Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-25

ana when sees you Tells uim 1Ou
were Belmont's Superintendent; 1t
makes the play stronger. He puts
down 500, and we win $1,000 on the
race. l makes him give up $3.50, and
there you are"
He was utterly amazed when helearn-
ed nv objection to acting as his assis-
tant in his bunco game.
"Why," said he, reproachfully, II
would do the same thing for you. Be-
sides, the horse WON'T
In two weeks Jack had run this $3.50
up to SIS, 900, and it was beautiful to see
him spending 1t. Piles of silk under
wear, dozen suits Of clothes, dinner
every night ct Delmonico's, wine for his
friends, and money, too, If they needed
it; a royal prodigal was Jack. Then he
went over to New jersey race track,
and realized the dream of his life. He
became a book-maker.
OF course, he didn't know how to
make book, and soon lost all his mon
ey. but he loves to tell to this day about
his experience, and dates everything
back to the time "when l made book at
Gloucester"
I believe fate has been treating Jack
numerically of late, and Delmonieo
knows him no more. He is seen, In
stead, about the coffee and cake shops
OF Sixth avenue, but his smile is as
broad, the ring of his life is as merry
and his handshake is as cordial as 1t
was when he was ''making book at
Gloucester"
Through all the life at the track,
there is an undercurrent OF humor. IL
isn't the kind that would be appreciated
in French salon; but 1t has rough
force about it that isn't unattrActive.
''There Is the meanest mau on the
race track" said q trainer to me one
day, as a certain owner passed oy,
whose record was not above suspicion.
ssDo you know that the only reason he
is sorry his grandfather is dead is be-
cause he can't throw him down."
A fair example of race-track humor
was the criticism of book-maker upon
q trainer whom he considered incompe-
tent. 1.-THE only way that fellow can tell
a COW from a horse is to feel his head.
II he has horns its q cow; If he hasn't
he's horse"
ST am in such hard luck" said a
Young horsepower, "that If / was to
meet my father on the street l would
forget to touch him for ten"
The same young man was in group
one day when one Of the party an
nounced that he had written book
which would appear shortly.
"Send my copy to Boston," said one
of the gentlemen. The author blushed,
and thanked him.
"Send mine to Boston, too" said our
young friend.
"WhY, didn't know you were going
to BostoR," replied the author.
81 am not" was the answer.
The code of morality which prevails
on the turf is liberal one, but 1t is
pretty we'll lived up to. You can count
on the fingers of one hand the men who
are bad at heart. Those OF loose
morality are more numerous. But con-
sidering the temptations 1t is really
wonderful that there is not a thousand
times more dishonesty.
If race horses were run by purely
business men on what is called "busl-
ness principles" racing would be eX-
tinct in month. Every man would be
so intent upon robbing his neighbor
that the whole game would be spoiled.
Imagine a turf controlled by Wall
street!
Every stable on the track has its fol-
lowing. The owner has friends; the
Jockey has friends; the trainer has
friends, and all these friends have their
friends. When a stable is In hard luck,
the effect is felt in the most unexpected
quarters. A groceryman in Hoboken
lost his grocery last year backing Sena-
tor Hearst's horse. His son was friend
of young man who knew Hayward,
the stables jockey. The connection be-
tween the Senator's stable and the Ho-
boken grocer was complete, and every
time one Of the Senator's horses started
Hayward would tell his friend, who in
turn would tell the grocer's sou, who
would tell the grocer, and that worthy
man would lose couple Of barrels OF
-four or half dozen sacks of coffee.
1t does not so often happen that the
stable following is wilfully deceived.
In the first place the secret is hard to
keep, and in the second one OF these
men never knows when misfortune will
come, and he must have friends. The
life of the average horsepower, at its
best, is financial see-saw, with the
poor end up more than half Of the time.
They are in the main a good-hearted
class, willing to help anyone in distress,
and living up to their own code of
morality, which can not always be said
of finer people, who are fond Of sneer-
ing at them.