The daily critic., 1890-11-08
LUCK OR WHAT I?
HOW a SPORTING MANS SAVINGS
VANISHED IN A CANTER.
Tbourht Hs Was Five Dollars Ahead,
hut Horse named Itnpeouuiosity
Reduced Him 70 the same
Condition

Condition.
Fiou Hs Ner To,t Tuaa.
have friend who Is q newspaper
man ard a bit of q Cvnic. I met him
upon ihe steps of the Ast0r House one
afternoon last week. lie was in a dis
tuj,e mood and the subject Of his
discourse was luck. Something had
lerp wrong with him, and DE was say
iuG things about his luck that would
nDt lyok well in print lie moralizsd
thus:
There are two kinds Of supersuious
rtrsous religious persons and gamblers
What The religious man attributes TO
Providence The gambling man attributes
lu luck. The scientific man says there
IS mo- luck and the late Richard a. Proc.
tor wrote columns about draw poker TO
prove It and then died Of yellow fever.
J don I pretend 20 know anything about
the matter except that things 90 awfully
contrary sometimes And that re
minds me Of a story.
DO you remember Dr. s., that horse
racing editor No. Well, he was
widely known in bis day don't think
q mans wife ought to be too hard on
him. lie may not be driven to open
rebellion but he is apt to wish he had
not married Now, the doctors wife
was pretty hard on him in one way
She used 10 come down 10 the Office
every payday and make him hand over
his salary to the last cent Then every
morning before he started out she would
give him enough money for car fare
and light lunch.
'Still, the doctor managed to keep a
cheerful countcnance In public, and by
dint Of adrOit financieriug and careful
betting-for he was a bit Of n sport-to
lay by a snug little sum which he had
In bank entirely unknown to his wife
Though there Is no telling how he ever
got his first dollar to bet unless he Dor
rowed 1t, he was on the whole pretty
lucky, and he kept adding to the fund
in bank until It reached a trilc above
$1,000 If ! had been the doctor |
never would have allowed the balance to
hang about that unlucky number thir
teen. would have stopped at twelve
and waited until | could make II four
teen or fifteen. But perhaps he did not
think Of that.
"Well, one day during the season at
Monmouth Park, after the Doctor had
placed his own little stake on a sure
thing, he sat in the reporters stall wait.
ing for the first race 10 start The horses
had not yet come TO the post when a
boy tapped him upon the shoulder aud
said that lady on the grand stand
wanted 10 see him. The Doctor looked
In the direction indicated by the boy.
and was dismayed 10 see his wife Sac
had never tu his knowledge attended
race before, and he was even yet doubt
iul whether he was gazing at the real
woman or an apparilion. But she was
htckuniDg 10 him with more vigor than
could be expected Of ghost, so got |
out Of lhe stall and went to her as asst
%, possible.
Why, my dear, this IS an uuex
pecicd pleasure began the doctor, but |
hi3 wife checked him by saying; "Oh,
shut up / want TO ask you something !
about the race
Then as the doctor shut up she con.
tluued: Is there a horse to start called |
lmpecuniosltyy
Yes, my dear but why do you askf |
Well, here Is a live dollar bill: | |
wish you would go and buy me a ticket
on lmpecunlosiIy.
The doctor thought his wife had !
gone crazy. She. who all their mar. |
ried life had preached to him against
the sin Of gambling, 10 actually bet on |
a horse race Impossibe' She was
only laying trap for him. Tie coughed |
slightly and said
My dear, I'm a little surprised al !
your iancying this kind Of a joke
Then, seeing there was no joke 10 the |
expression Of her face, he shifted MS |
ground thus: But II you really want |
To-
Don't be a fool, but 20 and do what
tell your said his wife with decision, /
thus rendering further argument impos-
sible.
"Once out Of her sight the doctor re-
covered his cOmp0suTe and argued the /
matter out as follows: Impecuniosity /
cant win; consequently money placed /
on him Is thrown away It will be bet /
ter for me to keep this money and put
II In the next race on horse that has /
some show Of winning I'm really s. .
in, With which comforting reflection /
be returned 10 the reporters stall,
nodded afhrmatiyely to his wife. and
sat down.
The horses came to the post and
started II was a big field, and when /
they WhiTled into the stretch opposite
the grand stand several We're punched /
In the van, others were in a Tuck In the /
middle while the rest tailed on behind, /
and il was impossible 10 tell which was
ahtad. The leaders swung around the /
last curve and came down the home /
slT,tCh neck and neck But when they
passed the outer limit Of the crowd a
cry went up that fToze the marrow 10
the doctors bones aud sent little shafts
OF ice 10 his extTemities 1t was Impe-
cuuhsilyi
And that was what Il really meant |
for The Doctor for there had been only
IN o or three tickets sold on the deceit
ful bTuIe, and mutuals paid 5 800 for
81 He met his fate like a man. That
night when his wife asked him for the
money be said the crowd had been too
great about the pools for him to get the
ticket eaEhed, but be would get the
money In town In the morning. Next /
morning. as soon as the bank was
opened he drew out his 81 300 aud
took Il 10 the office where his wife was
waiting for him.
Now, what do you call that. luck or
Providence or 10 the language OF the /
poet, direction which thou canst not I
Gator n