Evening star., 1925-04-26

gan to weaken. 1t was close finish,
and Vagrancy was just nosed out by
| the favorite, but finished second by
good length.
The Senator was white and shaky.
Colonel, let's quit right now. 1 think
we have all the money in the world.~
| "A bagatelle. my dear Senator"
said the Colonel. airily. I'VE have
not yet begun to bet"
II have not only begun, but I have
| finished betting" said the Senator,
| in a panic. II want to pull out. /
want to have enough to take a trip
| upstate and see my poor old mother"
Il understand your sentiments. my
dear Senator" said the Colonel. And
! / honor them. 1. too, would like to
| revisit the old plantation in Virginia
and see my old black aunty. But /
would return as a Southern gentle
man should. If you want to dog ii
/ in the stretch"
| Darn 1t, Colonel, I-ITI stick.
| sasped the Senator
Spoken like a gentleman and a
statesman, sir" said the Colonel
! warmly. by jove, I'll revive my
racing stable and you shall be a half
owner My colors are still registered
with the Jockey Club
Yes, certainly said the Senator
Only promise me one thing that If
the last race you will hold out ham
and bean money. I'm terribly un-
dernourished."
"Sh," Missed the Colonel. He was
staring at Mrs. J. NJ. Arburton, I'd
who was walking their way. The
| photograph of Mrs. Arburton, I'd, ap-
| peared in some New York newspaper
| at least once a week. She was the
most ornamental figure at the tracks
! OF the East. She had inherited the
love of thoroughbreds from a grand
| father, who owned a famous stable
in the old days of the American turf.
| The pearls she wore would have paid
for the entire stable.
x X X X
THE Senator, in awe, skunk behind
the Colonel. Evidently Mrs Ar
burton, I'd. was about to speak to
| them. This was not extraordinary
on the race track. She might have
condescended to ask questions of
Mushmouth.
Gould you tell me the odds on
Fairy BELIEF" she asked
The ColonePs ancient Panama was
off. and the sun cleaned on his long,
silvery hair. He consulted his pro-
gram. The odds are two to one,
madam" he said
She fumbled in her purse and pro-
duced bill. would you please bet
fifty for me on Fairy Belle" she
asked.
With a courtly gesture the Colonel
| lightly waved the bill aside. II will
| instruct my betting commissioner to
place the wager with my book
my commissioner settle with you or
hand you a memorandum. 1t is no
trouble at all, Mrs. Arburton | as
sure YOU
Mrs. Arburton. I'd, smiled and pass
| ed on through the paddock. When
| she was out of earshot the Colonel
| turned to the Senator, whose jaw was
still sagging in bewilderment.
Senator" said the Colonel "I
| think, as gentlemen of sentiment, we
| could do no less than bet $4,000 on
Fairy Belle"
The Senator looked at him, almost
| stricken dumb with amazement. But
there was something that fascinated
and thrilled the listener in the airy
| tone in which he mentioned this un-
heard-of sum. II am sure, Senator,
as a man of gallantry, that you will
agree" he insisted.
The Senator mumbled. II must be
weak from hunger or something. but
/ say, Let it ride 1 don't think
l could hold food now anyhow
The Colonel walked back to the
|
| the Panama tilted to an almost rakish
angle. When he handed his slip to
Schultz the new bookmaker gave a
| little gasp He seemed dubious for
just an instant. but the Colonel's hyp-
| motto presence seemed to place him
| in a trance also. He placed the
| slip in his wallet.
The Senator watched that race in a
sort of dull haze. The golden chest
of -oir q
the wire just a foot ahead of two
struggling contenders. The Senator
ciutched rail for support until the
| board went up.
"A beautiful filly," said the Colonel.
| Senator, did it ever occur to you
that this sporting life simply teens
with beauty and excitement?
| the Senator.
| The Colonel's pale face became
| flushed with the fever of gambling
and the pulse-quiCkening stimulus of
success. He was walking close to the
| side of the tickle goddess who had
eluded him all these years, and the
| touch of her hand was on his arm.
| Il do not fancy anything much in
the fifth said the Colonel. Sup
| posing we put Few thousand on
| Plutonian for place.?
Whatever you like, Colonel said
i the Senator DULY. "Oh. if We only
| had some of this in cash. Confound
| this fool law that doesn't let the bet
| tors deal in cash
| The Senator was a bit hazy. He
| forgot that had their operations re-
| quired cash they would not be oper-
| ating at all. He would have the law
altered so that the books would pay
| in cash after each race, while the
10 10 q
betting with cash.
sPlutonian, picked for place by the
Colonel in his conservatism, won the
fifth race. When the Colonel bet four
| thousand more at even money that
Annie Rooney would be third in sixth
race that very inconsistent filly fin
ished exactly as the Colonel had bet.
by Jove, Senator" he said, I'VE
have swept the card. This happened
| to me only once before, when L picked
six straight winners at the Tanforan
track, in San Francisco. 1t was quite
! a national sensation at the time. You
may recall having read about it.
Did they pay you off in cash?'
asked the Senator, eagerly.
"I hardly remember that detail"
| said the Colonel. II believe that they
! mailed a check to my bankers. They
| used silver and gold out there in those
days. 1 hardly could have carried my
| winnings away with me, even though
| I did ride back in my own carriage"
IF they would pay us off even in
pennies right now I would make a
desperate effort to carry it out" said
| the Senator insistently.
The Colonel became a trifie annoy
| ed. MY dear Senator, as states
| man you should have more patience.
| Tomorrow we will get a statement,
| and / think that our winnings will