The Washington times., 1902-01-26
MADE A WINNING ON
%" IN THE GREEN.
Oregon Rancher Smashed Old
AriOn Bank.
CLEANED UP EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.
A PARTY of residents of the Web
II foot" State. happening to be
1 \ in Washington simultaneously,

PARTI OF residents OF the web
II foot" State, happening to be
L n in Washington simultaneously,
herded at the same hotel They
| were gathered in the grill room watching
the old year out and the new one in. with
accompanying refreshments, and. Iapsing
into retrospective Oregon yarns The
prosperous Heppner Valley sheep rancher
when his turn came, spoke up and said:
Boys, you all know my partner, Ben Will
son, out there, but couldn't guess how we
happened to frame it up together in the
sheep business
Il don't mind telling about il now since
II carries us back to 81, and Ben's sedate
enough these days. Twas at the famous
old Arion Club on Yamhill Street in Port
iand that Ben made his coup on the
double in the green which changed
MIN from plain sheep herder to part owner
OF my ranch. He'd been working steadily
with nary vacation for nearly five years
saving his wages, when l noticed him
growing fdgety, SO was not surnrisea
when he turned up one morning with ro-
quest for leave.
Took His Pile.
Going to Portland to mingle a bit
IN civilization was all he said.
How much of your piIe'u see Won
through, Benz / asked"
Bout the whole wad. IL it's all III.
same to you
thought saw peculiar light in his
eye. but reserved any expression of nv
line OF thinks, cashed check for 81 500
at the bank in Heppner, wishing him a
good time as l passed over the coin. done
up IN little bags of ten-dollar gold pieces.
Which ne slowed away in his various
pockets.
Be back again when I've looked the
game over was his parting sally.
Ben Was BuyinE All Hands.
"A couple of days later was in Port
land on business and along toward in
the evening dropped into Alisky's-then
the best cafe in town-apd who did I
see there, logged out to the limit. buying
wine for bunch, but my old Ben. who.
spying me, asked me to join in and help
consume the fzz and eatahles
The feed over, suggested going to the
Marquam Grand to see the show
Not any, says Ben. somewhat flushed
but there's show round the corner on
famhill Street whichll be about swift
enough for my money
knowing what that meant and in con-
sideration of the amount of coin he was |
packing around, / concluded it was about
up to ME to go with him and be in at the !
obsequies. The moment we lit in the !
Arion the roulette dealer was singing out
double o in the green and nobody on
l,,'1
ticular minute of time says Ben, for
that's where / camp.
Put on a Tenner. 1
''Whereupon he pranced up to the lay
out and digging out one of those bags of |
gold tenners, drops a piece on the double |
o. Nothing doing there. That game went |
right on and hundred spins of the mar
BILE around that roulette wheel failed to |
land ii in the double o pocket, and Ben's |
coin was pretty nearly out.
Anybody who has ever stood around /
a roulette outfit knows how mighty few
times in the course of an evening the ball |
hops into the double o box. Players on
red, black, odd, even. or numbers get |
action. but it's any kind of odds
against the hacker OF the double o.
But | couldn't switch Ben. He was
perfectly mulsh about this play, and was
without batting an eye, all of which the
dealer was quietly stacking UP in the
house cash drawer.
Meantime a crowd had collected to
watch the plunger on the double o, all
more or less excited and roofing secretly
for him to win. / got Ben aside. during
the course OF spin of the ball, and tried
to dissuade him from continuing to throw
good money after bad.
Back to Heppner.
NO use. Guv'nor. I've had a good
time, and when l get TO the end of my
string its back to Heppner and long
stretch on the ranch-got a round-trip
ticket In my jeans
This little talk was punctuated with
double o in the green, pays "a for l. and
the dealer began to count out S340 worth
Of yellow chips to stack up beside Ben's
ten gold piece.
Ben butted in here with the suggestion