Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29
THIS MAY BE TRUE

told around town. The central figurante of
the story is the wife of California racing
man. known to all turfmen who runs his
thoroughbreds at the Benning meetings
This turfman's wife has been coming to
washington with him for several years dur
ing the Washington races. She doesn't be-
long to the horsey type OF woman herself,
although she is thoroughly familiar with
the racing game. and is well acquainted at
all times with her husbands racing plans.
When she made her first visit to Wash
fngton. during the Benning fall meeting
some years ago. she was SO DESTROYS Of
keeping away from the horsey crowd of
women who follow the racing game that,
instead Of putting up at hotel. she took
rooms at high-grade boarding house con-
Quoted by a middle-aged couple who are
prominently Identified with a certain Wash
ington church. 1t is not an ultra fashion
able church. but an old and substantial one.
Inc turfman's wife developed strong at
tachment for the elderly couple. and they
In turn grew to be very fond of her. They
knew that her husband was a racing man.
and all that, but the fact that he was a
horse gambler as they couldn't help but
regard him. counted not at all against the
sincere liking which they soon began to feel
for his wife They found her a generous.
sunny-natured woman of high principles,
and that was enough for them.
fhe turfman's wife had never belonged
to church in her life, but she became in
terested in the church talk Of the people
with whom she lived in Washington. The
outcome was that. several years ago. she
was accepted as a member of the Wash
ington church referred to.
She continued to live with her elderly
friends every time she came here with her
husband during the Benning races. and al
ways attended the church services with
them. During her long absences on the Pa
cffic coast and elsewhere she remembered
the little Washington church at frequent
intervals by sending substantial checks to
be devoted to the churcfs charities
This brings the story down to the incident
of it. - '' '
One morning, a couple of months ago, the
wife of the Washington churchman received
letter from the turfmans wife, dated
New York.
The letter wasn't perfectly grammatical.
nor was 1t particularly strong as to it's
spelling. 1t was an artless sort of a docu-
ment from every point of view, the kind of
letter to be reasonably expected from the
pen of generous, impulsive woman pos
sessed OF only middling education.
The letter began with quaint apology for
the suggestion which the writer was about
to make She hoped the recipient of the
letter wouldn't consider it so awful"
But she just couldn't refrain from telling
her good friends that her husband on
certain day during the following week. was
going to start two of his horses that were
going to win for an absolute certainty. She
said that her husband would not start the
rair of horses from his barn did he no.
know positively that they would win their
races. He did know it most positively. she
went on. She had never seen him so abso-
lutely certain of anything.
Well, the letter continued. she felt as if
she just must tell her good friends of what
was in the wind. Both of the horses her
husband had told her. would be at good
prices.
She knew that the charitable needs of the
church to which she had attached herself
in Washington were large. Therefore, If her
good friend. the husband of the recipient of
the letter. could just bring himself to make
little sacrifice of his conscience for the
good that was bound to follow, she knew
that he wouldn't regret 1t. If he could only
do that she advised him to have bet
on both of her husbands horses, which, she
repeated, were positively certain to win.
The recipient of the letter showed it to
her husband, and they had long talk
over it that night
THAT woman" said the husband. refer
ring to the turfman's wife, lis one of the
best women at heart that | ever met
believe implicitly every word that she says
or writes 1 believe that the horses she
mentions will win. But how can l. life
long member of the church. and deacon,
Danish my scruples as to gambling, even FOR
the presumable good to follow
His wife thoroughly agreed with MIN.
Rut-well she pointed out that the church
charity fund was running extremely low,
for fuel and clothing was at hand, and SO
T,hev had several more talks over 1t, and
every time the deacon wound up by shak-
i,g his head over the thought of indulging
in a gambling enterprise even for goou
cause 49,.
On the day before the two racers of the
CaIifornians string were due to go at the
New York track the deacon dropped IN at
the druggists around the corner The
deacon and the druggist were friends Oh
long standing. sr,- hefora
his friend the druggist, who smiled anus
eddy. ,,..a g.. ,,o,, for
tho tin" said the druggist. Il take little
Aver at the ponies once in a While you
hnow am going to New. York tonight
on the midnight train to buy some gooos:
and it isn't entirely out or the realm OF
the nrobable that I may drop down 10 the
track tomorrow afternoon and have little
het down on those two horses. The TIP
sounds lucky to me-theyre poth SVEN
nags." ,. ..;xoa 70
q corner of the drug store and had the
anal battle with himself Then he went
back to where the still smiling druggist
was standing. g.. .,,o
druggist, II am weak and erring broth
err even if my purposes and motives are
not entirely evil Here is 500 OF my
money 1t is a donation from me TO the
church. Do the best you can with It,
DO you want me to play EN- both to
VIM inquired the druggist
II assuredly do not expect you to play
them to lose" said the deacon, quickly,
and then, catching himself, he went on.
but. tush! / am not saying anything
about playing at all. l simply request that
YOU do the best you can with that donation
which l make to the church,
"An right" said the druggist. TIL play
them both to win. parlaying the hundred,
but before he had finished the words the
deacon had hurried into the street. AS he
cut across to the park the deacon was
shaking his head and talking to himself
at great rate.
The druggist took the train for New York
that night, and on the following afternoon
he was at the race track.
He put the deacon's $100 on the first of
the Californian'S horses to go, getting to
for the money. The horse won in jog
by eight lengths.
The other horse from the Californians
barn went in the last race. The druggist
hated to put all of the deacon's money
down on that one at to 1. but he had
promised to parlay the money, and there
was nothing else for it. The other horse
won his race buck-jumping,' with five
lengths to spare. The druggist took down
"a 500 for the deacon, or winning of ST.
400. The druggist made $50 parlay for
himself on the same two horses, and was
$500 to the good on the strange tip.
On the following morning the druggist
airily tossed the $500 package to the