290 LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 



mal performed in such a maimer that again the story went 

 forth that Shank had a sure-enough world-beater. If Mr. 

 Emery ever heard the story he could not have paid much 

 attention to it as he didn't buy this one. 



The fall the colt was four years old Shank entered him 

 in a race at Cleveland under the name Oliver K., and with 

 the help of Davy Muckle bankrupted the whole northern 

 part of Ohio. What Mr. Emery" s feelings were when he 

 saw his $150 colt and thought of the animal he had bought 

 from Shank, I will not undertake to describe. Shank sold 

 his colt to G-eorge Forbes for $5, 000 in money. Again loaded 

 down to the high-water mark with Government bonds he 

 returned to his rural home and built himself a brown stone 

 front Avhere he passes his time in luxury and comfort re- 

 counting to his neighbors how he beat the city horsemen. 

 The following spring after Forbes bought Oliver K. he sent 

 him to me to train and drive. In his preparatory work the 

 horse showed some lameness, but not until I had seen 

 enough to convince me that he was another Rarus, which is 

 another instance of the argument that great horses are born, 

 and not made, for at this time Oliver K.'s training had been 

 very limited, but he showed me so much speed that I was 

 sure that he would be a star performer. After a consiiltation 

 it was decided to let him up in his work, which was done. 

 Misfortunes, they say never come singly, and Forbes had 

 proof of this in the disasters that followed. He had always 

 been what the boys call a hustler, an all-around sport, ad- 

 mired everything from a hundred-yard foot-race to a four- 

 mile running race, was himself at one time champion sprinter 

 of Canada, and entirely by his own exertions had acquired 

 a comfortable fortune. He invested the most of it in busi- 

 ness in Cleveland and had the misfortune to stand by and 

 see his property, which represented years of toil and labor, 

 swept into the lake ; and after the flood had subsided found 

 himself thousands of doUars worse off than nothing on 

 the debit side, and on the credit side there was one 

 lame trotting horse and an interesting family of children. 



