LIFE WITH THE TROTTEES. 187 



Golden Girl, and Keene Jim, our late opponents, Patchen 

 and Deck Wright being also on hand and in better form, 

 than ever. This wa^ one of the betting races of the cam- 

 paign, and the public and my opponents concluded that 

 Wedge wood must be getting staJe and off on account of his 

 race at Springfield, and as he was favorite over the field, 

 they took the field for all there was in it. In his prelimi- 

 nary work at Hartford Wedgewood pleased me in every way. 

 Among the number on my side was uncle Ben Wright 

 who again went through a Turkish bath performance on 

 account of the precarious situations and the hazardous 

 events of the race. It was in this race that Doc. Appleby 

 made one of the most original remarks and at the same 

 time one of the most appropriate ones on record. The Doc- 

 tor did not know exactly what horse he wanted to play 

 when the race began, but was sure that he did not want 

 Wedgewood. With Johnny Murphy behind Patchen he 

 concluded to back that horse, and for a while the chances 

 looked roseate. Then Deck Wright took a heat in such 

 commanding style, that he looked all over a winner, and 

 Mr. Appleby made another plunge in that direction, and 

 backed the horse from the West for enough to get back all 

 that he had put on Patchen and land a goodly pile besf de 

 if Deck Wright won. When Patchen captured the thrvd 

 heat the Doctor stole another base and played the field 

 against Wedgewood, a horse that had not yet come to tlie 

 front. After Wedgewood had won the race and someone 

 asked the Doctor what he had done for himself, he said: 

 "I have done badly. I kept climbing from one rotteii 

 branch to another until finally the whole tree fell on me." 



I determined to follow my old plan and lay up, and 

 Murphy showed the boys what he had in hand, by winning: 

 the first heat with Patchen in 2:18f . He led all the way in 

 the second heat to the distance stand, where he broke, and 

 Deck Wright beat him out in 2:20^. I contented myself 

 with dropping inside the distance flag. In scoring for the 

 third heat I determined to try and win, but in the score 



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