The twice=a=week herald. (Amarillo, Tex.) 1887-1906, 1906-07-24
FREAK BETS AT
THE SEASIDE.
They just Must Gamble at Atlantic
City, So They Make Some
Queer Wagers.
From the Washington Post.

AtldnuC IltyI ~. J,-NO poor
rooms arc open hero this year, nor
the quiet tip been passed around yet
that the under-cover faro banks and
poker and crap games are ready for
business. Therefore, the loungers
In and around the Boardwal hotels,
professional chance takers, as well
as the large class Of leisurely and
moneyed chaps, are doing all kinds
of freak betting among themselves.
This seasons rage among women for
peacock feathers in their hats af-
fords these boardwalk betters their
main chance to get action on their
money. They manipulate the pea
cock feather bets in all sorts OF ways.
The most popular way Is for group
of half dozen or SO OF the betters
90 make up a pool, each man putting
IN from 81 up 10 $40, and each taxi
Ing a bet as TO howmany women with
peacock feathers will pass by the
Boardwals hotel window in given
space OF time, the usual period OF
time chosen being FIVE minutes.
The fellows who are we'll up on the
peacock feather dope do pretty well
at this game. One man got FIVE nov
ices at 1t into a $40 apiece pool the
other afternoon. The new men at
the game, not having paid any par
ticular attention to the prevalence OF
the peacock feathers in the women's
hats, took low numbers. One of
them guessed that Ave women with
peacock feathers In their hats would
so by within the Ave minutes, and
the remaining four OF the noyices
picked figures up to eighteen.
The expert who organized the pool
took last say and he amazed tho 9TH
ers by registering his prediction that
forty-nine women with peacock foath-
ors In their hats would trip by with
In the five minutes. His poolmates
laughed at his guess. But fifty-sev-
en- women with the peacock feathers
ornamenting their beadgear swung
by within the given time--it was
during the crowded parading hour
and the wise one who had played the
game before hauled down the $50
pot,
The peacock feather game is also
played according to the layer and
better system by the men who have
TO have some kind of action on their
coin all the time. The layer will Of
fer whatever price he thinks right,
according TO the hour OF the day and
the size OF the crowd OF boardwalk
paraders, that the next woman to
cross an imaginary line in front Of
the hotel window won't have any
peacock feathers in her hat. The
price he offers ranges from 3 to /
70 s or 10 to /. The chaps who take
the affirmative end of this PROPOSE,
lion are entitled to the benefit OF
what are called splits" That Is to
sal,'if two or three women are walk
ing abreast and together, and one of
them has peacock feathers In her hat,
the man who bets on the feathers
gets the money.
Al night, when the great majority
OF tho parading boardwalk women
discard their hats altogether and use
wells, the gambling has to do with
color Of the next veil to appear AS
the wells thus worn are OF all tho
brilliant huos OF tho rainbow, this
makes a Lively game, and the man
who lays the price has all the best
Of It.
They also bet with each other as TO
whether the next woman to cross the
imaginary line will or will not have
Q veil around her hair, and this is
about an even thing. The color OF
the boardwalk womans' shoes also
offers an opportunity to tho hand
book makers. The variety In the
colors Of boardwalk shoes makes
this a lively game. The handbook,
maker holds out black shoes alto
gether as being much the common