The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-08-23
A TRUE SARATOGA STORY.

That one was on the way to the city that has lost the "lid' was not particu- Iarly apparent on the Saratoga express until after Albany had been left be- hind. The train was the one that reaches the famous Spa just in time for the first race of the six that are run each afternoon, and at Albany 1t filled up with capital sports" with long sheets of horse dope" and ex- travagant ideas of the thousands or hundreds they were going to win.
 T win.'' was the first sound that greeted the correspondents ear as the dropped off the Pullman at the Sara tCga station platform.
 T sure win!" repeated the corre- spondent's friend. who was waiting to show him the way to the race track.
 What's the bet?" asked the Fri bune man.
 Bet you'd be the first passenger out of the car," was the answer.
 Well, I won the bet about the num- Der of the engine" returned the one who had lost on the alighting proposi- tion.
 They had made a wager as to whether the; number of the locomotive would be odd or even. On the way to the carriage which was to take the party to the races they paused to make a bet on a hesitating woman. Would she turn to the right or left when she finally made up her mind? That was the all important question and they put up their dollars on it. The woman fin- ally sat down on the end of her suit case without turning either way and that bet was off.
 "I'll bet you!" "rn match your" "Bet you!" Match you!' 'Bet!" ''Match!'' So runs the Saratoga chorus from the hour of late rising until the hour of later going to bed, Even bed does not end it, for the bettors sleep a betfuI sleep and win or lose. dream fortunes, according. to the wisdom with which they hrave supped before retiring
 Surely the goddess of chance, what ever her name is, never had a colony of humans quite as consistent, as un- tiring, as faithful, as the 3O,000 souls who have gathered at Saratoga this season. One does not think of paying for anything there in the usual way unless one is absolutely alone or friend l less.
 Perhaps you are asked to have a drink. When the time comes to pay the check you are supposed to ask for the privilege of matching for it. The operation is easy enough. The one who asks you puts down coin and you try to put another down with the same side up; you match him, that's all there is to it, or you don't match him, and you pay for the drink. If there are three of you the odd man pays for the drinks. Even the news boys on the street viii match you to see whether you pay cents for a g. cent payer or get it for nothing. The drive from the hotel quarter to the Saratoga track is a beautiful one but there is no time for scenery. The women in passing carriages and auto mobiles are beautiful and gowned like queens, butt no man has eyes for them The breezes are ladden with the odor Iof flowers from the beautiful gardens along the way, but there is no one to smell. Noses and eyes are deIving deep into the list of horses which are to run, and their pas performances.
 Bet you!" Match you!" "Bet!' "Match!"- the chorus is continuous
 The scenes at the track are not unlike those at the tracks at New York wher racing is going on there Saratoga gets a bet down on every race if possible and, instead of watching a race as ; spectacle worth seeing in the finest set ting in the world the bettor's eye i: glued on the horse which carries his money. It the animal falls behind the better turns away disgusted; if hi horse is in the lead he forgets to watcl the race in shouting his ecitement. I is so of most men and women, thougl of course there are exceptions.
 I The fever of the ponies is a terribl, thing to get out of ones veins. The, say one can throw off the "Yellov Jack more easily. They are telling just now of a race-mad man of mean! who ever since the meeting opened, tw weeks ago, has been thinking races anC horses and jockeys, weights and dis tances and track conditions, and wht suddenly found that his feet wer hurting him dreadfully. He looked a his shoes and found that he had wori holes in the soles of both, and that h was virtually walking around in hi stocking feet. He had plenty of none. had won enough on the last race alon to keep him in since for a year, bu had been too absorbed to think of any thing but horses.
 The good housewives of Saratoga ar complaining that it is impossible tc keep cooks and servant girls now tha racing has begun. A majority of tn girls have taken to play the poines, ant until they lose their savings the. 'have no time. to spare from the "dop sheets" The only places that seem t
 have no trouble getting help in plent are the restaurants about the track