The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-03
When Tapster. Tries Revenge it
Rebounds ON Himself
This Race Track Sharp Tried the
Wrong Greenhorn-The Dead One
Gave Out at sc to Z Won, Running
Away From the Field-A Friends
Advice Unheeded.

~ ~A~ NAh "@NsA
a man who'd never seen a horse race
in his life" said a travelling man, ac-
cording to a story in the Philadelphia
North American.
"He hadn't stayed away from tne
tracks in the various cities because be
a any scruples, religious OF other
wise, against the game, but simply
because he'd never developed any in
terest in the sport. So on the way out
to the Fair Grounds track in New Or
leans, | found it incumbent upon me
to sort of post him a bit as TO the
game.
Il was very particular to tell him 10
dodge the touts and not to let any OF
those gentry put him on to what they
called good things, supposing I hap
pened to lose him from my side for a
minute or so. He replied that he
hadn't made up his mind whether he
intended to do any betting on he
horses or not. but he said that one OF
the few things that he did know about
III l. 1oSS Claims "S~S
that all of them were more or less
interested with persuasive touts, and
he wouldn't fall for the Oiliness of any
of them.
Just before the first race I left
him in the stand to go down to the
betting ring to see what was doing or
a horse l had it in mind to play.
When l had made my bet and got
back to the stand l found my friend IN
close confab with a spiderish-lOOking,
freckled chap who had tout stamped
all vel him.
"The tout was telling the name of
the good thing in the race and my
friend was all ears. The tout worked
off the usual spiel, to the effect that he
had clicked the good things morning
working for weeks past, and that the
animal was due to, come home On the
bit.
TOUST'S SELECTION LANDED COIN
81 tried to give my friend the nudge.
but he was too much interested il the
tout's talk to pay any attention to me.
While | was still trying to nudge MIN
a grandstand betting commissioner
passed near us, and my friend handed
u1l1 q plO uOlS Ol C1O tooC SAASiAs
which was chalked up at 10 to !.
GA sucker and his cOin,' l said 10
friend when the tout had gone Gut
of ear range, but he only grinned
sheepishly and told me that he kind
O. liked the name Of the horse the
tout had plugged for so strongly. Well.
The horse won easily and the n
that I had played at 4 to 5 finished no.
where.
when the tout came cantering back
to the stand after his tip had gone
through my friend handed him a $50
bill as his share of the winning. The
spiderisn-looking duck took it with
rather a grimace, probably imagining,
as a good many latter day touts do
imagine, that he was entitled to at
least one-third of the winning for the
information he had given. But he
didn't say anything to that effect, and
my friend naturally enough consider
ed that he had been fairly generous
with the chap.
"The tout gave him the name OF an
other horse for the second race white l
was down in the betting ring and IN
spite of my warning that it had been
only an accident that the tout had hit
it right the first time my friend hand
out a 500 note on tout's pick, get
ting 5to 1 for the money from a grand
stand commissioner-he vas foxy
enough not to give the tout his mon
ey % bet for him, although the tou,
wanted him to do SO. saying that he
could pick up better prices in the
ring.
sfOf cuorse l scowled heavily upon
my friend when l returned to the
stand and found out what he had done
and l told him that the tout's selection
had no more chance of getting into
the money than a fat man had OF
heatingsa locomotive.
"Yet the horse won away of by
himself, with the rest of the field
strung out a sixteenth Of a mile.
Again l had to endeavor to explain to
my friend that the tout had only
lighted upon the couple of winners
by the sheerest accident.
MORE THAN 1-5 SHARE.
when the tout made his appearance
in The stand after the second race my
friend again handed him a $40 bill.
one-ffth of the winning, which GER
ldlulN was d SQud1C CAouSh
But again the tout scowled as ne
accepted the bill, and he was just
starting to tell my friend hat he
thought he ought to have a bigger
divvy in the rake down, when must
off the stand into the betting ring,
satisfied to let my companion
paddle his OWL canoe, since he didn't
appear to be willing TO take any part
of myadvice as to the racing game
81 was still wandering aimlessly
about the betting ring before the next
race, wondering what l should play,
when l found myself directly behind
the spiderish-looking. frechfed tout,
who was talking with n Of his pals,
| couldn't help but overhear what he
was saying:
"sSay. wot dye t'ink,' he said o his
pail. that four-1ush up in tn stand
that I makes cop out a hunnerd I each
tn two races on his little pikin' bets
on'y hands me a double sambuck on
each deal, an wen tells him jes' now
that me- information is wort a third