was more good blood
in that bay mare of his than in any six families in the state o'
Kentucky. Sam was a mighty fine judge o' horse flesh, and he got his
love for horses from his father and his grandfather, old Harrison
Amos. The old man was one o' the biggest horse raisers in the state,
and he made his thousands out of it, too. But folks that went to his
farm used to say it was like huntin' a hen's nest to find the house
where the family lived, the house was so little and there was so many
big fine barns and stables. Somebody asked him once why he didn't
build a better house for his children to live in, and the old man
says, 'I believe in puttin' my money where I am certain of gettin'
good returns.' Says he, 'There's no manner of certainty in children.
You can put good blood into a boy and do your best to bring him up in
the way he should go, and after all you've spent on him he'll lose
every race he goes into, and you'll find you've got a scrub on your
hands. But,' says he, 'you breed a horse right, and train him in his
gaits whilst he's young, and there ain't one chance in a thousand of
your losin' money on that horse. Of course,' says he, 'I think more of
my boys than I do of my horses, but when it comes to investin' money,
a man must be governed by his judgment and his common sense, not by
his feelin's.'

"They said the old man went down to New Orleans one winter on some
business and left his son Joe in charge o' the stock farm, and when he
got back he went out to the stables, the first thing, to look at his
horses, and when he got through, there was four of his thoroughbreds
missin'. And, says he, 'Joe, where's May Queen?' and Joe says, 'Why,
Father, she's dead; died right after you left.' And the old man said,
'Well, where's Dixie Gyirl,' and Joe says, 'Why, Father, I'm mighty
sorry to have to tell you, but Dixie Gyirl, she's dead,--died pretty
near the same time May Queen died.' And the old man says, 'Well,
where's Annie Laurie and Nelly Gray?' And Joe says, 'Father, I'm
mighty sorry, but they died just like Dixie Gyirl and May Queen.' And
the old man looked at Joe for a minute, and says he, right slow and
earnest, 'Well, Joe, why didn't you die, too?'

"So that's where Sam got his love o' fine horses, child, and, as I was
sayin', Sam come walkin' up leadin' his bay mare by the bridle. Me and
Abram on our way to the drug store and Tige, our yeller house-dog,
follerin' close behind us, and Sam called to us to