The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-25
HORSE SWAPPING.
In the Good Old Days 1t Was
Sport, Not Commercialism.
A MAN TOOK A CHANCE THEN.

He Didn't Ask For 4 Written Guar
antee That the Animal Was Sound,
and if He Got Stuck He Bided His
Time to Pass Along tho Prize.
II have been reading that David
Harum story" said the ancient livery
man when his cronies were comforta-
bly, seated in his little office. IA friend
told ME that story was the last word
on horse trading. but the man who
wrote it didn't understand the spirit
of the game at all. David Harum
would have been skinned out Of his
teeth If he had blown into any west
ern town In the palmy days of horse
trading twenty-five or thirty years ago.
Il tell you. my friends. all the dead
game sports are asleep with their IA
Tiers. Nobody is willing to take
chance nowadays. If a man buys a
cigar he wants bill of sale with 1t.
The other day cheap skate pestered
me whole afternoon talking about
buying q horse. He tried out all the
nags in the barn and finally decided
that the glass eyed bay would suit
| him. And he actually wanted writ
ten guarantee that the horse was
sound. a written guarantee! No. gen
tlemen, am not joking. That bald
headed travesty on man actually
asked for such document. regarded
1t as an insult. and after had rebuked
him they had TO pour four buckets Of
water over him before he recovered.
in the good old days horse trading
was game. not commercial transac-
ton. II q man wasn't willing to take
the chances when he went trading he
was advised to try some other line Of
business. Many and many time l
had the Earpoon administered to ME.
/ One day Major Charlie Slaughter
drove to my barn.
IL have quite neat package Of
horseflesh here said the major, and
have sort of presentiment that he
can travel few lines when the wind
is blowing in the right direction
His horse was a handsome roam.
4 regular peacock for style, with his
head away up in the air so you'd need
n stepladder to see if he had star
on his forehead. And the way he hit
the road was sin. Talk about gated
s horses. That roam handled his legs
as though he had taken sparring les
sons. Now. my weak point in the
horse business is that when / want
certain nag the worst way / can't
conceal the fact. just can't sleep or
eat my victuals until that horse is in
my barn with new halter on him.
The major was wise TO my weakness.
Its no use. Jake says the major.
This boss isn't on my swapping list.
Every roam hair on him just suits me.
and I'd be chump to let him CO.
well, of course l got the roam all
right. The major was just Quitting.
And gave him the biggest trade, you
81 ever heard of-gaye him q matched
team and several bills for that gan
Cling roam. And when took the roam
to the water trough for drink found
that he couldn't lower his head. He
had to carry it about ten feet in the air
his neck. He had to eat his faxed rice
> off shelf and drink from garden
hose, and man needed an aeroplane
to put a bride on him.
Did raise fuss with the major:
What sort of skate do you take me
for? Next time ! met him told him
, liked the roam better than any horse
/, l ever saw. He isn't always roofing
in the ground like a pig said l, and
, If you had told me about his patent
{ dirigible neck I'd have given you SIC
| more We were sports in those days
zone time the veterinary surgeon
told me about fine trotting horse in a
been deprived of its tail by n surgical
). operation. / went and looked at the
9 horse. He was perfect beauty and
4 could trot like an avalanche. But be
I had just a stump OF tail. and the
e owner was ashamed to drive him, sc
q bought the critter for song. l went
a to lot OF trouble having tail made
d for him. 1t was a beautiful. flowing
4 tail. a credit to the hairdresser's art
!. 1t was fixed to slip over the horse:
) stub tail and was then fastened to tn,
r crupper of the harness. and a mar
It needed good eyes to see that it WASH
l. the real thing.
8 The ma or had poor eyes, and whel
q took him for drive behind tina
a black trotter he simply had to be tie'
down to the seat he was so excited
He said he'd always wanted hors
with tail like that. He had my OWL
- weakness. He couldn't pretend indif
:. ference when he wanted thing til
- worst way. and he wanted that hors
y so bad that his hair was falling out
After a great deal of elaboration
issued my ultimatum.
= ..I'll give you the horse. barnes
and buggy just as they stand said
for your sorrel -year-olds an
$50 Either of the sorrels was worth
herd of horses like the black.
"It's trade cried the major.
Next morning the major cam
around to my barn all smiles. Eve
since ] was q child and quit playin
with rattle. says he, L have wante