the bay at Oakland. Jimmey was 

 looking very fine and tells me he likes California very much; 



