Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-07
SOME RACING STORIES

This young man, who works for his living
In an street Office. couldn't get his desk
anything like cleaned up till nearly half
past last Saturday afternoon. Then
he broke out OF his ONCE ct = canter, maxi
ing for the New York avenue surface line
OF cars, Benning- bound.
He wasn't eager to make the track
In time for the first races o'cloek-on his
own account. But he had a SO note. be-
longing to a friend, In his clothes. to be
wagered ON Winchester In the first race.
The young man hasn't been playing 'em
long enough to have been bitten in betting
other peoples money Tho real deep and
experienced person with the horse big
knows enough to instantly bite the arm on
his dearest friend II the latter asks him to
get down money at a race track. But this
young man had accepted the commission
cheerfully. He was considerably worried,
however. when. on boarding the New York
avenue car at 14th street. he figured that,
with the ciearest right OF way and the best
going, the car would only Just about make
BenninG In time for the first race.
The car hustled along at pretty good
clip till the bridge over the Eastern branch
was reached. Then the cars fuse or hew-
gag. or something other. burned out, and
1t came to standstiIl. 1t was then eight
minutes to 8. The young man with the
80 note to 20 on Winchester for friend
broke out In a cold perspira ton. There was
no chance for the car to reach the Benning
gate In time for any of it's passengers to
play the first race. Supposing Winchester
were to win at 20 or 80 to / or some such
foolish figure? The young man gnawed
his nails and thought and thought and
Thought. He knew that, In case the horse
Won, he wouldn't be able to tell his friend
that he hadn't been able to make the track
In time to get the $40 down-that would
sound too wobbly. He was In a sad fuue
over the situation. when, to the rear OF
the car he heard the notes of three strap
automobile siren. Looking behind he rec
ognized the swiftly approaching car. 1t
belonged to man he knew well. and the
man owning the machine was acting as his
own chauffeur. The young man Ieaped out
or the stalled car. ran over to the middle
OF the road and waved his arms wildly d.
rectly. in the path of the approaching buzz
wagon The machine slowed up.
Hey, there. Jim: what the dickens ais
your the driver Of the car called out to
the young man. 81 can't give you lift
wagons packed full now"
Don't want any MT" replied the young
Ing the owner of the automobile $40 note.
and get 1t on Winchester In the first race
for me. Money belongs to friend of mine.
and the blamed Winchester horse is liable
to cop and cut me out of a summer vaca-
ton II don't get the bet down some way,
and -
The man In the buzz wagon understood
He took the $40 and was on his way before
the young man in the road had finished his
explanation.
which presently got under way, but the car
didn't get to the grounds in time to enable
us passengers to play their pick for the
~ st race. But when the young man with
fnc hol,i
the owner of the automobile was waiting
for him at the turnstile. He had S11O in
his hand.
Il got the bet down." he said. "tust as
the NUTS were lined up to break. Win
chester wins, and got 10 to II
The f street youths sudden impulse to
jump from the stalled car and stop the
automobile had been worth just 500 to
him.
As to that same Winchester race. George
Sheridan. well-known follower of the
game from Chicago. and heavy bettor
when he thinks he is in good, had a dry
remark to make when the numbers went
up Sheridan had gone to" some other
horse in the race to the tune of $500
When Winchester finished In the van
breezing," Sheridan, who was standing
just Denfnd the press box, damned his hat
over his eyes, thrust his hands into his
pockets and observed grouchiiy:
winchester, hey2 And Sheridan twenty
miles aWayi'
case wherein one man bets another mans
money at race track had its ten-miIlionth
exemplifcation In the race which Fiat won,
with as good as 10 to 1 against him, on
Tuesday last.
A Pennsylvania avenue restalIrateur who
went to the track by the steam cars on that
day was held up by a friend at the station
Ihe friend couldn't get away from his
business to go to the track that day 1t
seemed, but he had a tip on Flat and
wanted to get $50 down. Would his friend
the restaurateur take the $50 and play
Fiat straight for him? The restaurateur,
remembering some doleful incidents in con-
nectfon with proxy betting and having q
Keen sense of his own notorious absent
nndedness besides, tried to duck but he
Couldn't get out of it. His friend was In
sistent and so the restaurant man took the
s2o and promised to get it down on Fiat in
the last race
BY the time he reached the track the alb
sent-minded restauranteur had clean for
gotten all about that $40 Fiat money to be
put down for his friend. He didn't In fact
stay at the track for the last race at all
he cleaned up about $50 up to and incIud-
ing the fifth race, and then he concluded
that he'd got all that ought to be coming
to him for one day, and started for town
in an electric car. On the way in he began
to hgure up his bank roll, checking off his
bets and winnings. He found that he was
$40 ahead of the balance figures, and he
was very gloatful, indeed
Wen, this" said he to himself, lis the
maker or bookmaker's crew. One of those
cashiers must have given me $50 too much
in settling one of my bets. Finel 1 sup
pose I'll spend the whole day tomorrow
lokfng up that cashier and giving him back
the $40 he gave me by mistake-yes, yes
and he continued to gloat most cheerfuliy
all the way back to town in the electric
car.
He met the man who had given him the
$50 Fiat money when he got off the car to
change for his restaurant at the transfer
station. The Fiat man began to execute
difficult and involved jig steps as soon as
he saw the restaurateur,
Vow! l guess I'm the poor horse picker
amt I?' he gurgled to the restaurateur
I'm a perfect shine at this thing of light
ing on the long ones amt I? Just tele-
phoned to the track and found out that
little old Fiat copslties at 10 to l. Vow
Gimme my 500. old man-and much
obliged to you for getting it down"
The restaurateur had remembered of
course, long before his gurgIy friend had
concluded his happy little speech And,
without a word he went into his dungarees
and dug up the $500 But the next time
he lets any friend hold him up and force
money on him to bet at a race track the
capital of the United States will be Aurora
in-the-OzarlSs. and that shift. it is gem