The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-08-27
story of Game of Cards.

One hot afternoon in the month Of
August, 81, three men sat around ta-
BILE in a private parlor at the Hotel Darn
stadt, Ems, Germany, taking such COM
fort as they could derive from the juice
of Rhenish grape and pack of cards.
The most conspicuous figure of the group
was large man with bald head, gray
/ ish blue eyes, heavy light colored
| moustache and air 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 Bis
marck. Next to him sat another bald
headed individual inferior to Bismarck
in stature, with border of black hair
about the base of his skull that looked
like the rim of an old felt hat (ruthessly
robbed of its CROWN. condemned to re-
main there as permanent fixture. Du-
ring 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 clever
gamester and an haGttue Of the fashion
able European watering places. The third
member of the party was little fellow
! $50 little that his feet scarcely touched
the foor) with dark piercing eyes,
swarthy skin, and vivacity enough for
half dozen ordinary men. At the time
of which we speak he was the French
Consul at Stuttgart All of them had
been partaking freely of wine, and each
in turn shuffled the cards with a vim that
the generous grape imparts even to the
most phlcgmatic temperament. The
| Frenchman, in the interludes of the play,
kept up running fire of conversation,
skipping from topic to topic which only
| Frenchmen enjoy, until, warming as he
went on. he ventured the declaration that
/ France would one day mark the bound
ary by the Rhine from Basel to the sea.
! GA hundred Fredericks to fifty" ex-
/ claimed Nesselrode, "that she won't"
''Done," exclaimed the Frenchman,
''and let the game be the fortune-teller."
They shuffled the cards, and the French
man lost.
| "Another wager :" said Nesselrodc,
with glance at bismarck, who eyed his
! two companions calmly, though never
uttering a single word "Another Wager.
Two hundred and fifty that within five
years France and Prussia measure swords,
and that France yields Alsace aud the
whole disputed border
"Cest impossible :" excitcdly respon
ded the Consul
Again the cards were shuffied At
the fourth play Bismarck and the French
/ man had each taken two tricks. 1t was
the Russian slead lie threw the queen
of clubs upon the table.
aKingI" shouted the Frenchman in
triumph, as he covered Nesselrofe's card,
and extended his hand to seize the
prize.
Not SO FAST" coolly remarked the
Prussian premier, ~ believe the game is
mine" and casting the ace, he leaned
back in his chair and laughed heartily.
"Jfon Dieu." shouted the discounted
player" "but cards are always liars - and
unable to conceal the ehagrin and excite
ment that overmastered him he rose from
the table and quilted the room.
Three years have scarcely elapsed
since the incident here narrated Gan incl
dent which Nesselrode told with hearty
satisfaction in Ems cafes that Summer),
aud now the big cloud of war that has
lowered over Europe has burst, the re-
suit may prove that the cards were not
such liars after all