ROAD HORSES. 
MONG the irregular acquaintances of my boy- 
hood, I remember a certain Ed Hulbert, who 
was wont to express his notion of felicity in the fol- 
lowing concise and oft-repeated phrase: “A smooth 
road and a sharp trot!” ‘There may be nobler ideals; 
pursuits might perhaps be thought of which combine 
pleasure with intellectual improvement to a greater 
degree; and certainly it must be admitted that a 
young or even a middle-aged man should always be 
provided with an excuse for driving instead of riding, 
such as that he is lame, or has already taken an equiva- 
lent amount of exercise in some other form, or desires 
to be accompanied by his wife. But, these difficulties 
surmounted, (or shall we say disregarded ?) the com- 
bination of “a smooth road and a sharp trot” will 
8 ‘ 
