The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-24
CWakhington start


Riley Grammar wasn't a mark for
his friends. as they call a man who
overdoes the loaning thing, but he was
sure-enough liberal toward men whom
ne liked and who fell into hard-luck
streaks. said a turfman who was
close To the plunger who died at Raw
hide. New. the other day. "Of course,
l am speaking now of the days when
Riley was there with the bells on.
Along in his latter years he didn't have
much to be liberal with. But when he
had it he didn't know how to turn
away from a friend who really was
down on his luck
Back in 1S97-Grannan's biggest
year-a friend of his had a horse in the
Brooklyn handicap. which was won by
Ornament The friends horse was
mortgaged, together with the few re-
naming horses in the string The
owner believed his good horse had a
chance to win the Brooklyn, and every
dollar he owned in the WOrld-only a
few thOusands-was up on the horse in
the future books. Not only that, but
the owner stood TO lose the horse and
all the rest of the horses of his string
if the race went elsewhere. which, of
course, it did.
well, Riley Grammar knew all about
NAA41 Da1AtASloI JUL NtlC man III lllC IOiC
didn't know that the pIunger knew it.
The two men happened to watch the
race from spot where they were close
together in the infield. Riley had one
of his bumper bets on Ornament, the
winner. AS the field swept into the
stretch, Ornament at that point wrest-
ing the lead from Sly Fox and sailing
along with mighty strides. the plunger
put his field glasses back into their
case. He knew that the race would be
Ornaments by the way that he was
going. His glance fell upon the coun-
tenance of his hard-hit friend. The
mans face was twitching, although he
wasn't saying a word.
Where's your horse, pal2 the
plunger asked the man who had staked
his everything upon his horses chance.
THE colt was among the tail-enders.
Nowhere, Riley replied the owner,
and he started to walk away. Then he
turned back with a sort OF a chalky
grin. And he isn't my horse now,
either he added. I dun lose him.
Riley beckoned his friend back with
a nod. and the man returned to where
the plunger stood.
IAN in. old MANI Grammar asked
him, in a low tone
All except a little haberdashery 1
bought yesterday replied the man who
had stood for the blow.
Horses in hock?'
To their chin straps
Got time to take a bite of dinner
at the beach after the last racer Gran
nan asked his friend, and the latter
nodded.
when the days racing was over the
two men drove over to Manhattan
Reach FFha Y1lungaFs fanIr fha =
gage on the horses of his down-and-
out friend and slipped him $4,000 be-
sides. All of that money was repaid
within six months, but when he held
out the helping hand Grammar, l am
sure, was not thinking of when. if ever,
the loan was going TO be made good.
He did not like 10 be touched on
the track. although he never was
known to turn the TOUGHER down if the
man was one of his friends. He par
ticularly abominated having a man be-
gin a long story about why he needed
the coin.
"'Riley,' friend once said to him,
rushing up to the plunger on the
Gravesend lawn, one of Lichtensteins
men Just told me that I'm a thousand
to the bad in Lichtensen's book from
yesterday, although I'd forgotten all
about il, and I didn't fetch the stuff
down with me, and I've
For heavens sake. why can't you
bite all that and just say you want
The thousand broke out Grammar,
and he passed his explaining friend
the money.
"Grannans objections To being
touched on the track were due more
to the fact that such incidents dis
tracted his attention from the business
in hand-the racing itself-than from
any unwillngness to give up. He lost
less through lending money. perhaps,
than any of the big moneyed men
around the tracks. The 'tOuchers' had
too keen an appreciation of the value
of the friendship of so Open-handed a
man as Riley Grammar to take chances
on losing it,
zone forenoon. six or seven years
ago. during the summer racing, Gran
nan met betting friend, now a very
prosperous man. at one of the Broad
WAY hotels. The friend was taking