The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-04-19

Z -
bling instinct in its perfection
of development. watch the women in the
grandstand when the first race is called.
It was a gray-hafred follower of the
! horses who spoke to a reporter for The
! Times at Benning one day last week.
/ the younger man having gone to the
/ track with an assignment TO get some
local color" from that source. The
color was there. and it was vivid. First
/ ". the stand was a rainbow of spring
| costumes, the ladies of society display
/ ing their first coquettish harmonfes Of
/ raiment. and the gray Of the stand and
/ the bright green Of the field combining
/ in a picture such as artists dream Of but
seldom see To watch the demeanor OF
/ the women. who comprised half the ca
pacity of the stand was an education in
| the instinct that time has thus far shown
/ to be fneradicable in the human breast
/ The wise lawmakers have finally, in a
measure. arrf-ed at the conclusion that
/ they cannot entirely stop gambling in all
forms. SO they put such limitations on It
/ as they felt would be obeyed or would
be simple of upholding. r horse race
cannot be run unless there are wagers
/ On It. any more than game of poker can
/ be played with nominal counters instead
/ of cash. 1t is the excitement of getting
something for nothing that actuates man
kind TO enter into either form OF gam
bling
I've seen men in all sorts OF games,
! the old man continued, but when I'm
not busy with favorite myself I like
: to watch the women. Bet? Why, they
/ Law it all over the men in nerve. I saw
young lady here the other day put up
/ $3.50 10 win $50 on favorite- She won
it but she was one of q mighty few.
She had a system and was backing it.
II they once think they have system
they might as well go and hand their
money to the bookmaker, for he only
lends them what they win He gets 1t
all back before the end of the meeting.
1 don't mean to say that systems are
no good In fact. they are fne-if you
have the bank roll back of you and the
nerve TO play them to a finish But
there are mighty few people equipped
with this double qualification, and that's
z
woman bets her money with q lack OF
discretion that makes an old-timeT
shudder They jump at conclusions
and are generally right, he sadly said
Now. you follow a man in his betting
and he will act along a line Of reason
/ ing-and he generally loses. ] have
often thought how I would like to have
the utter lack OF the reasoning faculty.
possessed by women I'd be million
iaire. But. you see, I haven't the nerve
Ito copper my bets; so I generally lose
II look at woman putting up gooo
money on a skate and IL makes me
want to cry or go to her and tell heI
what a chump she is And then l pTanct
down to a commissioner and look pity
lingIv on him as he takes nay bet on the
ifavorite. And before the race I spend
IAN the money I am going TO win, ano
lend a few to the poor girl who lost
And then the horses come on the track
there's veil and a cloud of dust-anc
1.-The skate comes in by 400 lengths-anc
the girl wins
There we're real tears in the eyes o
the old man as he made the admission
but he turned to the crowd of ga,
femininity on the stand and hrightene'
as he watched them and unused.
These women of Washington are tn
most delightful lot Of gamblers tina
ever came 10 a track" he continued
and they have the cash to back theT
Judgment. What did I say? Judgment
No. Fancy is the word Why. they'll be
on a horse because the colors Of TIT
Jockey harmonic with the horses com
nIexion. and il an animal comes pTanc
ing onto the track you can get all tn
money there is in the purses OF the girls
II don't make the slightest difference
about the past performances Of TIT