'The attendance was negligible, despite the very liberal distribution of invitations and the fact that no questions were asked at the gate of those who came without tickets. Indeed, had it been a race meeting with such' small - patronage, probably. it would have been called off. Everything was in order at the pari-mutuel Jcounters and the booths where modern Shanghai sporting concerns Jeater £0 those who like to lose their money on "forecasts," "doubles," and other mysteries; there were num ers up, direction signs, and so on, together with all the customary signal (bells, and all the motions of betting [were carried out, but no money changed hands.
'An' innovation was the introduetion of perhaps a hundred charming fand attractively dressed young Chie nese women in the place of the usually rude and surly and alway highly suspicious shroffs who oper-Jate at the pariemutuels, "The damsels were equipped with pencil and what appeared to be betting sheets, buf they did no more than raw freehand sketches of thistles in. full fruit, Prince Charmings, and all that usually is done with pencil and paper in idle moment's.
The Law's Majesty Further to deter any prospective gambler from having a flutter, oF the promoters from picking up' the feathers as they fell from the flute tering, four or five strings, each of about a dozen khaki-clad protectors of morals, threaded back and forth through the meagre crowd, Mausers drawn and fingers on the triggers. In addition there were white-clad [skirmishers with rifle and bayonet who engaged in individual moral ing. It was a sight to deter the most convinced possessor of inside information from attempting a bet, or the most anxious hunter after percent ges from obliging him. The little ladies sipped tea. or ginger-ale, scribbled all. over their pads, then chewed their pencils, and that was all that happened at the pari-mutuel counters.
Asa lesson in the delights of trotting as a sport the evening was a failure; as an advertisement to tract pari-mutuel addicts it was a complete wash-out. The race-card stated:—"The rules of the New South [Wales Trotting Club will be adhered to as far as possible." If that were Js0, New South Wales must be a very lonesome place.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.