Evening star., 1902-08-30
A SURPRISED TIPSTER

'The Baltimore hotel man with whom
went up to Saratoga on my vacation" sait
well-known Washington hotel clerk whC
got back from the springs the other day
had never seen horse race in his life
He hadn't stayed away from the race
tracks in the various cities in which he has
maintained hotels because he had any scru-
pies, religious or otherwise, against the
game, but simply because he had never de-
yeloped any sort of interest in the sport
So that when we drove out to the Saratoga
track on the afternoon Of the day that we
arrived at the Spa the whole business of
betting on the ponies was a new thing to
him, and I found it necessary to post him
up whole lot on the drive out SO that he
wouldn't run into any quagmires. / was
very particular to tell him to dodge the
touts, and not to let any of these gentry
put him onto what they called 'good things
If l happened to lose him from mr. side for
a moment or so. He replied that he hadn't
made up his mind whether he was going to
do any betting on the horses or not, but he
said that one of the few things that he
knew about in connection with race tracks
was the fact that all of them were more Or
less infested with persuasive touts and he
said In very decisive terms that ne wouldn' Z
falf to the oiliness Of any of those fell
lows.
Just before the first race I left him in
to see what was doing on a horse that
had 1t in mind to play. When l had made
my bet, and got back to the stand, 1 found
my friend the Baltimore hotel man in close
confab with spiderish-lookng,r red-headed
CHAP who had tout stamped all over him.
The tout was telling him the name of the
good thing in the race, and my friend was
an ears The tout had the usual spiel to
the ERECT that he had 'clocked' the horses
morning workouts for weeks past, and that
the animal was due to come home on the
pit. tried to give my friend the nudge,
out ne was too much interested in the tout 5
plausioie presentation of the merits of the
good thlng to pay any attention TO me.
While l was still trying to nudge him
grand stand betting commissioner passed by
us, and my friend handed him $40 bill to
be put on the tout's 'cinch at 10 to l.
"A sucker and his money l said to him
When the tout had got out of ear range,
but he only grirned sheepishly and told me
that he kind O. liked the name of the horse
the tout had given him to win. Well the
horse won, easily, and the one that l had
played finished nowhere
When the tout came cantering back to
the stand after his tip had won my friend
handed him a $50 bill as his share of the
winning, and the spiderish-l looking fellow
took it with rather grimace. probably i'm
aslnlng, as good many latter-day touts do
imagine, that he was entitled to at least
a thlrd OF the winning for the informa-
ton he had given. But he didn't saw any,
thing to that effect and nv friend natural
~ enough considered that he had been fair
ly generous with the chap
Ihe tout told him the name of another
hcrse, scheduled to win the second race.
Whlle was down in the betting ring and
IN spite of my warning that it was only ac-
cloental that the tout had hit 1t right the
nTst time, the Baltimore hotel man handed a
SIV note on the tout's pick, getting 5 to / for
ms money from the grand stand commits
sloner-he was foxy enough not to give the
tout MS money to bet, although the tout
wanted MIN to do so. saying that he could
PICK up better prices in the ring. I scowled
neaVliy upon my friend when 1 returned to
the stand and found out what he had done
ana told him that the touts selection had
no more chance of getting into the money
M m tne e. race than fat man. Yet the horse
won OH py himself, with the rest of the field
strung out a sixteenth Of a mile and again
L mad to endeavor to explain to nv friend
tnat the tout had only lighted upon the
couple of winners by sheer accident.
"nen the tout made his appearance in
the stand after the second race the Balti-
more motel man again handed him a $40 bill.
one-nfth of the winning. which certainly
wa Vas square enough reward. But again
she TOUT scoWled as he accepted the bill and
ne was just starting to tell my friend that
ne thought he ought to have bigger divvv
IN the rake-down when 1 hustled off the
aaat - Ia1 INTO the betting ring, feeling satisfied
10 iet my friend paddle his own canoe, since
ne didn't appear to be willing to take INV
advice as to the racing game
was still wandering aimlessly about the
!g petting ring before the third race. wonder
ing What L should play, when I found nv
selr directly behind the red-haired tout who
was talking with one of his pals couldn't
heip @ but oVerhear what he was saying.
Wot aye tink, he said to his chum,
thaa Jay siob up in tn stand that 1 makes
cop out hundred to each o. tn two races
on, on MS little pikin' bets ony hands me a
$Zo spot on each deal, an wen I tells him
1es now that me information is wort a
O re uyip h.
TN moot an tells me that I'm tryin' T. hog
It. But 1 got good an hunk wit him ali
~ X: put him onto tn deadest one in
tnls punch, an l seen him soak $40 on 1t
VII IN ticket-writer in tn stand That's
forty he'll never see no more, anyhow am
IA rather git nottin' at all meself than +
1901 aroun' an waste me time wit such
shoemakers.' A
Without waiting to make any bet mvse,r
p! hastened into the stand to notify INV
friend OF this conversation. and to get him
to hedge his $40 bet off, II possible. on
one OF the horses that had some SORT of
chance. anyhow, to get into the money.
~ :" What was the name of the mutt he ad
ylsed you to play?' L asked my friend when
1 had found him "'ieA
20 The Lass o Linden, he told me got
90 to 1 against her-$2, 900 to $40 and. gee
Whlz! II L ever won that much money on a
horse race I'd pick up and skoot and never
stop running till l got to Barmor.'
Well said I, you'd better hedge ont
your $40 back
Nope said the Baltimore ho-el man
rather pig-headedly, 1 thought, I guess ri
stand pat OF course, that tout's trying to
throw me because l haven't given him the
bulk of what I've won so far bu: even n I
lose this $40 I'll still be little 20 .as good
and I'm satisfied. Never would f.: i've nv
self If l let this chance Of winni. q 81 900
great Scott, just imagine it!-get :. az from
me" "
He had hardly said the words enrore the
cry They're off,! rang through the stand
and one of the field could be seer soing ONT
in front at pace to make t;,@ Others dizzy,
1t was the Lass O. Linden, ana tie Lass o.
Linden merely tow-roped her field AMI care
home easily, without being extended .everal
lengths in front Of her nearest comp.titor
The numbers had hardly been hung Nd be-
fore the tout came hiking into the stand.
breathless, and approached my friend with
an enthusiastic, 'Wot did tell you, s,e?
" That's right-so you did, calmly REPLIED
the Baltimore hotel man, stuffiue the 81. .Q4O
that the grand stand commissioner had iust
given him into his pocket. so you did INV
boy bless your sorrel top and the E>Iti-
more man removed the tout's nat and .yi.
ted him affectionatey on the head ssut
the next time you land a sucker on a de-
one out of motives of revenge, you want t;
refrain from raeginp about IL ,,rriI ~.