The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-12
Ills WAGER ON
n GENTLE HARRY
p,,,;.tment of the Poolroom Layer
Who Wouldn't Agree to
Cal Off a Bet.

p'' .rt honestly and fairly in any
,...-y n,ttfug transaction, said n traV-
'r..r.,n who butts into the racing game
q, while. BAT the average poll
o, leyar is different. | had run in
,, Of these gentry few days
and IL looked for a while as If he had
as i,,,u and out. But, az the saying
NV came again in the stretch
s7d il wasn't many miles from Dup,h
befors came under the wire first But
10, me tell you
.porhaps you've heard of the big pool
-,o,, about twenty-five miles out OF Chica so
-. ,be Sante rs Railroad, which was SWIM
ga on, ~ A lot of coin by false reports
S.,,, Oakland month or so ago 1t was
here had my experience
N, II was not easy to get there. The
.,,r, ia run carefully. When | said
pr.ed 10 visit il. all the hand book men
:. tho lobby Of the Auditorium would tell
-. was that should be in the Santa re
-.,-o,d station about ten minutes to one
oc.ock A.,
- ra. there ahead of time, and ny the
...,.6. or touts and hangers-on l knew
was in the real racing crowd. Ihey
ID, line before the ticket window and
-, IN hand in quarters, receiving in
I'm y railroad ticket. l stood close to
~ ,si,inw. and not one of the men told
IVA ti,set agent the name of the station
,,s,.ed to purchase ticket for.
a,tsr few moments ] joined the line
,,5,lrsw In my quarter The ticket agent
handed M ont n ticket which read Chicago
10 Byrncyille and return. Good on special
train only
i, seems tho poolroom people have the
sonte 81 road run three special trains
eocb afternoon to this poolroom, which
q lontsl somewhere out on the prairie,
about twenty-five miles from Chicago.
After arriving at Byrneville, you have
several lines Of defences to pass before
Won can got INTO the place.
.Rutifit is hard to get inside the fortress,
Ills quite as difficult TO get out. hadn't
been there more thGn thirty minutes before
decided to depart The odds quoted
were not very tempting, and there seemed
10 be nothing doing.
when tried to 60 out the guardian at
the door refused to open IL.
Against ORDERS boss he cried. Cant
let no one out yet.
why not? l demanded. I want to
leave
.Aint no train back to Chicago for two
hours vet, he answered.
.Wel. | can walk around for my health.
said
Nearest town is most FIVE miles, re-
sponded the doorkeeper It's too far to
walk. and you got to wait here for the
special train Anyhow, this is private prop
erty and they don't allow any one to loaf
around outside. You got to stay right here
until the train comes.
since there was nothing else 10 do,
waited took a comfortable chair. and
commenced to watch the results from the
races. hadn't noticed the entries eepe-
oially. and now lazily read them over.
Il didn't have much money with me
only about seven one dollar bills. and q
twenty for always make it n rule neve,
tn AXE much money with me TO the race
track or any gambling place. To while
away the time | tossed a few one dollal
bets into the cashiers window.
1t proved Interesting for while, even i
my horse usually ran third or second. lhaC
made several such bets, without keeping
tab on them, when took out my money L
get another one dollar bill.
The return portion of my ticket to Chi
cago slipped from my hands at the same
time and disappeared through mothol'
that was evidently placed there especially
to receive such things.
Never mind, thought, ! can pay or
the train
Just then, in looking over the list of en-
tries for Ascot, | noticed the entry Of Gentle
Harry in the last race, Now.l this strucl
me as peculiar. | happened to have g
brother, a younger brother. who only tina
morning had touched me by telegraph FOL
fifty dollars on a hurry-up emergency loan
The touch was so easily done that when
read Gentle Harry laughed at the bunch
III Try Gentle Harry for one PUNK,
| murmured. Bless me, If it isn't so to /
| Maybe | can get back my fifty And
| handed a bill through to tho layer showing
| as ! supposed, the twenty back into my
| pocket.
The cashier hcsitatcd when said Cent,
Harry
Straight he asked
A. straight as he can run answered
he next moment the layer called out
loudly Gentle Harry, 10 win, 900 TO 20
And the next second held ticket IL
my pocket calling for 81 900 in case Gent,
Harry cantered in
Hold on | said I didn't me- Civ,
you twenty. meant only one ,Iar.
thought that dollar bill, gaspeu.
., You said play it all straight, answered
the cashier
| Meanwhile | was searching for the on
dollar bin | had put into my pocket. |
wasn't there. | must have missed tn
| pocket In the surglnR crowd around u.s. ant
N me sklrnish sc'ne one seeing the dolla
bill drop 10 the floor had collared IL anc
escaped before | noticed the loss.
But that was a mistake ] insisted
thought l was giving you only dolla
We are not responsible for mistakes
said he cashier. The bet goes
49, But can't you change it?' I asked
mat twenty is the last bill have and
nave an Important engagement in Chicag
a. soon as | can get there
me crowd meanwhile was surgin
around US, each man anxious 20 get hi
20 mo
We don't change no bess for no one
ue said, sayagely. What do you think W
tuh special trains ont here for? To switc
uels when suckers have played long shot
ga want their money back? / asked 20
Ialnly i You wanted it all on straight
V4 sid Yes The bet stands. Get out q
"eWay and give some one else n chance
Shat could ! do but step 10 one sid
4 40 my ittSet3 People were looking q
me Slspic!ou-y. I didn't want 10 pose as
vcHer and a squealer. So / decided t
-, after ALL I reflected, IL I had onl
,ayei The dollar ! would have lost IN
,Nen'y when the other bill dropped I
we Moor. Either way, Fate meant | shout
os, that twenty
4 Hrif.l-