Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-02-13
JOSEPH BATTELL,
Middlcbury, Vt.
ON THE ICE AT BROOkSIOE.
AMONG THE BABY TROTTERS.


There are few pleasanter stopping
places than the new hotel at Orwell,
where found myself one frosty even
ing last week. The situation is pleas
ant. the building handsome and cOmmo-
dous. the rooms large and perfectly
heated by steam, and the table is good
and admirably served. Our genial host,
Mr.. f. b. kimball, takes a just pride in
his new and handsome house, and does
everything in his power to make his
guests feel at home. | have no doubt
but that next summer will see these de-
lightful rooms well filled with guests
who will scarcely find a pleasanter
quarter for taste of Vermont country
life.
Next morning at eight, with the mer-
curry at zero, took seat with my young
friend, Mr.. Linus Cults, in light piano
box sleigh, behind Star Franklin, for
the two mile drive to Brookside. The
road was largely level ice, and most of
the way good speeding ground. Star
has now reached the prime of life being
seven past a magnificent chestnut stall.
lion of sixteen hands, splendid proper
tons, high style, admirable poise, and
withal that perfect roadster disposition
that answers to the lightest hint, carry
ing him from the light, sprngy walk to
the highest trotting flight without APP
parent effort, and always under perfect
control without pulling-the DISPOSE
ton that has earned for the Lambert
family the reputation of being the best
roadsters in the world. But Star Frank
lin is not roadster only: ne recently
trotted measured half on the ice track
at Brookside in :l0i, it being the only
time he has been taken to the track this
winter, and if one can form any Just es-
innate from the exhibition he gave US
that morning, he needs only to strike a
good track in proper condition and eX-
ercise to make record better than 20.
He is the premier stallion at Brookside,
standing in the place of his sire, Ben
Franklin, whose fame has made this
excellent breeding farm well known
throughout the country.
On arrival at Brookside we found Mr..
II. Il. Cults, the proprietor, ready to
show us the ice track with some of the
baby Franklins. They first brought
out two chestnut foals of 1888, Lord
Franklin, one of the handsomest and
easiest moving entire colts ever bred at
Brooksde. and Blaze, a powerful and
stylish filly that trotted races as year
ling. They are both by Ben Franklin,
Lord Franklin being from Matte Willis,
very fast daughter of Tom Thumb by
old Ethan Allen, while Blaze was from
dam by Winoosk. The young gen.
tleman took Blaze in the skeleton ice
Sleigh and the colt drew Mr.. Cults and
myself in one of the light box sleghs.
Passing down over the meadow, cross
ing the half-mile turf track, we came
to the ice where the little brook from
which the place is named, in sum
mer narrow stream, now spreads over
the meadow for the average width of a
hundred yards or more and forms a
continuous sheet of steel-gray ice, most
of it as smooth as glass, on which a
straight-away mile track with quarters
marked has been laid out, with plenty
of scoring room at each end. The
youngsters were very evenly matched
and extremely speedy. | think never
have seen a more frictionless moving
colt than Lord Franklin; it would seem
his hips and it would scarcely spill
Very eXhilir2ting is this speed on ice SO
glare that if you drive an un-spurred
sleigh across, even in light breeze, you
find yourself sailing sideways like a
Dutch ship. At this time the wind,
though very keen. blew a steady breeze
directly up the track from the south
A light film of snow had fallen in the
morning, which caught and curled in the
breeze on the shining surface like the
finest lace on silken garment. The
ly clipped TANKS, and spurred by the
excitement of contest, took us over the
polished ice with motion as pure as
the flight of bird. Returning to the
stables, Mr.. Cults took Col. Franklin, a
rangy bay colt, two past, by Ben Frank
lin from daughter of belongs Ethan
Allen, a colt as yet rather green, but OF