hour after our departure from Grand Haven, and, was in the shape of a
horse trade. We were traveling through a thick, heavy wood, when we met
a sewing-machine agent. I saw at once that he was driving an animal that
exactly matched the one we brought from Chicago.

I bantered him for a trade.

He stopped, and after looking over the horse I had just bought, said
he'd trade for seventy-five dollars.

"I'll give you fifty dollars."

He then offered to trade for sixty. I still offered fifty.

"Make it five dollars more, and it's a trade," said he.

"I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll wrestle you, run a foot-race, or spit
at a mark, to see whether I shall pay five dollars extra or not."

He "sized me up" for a moment, and said he guessed he'd wrestle with me;
and asked me to name my hold. I proposed "rough-and-tumble."

We then laid off our coats and took hold, and in much less time than it
takes to tell it my heels and hat were flying in the air, and a second
later I found myself sprawling in the middle of the road on my back.

After rising to his feet he was about to put his coat on, when I asked
if he was going to give up.

"Give up? Great Caesar! didn't I throw you fair and square?"

"Yes, you did that time; but the best three in five is what wins where I
came from."

"All right, sir. Three in five goes, then."

By this time we had gotten rested, and took hold again. I felt in my
bones that my five dollars was a goner, but determined to do my best,
and managed to make it pretty lively for him. Finally, however, he
landed me again squarely on my back.

While taking a rest he remarked that "side-hold" was his favorite way to
wrestle.

I told him that I also preferred "side-hold."

The fact was, I preferred almost anything for a change. I couldn't see
that I was likely to lose much, at any rate, and was glad to accept
almost anything. A moment later my wife called time, and we took
"side-hold."

For some unaccountable reason I felt more confident, and in less than
two seconds I had him on _his_ back. I then began laughing and told him
I had only been fooling with him, and asked how he'd like to divide the
five dollars and call it a draw. He was extremely good-natured, and
seemed to enjoy the sport as much, if not more, than I did, but said he
wasn't the "draw" kind; and if I expected to get any part, or the whole
of that five dollars I'd have to do some tall wrestling. I have often
thought since that the