22 LIFE WITH THE TEOTTEES. 



whose bright toilets, set off against the green of the sward 

 and the blue of the sky, make the picture more attractive ; 

 no poolseller, shrieking at the top of his voice to get the 

 money in at the best odds; no brightly painted sulkies, with 

 spidery wheels that flashed in the sunlight ; no officious 

 policeman to grab the small boys who were trying to get 

 under the fence and let the man with the badge walk over 

 the horses ; no drivers with silk jackets, waxed moustaches, 

 and a general air of contentment and prosperity ; and in 

 those days neither my old antagonist, T. J. Vail, ex-secre- 

 tary of the National Trotting Association, or the organiza- 

 tion of which he was for many years the head and front, had 

 been thought of in connection with trotting. The drivers 

 appeared, each in a costume of his own, mostly consisting 

 of an absence of coat, with a hat or cap drawn tightly over 

 the head so that the wind made by the speed of the horse 

 would not disarrange it, and the sulkies were about as much 

 like the present ones as an improved two-wheel hay-rake 

 would be. They were big, heavy, and clumsy, and instead 

 of being built on the most scientific principles, they were 

 high-seated, with shafts so big that nowadays they would 

 be more fit for an express wagon than a race vehicle. I 

 mention these things to show horsemen of the i^resent day 

 to what handicaps the old-time trotters were subjected. I 

 felt when I started in this race a good deal as I did when I 

 spoke my first piece at school — a little timid— but made up 

 my mind to give them the best I had in the shop, win or lose. 

 1 had heard some stories about the speed of one or two of 

 the animals I had to contend with, but we had not gone far 

 in the first mile before it was evident they were all at my 

 mercy. Black Doctor won in straight heats, and the best 

 time was about three minutes. I was looked upon by the 

 crowd as a wonder. A youngster that could come in with 

 a green horse and beat all the old timers was not often 

 heard of in those days, and I was a phenomenon. From 

 that day business came in, and I was able to employ a couple 

 of rubbers, spread out with a few new tools; I found a man 



