The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-23
CPLIT FlNNEY'S
y FOUR BEST PICKS.
He Starts Out to Get Business for
the Poo1room and Has
Bad Luck.

Split Finney, the tout, Ia still unsuccess-
fully trying to dodge hisgoat. A few days
ago he started in to work OF commission
as broadway plugger for a poolroom, his
end OF it being TO pick up new usine
at the hotels and cafes. He had a bad
first day.
-I'm beginning TO think that I'm only a
nesr-hit, and I dreamed last night that
my name was Loeb" explained Split.
This morning 1 heard the upstairs girl
at my dump singing, as she made the bed
In the next room, He Loved Her, but She
Moved Away and l guess she meant me.
There's no Tagging It. I'm getting rained
on; and I haven't owned an umbrella since
the Black Hawk War, at that. Any time
1 see a piece OF change it's because I'm
sleeping IN my left side. l don't believe
there is any money in the world.
when ! started out this forenoon TO hook
new blood for the room l ran into one
right away that looked and sounded like
backing into the payoff line with the
right ticket In the kick. He was pushing
an absinthe into himself, and when I heard
him ask the barkeep where he could get
a bet down I felt like I had my shoe over
a piece Of yellow money and nobody hep
to the situation.
He had black velvet cuffs on his gray
benny, and a. Chink good luck pin in his
ASCOT, and one Of those let's look different
fronts, and just the way he mentioned the
word bet to the barkeep made a noise like
the skinning of Of eight centuries from a
iowerpot wad and getting it down on q
1 to 8 shot to cop a hundred for supper
change, don'tchuknow.
at Gl-~l L. ~ -.w. q d. n AAa~l htwa wonEA
that ask about the bet thing.
" There is only one right room running
on the Isle Of Manhattan now I told him,
and I am the courier thereof and thu guide
therefor. Just about two points better
than track odds, and II You want to stun
in as high as five thousand the man'n just
write You a receipt and laugh. Lunch
served, with wet embellishments. Direct
wire. All New York tips On file, carefully
pasted up In full view. Rocking chairs.
Touts debarred. Immediate payof. Three
lines OF prices. House responsible for
errors In Transmission OF weights y
Jockeys names. We strive to please. I
will conduct you there. Follow me-
He ate it up 40 pleasantly that I felt
as IL I had both feet covering ochre shin
plasters, and nobody rubbering. He in
vited me 10 join him, and after we'd shot
'em in he nudged me over to q corner.
Il had the dope that be was going to
ask me II I knew where there were two
or three other rooms besides the one / was
boosting for, because l dreamed he was
going to say he didn't think he'd be able
to get it all down in one room, and-but
just then he took me by the coat sleeve,
and the stat that fell out al my hopbunk
woke me up.
Say, see here,' the big store locker
said to me, in a kind o. whisper, it's this
way. don't want TO get down any Of my
own money, You know. It's my wife's,
you see.
-'You see, my wife, she dreamed last
night that she was riding on a golden horse.
Ha, hat Queer dream, hey7
wen, she told me about it at breakfast
this morning, and / looked in the paper and
saw the name Of Gid among the entries
at New Orleans. So 1 told her, and she
became awfully excited, Of course.
81 don't take much stock in women
betting myself, but she declared that she
was going TO have a bet on Gid, and she
gave me the money. I'm mighty glad You
came along. If 1 didn't get this two dollars
Of hers down on Gid. why
"Uh-huh, that's about like the way I'm
getting up against the business end Of
hooded cobras every day nowadays. Zwei
bucks. That was the big store gamble the
big store locker with the velvet wristbands
on his coat was going to make.
Fine I told him. 4 can arrange il.
You Just stand right here in this corner
and I'll be back on Decoration Day. and
] did the catapult through the swinging
door, and maybe he's there banging on to
the two chunk now.
But I didn't care. Every time I open
a pot now with q pair Of jacks I get stung,
and I'm becoming so used to saying That's
good, take it away that I'll be making that
crack to the hasher who fetches me my
coffee and sinkers next.
Not more than two miles and a half
from Kid McCoy's,oldp place, whereI dropped
in next, 1 piped a fat, apple checked jowler
sitting of in a corner by himself. fumbling
a bunch CT crummy looking ~dope-charts
that went away back Of New Orleans and
Be~nnings to Aqueduct and Jamaica-and
l felt sorry that he didn't know any place
to go and get his good iron men down.
First says I to him, slipping alongside.
get your horse, and you've got the right
idea, 1 can see that, pal. But when you
pick the right skate, where's the room to
play it2 I've got i'll I know where It Isl
It's the one rooml II you stun it all In
the boss'n stake you to breakfast change
and laundry money and the price Of a tele-
gram for moro cush-he's that white.
All you've got to do is to keep step with ma
and Ill--'
.'Say, you're the mug I'm looking for.
II you know where's a room, the fowler cut
In right there.
-'Only four blocks away says I, and
the house betting's up now for the first
three sprints at New Orleans. just a
little trudge through the brisk winter
air. and he numbered out Of his chair
after folding away his mass Of dope sheets
and slouched after me.
Il noticed that the barkeeps were stalk
ing each other to the grin and the nudge
az I passed out with the jowler, but I'm
all Dutch these days, and their creased
charts and thumb pokes at eaoh other
didn't mean anything TO me.