Evening star., 1926-04-04


can get a dozen men who'd pay me
good percentage for the privilege
of being allowed to underwrite that
bet Make out your ticket, E. b.
Three hundred will be all right, and
so will three Thousand. Got q blank ?'
E. b. had a blank. For be it known
that betting has been purified on
Louisiana race tracks by solemn State
law. In the old days the bookmakers
wrote out the tickets and handed
them to the bettors. Thus they made
book, and making book is now for
hidden by the statute. AS such
things are conducted today, 1t is the
bettor who writes out the ticket.
which he hands to the bookmaker
Thus the mat, a. becomes private
transaction between gentlemen, and
the bookmaker, instead of making
book, is merely "oraliZing.' The law
does not forbid the making Of private
bets between friends, and the list of
any oralizer's friends may be found
in the reports of the census takers.
Taking a blank card, l.. B. scraWled
upon it the words: "Canobean, $16,-
000-$300 ID T.. B. Charniey," and
anded the memorandum, together
with three one.hundred-d d-dollar bills, to
Holy Joe, who was happily profuse
in his thanks to the other party to
this strictly oral transaction.
ITS little late for Santa Claus, )"
he observed, but much obliged to
you, f. B., just the same.
E b. strode placidly away to the
paddock, into which the horses were
lust being led. AS he reached the in
closure, a buzZer shrilled. Jockeys
and uniformed track Wallets appeared
Ind rio ia
eys staggering a bit in the conscious
ness of Immaculate silks and the crit
ically admiring regard of the multi
tude, close-packed about the chicken
wire screening that fenced off the
crowd. Carefully folded blankets.
number cloths, weight pads and
finally the light racing saddles were
deftly placed, adjusted and fastened.
You know what to do?" f. b.
asked casually of little Fleabit. glow
ing In silks of carmine and white.
Fleabit nodded.
Again the buZzer shrilled a warn
ing.
Everybody upr' ordered the pad
dock official.
E. B. stopped and cupped his two
big hands. F'leabit rested his left
heel lightly in the cup and was almost
valet handed him the braided leather
bat and reins, which he knotted care
fully. Distantly, from the judges
stand, came the silvery summons OF
the bugle.
4 scarlet.coated parade leader,
n mounted on a beautifully pied
pony, led the procession single file
out of the paddock and to the track
where they would be reviewed by the
judges, according to ancient custom.
before being led to the barrier for
the start. 1t was an old story to the
talent" but none the less they
crowded forward into two solid walls
TO watch the parade from paddock to
track gate. Between these living
walls the horses minced nervously or
ambled sedately according to their
divers dispositions. Nobody khe"
exactly how 1t happened. Somewhere
some one suddenly opened a folded
newspaper as the horses filed by. one
of them SHE'D violently. The crowd
suddenly swerved away. thus adding
TO the confusion. Jockeys, using the
full power of their muscular wrists,
gentled their horses down-aH but
one.
That one was Canobean. SnylnS,
rocketing from side 10 side. ears laid
back fiat, he suddenly bolted down
the track away from the rest, and
dashed off on a wild gallop OF his
own. Standing in the stirrups,
Jockey Corrigan could be seen saw
ing the bit in what was evidently a
desperate attempt to halt the run
away. But Canobean would not
be gainsaid. A full mile he ran.
bringing up only when he reached
the barrier where the other entries in
the race were waiting for the start.
"E. B. better let you run his sew
ing machine instead of his horses,
Corrigan, if that's the best you can
do" remarked the official starter with
emphasis. Bring 'em up now
slow Jerry turn that big gray the
right way. Come in, Flynn, bring
your-say, dye want me to set you
down? Bring that :"
With a taunt "Whang" powerful
springs shot the barrier up, and the
Jockeys, gathering their respective
mounts into their laps, flung them
forward and away.
The far-off grandstand crowds
voiced the roar with which the start
of every race is greeted, but the roar
came muffied across the wide green in