Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-12
CURE DIDN'T WORK

There is quite a prim little married wom-
an In this town who is waiting with consid-
cradle eagerness for the beginning OF the
race meeting at Benning.
The reason that she is eagerly awaiting
the beginning of the meeting is that she
likes to see horse races.
Another reason is that she likes to bet
money on horse races.
And yet If any of her friends eighteen
months ago had even limited that there was
a remote chance in life that she would ever
visit race track-much less bet on
horse race-the quite prim little married
woman would assuredly have stricken that
friends name from her visiting list.
Last spring, however, she undertook to
cure her husband of his enthusiasm over.
the Benning race meetings. He went every
day, and this Mortified his wife beyond all
things. When, however, under questioning
he frankly admitted to her that not only
did he attend the races, but actually bet
real, honeSt-Injun money on the horses
that he gambled, in short-there was moth
ing else for her to do but to rush as fast
as she could for her smelling salts bottle
and then to retire to the top of the house
to indulge in what she afterward told her
mother was "a good cry"
The incredible depravity of her husband
was the most shocking thing that she had
ever met up with in her young life, and the
thought of it rested like a pail upon her
for many days, despite her husbands pro-
testing assurances that he only went to
the races for the fun of it, and that he had
never in his life put down bet on a horse
race when he couldn't afford to lose
He old not, however, get by with it.
HIS wife continued to go around with
deep circles under her eyes as a result of
worrying herself over the terrible end
which she foresaw for her gambling
husband.
At which stage Of the situation the iney-
liable woman friend who knows all about
told the suffering little creature what to do
TO cure her husband Of his horrible propen-
sity.
You've got to fight fire with fire." sa.
thing so pat that it just couldn't be got
any patter. Il advise you to just go right
out to the race track With your husband.
II! be bound that when lou tell him you're
gong to do that he'll be ready enough to
stay away from the horrid degrading track
himself But is he is sunk so low that
this doesn't appal him, why just you really
and-truiy go with him. and see how many
actually at his side at such a place as a
race track! But if he Is so hardened and
dead to all sense o. right and wrong as not
to feel ashamed, then, Why, when you get
ings for the good that you'll be bound to
effect, and-yes / really mean it-why, just
you bet, too, same as he does. And when
he sees you doing that I'll miss my guess
II he isn't cured Of his fatal propensity in
stantly: Wouldn't be surprised if he
wouldn't drag you away from the track
by main force, and, when he got home with
you, solemnly VOW that he'd never visit an
other race track as long 81 he lived and
b-eathed.''
This idea of the inevitable woman who
had the whole game of life figured out to
mathematical cinch didn't look SO bad to
bn emit Ia IL
resolved to crowd down her feelings and
take tight hold of herself and put the
scheme through at any cost
When she told her husband. that very
evening, that she wanted to accompany
him to the track on the following afternoon
she was grievously disappointed to observe
that he looked really delighted to hear -.
1t so terribly shattered the ideal she had
formed of him. She had thought that he
might demur at the very first word of such
proposition and wind up by Indignantly
refusing to take her to any such a place.
However, he really looked genuinely de-
lighted. and told her mat he was glad to
find that she had some sporting blood, after
all. 1t was saddening, his way of accept
ing her proposition.
When, too, they reached the gay race
track grand stand on the balmy spring
afternoon and he actually found her at his
side in such place, did he look mortified
for himself and her? Well not to any
noticeable extent, did he. Far from it.
staked her to SCHOLAR to bet on each
race your own picks, you know" as
he said to her-and looked perfectly I'M
blushing and even glOatingly happy over
the shameful situation.
''Oh, well, wait until he actually sees
me in the act of betting the quite prirn
little married woman said to herself, hope
fully, when the thing had gone this far,
and so, when a grand stand commissioner
came her way she recklessly handed him
one-dollar bill and said that she wanted
to bet the money.
What on, lady?" the grand stand COM
missioner asked her
m sure l don't know" she replied
blushing furiously. Anything
Her husband, grinning, said to her:
BE a hot sport, sis, and play the top one
Tommy Foster. He's at 100 to l. and
look at all of the money you'll have when
he wins"
Aching over the very thought of her
husbands fallen state, she nodded her
head, and the grinning grand stand COM
missioner iotted down a 81 bet for her
on the leo to 1 shot, Tommy Foster.
Tommy Foster walked in.
The chagrined grand stand commissioner
counted into her lap five crackly twenties
and her original one.
The quite prim little married woman went
every day with her husband to the track
after that to see, she naively expressed
it. that he would be sure to get home in
time for dinner.
She abandoned that peIlucid pretensr
when the fall meeting came around, how
ever
IT'S a pretty wet and mussy day" he
said to her on the first day of the fall
meeting. Don't you think you'd better
not go today?'
Decidedly notn she replied, with auster-
ity. And that good thing entered that
heard about two weeks ago? Deed I'm
going,'