Part 4 (1/2)

”What'd you win, Van Bibber?” asked a friend who rushed past him, clutching his tickets as though they were precious stones.

”I win one hundred dollars,” answered Van Bibber, calmly, as he walked on up into the boxes. It was delightfully cool up there, and to his satisfaction and surprise he found several people there whom he knew.

He went into Her box and accepted some _pate_ sandwiches and iced champagne, and chatted and laughed with Her so industriously, and so much to the exclusion of all else, that the horses were at the starting-post before he was aware of it, and he had to excuse himself hurriedly and run to put up his money on Bugler, the second on his list. He decided that as he had won one hundred dollars on the first race he could afford to plunge on this one, so he counted out fifty more, and putting this with the original one hundred dollars, crowded into the betting-ring and said, ”A hundred and fifty on Bugler straight.”

”Bugler's just been scratched,” said the bookie, leaning over Van Bibber's shoulder for a greasy five-dollar bill.

”Will you play anything else?” he asked, as the young gentleman stood there irresolute.

”No, thank you,” said Van Bibber, remembering his vow, and turning hastily away. ”Well,” he mused, ”I'm one hundred and fifty dollars better off than I might have been if Bugler hadn't been scratched and hadn't won. One hundred and fifty dollars added to one hundred makes two hundred and fifty dollars. That puts me 'way ahead of the game. I am fifty dollars better off than when I left New York. I'm playing in great luck.” So, on the strength of this, he bought out the man who sells bouquets, and ordered more champagne to be sent up to the box where She was sitting, and they all congratulated him on his winnings, which were suggested by his generous and sudden expenditures.

”You must have a great eye for picking a winner,” said one of the older men, grudgingly.

”Y-e-s,” said Van Bibber, modestly. ”I know a horse when I see it, I think; and,” he added to himself, ”that's about all.”

His horse for the third race was Rover, and the odds were five to one against him. Van Bibber wanted very much to bet on Pirate King instead, but he remembered his vow to keep to the list he had originally prepared, whether he lost or won. This running after strange G.o.ds was always a losing business. He took one hundred dollars in five-dollar bills, and went down to the ring and put the hundred up on Rover and returned to the box. The horses had been weighed in and the bugle had sounded, and three of the racers were making their way up the track, when one of them plunged suddenly forward and went down on his knees and then stretched out dead. Van Bibber was confident it was Rover, although he had no idea which the horse was, but he knew his horse would not run. There was a great deal of excitement, and people who did not know the rule, which requires the return of all money if any accident happens to a horse on the race-track between the time of weighing in and arriving at the post, were needlessly alarmed.

Van Bibber walked down to the ring and received his money back with a smile.

”I'm just one hundred dollars better off than I was three minutes ago,” he said. ”I've really had a most remarkable day.”

Mayfair was his choice for the fourth race, and she was selling at three to one. Van Bibber determined to put one hundred and seventy-five dollars up on her, for, as he said, he had not lost on any one race yet. The girl in the box was very interesting, though, and Van Bibber found a great deal to say to her. He interrupted himself once to call to one of the messenger-boys who ran with bets, and gave him one hundred and seventy-five dollars to put on Mayfair.

Several other gentlemen gave the boy large sums as well, and Van Bibber continued to talk earnestly with the girl. He raised his head to see Mayfair straggle in a bad second, and shrugged his shoulders.

”How much did you lose?” she asked.

”Oh, 'bout two hundred dollars,” said Van Bibber; ”but it's the first time I've lost to-day, so I'm still ahead.” He bent over to continue what he was saying, when a rude commotion and loud talking caused those in the boxes to raise their heads and look around. Several gentlemen were pointing out Van Bibber to one of the Pinkerton detectives, who had a struggling messenger-boy in his grasp.

”These gentlemen say you gave this boy some money, sir,” said the detective. ”He tried to do a welsh with it, and I caught him just as he was getting over the fence. How much and on what horse, sir?”

Van Bibber showed his memoranda, and the officer handed him over one hundred and seventy-five dollars.

”Now, let me see,” said Van Bibber, shutting one eye and calculating intently, ”one hundred and seventy-five to three hundred and fifty dollars makes me a winner by five hundred and twenty-five dollars.

That's purty good, isn't it? I'll have a great dinner at Delmonico's to-night. You'd better all come back with me!”

But She said he had much better come back with her and her party on top of the coach and take dinner in the cool country instead of the hot, close city, and Van Bibber said he would like to, only he did wish to get his one hundred dollars up on at least one race. But they said ”no,” they must be off at once, for the ride was a long one, and Van Bibber looked at his list and saw that his choice was Jack Frost, a very likely winner, indeed; but, nevertheless, he walked out to the enclosure with them and mounted the coach beside the girl on the back seat, with only the two coachmen behind to hear what he chose to say.

And just as they finally were all harnessed up and the horn sounded, the crowd yelled, ”They're off,” and Van Bibber and all of them turned on their high seats to look back.

”Magpie wins,” said the whip.

”And Jack Frost's last,” said another.

”And I win my one hundred dollars,” said Van Bibber. ”It's really very curious,” he added, turning to the girl. ”I started out with two hundred dollars to-day, I spent only twenty-five dollars on flowers, I won six hundred and twenty-five dollars, and I have only one hundred and seventy-five dollars to show for it, and yet I've had a very pleasant Fourth.”

AN EXPERIMENT IN ECONOMY

Of course, Van Bibber lost all the money he saved at the races on the Fourth of July. He went to the track the next day, and he saw the whole sum melt away, and in his vexation tried to ”get back,” with the usual result. He plunged desperately, and when he had reached his rooms and run over his losses, he found he was a financial wreck, and that he, as his sporting friends expressed it, ”would have to smoke a pipe” for several years to come, instead of indulging in Regalias. He could not conceive how he had come to make such a fool of himself, and he wondered if he would have enough confidence to spend a dollar on luxuries again.