Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1914-01-15

hoSci oiohcE y ouce keep at tn6 toie-
phone wire connected with the pool
room Soon as my friend at the track
opens the regular telegraph wire and
retards the information SO that he
can apprise us over the brokers' wire
or the winner the clerk in the Office
will call me up at the poolroom and
III know how to place my bets. And,
as I stated before, I'm bound to win
You see how?"
NEXT day-a fatal $4,000 day for
~ Felix-he met Mr.. Tompkins and
| was escorted to the nearby pool
room" 1t certainly had all the marks
OF tie genuine betting rendezvous.
Everything was going on just as 1t is
going on in poolrooms where there are
no "wire-tapping' schemes afoot.
1t seemed that mfr. Tompkins" had
hardly time enough to walk from the
] Cashiers" window to the side Of
Felix before the telegraph operator"
announced in q loud voice, Rollins
by wins" Instantly Tracy was sur
rounded by a group who congratulated
him. Fine tip" and Put US wise
next timr" were the comments Felix
saw Tracy later hand in his ticket"
to the Cashier and receive a verita-
bic mountain of gold certificates in re-
turn. At least they looked like genu-
inc money. The fact is, a few of the
outside bills were the regular notes IS
sued by Uncle Sans bureau Of en-
craving.
Felix felt an instant envy to think
that another had got such a great haul
| of money that should have been his
at least he should have won an
much. He had cleaned his office safe
of it's $4,000 and it rested against his
beating heart in the inside pocket OF
his waistccat. Another race started.
A number of bets were made by men
standing around. They seemed bets,
all right. The men went through the
regular betting motions and it all
looked proper to Felix. Some of the
men pulled away fair sized rolls"
when the result was announced
r HE telephone bell jingled again.
u Mr.. Tompkins is wanted right
away" called the telephone attendant.
Tracy fairly leaped to the booth. Eel
TX followed him close, determined not
to miss anything this time. Out
popped Tracy, so quickly that Felix
we'll might have wondered how he had
time to get anything over the tele-
phone.
What's the horse? What's the
horse?" he urged of Tracy as the
king" went on a hop skip and q
jump toward the Cashier"
"Old Stone-be sure you get it right
old Stone" snapped Tracy. Any
body in the room could have heard
what he said, although he went
through the pretense of putting his
lips close to the ear Of Felix. The fact
is they all did hear it. They knew
Tracy was going to say it. Most Of
them already had their overcoats on
and were edging toward the door OF
the 'poolroom."
Tracy stopped at the window a Sec
ond. tugging at his pocket to unloos-
en- his wad. Felix couldn't wait for
him, although the tip came from him.
He planked his roll of gold certifi-
Gates down in front of the window
and then thrust them through into
the hand OF the Cashier"
: Fifty thousand dollars on Old
Stone!"
He stood to win s5OO,OOO on the
wager!
Felix was afraid the size of the bet
might cause the proprietors to refuse
1t. He need not have been nervous. A
ticket was thrown to him. For the
first time he thought of having beaten
MIR. Tomrkins" to the window.
Where was Mr.. Tompkins. anyway
Nowhere in sight.
Hurry call came for Mr.. Tomp-
kins-he had to CO." said the tele-
phone attendant, and Felix noticed he
had his overcoat and hat on
Funny he didn't stay to bet on
that last race" said Felix In a puzzled
way. He had a pretty sure tip. I
bet on It,"
oh, Mr.. Tompkins is a true sport" :"
said the attendant. "He figures what
he don't get today he'll get tomorrow
Good day. That's the last race. I'm
going home"
Felix waited until the telegraph op-
orator" called out, Summertime
wins!" You know how he felt and
acted. Figure out how you would
look in the movies" If it suddenly
dawned on you that you had lost $780,
600 in six seconds. But ceme to think
of 1t, no one can figure it out until he
actually loses it. Felix looked for the
Cashier" and he had gone. He turned
round to ask the operator" a ques-
ton and he was gone. BY the time he
wheeled about again the bettors were
! gone.
TRACY had very good start. for the
4 instant Felix placed his $4,000 In
the window. he left the room by a
back way, and opening a door behind