216 TALES OF THE TUKF. 



wear-and-tear roadster, still another one of the many 

 thousands of examples of "breeding unknown but a great 

 roadster" in the pedigree of renowned performers. That 

 covers about all McNulty could tell me of McDoel's 

 breeding. 



One bright October morning in 1888, as the sun was 

 sinking on a level with the broad prairie, bedecked with 

 myriads of tinted fall flowers and the beautiful golden 

 and brown of changing leaves and grasses, the soft twi- 

 light of a southwestern autumn evening bringing that 

 feeling of contentment and "good will on earth" peculiar 

 to the hour, W. A. McNulty stood leaning against the 

 gate of his pleasant but unpretentious home, when there 

 rode up to him a man on a chestnut gelding, saying, "Mr. 

 Mac, this horse I'm ridin' is a good 'un. He can go all 

 the saddle gaits and trot good too. He's for sale and as 

 you buy and sell sometimes, I thought I'd ride him 

 'round." 



The flush of interest that he tried so hard as a politic 

 dealer to conceal, did not escape the rider, nor the fact 

 that it did not, Mac noticed. It then immediately be- 

 came a trading duel between two shrewd men, for from 

 the moment McNulty first put eyes on the horse he was 

 impressed with his greatness, and, strive all he could with 

 his practiced arts, he could not hide from that sharp farm- 

 er the presentiment that was on him. 



"He's a right likely horse, Mr. Rhoades, what is your 

 price on him?" 



"Two hundred," said the farmer. 



"Well, Mr. Rhoades, if he's as good as you say and 

 hadn't that curb, your price wouldn't be much out of the 

 road, but with the curb he ought to be bought for $150." 



That was the mistake Mac made, slight, but enough 



