The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-05-28


FEMALE GAMBLERS AT THE GERMAN
SPAs..-Baden, Homburg, Wiesbaden. and
Ems have each their feminine nobesse
from the leading nations Of Europe They
compose, indeed, some of the best known
habitucs; can he met, while they are
alive, in the Lchtenthal avenue, the Will
helmstrasse or on the Mahlberg- OPT
with as much certainty as the tailleur
with his imperturbablc face, frigidly
polite manners, and perpetual "Faites
votre cu messieurs."
One of the most noted players of rank
is the famous Countess Kisseef, whom
all lrequentcrs of Homburg must remem-
Der as very large grayhaired woman
hobbling about with a crutch, and often
carried by her servants in an invalid-chair
to the gaming-table, which she seldom
quits. She must be seventy.fve now,
and has been reported dead, again and
again. Her portly and crippled figure
was conspicuous in the Cursaal last sea-
son, and will be again this, l am sure.
She could hardly forcgo the pleasure OF
occupying her accustomed seat during the
last gambling year, when she has for
nearly quarter of a century breathed
the genial summer air of the Taunus
Mountains. She is, or rather was, the
wife of the former Russian minister to
Rome, and all kinds of stories are told
about her. She is said to have separated
from her husband because he insisted that
she should give him up or give up gam
ing and she adhered to the latter as the
more attractive of the two. The gossips
declare that up to her fortieth year she
was beautiful basilisk of fascination,
and her figure (who ever saw very fat
old woman that had.not once been mod
ell of lissomc grace ? so slight and sym.
metrical that St. Petersburg and Moscow
followed it with adoring eyes. If thi.
be SO, it is only another corroboration Of
my aesthetic theory concerning the ten.
dency ofrank to awkwardness and avoird
upois.) The hour of beginning the gam,
is almost invariably anticipated by thu
countess. She is at the table before tn,
croupiers, and day and night, week day
and Sunday, find her glued to her fam
iliar chair. Roulette is her life, and he
last words, as the ball Of death goes roun,
the circle of her being, will be, no doubt
lie jeu est fait rein ne va plus
Her losses at Homburg are stated t.
have been enormous-not less during tn,
twelve or thirteen years than eight Of
ten millions of forins. She has DON
much to improve the little town, has bull
many of its best houses, and opened
street, which is named in her honor. Blu
all her property has been mortgaged, an,
it is questionable if she now has left, out
Of colossal fortune, more than mod
est independence. She no longer bet
with her former audacity. stalking roul
eaux of napoleons upon simple chance
but limits her mite to few forins, il
consequence Of her comparatively strait
end circumstances. To her more than t
any other one person the Direction is in
debted for the large dividends, averagin
about twenty per centum per annum
which it pays to its stockholders, after dc
ducting its very liberal expenses. A
the tables at the springs are owned il
this manner, though, as may be presumed
the companies are supremely close CO,
porations, and the shares are no NOR
purchasable than the correct biograph
of Prester John. AS dividend-payin
stocks they probably have no rivals i
all Europe.
A lionne at Baden is the Princes
Suvarrow, Russian lady of distinction
who devotes herself almost as zealousl
to rouge.et-ncir iu the Conversationshau
as the Countess Kisselef does to rouleti
in the Cursaal. She must have been c,
ceedingly pretty; indeed, she is yer
good-lookipg now, although full five-anC
forty, if it be allowable to conjecture
woman's age, and she still has a fine pre-
ence and engaging manners. Away
dressed richly-yellow silk, trimmed wit
black lace, is her favorite costume, settin
off her brunette beauty to advantage-an an
having really grand air, she draws ii
fire of many glanses.
According to general report, she hi
played as sad havoc with the funds of Il
Baden bank as she has with the hearts
men all the way from Paris to St. P,
tersburg, from Constantinople to An
werp. She is said to have won as muc
4 as her notorious country woman has los
: and she bears the credit of having aga
|, and again exhausted the treasury of Il
tailleur
Her reputation as lucky player
4. diffused throughout the grand duchy, al
she is often implored tc make bets ft
4 others, as persons believed fortunate al
4 apt to be. Full Of bonhomie, she gene
ally yields to persuasion, albeit she avel
J. she has little leisure to look after 9th,
stakes than her own. She is deemed Il
best authority on systems in the enti
valley of Oel-bach, and appears to hay
= studied them to some purpose. hay
been informed that she has thousands
!, the little pricked cards (having noted Il
d course of the game for many years. car
fully arranged in her archives accordir
: : to date, and that she gives the late hou
o: the night to their diligent investig
a ton. She must be feminine AnastasiI
u if all the on dts concerning her are to
y trusted. She has been every thing an
!