Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-07-14
Timing a Fast Horse.

A friend OF ours, who owns a
farm near Camp Dennison--John
we will call him-is fond of
horses, and has a private race
track, where he puts his fast nags
through course Of equine sprouts.
Those residing in the vicinity
who have or think they have
fast nags, frequently resort to this
race course for the purpose of
testing the speed of their horses.
Now John is a bit of wag, and
numerous are the jokes be has
played off ON his friends in slim
ing" their horses with a patent
stop-watch. Every man likes to
think he has a fast horse, and
when told that his horse has made
a mile in 2:30 when he has no
idea he could get below the fifties,
he naturally feels elated, don't you
see--especially when SO grave
and earnest a man as our John
holds the watch, and that watch
is known the country around for
its reliability.
If anybody else were to time
the speed of the nags they might
question its authenticity, but
John--no one thought of ques-
tioning him or his patent watch.
One day last fall a neighboring
farmer, who could not sleep nights
because he had got it into his
head that a colt he owned was
fast, brought the same colt to
Johns race track to try him.
John very accommodatingly held
his patent watch while the owner
of the colt drove around the
track.
"Two.thirty-eight !" yelled John
as the colt passed the mile pole.
''What's that ?" shouted the
man In astonishment.
'Two minutes and thirty-eight
seconds exactly" replied John,
without moving a muscle.
This was SO much better than
the colt proprietor had anticipated
that he could not believe it, and
said so at once.
"Hold the watch yourself, then,"
said John somewhat gruffly, eff
you can't believe me-
"Oh," replied the map, hasten
ing to conciliate, 81 don't question
your meaning in the matter, but
you might have made a mistake
on the watch"
'Don't you know this is patent
stop watch" inquired John, cit
can never make mistake; there,
you see, it has stopped on two
minutes and thirty-eight seconds.
I'll drive around and you time
the colt"
Now the interior of the track
was planted with corn, and a for
est of cornstalks reared their lofty
heads there completely obstruct-
ing more than very limited view
of the track. The word "go" was
given, and John "got." As soon
as he was out of sight of the 9TH
ers, he darted through road that
traversed the corn field, cutting
off nearly half the distance, SO
that when he reached the mile
post the owner of the colt fairly
danced with JOY as he loared:
"Tsoo Mity-one and7a-lat, By
Aokey."
The man was nearly wild with
excitement, refused an offer of
five hundred dollars John offered
for the colt on the spot, and hur-
ried home with his newly-found |
treasure. He was on the look
out for some fair, where he was
confident of being able to "scoop
'em all" as he said. The Blan-
chester fair came off in a little /
while and there was our hero with /
his wonderful colt. He rut him
In against the fastest trotter they
had, bet his money freely, and to
his horror and the uproarious
mlrth of the crowd, his horse was
nearly five minutes in getting a.
round. In utter disgust be sold |
his horse for moderate sum-
He don't want any more fast
horses. John has cured several
embryo horsemen in the same way
and looks upon himself as a BEN
efactor of his race, if he isn't of
the horse race. I
His treatment is expensive but
effectual.
As people usually sprinkle the .
floors before they sweep them, says