The New York herald., 1921-09-08
MRS. 7. ROOSEVELTS
MULE IS TIED IN RACE
Mrs. j. GriSwold Webb Drives
Nellie to Nose and Nose Fin
ish at Dutchess Fair.
ONE FARMER rs SPOTTED
1876 Inch Butter Beans, 8 Foot
Geraniums, Among Displays
at Rhinebeck.
ONE FARMER IS SPOTTED

They're off" shouted a man in the
grand stand. The crowd at the
Dutchess County Fair. opening at
Rhinebeck yesterday. looked down the
track, eager, tense.
"They" were Mrs Theodore Roose-
velt and Mrs. J. Griswold Webb, each
seated behind a sulky and mule.
Mrs. Roosevelt's mule, by courtesy.
might be called white. His name was
Happy. Mrs. Webb's was frankly
black and answered to Nellie.
They're off," shouted the man in
the grand stand, but the quie:
Dutchess county landscape was ap
parently unchanged After an appro-
ciable lapse of time those in the stand
whose eyesight was good were able to
make out faint forward movement,
with which the mules seemed to have
something to do. One Of them, at any
rate. Mrs. Webb's mule, who had the
rail, raised a hoof tentatively, and
then let it rest, as II in doubt. Mrs.
Roosevelt's Happy tipped his ears.
AnimaIs' Unusual Cats.
And then they started. Happy has
the most peculiar and distinctive gait
of any animal that travels upon legs.
His ends seem to buckle together and he
rises slowly. returning to the ground
lightly. like load of concrete. Nell
lies gait is a more sober thing. work
ing ia an occa sional climax, when she
plants her feet firmly as statues.
When the mules had circIed the track
to point opposite the grand stand, only
the upper parts or their bodies were
visible. and the sulkies were hidden en-
tirely. They seemed to be leisurely
ploughing for future Duchess county
crops.
Now they we're in the home stretch,
Nellie a trifle in the lead. Happy
tumbled carelessly along and stopped for
a moment to sniff at n bunch Of golden
rod growing beside the track. 1t looked
like Nellie's opportunity. but Happy
threw back his head and brayed vocif-
erously. He bounded forward and drew
abreast OF the other mule before the
judges stand was reached.
They passed It nose and nose. 1t was
dead heat. All that remained was for
Col. Theodore Roosevelt and J. Griswoij
Webb each to take the rein OF his wifes
mule and do the pleasure of the movie
men.
The mule race was the chief attrac-
ton of the afternon for most OF the
fair visitors. Not so one Dutchess coun-
tryite. "Shucks." he grumbled. That's
no kind OF business to have at fair.
! come here to see hosses trot N pace.
Beats all. I'll say"
Beyond a doubt, county fairs aren't
what they used to be. An old man with
n gray goatee and a grim expanse Of
shaven upper lip drove up In a buggy to
the fair grounds. hitched his nag to the
road fence and made toward the gate.
Maybe there was wisp OF timothy In
his hat
Two State troopers saw him coming
and held hurried conference.
Looks to me like a farmer" said
one
l. I'm hanged IL I don't think he Is"
replied the other. We better look him
over pretty carefully"
The man got inside. however. and left
his buggy standing out among the auto
mobiles, but he was the only one OF his
kind THE NEW YoRK HERALD reporter
could discover. The crowd at the
prtchess County Fair might have been
the crowd at Coney Island There are
no ''hicks" except in vaudeville.
Dutchess's roth Fair.
IT was Dutchcss county's seventy
ninth annual fair, the second oldest in
the State. Its exhibits are drawn from
the estates of the wealthy and from the
ordinary farms Of the county There are
beautiful sleek Guernsey cattle, with
| coats that would not look mean beside
| those of thoroughbred horses. and fine
sturdy Holsteins. The hogs are huge.
There are some at the fair easily the
| size OF a heifcr.
And. speaking OF size. a man stag
Eered into the barn where The horticul-
tural exhibit Is housed carrying two
butter beans. They were both eighteen
inches long and hal. foot through.
And an eight foot gernnium was grow
ing there.
Mr.. Warren Dclano. whose husband
was killed by his horse at last years
fair, had n horticultural exhibit In which
we're shown some particularly fine asters
and dahlias. Mrs. John Jay Chapman
exhibited a miniature rock garden in
which were fifty varieties OF Alpine
plants. Mrs. Vincent Astor showed some
horses. and there were cattle from the
Ogden Mills estate
Theodore Roosevelt. Assistant Sccre-
| tary OF the Navy. opened the fnir with a
short speech, in which he told the county
folk something OF the economies the
Navy and Army departments were put
| ting into effect and warned them against
expecting Wholesale disarmament.