The Washington times., 1904-10-09

I
king Pepper thirdr'
AT old St Asaph's pooIroom, in Alex
andrla county, the crowd is on its feet
drinking In every word that comes in a
slow. even tone from the telegraph op-
orator. Tap-tapl tap-tap! the dollars
are rolling away at every click OF the i'm
strumeut
with eyes glued TO its favorites' names
on the long row of blackboards at the
Tar end Of the poolr0Om, and mouths
open 10 hear the better, motley group
listens as reverently a g did the ancients
10 the oracle of Delphi, Tor these words
mean dollars and cents TO its members
who recognize no other divinity except
the goddess OF chance.
T0uts with glinty eyes and horsey
clothes; buch negroes, whose eyes roll
almost in circles as the news pleases
them; coIlarless tough guys" showing
large Jumps that prove Adam did not
swallow all that apple; willie boys.
''sad cheesesl' who imagine a close re-
semblance between themselves and Fox
hall Keene. bank clerks. who hope TO
pun their scanty salaries; boy just
past the cigarette stage. and here ana
there a gentleman. stand shoulder 10
shoulder while the man with voice
long and drawn out as a daschund tells
most of them that the bOOzmalzers have
won in gallOp.
Barber Would Stand to Lose.
My God. What Ions, long odds the
barber would stand 10 lose If that bunch
was turned loose in d barber shop,
said one OF the bOozies. Whether IL is
or Is nor the belief Of the poolroCm
habitues that Whiskers and good luck
are frst cousins sure 10 is that a several
days growth adorns the faces of most.
Electric fans try 10 thin the clouds OF
rank tobacco smoke which hang liHe
haze over the heads OF the mass.
AT the halt-Old England leada-hy
half length Geranium second by five
lengths There is a hopeful hum from
the crowd. Gerauium has been heavily
played and looks q good thing, sure TO
nnish In the money. If you are new
conner YOU begin 10 feel the fever Ia
your veins il an old hand YOU may
look bored or get that far-aWay how'll
used-tO-dO-it smile in your eyes, but IL
you don't care whether Geranium is a
wild flower or q Thoroughbred, YOU win
Why is IL THAI the man who doesn't
care damn so often lands the m8uev2
Perhaps it Is compensation for the exc
element he loses. But there is many
a man ia the ST. Asaph crowd that
would sell his excitement for very
little hard cash.
Wins BY Two Lengths.
ssGeranium WHISKY two lengths. Ga
England secondly length; Eing
Pepuer third 90 Never win 0u the FIRST
race Hov's the odds on the next2'' and
those that slipped up begin 20 figure
new combinations while the winners
wait patiently or otherwise for con-
hrmati0n OF the results.
Such a scene rs on the boards at St.
Asaph's every afternoon in the year e1l-
cepr Sundays The one DoOlr0Om In ac-
tive operation ia these parts the au-
thorlties have tried in vain for years TO
close. CrandaI Aackey, commonwealth
attorney for Alexandra county, has
sworn 10 put a stop 20 the placing Of
bets there but so lar he has had little
success. what power there IS behind
the throne that protects the UroDrietoTs
no one can say positively IL is a p0-
utiCal Eight 80 the county, however The
auti-gambiing party elected Mr.. Mack
ey but only by a majority of two, so
evenly matched were the two forces.
II is the plan Of the Hul brothers. the
proprietors, and their friends 20 get the
case carefully shelved ln tae courts.
They viii fight on every techuicaIlty.
such a course viii allow them TO operate
the Uoolr00m for years in an probabu-
fty.
Hard on the Saint.
Poor old ST. AsaDh' Il the good man
had foreseeu what his name was 20
stand for Ia the dim future ages. how
ne would have squirmed. Perhaps he
would have placed a small bet or two
on q likely looking chariot. since 10 had
70 be- est Asaphs is itF' said an Irish
man visiting the ? 1iroom for the first
time. BE the powers II DE was the
Asaph that turned out the fables, sure fl
would be- fables iH slang he would bee
writing today" And PAT was right for
= babel Of race track slang goes up that
would have George AIDE and John Henry
left an the post
The Joint" Is what remains OF the