Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-08-20
AaAmr cAnDs.

We copy as follows from Ap.
pleton's Journal;
some hot afternoon il the month
Of August, 1867, three men sat
around q table in a private parlor
In the hotel Darmstadt, at Ems,
Germany, taking such comfort Is
they could derive from the juice
Of Rhenish grape and a pack Of
cards. The most conspicuous
figure of the group was large
man with bald head, grayish blue
eyes, o heavy light-cOlored nous
tache, airs about him that would
have done honor to the imperial
purple. This parsonage had even
then achieved some fame, and was
tolerably well known to reading
people by the name Of Bismarck.
Next to him sat another bald
headed individual, inferior to Bis.
marck in stature, with a border of
black hair about the case Of his
skull that looked like the rim Of an
old felt hat (ruthlessly robbed Of
its CROWN, cOndemed to remain
there as a permanent fixture. Dur
ing the Crimean war, the father Of
this man figured at the Cabinet
Councils in st. Petersburg as
Count Nesselrode, but the son
was only known as a clever game
ster and an habitus of the fashion.
able European watering places.
The third of fthe party was a little
fellow(sO little that his feet scarce
ly touched the AOor), with dark
piercing eyes, swarthy skin, and
vivacity enough for half q dozen
ordinary men. At the time of
which we speak he was the French
Consul at Stuttgard. All ofthem
had been partaking freely Of wine,
and each in turn shufiied the cards
with a vim that the generous grape
imparts even to the most plegma-
tic temperament. The Frenchman,
in the interludes of the play, kept
up a running fire of conversation,
skipping from topic to topic with
a facility which only Frenchmen
enjoy, until warming as he went
on, he ventured the declaration
that France would one day mark
her boundry by the Rhine from
Basel to the sea.
"a hundred fredericks to ffty,'
exclaimed Nesselrode, "that sh'
won't"
"Done," replied the Frenchman
'and let the game be fortune-tel
ler"
They shuffled the cards, and thl
Frenchman lost.
another wager" said Nessel
rode, with q glance at Bismarck
who eyed his two companion
calmly, though never uttering
single word. another wager
Two hundred and fifty that withi
j Ave years France and Prussi
!, measure swords, and that Franc
, yields Alsace and the whole dii
. puted border" ..-..
+ "C'est impossi6ler excitedl
! responded the Consul.
Again the cards were shufiled
! At the fourth play Bismarck AM
/, the Frenchman had each take
, two tricks. 1t was the Russian
lead. He threw the queen of club
on the table.
"Kingy" shouted the French
man in triumph as he coveret
. Nesselrode's card, and extendel
, his hands to seize the prize.
! "Not so fast" coolly remarke'
! the Prussian Premier. II believ
the game is mine;" and castinI
the ace he leaned back in his chai
|, and laughed heartily.
"Mon DieuT shouted the dis
p comfted player, 'but cards alway
. we're liars :" and unableto concei
the chagrin and excitement tbs
a over-mastered him, he rose frol
the table and quilted the room.
a Three years have scarcel
: elapsed since the incident here ma
rated IAN incident which Nesse
n rode told with hearty satisfactio
in the Ems cafes that summer
. and, now, the big cloud of WI
that has hovered over Europe, hi
4 burst, the result may prove thi
!, the cards were not such liars aft
q all.