8 ON AND OFF THE TUEF. 



before the result of the Derby, or the Caulfield or 

 Melbourne Cup arrived. These shop totalisators were 

 conducted with fairness, and the promoters merely 

 took out a percentage, the same as the Race Club. 



I was in Mooneyes shop when the result of Grace 

 Darling's Caulfield Cup came in, and it was amusing 

 to see the look of blank astonishment on the faces of 

 the people. The mare was a rank outsider, and only 

 a ticket or two had been taken on her on the off- 

 chance of getting a big dividend. 



These were stirring days in Brisbane, and there 

 were heaps of money in circulation then. However, 

 law and the " Puritans ^' did away with these things, 

 and about the same time prosperity commenced to 

 wane, and a terrible dull time fell upon the Northern 

 Colony. 



In the previous chapter I made mention of 

 " double event '' shops in Sydney. 



Previous to their establishment totalisators were 

 run in these places, which, for short, were called " tote 

 shops,^' and the men who ran them '^ tote '^ proprie- 

 tors. 



Ifc was surprising to what an extent these places, 

 at one time, existed in Sydney, and for some years 

 men made fortunes at the game without being 

 molested. Most of these men adopted names for their 

 "totes,'' such as '^ Leger,'' "Maori,'' "Sportsman," 

 or the name of some popular racehorse. 



