Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-26

| note 70 tnis handbook man, teiun6 nun
that when settling day came around the
money could be paid 10 the day box once
i man, clever young chap. who also acted
a. sort OF confidential secretary for the
manager.
| A couple Of days later. after the manager
had gone. the handbook mans agent called
| at the theater and handed the young fellow
| In the box Office the money due the man
| ager. together with the telephone code
| word for the ensuing week, written on
| slip OF paper.
| At the end of the two weeks the manager
returned to New York. to find that his
rotary had quit New York. The young
| man had left note for the manager say
| Ing that he had been told by his doctor
| that his health was going back on him and
| advising him to go to warmer climate.
| So he had made arrangements to go to
| Cuba. he said in his note
The manager thought this bit peculiar,
On the day following his return he rang up
| mis- handbook man to ask for the week s
| code word. He had received tip from the
| San Francisco track that morning and he
| wanted to get bet down.
| TO the tall and uncut for yours, the
manager was amazed to hear the handbook
| man at the other end of the wire say. I'm
/ only handling the coin of the So and -
| suckers this week. trying to push out that
| dent you've put in me- You're too good
! and l guess | won't need your play until
/ my bank roll gets over wearing that stingy
! look"
This. of course. was all too deep for the
| theatrical manager. But there were a num-
Der OF people In his Office and he didn't
care to converse about the thing over the
wire In their hearing. So he presently got
into cab and went over to the handbook
mans office.
Say. I'd like to have peek at those
diamond garter buckles and things OF
yours, just for luck. was the way the
handbook man greeted the astonished man
ager How does 1t feel. anyhow. to pick
fraiO ht nd pf rDry3
worse than II to II"
Hereupon the dumfounded theatrical man.
ager took the handbook man by the lapel
of his coat.
Stop it. YOU" he said choppily. These
smokes of yours during business hours an
noy me. Fasten your gaze on this gun
metal stickpin in my cravat and see if you
can't hypnotic yourself back into state
or daylight common sense. When you get
that far, tell me what in the blazes you are
talking about now, and what you meant by
that gas you fed me while ago over the
telephone wire"
do that. The manager had taken such a
crimp In him. he sa d. during the past two
weeks. lighting infalliby on the long ones
that went through on creased skids that
he, the handbook man had been on the
point of hunting for an angel to shore up
his bank wad.
The manager, of course had done nothing
of the sort, and 1t didn't take him long to
convince the handbook man of this fact
The handbook collector was called in He
cleared the situation up by informing them
that he had paid the two weeks big win
nfngs over to the absent box office youth.
The box office young man had been the
marveously clever picker of the correct
ones. although the manager had never pos
sessed an idea that the young fellow knew
the difference between a race horse and
sack of cement.
The handbook man was sore and so was
the manager, who has been mourning ever
since his lost $4,000, the amount of the
box office young mans total winnings A
week or after the explanation the man
ager heard that his box office young man
was betting Immense sums on the Ascot
track at Los Angeles with the bankroll he
had picked up in New York by proxy as 1t
were. and that the youth had already be-
come known as plunger of the stiffest de-
gree.
Are you going to do anything to himY
the manager was asked by friend when
the story got around.
DO anything to him." exclaimed the
manager clawing his hair some. What
I'd like to do to the cub would be to snag
him back here and make him do his kind
of picking for me. All will be forgiven him
IL he only comes back. / can use that
boy"
An Ingenious Bit of Swindling
A still more ingenious bit of telephone
| grating was pulled off In New York early
| In the winter.
About . o'clock In the afternoon on the
| day the thing happened the proprietor of
| a certain big-play handbook was summoned
| to his telephone.
Hello. DAN" said the voice at the other
| end of the phone. This is Ed Willis.
| mentioning the namc--not the one given
| hereof well-known and wealthy young
| high-roler of Chicago.
"Oh, hello there, Eddie" said the hand
| book man. Got along, have you? Heard
VIC
| oh little" said the voice at the other
| end of the line. Say Dan, how about
| La Sorciere, that goes in the fourth race
| at New Orleans today? I've got a bunch
on that one Is the bunch any good?"
oh La Sorctere isn't a bad bit of pelt
Of It's kind" replied the handbook man.
| mo world beaten. but able to plug along
| and hold its own with the rest-a little
more speed than most of 'ems~ at that"
Want to lay me price,? asked the
! voice at the other end
| why. yes" said the handbook man.
| Sure Would you rather have me lay
| price or take the paper odds?'
I'D rather catch you out of line, pal.
| said the voice. what do you lay?
Give you five to one" said the hand
| book man.
| Want a thousa I'd on that?'' said the
| voice at the other end
| Sure thing" replied the handbook man.
We'll, that one for me. then Dan. said
| the voice at the other end. Five thousand
| to a thousand, La Sorciere. You'll be sorry
| you spoke when she towropes EN- ALL l al
ways cop on hunch.
you're on, son." said the handbook man.
| pretty soft thousand for me- that hunch
| thing"
And say. Dan" continued the voice at
| the other end of the wire, I'm going 10
| hike out of the cold for Palm Beach in the
| morning So If La Sorcere goes through
! Z wish you'd send the check this evening
| down to the Waldorf-Astoria. where I'm
| stopping. If she also runs III mail YOU
/ t1,n hon nd
| See?"
| 80 X Eddie" said the handbook man.
! Hate to see good thing like you run
| away from little old New York so quick
| though, when things kind o slow and
| on the fitz around here and the telephone
| CONTEMPLATION was over
| La Sorciere won the race. An hour or
| so after the race quiet-looking chap with
| a fine Gladstone bag registered at the Wal
| dorf-Astoria. In registering he wrote the
name of the well-known young high-roller
| Of Chicago
ANY letters?' he inquired of the mail
/ clerk.
I MT a., h,,,,nf r.fJ LOT