BOUGHT THE WRONG HORSE. 177 



higher, forgetting in his excitement to lower it between 

 bids. So, higher and higher went the chin, until disloca- 

 tion of the neck was threatened, when, fortunately for the 

 prince of good fellows, the mare was knocked down to 

 him. The signal, however, had been so plain that the 

 crowd got 'next,' and the performance furnished many a 

 hearty laugh while the bidding was in progress. 



"Another time he had examined a mare and decided 

 to bid on her when she was offered. It happened, how- 

 ever, that when her turn came another animal was led in, 

 but he, having kept track of the number preceding the 

 number of the mare, took it for granted that the animal 

 he wanted was in the ring, without consulting the figures 

 hung out on the stand. He hid behind the box and made 

 his bids where his rivals could not see him. The mare 

 was knocked down to him and he went down to the stalls 

 to look her over again. To his horror he then found he 

 had bought the wrong horse. An hour or two after, he 

 encountered one of his rivals. 'Mr. Fleishmann,' said he, 

 'you bought a mare awhile ago that I wanted. Will you 

 sell her to me ?' 'Yes,' answered Fleishmann. 'How much 

 profit do you want?' 'Well, you are a cavalier.' T am a 

 cavalier,' returned Fleishmann. 'We are friends. You 

 will not bid against me some time when I want another 

 horse, I let you have that mare at just what I bid. I 

 charge you no profit. You just go to the cashier, pay for 

 her and she is yours.' 



'The new buyer thanked him profusely. They had a 

 drink and he paid for the mare. Then he went below to 

 look at her, and it was his turn to rush back. 



" 'Air. Fleishmann, I don't want dot mare. That iss 

 not the mare I thought I vas buying".' 'Well,' said Mr. 

 Fleishmann, with a satisfied glitter in his eye, 'that is the 



