The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1918-06-22
What a
Worm Did
BY F. A. MITCHELL
'copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union,

!
session of Mexico, you don't need to
.nlsc big army for the purpose. All
sou have to do is to enlist all the pro-
Icssiunai 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
CO. and had Travelled much in Central
and South America.
1.-THE people of those regions are all
gamblers" the speaker continued, "and
il n sufficient force of sharpers We're
sent among them every foot of ground,
and every article on it 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.
~ spent n winter in Brazil and every
evening MS soon as the days work was
finished, the set to which l belonged
adjourned to the back yard of an old
fellow named Pnpllado, who had Il
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 n cover
for ii. which was put on while the ball
was still spinning so that the betting
could he carried on indefinitely.
"Somc 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. taught
them the American game of poker. but
there was so much opportunity for dis
honesty in 1t that 1t was not fitted for
them. Every player was bent on
cheating, and the game soon broke up
In II row.
"rhero was among them young
Brazilian who had II very pretty wife.
He had n small pntrimony, which he
was gradually eating up. He won
about as much rs he lost, hut he had
10 live. II was really case of eating
his little fortune. His wife usually sat
beside him, sometimes sewing. and
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 IL hundred pezos one
evening. lost a hundred the next, and
was ahead in the game twenty-five Mt
the end of the week, he considered
thnt he was twenty-five pesos to the
good; though he had spent hundred
His wife took the same view of the
matter.
AT the time Joined the circle the
little fortune of the young couple had
been nearly eaten up and 1t had be-
come apparent to them that that was
so. They were looking anxious. Josi
was betting fitfully. Pnpilado 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 night he be-
! gan 10 show gamblers greed. He
won good pile on red five: and after
that 1t was noticed that whenever he
bet largely II was on red five.
"Thcre is n worm down in that cli-
mate that gets into furniture, and
borcs and bores and borcs till nothing
but shell is left. One may sit down
on II chair that looks perfectly strong.
but mt 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.
"Papilndo continued occasionally to
bet of red five, taking care not to at
tract the attention of the others to
the fact that II was n winner. When
he won on 1t he invariably bet the
4 IL
said that he didn't believe in light
| ming striking the same place twice.
Sometimes he would not bet once on
| it till the wheel had been spun many
times. l was not playing myself and
had an opportunity to watch the 9th
crs. l noticed that whenever Papila-
do bet on red five. Just when the ball
was heard to drop his countenance as
suincd II very pleased and covetous eX-
preston.
~ took an interest in JOSH Gomez.
his little wife and innocent babe. and
one day confidcd to him my suspicion
that PapiIado had some way of know,
ing when the ball dropped into red
1--WE. JOSH said nothing to me in re-
ply, but it was evident that he was do
Ing n good deal of thinking.
'Thc next evening came the crisis
Papilado did not bet on red five till
eleven O'Clock, when he laid n hundred
pesos on 1t. JOSH Immediately laid Il
hundred pesos on another number,
black nine. Papilado laid five hun
drcd more on red five. JOSH laid one
thousand of black nine. The others
dropped out. l 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.