CHAPTER XXVIII 



AT WORK ON THE RACE-TRACKS 



American Invasion — Taking One on — A Coup of Seven Thousand 

 Pounds — A Napoleonic " Stroke '-' — Arriving too late to settle — 

 Dodging Bogey Bookmakers 



During all that season and the next, because I hap- 

 pened to be the sporting writer on the Herald, all sorts 

 of leading questions were put to me. You see, I 

 knew nearly everyone, but they would never get any 

 change out of me and this was appreciated, I think, 

 on both sides. A journalist cannot be the superior 

 person, for one never knows when information can be 

 procured, and I will say this, that one or two of the 

 leading sportsmen from the other side were met 

 through being on speaking terms with the " boys " 

 who were working the race- tracks. 



It is almost incredible that a little cowp whereby 

 seven thousand pounds English was paid over was 

 brought off in a small hotel in Paris. The loser was 

 a South American of charming manners. Simply he 

 had the tale pitched to him and believed it. Three 

 big races, two in England and one in France, were 

 named. On the two English events twenty-five 

 hundred pounds each was to be invested and two 

 thousand pounds on the big event at Longchamp. It 

 really was so simple. The names of horses were wired 

 from London, the " commissioner " having a twenty- 

 four-hour trip there and back. It hadn't come off ! 

 The next thing was to see whether the " mug " 

 parted. He did, and at the same time that he took ^ 



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