The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-05-25
lie BET ON THE SEVEN
a GAMBLERS SCHEME THAT WORK
ED WELL FOR AWHILE.


and Tragedy II, Ets Wake,
y gentleman who lives in the Blue
Grass ana who has been Il very ex-
tcnsive traveller has silver service so
magnificent in design and heavy in
weight that its peers in the whole
world may be numbered on the fingers
of one hand. The owner is even now,
when past middle age. Il good fellow"
Who loves conviyialty, and no game is
too hazardous for him if he has the
amount of the stakes. He takes pleas
urc in telling the history of his serv-
ice. rs it concerns the most audacious
game of chance he ever Witnessed
When was in Bolivia some years
ago. he always begins. II got in with
q crowd of men, English and natives.
whose passion for gambling knew no
bounds Strange us it may seem, none
of them knew poker, and l made my
self soliti with them by teaching them
but their great game was roulette.
There was 4 little shop in Bogota,
where they had a miniature Monte
Carlo, and many nights did we spend
around the great wheel, with our mon
ey and prospects hanging on the black
or red. The wheel was entirely made
of wood, and when it was spun around
Il cover WIS put over the machine so
that they could keep on betting when
it had ceased TO turn.
There Is q worm down there in
that climate that gets into furniture
and bores until nothing but a shell is
left. You may sit on a chair that
looks perfectly strong, but at the first
touch it collapses. This seems irrele.
want, but i, is not, as you may see
later. IN fact. that worm plays the
title role in the tragedy l am going to
tell
There was wealthy Bolivian plant
er who had been 4 general in the war
between Bolivia and Chile back in the
early eighties. He was never absent
q night from our games. but he would
frequently stand about for a week and
never make bet larger than $40.
Then he would suddenly cry out just
as the operator was about to lift the
cover and register the highest bet the
house would permit. Next he would
place all the money he could find talk
ers for among the gentlemen present.
! Before the season was far advanced
i he had won great sums, and we had
all felt the results of his freakish luck.
/ 1t seemed that when be played L
black he could not lose, and he seemed
/ to realize it. for when he did call that
number he would put all he owned IN
/ the balance.
''sStll he was q gentleman and fa-
nous duelist. and no one cared TO
! question his methods. 1t went on this
way for two months. Then one night
the wheel stopped, and there was the
silence OF the praires in the room.
We could hear the ball fall into the
compartment distinctly. We could
hear the distant tinllling of mandolin.
The planter leaped up as from cata-
lepsy: 'Seven-blacll, senores. | will
take all any of YOU or all of you will
bet Well. had been winning strong
and was so much to the good that
was reckless,
".Five dollars | said
IOOu, Sell0f, ie Ieltileu.
Gle placed his entire fortune in diff
ferent wagers There We're a number
OF strangers present, and they al
seemed big flush. Then slowly, as q
priest officiating at some solemn. bar
barrie ceremony, the banker removed
the top. We all stood for a moment
and the tension was such that a car
NO
side made us all start. Red came
the announcement.
''rhe Bolivian was white as snow
but his voice was mistaken as he said
Gentlemen, you shall all be paid. A:
for me- am ruined.
.That night he shot himself, and hi
will, which had been written just be
fore his DEATH arranged Tor the pay
ment of all his debts. | was to re
ceive the service for my share, though
it is worth much more. But what
valued much more than that was ;
note in which he expressed his~attach
ment for me and asked me to accep
the silver as gift and not debt
..IIe left also Il curious manuscript
written some time before, which seem
ed to be a sort of private Journal. IL
stated in this that his ears We're $
accurate that he could detect the dill
terence betM cen the fall of n pin and
needle One night, so he says, he hear
the ball fall into the compartment Wit
a hollow thud, and when the machin
was opened he made note of the mum
Der and color, 'T-blacll.' Later, whc
alone for a moment, he found that TIL
aforesaid worm had bored under tina
commandment. He sounded the eNcaya
ton with a straw and found that
extended no farther than that on
number Then all he had to do wa
to listen and when his acute hearin
told him that his number had come
get all the money possible on it.
3 Eyes. gentlemen, he had all his plan
! laid to perfection. There was only on
: weak spot in his calculations. He fol
/ GOT that those worms could keep o
: g."-Louisville Evening Post.