The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1870-09-14
The Story Of a Game OF Cards.

One hot afternoon in the Iconth of August.
1907. three men sat around table in pri
vate parior at the Hotel Damstadt. at Ems,
Germany, taking such comfort as they could
derive from the juice of the Rhenish grape
and pack of cards. The most conspicn-
Gus flgure of the group was large man with
"a bald head. grayish blue eyes. a heavy
nght colored monstache, airs about him
init would have done honor to the imperial
purple. This personage had even then
achleVed some fame. and was tolerab!y vel!
known I" reading people by the name of
bismarck. Next to him sat another bald
headed individual. inferior to Bismarck in
stature, with a border of black hair about
the base of his skull that looked like the rim
of an old felt hat (ruthlessly robbed of it,
crown) condemned to remain there as a psr
manent fixture. During the Crimean Mar
the father OF this man figured at the Cabi d
net councils in St.Petersburg as Count Nes-
| seirode. but the son was only known as h
clever gamester aud hahtue of the fash
ionaoie European watering places. The
third member OF the party was little fel. i
low, so little that his feet scarcely touched
the floor. with dark piercing eyes swsrth,
skin, and vivacity !enough for half dozen
ordinary meE. At the time of whichs We /
speak he was the French consul at Stuteatst
All OF them had been partaking freely pd
wine, each in turn shufaed the cards with 80
vim that the generous wine imparts evI
to the phlrgmatic temperament. I'll.
Frenchman, in the interludes Of the rplay Il
Kept up running fire of conver, atom
Skipping from topic to topic with faciit, !,
which FIenchmen only enjoy. until. warm
Ing as be went on, he ventured the declara |
tlon that France would one day mark lh-i}
boundary by the Rhine from Baselnto tb. "A
sea. ,,t
"A hundred fredericks to fifty that sbe I
WON'T" exclaimed Nesselrode. III
Done. and let th. cards be the fortune hi
teller" replied the Freucbman.s ~ sgs In
They shuffied the cards. and the French q
man lost.
Another wager" said Nesselrode, with ! q
glance at Bismarck. who eyed his COM q
panions calmly, though never uttering q sim v
gle word. Another wager! Two hundred Il
ana nifty that within five years France. and s
Prussia measure swords, and that France LII
yields Alsace and the whole dispated 'bor- G
der" r,.. 30. -.I. .r 80 60, III =,
''Ccst impossible ~ e1citedIy responded Il
the Frenchman. IA
Agan the cnrds were .huf1ed. At the f
fourth play Bismarck and the! FrenchnaB
bad each taken two tricks. It was the Rus. d
slams lead. He threw the queen of clubs 9
King" shouted the Frenchman in .tri- a
nmph. as he covered Nesselrode's card aad
and extended bis hand to seize the prize. 70 b
Not 20 fast" cody remarked the ,Prus. d
san Premier. II believe the game is miee;'t2
'nd casting the ace, be leaned back in his b
chair and laughed heartily. ''s n
"Mon Dieu ." shouted the discomfitedI q
'layer. 'but cards always were aliars;, and }.n
'na5le to conceal the chagriu and excite, o,
nent that overmastered bim. he rose from S;
he table and Quilted The ROOM ." THEE p
''ears have scarcely -rpsed sincS che incfe f6s
lent here narrated tan incident which les Ia,
elrode related with satisfaction in the. Ems lsr
Gfes that summer.) and now, that the big b.
loud OF war which lowered over Europe d
as burst. the result may prove that, the "A
ards were not such liars after all. .. lis