River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-11-24
WOMEN IN THE oRANDsTAND.
Feminine Iiabitues ofthe Race Course and
How 'rhey Act.

Feminine Iiabitues ofthe Race Course and
How 'rhey Act.
Women are born gamblers and are
always willing to take chance on any,
thing from cotton nine-patch quilt to
a horse race. We have no Monte Carlo,
where my lady can sit and rake in the
winning chips with her jeweled finger
or stake her last diamond on losing
card, but we have n race course and
one well patronized by the fair sex.
There You will see women of all ages
and of all stations in life. from the
young miss who is yet in short dresses to
the grandmother who has been brought
along to look after the children; from
madam whose thoroughbreds are inn
patiently awaiting her coming to the
working girl who has taken her ehum
for scat in the cars with the crowd:
women whose husbands are working
hard TO earn the money which they are
risking-often losing-on the word of
a stable boy; women whose homes
need the time they are wasting and
whose families are indeed desolate
since mother PLAYED the races; women
who have nothing else to do and plenty
of money to spare, who find it pleas
ant way to spend the afternoon and
think it just as Inexpensive as any
other form of amusement; women
whose only errand seems to be to show
their diamonds and dainty, lace
trimmed skirts and present their cards
to any gentleman who may speak to
them.
The race track is indeed leveler of
rank. There the sporting element can
hob-nob with staid and steady matrons
who under different circumstances
would beinsulted il they were but adj
dressed by one of these. The colored
stable boy is in his glory. He is on
equality. even superiority, with white
folks, and il is no uncommon sight TO
see him sitting by lady with his arm
Familiarity about her chair. He always
has the delicate Odor of the stable about
him. and the stronger it is the more
popular he is. as il indicates being on
the inside, so to speak.
II is an interesting study to watch
the different types represented. The
first to attract attention is the young
lady who, by careful study and
long practice, has all the slang of
the race course on her tongues end.
She knows all about horses. and can
talk pedigree and form TO such an ex-
tent as TO drive p horseman crazy.
When the horse on which she has a
dollar gets left at the post it is always
the fault of the starter, and the roast
ing he gets from those lovely lips causes
her neighbors to look around in as
constituent
Here is little group whose we'll
worn dresses and gloveless hands show
very plainly they belong to the class
who know little else but toll No
doubt someone of their acquaintance
has been fortunate and won a few
dollars and they hope to be equally
as lucky. Such remarks as 81 must
win to-day. for / dreamed of finding
money last night" and "rll surely win
on this race, for so and so told my little
boy the horse was out for the stuff, and
I have borrowed five dollars and must
win are often heard.
Ia the same place can be found every
1ay trio who do not seem to care
whether they win or lose. They never
bet less than ten dollars and often fifty
dollars on a race. They never stand
on the chain to see the horses come
down the stretch or snap the finger and
call: Come on, Bolster. come on" but
calmly wait until the winning number
is hung out. and the most careful
observer could not tell whether they
were sorry or glad by the expression of
their faces. They are what might be
termed dead game sports"
Over in the corner sits a gray-haired
lady who never misses a day. She has
seen her little bank account vanish like
the morning dew before the sunlight,
and the twitching of her face and in
cessant movement of her hands tell
only too plainly the nervous strain she
is enduring. 1t is almost more than
nature can stand when she sees the
horse falling back that she has hoped
so much for.
And so IL goes; some win and others
lose. From many fair hand and
dainty ear the sparkling gems will be
missed. and in their stead in the false
bottom of my lady's jewel box can be
found ticket No. Chicago Times