The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-10-08
Female Betters.

The world is no worse than it was
wont {, be. but the love of bettinz, in
plain parlsnce. of gambling, seems to
be on the increase among us. And it
has seized upon the weak Tor strong.
er) sex. the fairer pa. OF creation, and
numbers its female vo.a-ies BY the thou
sands. The American women are, ,in
fact. fully as'prone to gambling and to
speculation as the men. and this is
especially demonstrated at Saratoga
during the racing season.
As . rule women are not good Judges
OF hcrse-hesh, though they are often
skilled equestriennes. They can mount
Q horse and manage him. but they
cannot rightfully and knowingly esti-
mate him. This arises partly from
the fact that woman is prone to Judge
At . horse BY his symmetry and his
good looks. By his beauty rather than
by his physical PERFECTION Forgetting
that, in language Of the turf, he NAV
be poor 'un to look at but q rum 'un
to GO
But notwithstanding this, a woman
is almost always ready to bet on q
horse to bet against him. Is the
case may be-just for the chance of the
thing. But of course she will bet after
her own womanly way. which is q very
different way from mans, as we pro.
pose to show.
First. q woman seldom wagers mon
ey. Money, to the average feminine
mind. being far too solemy thing to
chance. She will stake any article, in
you like. out a woman will seldym or
nevey risk her own money. Money is
too fine . thing to be risked. Il is to
be boarded. NOT hszarded-or else it is
to be spent, not staked.
From either point of view she will
not bet on it. To make poor pun.
she can do better with it. The mere
thought of the possibility of her hav-
ing, in case she loses her wager. to
transfer money, withGat the consider
alton received of dress or other per-
sonal luxury. from he- hands into the
hands Of somebody else, is terrible
idea. No. She stakes no money in
her bets. but she wagers some trife. OF
somc trinket, or some favor-something
anything but cash.
OF course, if she can induce the man
she is betting with to wager money on
his side Of the bet. SO much the better.
In fact, it is often her great object to
arrange matters SO that some trifie on
her part will be wagered against some
money on his. This is all according to
her notion of the fitness of things; but
no money 10 to be risked ON her part
oh. no!
Yet, notwithstanding the comparative
triviallty of the stake which she wsg-
ers, . woman is generally very en-
thusiastic in her bets-much moro so
than o man. At the Saratoga races,
during the famous Helmbold season. q
young lady at the United States Hotel.
Saratoga, the dsd lhter of prominent
railroad man, spent large portion of
her time in making bets on the races and
would worry and excite her pretty self
over these wagers in such manner as
to be subject of remark. One would
imagine that all her earthly hopes and
happiness were depending on the re-
suit of race, instead of q box of bon.
bans or hankerchief. for these were
her stakes, though those che wagered
with often. in fact. a. rule, bet money,
which she often. in fact, generally took
without hesitation when she won.
The young lady alluded to has been
known to stay awake half tho night
talking and speculating in regard to
her chances for success in some wager
pending on the next mornings races.
while her eager facA was sight 10 see
during the race itself. When she Won,
her whole face and form seemed trans
formed with Joy. When che lost. she
looked for willis like first class
model for Q broken heart. Whereas,
men beside her, who might be winning
or losing thousands, never betrayed
good or i'll luck by the twitching of a
nerve or movement OF "a muscle. Asa
rule, too, women seldom pay their
debts. The young lady to whom We
| just alluded seldom did. Two or three
ladies who have made and lost wagers
on the races have fergotton to settle.
This sort of thing instead of being re-
garded as disholorable 10 looked upon
as matter of course las . something
expected on the lady's part by the
gentleman with whom she bets. Il i
90 easy for > woman to evade the pay
| meut Of debt. .-,A smile. : laugh, 1
shrug, promise. . playful reproach,
and the debt 10 paid. Or convenient
failure Of memory ensues, or If in rare
cases any attempt whaterer 10 made to
collect the wager. the would-be col
lcctor is simply laughed ut tor his
pains, or in some csses treated posi-.
lively rudsly or insultcd. as if the hint.
| ing at the settlement OF bet was in
itself an injury.
It was rumored that an engagement
| Of marriage was broken o6 last season
absolutely on account Of the unwise
eagerness displayed by the gentleman
| in insisting upon the payment Of lost
wager by the lady. OF course that
was not the ostsnsible. but it was ststsd
by those who ought to know that
this MAS the real reason Of the breaking
of the bond.
Women generally bet on impulse or
whim. They have . freak or fancy,
and wager accordinsly. But when .
woman takes any care at oil with bel
bets. she is fer more careful. keen and
thoughtful than . man. AZ oecomes
| her sex. she is always In extremes
A married lady q Grand Union Hotel
this sesscu, having made bet With Z
gentleman on certain horse IN Lorii-
lsrd's stable. induced the second gentle
man 10 drive her the 6rst thing ~ tbs
morning, long bsfore hrsakfast: on tbs