SITTING UP ALL NIGHT 



to be taken for a mug, and when he was gambling and 



had perhaps won seven or eight thousand dollars he 



would never stop playing until he had lost all he had 



won, or had given it away. We used in those days to 



play at Daly's gambling-house in 29th Street, New 



York, and sometimes I would be three or four thousand 



dollars to the bad, but it would never occur to him 



that he should help me out at all, although he was 



always most liberal in other things. Apart from a 



personal regard for me— in fact, he treated me like his 



own son— he liked me for sitting up all night with him 



and not wanting to go to bed. Sometimes I would 



go to the length of saying that he couldn't expect me 



to do my best on his horses the next day, but he would 



answer that it didn't matter a bit. We would drive 



down at three or four o'clock in the morning to the 



bay in a buggy or waggon, and go aboard the Hiawatha 



for three hours' sleep. 



In that first season I was with him I found that 

 he had determined to quit racing before I joined him, 

 for he felt he wasn't getting a proper return for his 

 money. But all the time he was dead keen on the 

 game. He would talk it out with me all the time we 

 were together. I remember him as the dearest old 

 man and so amiable that my affection for him grew 

 every week. One day he told me that he would go on 

 for another season if I would sign on again as first 

 joc^cey for the stable and I agreed on certain con- 

 ditions. 



" The conditions being money ? " he asked. 



^'^' No, it isn't that," I explained. 



" Well let's deal with the money first : I'll give 

 you twelve thousand dollars retainer. Is that 

 enough ? " 



"More than enough, Mr Fleischman j but my 



35 



