CHAPTER XXI 



LUCKY RACING DAYS 



A Little Haul at Leopardstown — Similar Incidents in Paris — Dull 

 Provincial Towns — Cafe Life wanted — The Selling-off at Brighton 

 — Clearing a Stock — Some of the Buyers 



In Dublin once I had a very small bank-roll on the 

 Friday night, but won a fiver at the game. On Satur- 

 day there was Leopardstown and out of six races I 

 backed three winners. The Monday following was 

 when they laid big odds on Bellevin and I backed 

 Waterhen for the Leopardstown Grand Prize : she won 

 at a fine price. There was a horse named Shot who had 

 run second to Waterhen on the Saturday, and I got 

 a hundred to eight and the same odds in running. 

 I know I backed five out of six of the winners : it was 

 all ready. I had money in every pocket, and when 

 getting back to my hotel in Dublin locked the door of 

 my room and took out the contents : it was a real 

 parcel and the most fascinating experience. I cleared 

 up over two hundred and thirty pounds, which is 

 money at any time, but at the particular moment I 

 felt I had notes to burn. That evening there was all 

 the glory of the capitalist and a lucky gambler to back 

 up the bluffs, and I won all there was in the room, and 

 there was a good fat amount on the cuff ; but really 

 the game cost me a lot of money : I was too inquisitive 

 or something. 



A similar incident to that at Leopardstown, where 

 there was something to count on coming home, was in 

 Paris about fifteen years ago. I was living there at 



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