Browning and
gloves with the ladies that his favorite would win.

And the colt he set his heart upon came near winning; he was third among
the eighteen starters, and to the last Jordan insisted that he would have
won if he had been well ridden.

"He orter won," Jordan said. "The trouble war, his jockey lacks two
things; he don't understand hoss character, 'nd he lacks pluck. He never
interested ther colt in him, never rubbed his nose and whispered inter
his ear thet his heart would be broke if ther colt didn't win; so ther
colt only ran ter please hisself 'nd never thought o' pleasin' his rider.
Then, from the fust, ther rider believed he wouldn't be nearer nor third,
'nd ter do anything a man's got ter believe he ken make it. Menny a grand
hoss's repertation has ben ruined by ther fool man as has hed him in
charge, and this war ther case ter-day."

Then he was absorbed in thought for a moment, then went on again as
though he had not ceased: "It wer ther same with men. Ez often ez ever
ther best men don't win ther prize; meny er blood man hez been distanced
by er mustang."

The race over, they all had dinner together, and with beautiful tact the
ladies kept Jordan talking most of the time, and enjoyed his quaint
sayings exceedingly.

He had been three months from the United States; had made one trip to
Scotland, one to Wales, one to Paris, and his impressions of the
different points and the people he had seen were most vivid and unique.

His talk ran a little in this vein: "Yo' see, up in ther Highlands, I
looked fur the lakes and mountains that yo' read to us about, Jim. There
is some fine lakes, but mountains! sho, we can beat 'em in America, all
holler. And ez to broad rivers, why, ther Mississippi cud take um all in,
and wouldn't know she had a reinforcement; while pour 'um into ther
Colorado gorge and they'd be spray afore they reached ther bottom. I
looked for ther pituresk Highland heroes in ther tartans and with ther
bag-pipes; but they tho't, I reckon, that I war James Fitz, and wur all
ambushed. But I did see some pretty girls thar, 'an some powerful fine
black cattle. They war fine--good for twelve hundred pounds neat.

"The blamd'st thing I seen war in Wales. I didn't see that, but hearn.
That war the language. It's a jor-breaker, if you har me. I don't see how
the children up thar learn it so blam'd young.

"Paris is a grand place, a genuine daisy; but I believe it is wickeder'n
Santa Fe wuz when