The Portland daily press., 1872-11-05
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM In ADVANCE
Qneer Waeers.

The following stories of strange bets in all
places and times is taken from All the Year
Round:
Some years ago London waterman
wagered that he and his dog would lump
lrom the centre arch of Westminster bridge,
ana land at Lambeth together. He leaped
nom tne bridge, and the dog followed suit:
ou., taking 1t into his head that his master
Mas III aaanger OF drowning the faithful fellow
u!a9se1 nlm, willy-nilly, to the shore, and by
MS well lntentioned blunder LOST tbe water
man his wager. When the false news came
to England that Sebastopool had fallen three
| days after the battle of the Alma. a narty 81
Sussex men drank to the health of the yicfors
at a certain inn; but one incredulous man
would not believe the glad tidings, and offered
to give the landlord a sovereign upon condi-
ton of receiving shilling day as long as
the Russians held their own. The offer was
accepted and fl many a Saturday night did
''the Russian'' look for his seven shiltngs,
the unlucky believer in the prowess of the
allies eventually paying some eighteen pounds
for his single sovereign.
An old match came off at York in
1906, between Thomas Hodgson and Samuel
Whitehead, the question being which of
the two could assume the most origi-
nal character. Whitehead got himself
up half man and half woman, one
side of him representing fashionable lady,
the other negro, booted and spurred.
Hodgson, who was adjudged the winter, aD-
peared as veritable man of money; his coat
and his waistcoat were covered with bank
notes, his hat band was of the same valuable
material, while paper affixed to his back
told those to whom it concerned that he was
John Bull Not reckoning purse filled with
gold on his hat, Hodgsons trimmings were
worth 375 guineas. ''We are extremely sor-
ry," says the recorder of the contest, "that
the whole of the money cannot be converted,
as it certainly ought, to the use of his lawful
creditors.''
Brunei once got the best of Stephenson
over wager. They were travelling together
in railway carriage, Stephenson wrapped in
dark plaid, on the exact disposition of the
folds OF which he rather plumed himself.
''You are looking at my plaid" said he to
Brunei ''PD bet you ten pounds you can
not put it on properly the first time" ''Pn
bet you ten pounds against the plaid" said
Brunei. eff / put it on right when we get
out at the next station, the plaid is mine; if
miss pay you ten pounds" ''Done, said
Stephenson. Brunei sat silent until the
train stopped, then stepping on the platform,
he asked for the plaid, which was slowly un-
wound by its owner and handed over, not to
be given back again, for Brunei wound it
round his own shoulders as if he had always
always worn it. He had never tried it before,
but when challenged did not like to be beaten,
and at once set to work to study out the folds
of the plaid. II got the thing pretty clearly
in my head before we reached the station,
and when l saw him get out of it knew
was right, so put it on at once"
Brougham contrived to make holiday pay
for itself by the exercise of a little shrewd-
ness. 1t was in his college days, that, by the
way of seeing little life, he went one au-
tumn to Dumfries, in order to make one at
oil b,tpf Aaao 10 ~.
then custom, everybody dined at table
d'hote, and after dinner betting set in.
Brougham offered to bet the whole company
that none of them would write down the
manner in which he meant to go to the races
the next day. Those who accepted his chal-
lenge wrote down their conjectures, and
Brougham wrote down his intention of trav-
cling in sedan chair, mode of conveyance
no one hit upon. To the races he went, an
immense crowd seeing him safely chaired to
the course. The bet was then renewed as to
the manner of his return to Dumfries, the
accepters taxing their wits to imagine the
most improbable methods of travelling. Broug-
ham had calculated upon this, and won the
| double bet by returning in post chaise and
| pair
Equally shrewd was the gentleman who, in
| backing flock of geese to beat a drove of
turkeys in race on turnpike
road, stipulated for choice of place
and time. He fixed upon the hour before
sundown, At the start, the turkeys went
ahead as if they were going to win in walk,
but as the sun set they broke from their
walks, rushed through the hedges in search
of resting places, and in spite of all their driv-
| er could do, roost they did; while the geese,
| travelling along sedately, reached the end of
| the course, before their rivals had finished
| taking their nap.
| When wall chalkero offered to chalk ''War-
ren's Blacking" on every wall round London
for fifty pounds, the backing maker excaim-
ed, "Pll bet you two hundred pounds to one
| that it cannot be done in a month" Warren
lost the bet, but got the best ami cheapest
advertisement he ever had.
Two painters at work on a lake steamer un-
der repair appropriated some of the white
lead provided for their use, by tying in their
overas at the ankles, and filling the space
between trowsers and overalls with whitehead.
| To reach the shore from the vessel they had
to cross plank. In doing this one stumbled
and fell into the lake, sinking like a mill
| stone. His friend stood ON shore bewailing
| his fate, and crying, "Oh dear! oh dear! what
will become of his poor wife and children ?"
"What are you blubbering about" said by
stander, ''don't you see they are getting ready
to hanl him out? he's got to rise three times,
you knowp' SCOT to rise three timesp' ex-
claimed the painter, pulling out his purse,
''Pll bet he don't come up once!'