The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-11

ally Wins-One Believer in in she system Who Lost-Comedy of a Drive to Sheepshead Bay. Did you ever know" inquired the fat man, that you can distinguish the sex of a horse by looking at its ears?" The fat man and his friend was re- turning from the racetrack after a profitable day with the bookmakers. They felt well and smoked costly ci- gars.
 Are you trying to get information from mel" asked the friend, who was lawyer, "or are you looking for bet?" T am asking for information, said the fat man. T have lost good many bets lately by taking the wrong end of it and I am looking to find out why"
 Well, I'll tell you why said the lawyer. It's because you have been fool enough to bet the other man was wrong in case he said the horse whose ears he pointed out was male"
 That's right, come to think of it" said the fat man. But why is it lose?"
 Because" said the lawyer, "the per eentage of mares in the street is just about one in six, and if a man goes around betting that every horse he sees is male, you can figure what chance he's got to lose, cant you? Certainly you can: he has one chance in six to lose and that's exactly what chance you have to win if you take the other end of the bet.
 Now, while I think of it, hearken to me and I will unwind you quite con- siderable tale having for it's main theme the distinguishing of the sex of horses by their ears. It runs about as follows:
 Down at GraYesend there resides very good friend of mine who trains for a we'll known Californian turfman His name is Carpenter. One day I went down to call on him with my brother irl-law, a doctor, from Chicago.
 "On the way my brother-in-law mentioned that Carpenter could tell a horse from a mare thirty feet away by looking at it's ears, and went on to de- scribe how many hats, neckties, canes, highballs, cigars and lunches he had won from him on the strength of. it.
 1T began to laugh, and when got through explaining to him the percent age of mares as against horses he was wild for revenge, and then and there I promised he should have it good and plenty.
 'We got to the house, and after play ing a game of crib with the old man the doctor brought the talk around to hosses and incidentally commented to me on Carpenters remarkable ability on the ear business. was right handy with lot of scoffing and pooh -poohing, and the way scoffed and pooh-poohed was worth the price of admission alone.
 Then Carpenter began to browbeat me the way he does everybody that doesn't agree with him st ', Why, you, Polocls,' he said to me, what do you know about horses? HorsesI Why, was In the contracting business, building horses, before you could get your toe in your mouth. I can tell mare from horse thirty feet away and I have large moneys that talksthe same as I do'
 T laughed at him and he got worse, and after doing everything but pass each other the black eye we agreed to drive to sheepshead the following Sum- day and decide the thing according to the plugs we met along the Neck road, at fifty good dollars per plug. f Well. Sunday came around and we started, At 2 o'clock we swung into the Neck road. Right ahead of us there was horse hitched to hollow -chested .r,1ya hat1f shn gra f1ao INnr,H was fat man looking into a vacant lot.
 Here you are' said to Carpenter. Get i'll and do your worst
 T kept my eye on him as he screwed up his port lamp and sighted with the other. The bluff he threw was perfectly grand. We were by this time about thirty feet from the other rig, and Gar penter pulled up.
 It's a horse said he.
 GA mare for mine said l.
 'We drove up close, and the fat man said Howdy.'
 'Howdy,' says Carpenter. Nice lit- tie horse you've got there
 Yes said the fat man, she about as nice lilly as I've seen around here, if do say it.
 "'Yes, she's all right said the old man.
 Then he clucked to our old gray and we passed on. The lilly settled it.
 "'Thats fifty I owe you he re- marked.
 ''He was just little crestfallen, but not much worried.
 "A little further on we came to pretty stylish article laced to a pneu- matte spider. The old man turned as we drew near.
 Same this time,'' he inquired.
 Sure I replied; what do you call it?' and leaned back and nearly chok- ed when he went through the same per- .formance as before. Finally he assert ed that it was a horse.
 On inquiring politely of the owner we discovered that it was a bay mare, rising six, broken in every possible way and, to me, in several different places. standing fifteen hands, and string of other horse stuff.
 'The old man looked pretty sore at losing two right off the reel, but he was game, and he. neves went back on the 'fifty%per throw.
 Well what's the use, of stringing out the story? We kept on and met men driving park phaetons. light gigs, dog carts and buggies. and every one HoI c..