8 MEMOIR. 



infant who is in after life a genuine admirer of a good 

 horse." Of these Uncle Dan was the star. He had an eve 

 for a horse, while he never grew weary expatiating on 

 the beauty and goodness of a certain blaze-faced, small 

 gelding, bay in color and "Morgan on both sides," that 

 could out trot, out walk, out run, and out pull any horse 

 in Ashland County for fun, money or marbles. 



The old story about the bent twig has a striking exam- 

 ple in the case of William B. Fasig. From the time that 

 he could toddle, the stable had more attraction for him 

 than the schoolhouse, and as soon as he was permitted 

 to drive a horse, a brush on the road or the third of a 

 mile tan bark track, was, in his eyes, the only thing on 

 earth worth living for. The limit of boyhood delights 

 was reached when his father gave him two mares. One 

 was called Nell and the other Jenny. Nell was a roan 

 mare considerably older than her new owner. She had 

 the heaves, a docked tail, and was adorned with a pair of 

 bone spavins. But all of these defects were lost sight of 

 from the fact that she could trot like a blue streak. There 

 was not a horse in that "neck of woods" that could step 

 by her, and the climax was reached when she made her 

 youthful owner the "King of the castle" by defeating the 

 local star, Lucy, at the county fair, for a $25 purse in 3 103. 

 The band was not called out to "See the conquering hero 

 come," but the desire to have it, and the showman in- 

 stinct to wish for it was there, even at that date. For 

 weeks "Benny" Fasig and Nell were at the top of the 

 heap, and when Uncle Dan called there was talk of rec- 

 ord-smashing that made the performances of Lady Suf- 

 folk, Ethan Allen, Dutchman and Flora Temple, look 

 hazy. All dreams of youth have silver linings. We have 

 all had them, our children will have them, their children 



