New-York tribune., 1921-04-17
THE ECLIPSE
HANDICAP
By FRANK CONDON
NOR about week it appeared daily ii
X the newspapers of San Francisco. 1
IL read as follows: 80. G.. Come hom,

n read as follows: 80. G. Come home
or let us know where you are All is
forgiven Harmony and George. Queen
Mary"
Omar Gill walked hulnbly into the sitting
room of the Queen Mary Hotel in San Fran
cisco, carrying the newspaper in his hand and
looking around timidly, as though he expected
something to fall ON him. Harmony and
arose and the reunion that followed was
touching
Two three months before the ADVERTISE
ment appeared the three of lis had settled down
in San Francisco, surrounded by all the com
forts of a large hotel, owners of $4,000
mutual bank roll, an automobile and other
pleasing adjuncts to life of calm content.
1t was Omar's personal automobile. He had
bought it with his private funds, owned it in
fee simple and drove it the same way. 1t
looked a good deal like highly magnified
roller skate, but Omar was mad about it, and
each morning he lured it out of the garage
and bounded up and down the thousand
hills of San Francisco, endangering human
life and making noises like an enraged thrash
ing machine.
After a month of luxurious loafing, Har-
mony arrived one afternoon in a state of
pleasant excitement. 1t appeared that through
a lucky combination of circumstances Har-
mony had stumbled upon way to invest our
$4,000.
"It's a. fine chance to break into the book
making business he said, beaming at US.
There is hard boiled guy named Moses
Lewis, and what he don't know about horse
racing you could get into your left eye. He
wants us to go in with him, agrees to do all
the real work. because of his skill, and is will
ing to take US on as his clerks"
'You mean this man wants to use our
s4,0cO?" asked somewhat tremulously.
"In a word, yes" said Harmony, with in
creasng gusto "We furnish him with $4,000.
which is roughly the capital required"
"Does he guarantee us against loss?" asked
mildly, being interested in the funds to the
extent of one thousand three hundred and
some odd dollars.
"You can't guarantee anything in the horse
racing game Harmony continued coldly II
should think you would know that. In
all real enterprises person takes a chance"
I ATER on, Harmony being nsistent, We en-
courtered this Moses Lewis, who was a
tall, feverish gentleman with hooked beak
and a piercing eye.
precious $4,000, which all we had in
the world, if you leave out Omar's automobile.
Lewis agreed to set up in business at Pergo
Park on the following Monday employing the
three of us in minor capacities.
Omar noaned quietly throughout the pre-
liminares and plucked at the tablecloth. When
he owns money he likes to spend it in small
sums and different places. Omar can take 80
bo1f 10 uor
prefers to take three dollars and run them up
to three million dollars or make the attempt
The adventure lasted exactly one week. in
Guiding legal holidays. We gayly began chalk
ing up prices in the bull ring at Pergo Park
on Monday afternoon, before the first race;
and on Saturday afternoon, following the last
race, Mr. Lewis washed off his slate, packed up
his tin reticule, kicked his stool fretfuy aside,
and announced in voice devoid of passion
that we had foundered at sea- with all on
board. {
"Can you dig up some more coin by Mon
day?" he asked, looking into three startled
countenances.
"No,' said Omar hoarsely, before any one
else could speak. "Nor by Tuesday, either
Why?"
''Then we're ruined,' Lewis replied calmly
"The game has gone against us and we're
dead broke. The old sock is empty.
'Broke," repeated Mr.. Lewis, tying on
his cravat with great care. "I'm not to blame,
either, because / made perfectly balanced
book all week But the favorites won every
day. and that hurt u.s.
"It particularly hurts me-" Omar said
grmly. "l'm hurt clear through, and I'm the
one that wanted to keep away from this from
the start
We went sadly home that night to the
Queen Mary and sat in the lee of the fire
! place, wondering why Hard Luck always had
our name, address and Office hours.
On the following morning Harmony and
Omar held another warm debate and Omar
lost it. 1t was Harmony's urgent desire that
| Omar take his self -propelling vehicle by the
hand and sell it to some one for ready cash,
and at first Omar declined to consider the sug-
gestion At noon Omar took his automobile
for a last weepy ride. He sold it, as ordered,
and when he returned to the hotel he had
seven hundred dollars, which, as he stated
with wrathful emphasis, was just half what
it was worth
"And maybe you two sharks think I'm 60
ing to split this seven hundred with you,' he
said threateningly. "Ill loan you a few dol
lars for food but beyond that nothino doino y