, too.

"'I wonder where ole Pierpont's at?' I hears Chick say to Skinny.
'Gone East to see one of his hosses prepped fur the Brooklyn, I guess.'

"'Naw,' says Skinny; 'you got that wrong. He's goin' to send a stable
to Urope, 'n' Todd Sloan's tryin' to get a contrac' from him as
exercise-boy. Ole Pierpont's watchin' Todd work out a few so he kin
size up his style.'

"I've wrote Jim Sigsbee Trampfast's ready, but I don't enter the hoss
'cause I know Jim wants to come over 'n' bet a piece of money on him.
I don't hear from Jim, 'n' I wonder why.

"One day I'm settin' in front of the stalls 'n' here comes ole man
Sanford down the line.

"'Why, hello, Mr. Sanford!' I says. 'We sort-a figgered you'd quit us.
Things ain't gone right since you left. The boys need you to keep 'em
on their toes.'

"'Ah have not deserted you intentionally, suh,' he says. 'Since Ah saw
you last an old friend of mine has passed to his rewahd. The Hono'able
James Tullfohd Fawcett is no moh, suh--a gallant gentleman has left us.'

"'That's too bad,' I says. 'Did he leave a family?'

"'He did not, suh,' says ole man Sanford. 'Ah fell heir to his entiah
estate, only excepting the silvah mug presented to his beloved mothah
at his birth by Andrew Jackson himself, suh. This he bequeathed to the
public, and it will soon be displayed at the rooms of the Historical
Society named in his last will and testament.'

"'Did you get much out of it?" I says.

"'He had already endowed me with a friendship beyond price, suh,' he
says. 'His estate was not a large one as such things go--some twelve
hundred dollahs, I believe.'

"'That's better'n breakin' a leg,' I says.

"'You will, perhaps, be interested to learn,' he says, 'that Ah have
pu'chased the hawss Trampfast with a po'tion of the money. Hyah is a
lettah foh you from Mr. Sigsbee relative to the mattah.' He hands me a
letter, but I can't hardly read it--his buyin' this hop-head gets my
goat.

"'What you goin' to do with him?' I says. 'Race him?'

"'That is ma intention, suh,' he says. 'Ah expect to keep him in yoh
hands. But, of co'se, suh, the hawss will race on his merits and
without any sawt of stimulant.'

"I ain't stuck on the proposition. The Trampfast hoss can't beat a
cook stove without the hop. I hate to see the ole man burn up his
dough on a dead one.

"'Now, Mr. Sanford,' I says, 'times has changed since you raced. If
you'll let me handle this hoss to suit mysel