The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25

4, the STAG heap" said bookVaker. THE
p,nss took a hand in nudging him out,
M, the main reason for his disappearance
,as that the followers of the game, even
the casas and holiday visitors, became
too wise for him When the newspapers
hogan to publish the racing charts virtually
avery mar with the horse bug took to doping
the ponies himself.
b A few, very few Of the old time touts
dressed up. emoothed the knots out Of
their volces, sung hook shop field glasses
orer their shoulders and went to work on a
nav plan You'l see a few Of these left
ayers around the betting rings to-day.
But the dlked out tout OF to-day u pretty
greasy Of speech. and he hasn't enough
liberty ~ movement to enable him to put
seyeral come-ons onto all the contenders
mara"
That was t he main clutch OF the old time
tout snagging a sucker for each and every
horse in a race. I once stood beside one
Of these touts when the bunting flashed
and the field got away from the post The
tout was stalking himself to q packet Of
chewing gum and had his back 70 the track.
well there they 60. said tho gum
man 10 the tout.
The tout never turned his face to the
track, but yawned sleepily. and idly read
the little motto that he pulled out Of the
! package OF gum.
You don't appear to be much Interested
in this race, Jack said the gum man to
the tout.
Me- said the tout Int restedp What
frT
We'll, amt y playin' none Of 'emi
inquired the gum man.
Say, what d We t'ink I'm down hero f'r
me complexion disgustedly asked the
tout Am | playin' any OF emp Wy,
I'm playn' tn hull damned eighteen of
EN-"
Then, as the winning horse was about
to pop under the wire, the tout took swift
peek at the number on the winners saddle
cloth and darted into the stand to nail the
easy mark to whom he had given the win
ner for his bit.
Occasionally, when they were hard
pressed for time, or when a raoo contained
one or more horses that seemed to have
no mortal chance to slam into the coin. the
touts fell down in this game. Tho most
disguised looking human being TINT ever
| saw was a tout who had slipped O cog In
this way
1t was during the early days at tho
Brighton Beach track, and tho tout WAS
Bricky Condor, who made his final cash-n
years ago. Bricky was a famous redhead
Of the New York tracks, and he could talk
the port prop of Chink joss in something
less than half minute when he got real
busy.
On this afternoon he had herded five
different Jelis up against five different
betting ring stanchions and conned each
NJ them to put up pretty good money on
the chances Of Ave out Of the ak horses in
the second race on the card. The sixth
horse in the race was too awful for even
Brioky TO try to steer mark against, and
80 he neglected to dig for bitter on that
The siyth horse was 800 to shot to
win, with 100 to or anything else you
wanted against his place chance--hut he
, lust waited in. all the same. Bricky was
standing under the edge OF the betting
ring roof waiting for any one OF the other
five nags to stroll under the tape so that
he could get the halfNelson on the man
to whom he had passed the winning tip.
when the 800 to 1 crab slid out OF the dust
in the stretch and simoomed for the finish,
winning in the silliest kind Of a scamper by
five lengths.
"Rricky got blue around the lips. He
pulled his cap over his eyes and sat down
OF the betting shed steps the shock OF
the awful overlook was too many for him
to stand up under.
I'm poisoned.' he moaned. IT t'ink
that there's four t'ousan' fatheads on tn
gouns that ] could ha' pinwheeled into
,akjn a walop at that--what die say hH
price Wasf'
"Thrc, hundred to one, said one OF the
u grinner- standing by listening to Bricky
lamen'ation...
-Brickv couldn't stand it. He dragged
himself to the gate, went homo. and was
sck in he'd for two days.
II VS. no SLOUGH of job for the touta
OF thar day to keep track OF the faces OF
Their ,oftles Nevertheless, the old-fash
i1nei tout rarely fell down in such feat
Of meruory-and when he did 1t didn
bother him so much that you could notice
Once saw one Of them spin down from
the grand stand steps and into the betting
shed where he rammed his way UP to o
u lamDy-looking zap whom the tout mad
planted against stanchion before the
race The race had just been min and the
winners number was up
guess I'm rotten said the tout, en-
Enthusiastically, TO the man leaning on the
Sanction. Wasn't that like teephoninG
10 Maize
You're punk all right said the wrong
man, dlsconsolately. The NUTS running
yet
Oh, blazes, yesr said the tout, taking
snot!er look at the MAJ and peroeivinR
bis mistake You've got pink mustache
and ll.r other gums is red scuse me
Don't take il to heart, Archie, and III give
you dead one for the next race and hf
suddenly saw the right man across the
ing darted over there and gathered HIN
Will repetition Of the gloat, easily an
nenns his bit at the pay-od line
4 lte o.d-fashioned tOuts never expected
il 70 dance their clients more than onns, &c
u thai they didn't have to waste any time
sRdeaNoring To bind up the wounds Of The
noeIs They let tie mask fall as soon a.
Tue Transaction was finished
'lonce saw one OF them cordially slappinl
NE shoulder Of IA mark who had at the tout l
olGtd ion mn A10 rn In 1 alDt thai