Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1883 — Testing a Trotting Team. [ARTICLE]

Testing a Trotting Team.

An Appleton business man wanted a span of horses, and lie wanted pretty fast ernes, but lie didn’t know much about that kind of stock. A horse dealer had a team that was reported pretty fast, which he would sell cheap. The merchant took the team to drive a little, and got a friend in with him, and they went up the track, and the friend drove the team around the track while the merchant stood on the judges’ stand ahd timed them. The team went around pretty good, and the merchant looked at his watch and got in the wagon. The friend asked him what time they made, but he said “Nevef mind.” He drove down to the horse dealer and paid him the money for the horses and drove off with his friend, and when they turned a corner and got out of sight of the horse dealer, the merchant said to his friend: “That’s the best bargain that was ever made in this State on a pair of horses.” The friend looked astonished and asked: “What time did they make, honestly?” The merchant said:. “They trotted in three minutes without a break.” The friend looked as though he was not much surprised, and finally said: “That is not so bad, but it isn’t fast. That is at the rate of a mile in six minutes.” The merchant turned pale and said: “Why, how’s that?” “Oh!” says the friend, with a yawn, “it is a half-mile track, you know.” The friend had to hold the merchant in the buggy seat, he_ was so faint, and he offered all sorts of chromos if the friend would never say anything about it, and we presume he has not. The team is delivering groceries now, and hauling Slabs from a mill.— Peck's Sun. Thebe are quite as great objections to living in the northern districts of China as in some of the Western States. The hurricanes, floods and other calamities that afflict the Celestial empire are as fearful as any in this ooun- ' try*