STRANGER. 249 



County, Ohio, a stranger riding a blood-like bay stallion, 

 and asked a night's lodging, which was hospitably given 

 him. That night he told Mr. Galentine that his stallion 

 was of Kentucky Snap breeding. The next day the 

 stranger, who had so mysteriously put in his appearance 

 the night before, as mysteriously disappeared, leaving the 

 horse in the possession of his host, who kept him all that 

 winter and the following summer, breeding in the mean- 

 time some six or seven mares to him. In the fall of 1853, 

 the mysterious stranger again appeared, paid the charges, 

 and on a bright autumn morning rode off whistling down 

 the road on his blood-like horse. On the worm fence a 

 squirrel feasting on a hickory nut, the first of the year. 

 stopped in his repast, eyed the rider curiously, frisked his 

 tail and scampered through the yellow leaves to a safe re- 

 treat on a big oak ; a farmer boy, shocking corn, paused 

 with uplifted blade, looked at the handsome horse, and 

 wondered why fate had destined him to work while 

 others could whistle and ride in pleasure ; a farmer's 

 daughter, with her coquettish sunbonnet and tidy apron, 

 gazed with admiring eyes on the handsome stranger with 

 his broad-brimmed hat, his easv catch-as-catch-can man- 

 ner, as he waved his hand to the blushing damsel and 

 rode down the road, leaving her, with her pail full of milk 

 and her heart full of admiration, standing and looking 

 after the retreating form of the handsome youth on his 

 Kentucky Snap ; gazed and sighed as he disappeared from 

 her view, and from this chronicle; for no trace of rider or 

 horse was ever afterwards found." 



The produce from the mares bred to Kentucky Snap 

 were all fast and, with the exception of the subject of this 

 sketch, were bought at good prices by foreign buyers and 

 undoubtedly figure as the second and third dams in some 



