Litchfield enquirer., 1872-07-25

r1OT1ty to the players agalnSt whom ne was pitted. Often did urge him not to risk such high stakes, and to be less am- bitions in his notions. He would either evade the subject altogether, or when I pressed him too closely he would answer that it was not worth while to waste so much time for paltry stakes, or he would deny that his losses were material, or he would turn my remonstrances into joke. I remember one morning reading him 8 long lecture upon his folly, and fattering myself that had made some impression upon him. He waited until had finish ed, and then replied: I fully appreciate the kindness of your intentions towards me; but the idea of sitting up night after night, and going to bed without having lost or won something worth having, re- minds me always of the story of Sheridan, who, when the servant threw down the plate-warmer without damage to its con- tents, exclaimed, '' Why d-n il, Sir, have you made all that noise for nothing?"' At last, even began to be taken in by his wrll-sustalned gayety; and to imagine that one who was always so ight-hearted and cheerful could not De forever playing part.
 Matters went on fer some time in this manner. You will remember that Arthur H. During the months of May, June, and July our lives were very much what have described. Toward the end of July, Lon don began to empty itself into the coun- try the ranks of Graham's began to be thined, and the three or four nightly rub bers dwindled into two, and occasionally into one. By this exhaustive process I found my self frequently forced into the alternative of cutting in at the highest table, or of forswearing my rubber alto gether. The former seemed to me far less evil than the latter; and to say the truth, an appetite for gain had begun to develope itself in me. and now thought nothing of risking my twenty or thirty pounds upon 8 rubber. So insidious are the encroachments of vice upon our pru- dence and self control It is true that I still shrunk from the wholesale and reck- less gambling in which Arthur, no less than Colonel D. and some of the old hands, indulged. I ought to mention that, in addition to the players seated ev- cry evening at the whist table, there were l always plenty of lookerson, willing to bet on the rubber to any Ssmount Thus in addition to the stakes of the table, amount
 ng to not less than twenty pounds rub
 Der, Arthur. would frequently bet fifty or even hundred pounds extra upon the result, with one of the by-standers. You
 may imagine that at this rate he had no difficulty every night. in winning or loos- ing something worth having, to use his own words.
 ''As August advanced, the attendance at Graham's became more and more scan- ty; but Arthur and I still played on; as | also did Colonel D- and few others.
 Gladly would pass over the narrative of that fatal August But I promised that I would tell you the tale; and will not shrink from it, painful as the recolIections
 are which, leaping over the gulf of seven years, rush to my mind.
 "In proportion as played more at the
 same table with Arthur, so did my convic-
 tion increase that certain ruin to him must result, if he continued to play much
 longer against men who were to strong
 for him. He generally rose from the ta-
 ble 8 looser; and it was impossible for him
 to conceal altogether, from one who watch
 cd him as closely I did, the haggard
 and care-worn look which at times sat up-
 on his features. Still he would struggle
 manfully and successfully against all ev-
 idences of deiection when we walked
 home together; and as he more than once
 showed symptoms of touchiness when I l
 choice but to abandon the topic.
 ''The 2Oth of August arrived, and mid
 night found Colonel D., the Irish Veteran, Arthur, and myself seated at the
 solitary whist-table, to which Grahams
 was now reduced. We had begun to play
 about ten o'clock in the evening; Arthur
 had been betting heavily, as usual, with
 some of the bystanders; luck was running l foorf111lv ooroinot hinns on6 r oh
 I remarked wildness in his glance and tremulous hollowness in his voice, which
 I had never noticed before. One o'clock two o'clock-three clock came: still we
 played on: still upon the balance of the
 nights play Arthur was fearful looser.
 Four o'clock struck. This must be our
 last rubber said Colonel D., who
 had won largely, and had played on for
 some time against his will, in order to
 give poor Arthur a chance of retrieving
 some of his losses. We cut for partners the Colonel and I against Arthur and the
 Irish Veteran. The first game was won
 by them in one hand. Arthur, fevered
 and over wrought, screamed out,* T will
 bet five hundred to two hundred that we
 win the rubberp The bet was so much larger than, even in that atmospher of high play, it was customary to offer, that for few seconds there was no response.
 My anxiety was sickening. I glanced
 across the table at my partner, Colonel D--; marked his cold gray eye, and .feH that he was about to accept the offer 1 My resolve was made in an instant:
 'Done! I exclaimed, T will take the bet 7 Arthur looked at me in astonishment, and said, Are you in earnest?' Perfectly l I replied, and that was all that passed. V1n<aa 1nI S-,- f my partner and me; the chances of the is- were cut for the third and decisive game.
 Slowly and annously we fought it out.
 Oh! how fervently prayed in my heart that Arthur might win! -Four all r The l cards were dealt for the decisive hand. 1 Neither party could now count honors; we were playing for the odd trick. As if to increase our suspense, hands more evenly balanced were perhaps never dealt. The Colonel and had six tricks turned-our adversaries had four. The trumps (spades) were all out with the exception of three, of which two were in Arthur's hand, the third and highest in his partners; the game was theirs, if they could make their trumps separately. Their fourth trick had been won by Arthur; three cards re-. l mained in his hand-two small trumps and the nine of hearts. In an evil hour he led one of the small trumps, thereby draw ing his partners last tooth, and in no de- gree weakening his adyersaries. Isaw by the faint smile which rippled across my partner face, and which smotemy heart as though it had been my own death warrant, that Arthur had lost the game. The lead remained with the Irish Veteran. He had nothing but two small clubs left, of which he led one; the Colonel being second play CT, put the queen of clubs upon it; Ar thur playing third hand, took the trick with thirteenth trump, and triumphantly led ont the nine of hearts, fancying that it was the best. Alas my partners face and my own memory told me a different story. lsGame, said the Colonel. in his quiet, courteous tone, taking the trick l with the knave of hearts! Then followed objurgations and explanations the Irish man pointing out to poor Arthur how he