The Wahpeton times., 1917-12-20
What a
Worm Did
By F. A. MITCHELL

Copyright. lsi'. cstern Newspaper union.!
"ff you Americans Want tc yet pos.
session of ArNi o. You don't need to
raise Il big ;i,my for the purpose. All
you have to do is to enlist all the pro-
fessional gamblers in the United
States. furnish them with ample funds.
and send them down there to win the
country for you."
The words were spoken by man
who had lived most Of his life in Mex
leo, and had Travelled much in Central
and South America.
''The people Of those regions are all
gamblers" the speaker continued, "and
IL sufficient force Of sharpers were
sent among them every foot of ground.
and every article on 1t would soon be
IN their possession. Thus the gamblers.
or those they represented. could meet
in convention, vote annexation to the
United States, and the trick would be
done.
II spent o winter in Brazil and every
evening as soon as the days work was
finished. the Set to which I belonged
adjourned to the back yard of an old
fellow named Papilado. who had a
roulette wheel he had made himself,
and spent the time far into the night
gambling. The roulette wheel was
made Of wood, and there was a cover
for 1t, which was put on while the ball
was still spinning so that the betting
could be carried on indefinitely.
"Some Of the gamblers played for
the enjoyment they got out of the
game. and some played to earn the
money on which they lived. None of
them was very scrupulous. and would
have cheated II they could. I taught
them the American game of poker. but
there was 80 much opportunity for dis
honesty In It that 1t was not fitted fol
them. Every player was bent on
Cheating, and the game soon broke up
IN row.
There was among them a young
Brazilian who had a very pretty wife.
He had small patrimony, which he
was gradually eating up. He won
about as much as he lost, but he had
to live. 1t was really a case Of eating
his little fortune. His wife usually sat
| beside him, sometimes sewing. anG
when their baby was wakeful she
would hold him in her arms. The
mans name was JOSH Gomez, and his
wife Maria, for the Virgin.
"If Gomez won a hundred pezos one
evening, lost hundred the next, and
was ahead in the game twenty-five at
| the end Of the week. he considered
that he was twenty-five pesos to the
| good; though he had spent hundred
His wife took the same view of the
matter.
cat the time I Joined the circle the
little fortune Of the young couple had
been nearly eaten up and it had be.
come apparent to them that that was
so. They were looking anxious. Josi
was betting fitfully. Papilado bet like
the others. and won or lost like they
did. He charged nothing for the use
of the wheel. seeming to play for
amusement only. But one might he be.
gan to show gamblers greed. He
won good pile on red five; and after
that 1t was noticed that whenever he
bet largely it was on red five.
There is worm down in that eli.
mate that gets into furniture, and
bores and bores and bores till nothing
but shell Is left. One may sit down
on chair that looks perfectly strong
but at the first touch it collapses. This
statement thrust in here seems to have
nothing to do with my story; the truth
! Is, the story hangs upon it.
'Papilado continued occasionally to
bet Of red five, taking care not to at
tract the attention of the others to
the fact that it was winner. When
he won on it he invariably bet the
next time on some other number. He
said that he didn't believe in light
ming striking the same place twice.
Sometimes he would not bet once on
1t till the wheel had been spun many
times. I was not playing myself, and
had an opportunity to watch the 9th.
ers. noticed that whenever Papila.
do bet on red five, just when the ball
was heard to drop, his countenance as.
sumcd very pleased and covetous ex.
preston.
II took an interest in JOSH Gomez,
his little wife and innocent babe. and
one day confided to him my suspicion
that Papilado had some way of know
ing when the ball dropped into red
five. JOSH said nothing to me in re-
l'ly, but 1t was evident that he was do
ing good deal Of thinking.
'"The next evening came the crisis.
Papi:ado did not bet on red five till
eleven o'clock, when he laid a hundred
pesos on 1t. JOSH Immediately laid a
hundred pesos on another number.
black nine. Papilado laid five hun.
dred more on red five. JOSH laid one
thousand of black nine. The others
dropped out. was astonished to see
the two who remained bring out SO
much money. They bet on and on till
many thousand pesos were on the
table. When their funds were exhaust.
ed. the cover was lifted. Black nine
had won.
"Gomez gave me the explanation. A
worm had hnrod undor rod 6&o <hu.