Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-23

1
| marked L'Hommedieu. as we got on board
| the train, is to Toy with the tiger a teeny
| bit and get it back that way. I've got all
of fve-spot myself 1Eand he flashed a s.
| note that he had held out with some such
idea in mind. There's something good go
| ing to happen in the first race tomorrow.
but that's too far away. Do we drop off
| at Jackson City?
Uh-huh-I feel lucky TODAY, re-
| piled. sarcasticaliy. and then the train
/ started 50 suddenly-we were standing on
| the platform-that both of our hats were
| blown off and lost. OF
More Hard Luck.
| 'The train didn't stop at jackson City,
but a little crossing about half a mile on
| the other side of it. Just as L'Homme-
dieu and 1 hoped off at that crossing, one
of the most fiendish wind storms that 1
ever saw came up The road was a foot
| deep in red Virginia dust and I'Homme-
| dieu and l were caught right in the middle
| OF that miserable dust simeon.
When we arrived at the faro bank,
about half an hour later, after cropping our
lookout wasn't going to let us in. We
| looked like a pair of hatless grave-robbing
persons of color. and. although that was
| up my mind yet that I'm thoroughly cleans
ed of the dirt that was ground into my
| frame during my exposure to that wind
| storm.
tune of SOL call you to witness that am
already blushing over the depravity in
herent In these recollections-and l. HON.
| medieu passed his s. over for chips Every
| thing was coming our way and both of us
had several tall stacks in front of us, when
something happened.
"A big hulk of a prize fighter got into an
argument with the games lookout, and
then the pugllist person kicked the table
over. The oil lamp went with the table.
me faro bank people had all they could
fhn pofc h ,f..x IL r.
ing to the ground The faro people got
| their money out safely. but we didn't get
| ours. The faro bank proprietor told us
that the chips were altogether too much
pid to make it worth while for him to cash
any of them.
BY that time 1t was 10 O'Clock at night
and L'Hommedieu and 1 hoofed it acre es
| the Long bridge to Washington. We .ook
the side streets for it. as far as possible,
until we reached Turkish bath. appre.
hending that we might be arrested as sus-
on s C, characters II any policeman were
dust storm had left us in.
IL would be too bad not to have some
thing to put on that swell thing that is to
eVentuate IN the first race tomorrow said
Il Hommed1eu as we sat In the hot room at
the Turkish bath. Only way I know. now.
to get 1t is to put a dent In that stud
poker game at the House. naming a
hotel where a little game used to be in
progress at all hours of the night.
A Turn for the Better.
I'VE bought into that stud game at 1
o'clock In the morning. I made a cut of
the slS that had left after paying for the
| baths, giving L'Hommedieu 50 to start him
off equally with me.
we played until dawn, and when the
signal lights of the orange east began to
streak in and the game dissolved were
each about s. winner. Combined assets at
sunrise, $34 -
lie
and-aft caps at fifty cents each-we'd been
going about bareheaded since losing our
hats from the train platform the evening
before-breakfast for two, clean collar
and cuffs for two, and the price of a tele-
gram which I sent to the boarding house
informing my wife that 1 had been sitting
up with a friend suffering from heat pros
tration-and when we reached the St.
Asaph track about an hour before the races
that afternoon we were just $50 strong, the
same being divided into two parcels
L Hommedieu was pretty serene on the
way down on the train.
" You'll have the ocilre-hued money and
be buying your household junk tomorrow,
he told me reassuYingly. It's going to hap
pen today. When you get established you
want to settle down and behave
Il didn't make any reply, figuring that he
was probab bly, fighty from loss Of sleep.
When WI. reached the track he left the
stand and disappeared In the direction of
| the stables. 5 When he came back he nodded
me over into a far corner of the stand.
" Say, JOHANN worked FIVE furlongs in a
| minute by lantern light here day before
| yesterday morning, he said to me. That's
| good enough in itself. but they're going to
| make it better Jodann's going to get the
| most powerful hypo punch of the hurry
stuff, just before the race. that was ever
pumped into an equine system. That will
make him do the f1ve-eighths in nothing.
Gimme your fifteen
whats Jodann's price? I asked him,
demurring
At Long Odds.
:" Hundred, when 1 left the ring, but it
| must be $50 now, all of that he replied
airily. johann, you know, has finished last
in fourteen straight races
whats his price to finish last AGAIN.
inquired, with a dreary attempt at sarcasm
for l was tired and sleepy and cranky.
" Gimme your fifteen repeated L'Hom-
medieu in the tone of a drill master, which
riled me.
MOT on your daguerreotype,' 1 replied
It's small profits and sure returns that L m
| looking for from now, on. I'll give them all
| the odds they want to get the small profits
What's the favorite's price TO show?
Favorite s to ! to win, to the place.
to third said L'Hommedieu, deliberate
ly restraining himself as he afterward told
me-
well, I said passing him over my SIS
| get mine down on the favorite to show
| SIS to win IS, see?'
"L'Hommedieu took the mirey without a
word and darted into the betting ring.
anXiously awaited his return. But he didn' t
| come back with my ticket, although the
| horses were already on their way to the
| post.
THE field had just got away from the
| post when l found LHommedieu standing
| quietly at my shoulder. l was all eyes for
| the favorite, and when 1 saw, that horse,
| that only had to run third for me, as Y
| thought, holding his own in the stretch in
second position, l wasn't even looking at
| the horse that led the procession and came
| laundering down to the wire ten lengths in
front of my horse, which finished second by
| a head.
-" Blame it, said to l. Hommedieu, why
| didn't I play that favorite to run second?
| could have got $12 to $15 that way.
You weren't rioing the favorite, SON.
| L Hommedieu told me, and his voice was
| husky.
| On the Winner at Last.
az wasn'tr I almost shouted, rounding
| upon him. DO you mean to tell me that
| you put the last SIS had down Oh
Ion johann, son. said L'Hommedieu,
still with that hoarseness in his voice, and
there's the winners number hanging out
| program. ia sSb
"sWhy. johann #oui,, gasped. scared at
| the very thought bf IT.
| :" In a breeze, By the length of Phila-
delphia alley saidE L Hommedieu, and he