The honest gambler

Sat, Jul 19 05:07 AM

My friend Joe Cummin, a young, beefy Anglo-Indian, was a great race enthusiast and knew every in and out of The Royal Calcutta Turf Club. His father, a celebrated jockey of his time, rode his first winner at the age of 14. Cummin would regale me with interesting tales about the Raj that he had heard from his father. He related stories about

Lester Piggott and Willie Carson, the legendary British jockeys who used to participate in the Calcutta races. That was the time when the Maharajas of Burdwan and Coochbehar would sit with their gin and tonic in the members' boxes.

Our discussion was invariably about the Saturday races and our dream of hitting the jackpot. Without the advantage of electronic calculators, our scribbling pads were used to arrive at the possible winners. We meticulously worked on such statistics as the weight of the jockey, his age and experience, his past performance, the ancestry of the horse and antecedents of the owner. I was to bet on the fourth race. I put my hand in the hip pocket to pay, but I couldn't find my wallet. Whether it had fallen from my pocket or been deftly picked was difficult to say. Apart from Rs 500, it contained some papers and my visiting card. I lost interest in the surroundings and beat a hasty retreat. 

On Monday morning, Cummin and others were surprised to see my long face. The main betting tip that Cummin had noted down for me was for a crack outsider and the horse had won admirably. But fate had snatched beginner's luck from me. I only received sympathy from my friends. The next day, a bulging manila envelope was delivered at my desk. It had no sender's name and the post-marks were indistinct. Gingerly, I opened the envelope, and out tumbled my lost wallet. It was stuffed with ten crisp 100-rupee notes with an intriguing unsigned thank-you note. It clarified that the sender had found the wallet lying on the ground near the ticket window. After a battle of conscience, he had used the money and the accompanying tips. Luck favoured him and he won over Rs 1000. He was now returning mymoney, with half the share of the bonanza!

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