The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1853-07-27
Splptttn Galts.
THE @ u E E N
Or
SPADES.
CHATTER I.

Petersburg ut the quarters Of Lieutenant
Naroumof an officer in the imperial horse
guards. A long winter night had slipped
away without any one being aware of it,
and 1t was five o'clock in the morning
when supper was announced. The win,
ners sat down to it with excellent appetite,
while the losers gazed vacantly upon their
empty plates. BY degrees, however, and
the champagne lending its aid. conversa-
ton flowed, and became general.
= "What have you done to night, Sou
rineT inquired the master of the house
Of one of his friends.
"Lost, as usual" was the reply. ~
havn't the slightest chance. always
back the color and always lose"
"Whall havn't you pat down once on
the red this EVENING" Well, your frmness
surprises me-"
Has, ase.yev, u~-...~..,., .f~. ..,,-t -t,.i. q"
asked another, addressing young officer
Of engineers You havn't touched a
card, or put down single stake, and yet
you have remained looking on till FIVE in
the morning"
"The game interests me-" said Her
mann, coldly; "but fecl no desire to risk
the necessary in order to win the super
tiuous." -...
Herman is German-he is close /;
that's the whole secret" cried Prince Pau,
Toinski; "but can tell you person
more extraordinary than he, and that is
my grandmother, the Countess Ann Fedo-
tovna."
"What about her." demanded his
friends. aar #-s.ssaa
"Hsve you never remarked" replied
Tomski, "that she never plays"
"A woman" said NaroIinoif, "who is
over eighty years Of age, and doesn't play,
is certainly phenomenon"
aYou dou't know the reason r.
: "No: has she any reasonl"
"You shall hear. About sixty years
ago my grandmother went to Paris, where
she was all the rage. Every one crowded
TO see the Muscovite Venus, as she was
called. The Duke de Richelieu was vio-
lently in love with her, and my grand
mother says her severity nearly made him
blow out bis brains. In those days all
the women played at faro. One evening,
at court, she lost n large sum upon her
word Of honor to the Duke Of Orleans
When she came home, my grandmother
took of her patches and her hoop, and in
this tragic costume went to my grandfath-
er, to tell him Of her misfortune, and ask
for the money to put il right.
-My grandfather was sort Of stewart
10 his wife, and stood generally In awe OF
her; but the sum she named frightened
him from his propriety. He few into a
passion, began at once TO reckon, and
proved TO my grandmother that in sir
months she had spent half million oi
snnhlas. He told Der plainly that his vii.
lages and governments Of Moscow and
Saratoff ere not at Paris; that the mo.
ney was not TO be had and, finally, that
sie must do without Il. Her indignation
was excessive: she replied by box on
fhe ear; and from that night forward they
Aad separate rooms. Next day she re.
turned 10 the charge. For the first time
in her life she condescended 10 reason and
explsin--but Il was in vain that she at
tempted to show her husband that there
are two sorts Of debts--and that primes
cannot be trea'ed like coachmaker.--
Her eloquence was ali thrown away: my
grandfather was infiexible, and my grand
mother was st her wits' end to know wha
todo. Luckily she remembered that sh'
knew man who at thae time was yer,
celebrated. This was the Couute dc 81
Germain, Of whom many marvellous sto
ries were told; who gave himself out 70
q kind Of wandering Jcw = the posaesso
Of the Elixir OF Life and the Philosopher
Stone. BY some he was locked upon q
q eharlatan, while Others set him dow
for spy; but whatever he was, notwith
standiax bis mystsrioas mode Of rs, b
mixed n tbe best society, and was in reali
~ very amiable naaa. To this day m.
grandmothsr preserves strong affection
for him, aad her temper s always ruffle'
when Ne !. not spoken Of with respect.--
ltstrusk bee shat he might have it in hi
power 70 advance hss The money Of whicl
she stood 10 want. aud che dispatched