LIFE SKETCH. 41 



that of former years. Working and pushing harder 

 than ever before, I succeeded in getting back the money 

 I lost in the show business. 



THE SOUTH AGAIN. — VIRGINIA. 



Returning from the West, I wished for another 

 ■ winter inithe South; so, after a two weeks' run of good 

 luck in Hexamer's Riding Academy, in Hoboken, N. 

 J., and in Paterson, I went to Norfolk, Va., by water. 

 At Norfolk I opened in the old opera-house, of which 

 Mr. Taylor has been manager for over twenty years. 

 He subsequently informed me, in a congratulatory let- 

 ter, that I was the only man, during all that time, who 

 had succeeded in drawing a house large enough to pay 

 his expenses. At this place all my subjects had to be 

 taken up two flights of stairs. To reach Petersburg, 

 myself, my people, and Blind Billy, had to ride in 

 a common freight-car. At this place I gave my in- 

 structions in the opera-house for three nights; I was 

 introduced to General Mahone, on whom I made a call, 

 looking at his fine place and stock. 



"On to Richmond!" was now the cry, and for three 

 weeks in the Richmond theatre, to crowded houses, I 

 succeeded in drawing money enough by handling over 

 one hundred head of horses to barely pay expenses, 

 according to my manager's figures. At Baltimore I 

 . gave my "first free lecture in front of the old Wayne 

 Hotel; afterwards, for ten weeks, under the Hone litho- 

 graph establishment, at ten cents admission to crowded 

 houses. Here I handled the well-known " Tin-pan " 

 horse, which required four lessons before I got him 

 under complete control. At the opera-house in Wil- 

 mington, Del., I handled the famous " Kindling-wood" 

 horse, named from his propensity to make kindling- 

 wood of whatever came within reach of his heels; his 



