The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-19

cause they had seen that the fav-
orite and second choice weren't
up TO a bruising race. The men
didn't observe Bonner's lame con-
dition until the horses went to the
post, and then 1t was too late for them
when they rushed into the ring to
hedge off on the best-looking animal
of the trio. Cryptogram, they found
that the bookies didn't want any more
money on that race-the women in the
stand had sent too much money down
on Crytogram.
Fair Ones Dress Right.
1.-THE women's presence in the stand
enabled them to get 1t right Bonner
couldn't run fast enough to head q
heifer up a grassy lane, and Musidora
was looking for knot hole in the
fence before the sprint was half over.
Then Cryptogram, a fit horse, even
If he was outclassed, came along and
won just like village cut up. | never
heard so many screaming women before
as when Cryptogram romped in, and
we were all busy for the rest of the
afternoon handing the women money.
"a great many of the women bettors
are great students OF the dope charts.
They bring quantities of the carefully
cut and sorted dope along with them,
pick out quiet corners Of the stand
and pore over the past performances
like so many seminary girls studying
for examinations.
l. mot a few of them have developed
| most elaborate handicapping systems
| of their own. There's dressmaker.
who Is particularly we'll known to
theatrical people because she makes
the stage clothes of a great many
actresses, who sticks so closely to her
extremely involved and difficult handi-
Gaping system that her women friends
guy her q great deal.
But the guying never swerves her
from the rigidity of her determination
to stick to her own private system of
figuring out the horses chances. She
does all of her handicapping at her
home before starting for the track.
and when she has got all of the races
figured out in accordance with her sys-
tenn she writes on a slip of paper the
names of the horses just as they ought
to finish according to her calculations.
and plays them that way every time.
Her figures are pretty good too, and
she wins oftener than she loses. but
her system Is a great joke among her
women friends. She was in a box with
a party of her actress friends the
other afternoon, and before the third
race one of the stage women asked her
what she liked.
sizing Up the Nags.
"'Well,' said the dressmaker, SOL
EMMY, referring to her little handicap
ping list, there are two horses in the
field Of fourteen that figure so closely
together that they can't be separated
"'Well? said the actress who had
asked her opinion.
Well, the race ought to be a dead
heat! said the dressmaker without a
smile, and her solemnity was so funny
as she made that announcement that
all of the women in the box broke into
a laugh.
Their laughing didn't feaze the
dressmaker, however, and she did what
she had to do according to her system
she played both of the horses that
figured to run a dead heat and she
played them both to win. They were
both 10 TO / and she had the laugh on
her actress friends when one of her
picks only succeeded in beating her
other pick by short whisker at the
wire.
From my dealings with both sexes
/ believe that women are more natur-
ally inclined to be honest In their bet
ting transactions than men, but once
in a great while we meet up with a
woman who is a born sharper. I had
case Of that sort on the last day at
the Aqueduct and 1t made me sore, but
there was absolutely nothing that
could do about 1t.
THE woman was about 80, stout and
handsome, neatly dressed, with q very
frank, pleasant manner and a nice
face. She used good language and look
ed and acted the lady's part in every
respect
''She was alone and I had never seen
her before. She sisnaled me as I was
going through the stand before the first
race and asked me her favorite's price.
The horse was at s to 5. and she
handed me 81 bill on the favorite. I
took her programme and marked SO to
" on the margin against the favorite's
name. go
THE favorite won and when Z was
paying off and game to this woman I
handed her So note, having remen-
bered her bet particularly on account
OF her nice appearance and manner
ana all because she was a newcomer.
Tempered With the Figures.
'Fifty-two dollars, please said
she, looking me squsrely in the eye.
Il told her that she was mistaken
that she had only bet 81 on the horse
at 50 to 2. l thought then that she
had made mistake in her excitement
anu mat sue nd0 only imagined that
she gave me a $50 bill.
'Fifty-two dollars, please, and at
once she said in a hard tone. and
then / knew what l was up against
But said I. you will see it plain
ly marked on your programme-S3 to
ST.
Not much said She and she
handed me her programme.
And there 1t was as neat as any
thing you could imagine, s32 to $40
She had deliberately added to the
and gocse-egg to the 2, and the fig
ures she had tackled on looked so like
my own for all the world that any
handwriting expert would unhesitas-