The St. Louis Republic., 1904-06-26

| were ptOplt anu ptbpiS uillil NiiC
eye grew tired of looking at the people.
| Conservative crowd guessers about me
said there were 5000 there to see the
race. AS a rough guess l would have de-
clared that there were at least half a
million people there, and, judging by the
way they pushed and pulled and broke
down fences and howled whenever a race
started or stopped, there could be no
blame attached to me If had said there
were million.
The grand stand was full of men and
women and children, and I even counted
a few babies. The clubhouse was jammed
| to the DOORS The infield, the betting ring,
| the fences, the posts and even the trees
were lined with them.
| 1t was a curlously good-natured crowd,
| and even when the mass pushed the indt-
| vidual through d fence or up against
| tent, the individual laughed, and so did
| the mass. One of the queerest things in
| connection with the crowd was its voice.
For a time all would be hubbub and
roar. Then the horses would come to the
post for race and the noise would grow
iCuder-every idIvldual in the mas had
| an opinion and preference and wanted to
tell the entire mass about It, Then the
voice would get lower and lower and down
to confused growl and finally the dead
silence of expectancy and then-the horses
would be off, and such a roar and shout
would go up that it must have split the
azure dome were it not of tndestructioie
make.
/ tried to look as II / knew all about 1t,
but there must have been something about
my appearance that classed me as race
track green" for a young fellow with
dark stain on his second finger and thumo
and rough rider imitation panama on his
head very boldly asked me If | did not not
want to LAY a couple Of cases on the Dig
one l can place It for you, lady, where
it'll be right. l got a friend what
stays in the stable where the winner Is
,Ar-k I'm
to-day lady" finally devided that by "a
couple of cases" he meant a componsn5
part of my weeks salary and declded
not to trust II to him.
In one Of the boxes ahead of me saw
typical Mr.. and Mrs, Nagg; MT. Nags
had evidently come of sporting STOCK, Ior
he was all eagerness and when prepara-
tions for the big event began, he grew as
fidgety as a hen with single cnlcKen'
Presently he whispered long and earnest
ly with friend in the next box and l
saw him hand the friend a $40 bill. Mrs.
Nagg also saw it. .horn
clarence, dear" she said In sharp
voice what did you give him that money
for?" Clarence looked sheepish as ne
said: Dear, asked him to bring US some
sandwiches. He'll bring them soon. BUY
the friend failed to return with the sand,
wiches. but he did bring back a striped
ticket which Mr.. Nagg tore up.
MAYOR WELLS PRESENT.
do not know If l am betraying state
secret, but it is nevertheless fact that
his Honor, Mayor Wells, also had one OF
those striped tickets. Possibly 1t was
rain check or a season pass or something
of that kind. but the writing on 1t was in
a blue pencil and evidently done in hur-
ry. The Mayor did not think much of 1t,
for he tore it up. Along with Mr.. Wells
were Harry B. Hawes and Mr.. Goltra, the
Mayors business associate. Mr.. Goltra
tore I'D his pass, or rain check. but l did
not see Mr.. Hawes have one, though had
some suspicious.
stRntly crowding from the fence to the
big tent and from the tent to the fence.
As soon as a race was finished away went
the mass to the tent, and there was
scramble to get at the little stands and
every individual in the mass had paper
money in his hand and sometimes hands;
The Individual would study blackboard
for awhile and then precipitate himself
into the mass about the stands and al
most tear the clothing of the rest of the
mass 10 get his money into the little
wicket and get receipt for 1t.
1 asked the man who was with me
what 1t was all about.
''Aw, those are the books, he said I'M
patiently. l looked for books, but saw
nothing closer to them than sheets of
paper on which young men were writing
with llghtning-like rapidity.
OF course the big $4,000 race was the
feature of the day and 1 noticed great
increase in the nervous tension as the
IOT II CdIIle- Lie hltI llC 5AeAN
stand and the boxes whispered and con
suited and argued and hammered their
knees and then one or two OF a party
would take up collection in their crowd |
and would hurry away to the betting
stands or over to the big tent.
Then the horses began to come in and
were in a fiutter and the men in fidget; |
That's him; that's Hermis," heard all
around me- Flying IOTTpedS9i? Sir,o Not p6o5
She % won't be one two. three. She hasn't !
SGdge SGt tne H9es s OGS Got t straight from his
thger train he BTaseT Tas BOYS Those @ and
a thousand other things l heard about
me until the splendid horses gathered
over to the left of the stand Tor the
start.
THE START
When the bugle sounded they gathered
at the post. and then, as they came up
with "a rush, Starter Dade gave them the
signal and away they went.
A great roar went up from everywhere.
Everybody stood up and then tiptoed,
and then-well, then everybody in the |
mass went insane.
1t was a crowd of raving lunatics from
that minute until the horses swept around |
the track and came up to the finish.
Colonial Girl was not in front, but Her |
mis-. with The boy with magenta cuffs and |
red cap on him, was. and the crowd went
wildly to hoWling dermls' herHls- her
mis- wins" But Hermis did not win, for |
Wltful shot ahead of him, and then the |
boy with the pink sash and the pink zap |
began to lash his bay and she sprang to |
the front almost at the last moment and |
won the race.
1t was Colonial Girl, and she gave to her |
owner a prIncely share in the $4,000 purse. |
Once more the crowd roared itself |
hoarse and then subsidized and began to |
push out and at the same time to tear and
tear at tickets of the striped kind, though |
few held theirs in eNultin0 |
and one or two waved theirs over their
heads in g'eeful manner.
The great race was over and the crowd |
was satisfied.
1t was a magnificent spectacle-the
crowd ! mean.
That race was really enough to make
the crowd go mad with enthusiasm. 1
am not positive but that l did a little
shouting myself, although did not have
a ticket-not even one that / would have
to tear up.