Show DOUBLE 0 AND THE GREEr GREE 1 Ben Wilsons Wilson's Nervy Play Against Roulette Nets F tune tun on a alum Turn Turn Tp That Breaks the Bank 1 A party of residents of J the e Webfoot State happening to be in Washington herded at th the same hotel ho ho- tel They were gathered in the grillroom grill grillroom grillroom room watching the old year out anc and the new one in with accompanying re refreshments refreshments refreshments re- re and lapsing into retrospective tive Oregon yarns The prosperous Heppner Valley sheep rancher when his turn came spoke up and said Boys you all know my partner Ben Wilson out there but couldn't guess how we happened to frame frame- it up together together together to to- gether In itt the sheep business I dont don't mind telling felling about It now since it carries us back to tol 91 and Bens Ben's sedate enough these days at the famous old Anon Arion club on Yamhill Yamhill Yamhill Yam Yam- hill street t in Portland that Ben made his coup on the double 0 O In the greenwhIch greenwhich greenwhich green which changed him plain from plain ln sheepherder sheepherder sheep- sheep herder herde to part owner owner of my ranch Hed He'd been working steadily with nary a a. vacation for nearly nearly- five years saving saying sav say ing his his his' wages when I I- I noticed him hith growing fidgety so was not surprised when he turned up one with morning morning morning- with a r request quest for leave Going to Portland to mingle a bit bitin bitin bitin in civilization was all he said How much of your see you through Ben I asked r f Bout the whole wad if its it's aUthe all aU the same to you I thought I saw a peculiar light in his eye but reserved any expression of my line of thinks of-thinks thinks cashed a check for 1500 at the bank bankin in n Heppner Wishing him hint a good time as s I passed over o the coin oln done ne up in jn little bags baas of f ten dol I lar gold pieces which he stowed stowed away in his various pockets Be back again when Ive I've looked the game over oer was his bib parting sally A A couple of days later I was in Portland on business and along toward 7 in the evening I dropped into Alisky's Alisky s then the best cafe in town town and and who did I see there h re togged out to the limit buying wine for a bunch but my I d Ben who spying me me asked me to join in and help consume the eata eata- bles The feed over over I suggested going to the l Marquam Grand to see the show Not any says Ben somewhat flushed but theres there's s a show ro round ro d the corner on Yamhill street be beabout beabout beabout about swift enough for my money Knowing what that that- meant and in inconsideration inconsideration inconsideration consideration o of the amount of coin he was packing around I c concluded it was vas about up to me to go with him and be in at the Th rho r lit us In the Anon Arion the roulette dealer was WS singing out double 0 O in the green and nobody on on Then somebody's on from this particular particular par par- minute of time says Ben for fop that's where I camp Whereupon he pranced up to the layout and digging out one of those bags of ot gold drops a piece on the double O O. Nothing doing there That game went right on and a hundred hundred hun hun- dred spins of the marble around that roulette wheel failed tailed to land it In the double 0 O pocket and Bens Ben's coin com 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 0 O box Play Play- ers era on red black o odd ld even or numbers get constant j but I its it's any kind of odds against the backer of the tho double O O. But I couldn't switch Ben He lie wa was was' perfectly mulish about abott this play and was vas hazarding a months month's wages a amin minute min mm ute 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 0 all more or less excited and i r secretly for him to win I g gaske aside asle e during the course of a spi ball and tried to dissuade hi t continuing to throw good mone mope bad No use Guv Guvnor nor Ive I've had a I time and when I get to the en end end string its back to Heppner and stretch on the ranch ranch got got a roan rouD ticket in my jeans This little talk was punctuate punctual i 1 double 0 O in the green pays 3 34 and the dealer began to count o OU worth of yellow chips to stack stack- side Bens Ben's 10 gold piece B Ben n batted butted in m here with th til that he hed he'd d just like to 1 I whole bundle ride one turn T w s the onlookers caught their brea Arlon's Anon's proprietor who had watching the play nodded asse assen I dealer He was not in the ia ha taking bets like that but was wasP rich richand and an old gambler and k fa kit 1 was all ll in favor of the house th tin double 0 O would not repeat Hence a marker was placed In int double double- 0 O for Bens Ben's bet and the ba barf twirl d. d vas T a long time roU rollin rolling buzz died away vay with its decre deere speed then bobbed into 12 bla eye even shied into a red compart rolled Into tw two more holes and the tb light right down into the the- double O O. j 4 shouted Ben with voice of a Umatilla Indian which chave chave c 0 have been been- heard a block The d paled the bystanders Ben Bert on his fortune the from oun his safe meantime meantime rency fey and coin to the the- amount of 1 1 to pay off that marker r for J 3 Ben for r o I lira I and the Anion Arion suspended ended busin busin the lie night Ben and I went out an aa antel al altor tel tor rather a warm night of it hike Heppner on the first outgoing trait trai the morning One On of our first acts after g home was to find my attorney I Idrew drew up papers which made Beime Ben Bei Bellil me partners in business he he- p. p of that roulette winning In ln pot which has proved to be large for the prosperity wile come to us through through- the mi increased teased we were vere thus enabled to is duct Plain sheep-raising sheep is good en for Ben these days as you all i Ii Once in awhile I drop Into one ol o e gambling rooms and I never its announcement announce double 0 O in to the g without memories of that fateful J in 01 Di when Ben hit that pair of ci cio clE so o hard hard and and I fancy the old propof prop prep of the Arion Anon has has own little B 11 of the plunging w who ho took a 11 fall out of his In roll Washington Times his t |