The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-12-22
Card Stories.

unS over dipiOmatlc "reminiscences, Inc
iast-named told how, after he and the
Neapolitan Ambassador had been pre-
sented to her Majesty Queen Victoria,
Lord Melbourne intimated that they
would be expected to join ina game at
whist with the duchess of Kent. II play
but very poor game myself said Mel
bourne, ''in fact, scarcely understand
it; but the Duchess is very fond of it. !"
land L." said the Neapolitan to Everett,
"am very bad player, and should l
chance to be your Excellency's partner
/ invoke your forbearance in advance"
to which the American Envoy replied
that he knew very little of the game him
self. As he put it, three dignified per-
sonages, clad in gorgeous attire, were
solemnly going to play game they i'm
perfectly understood, and for which none
Of them cared in the least. Upon reach
ing the Duchess apartment the Ambas-
sadors were formally presented, and
then, at her invitation, sat down to play
As, soon as the cards were dealt, LADY,
in-waiting placed herself at the Duchess
back, and the latter said: "Your excel
lencies will excuse me if rely upon the
advice of nv friend here, for / must
confess that 1 am q very poor player.
This was almost too much for Everett 8
gravity; gravity undisturbed for the
rest of the evening. since he found play
ing whist under such conditions mex
pressibly dull work.
Bold as he could be when the game
was worth the candle, Lord BeaconsfielI
xrv,x,,lI hor ham fnr ,v,faa 70 r,cly
much on the cards; for, knowing the
weakness of his play, he carefully es-
chcwed anything like high stakes. One
evening" at the time when Parliament
was agitating itself about the Empress
ship of India, Lord Beaconsfield sat down
to whist with the Prince of Wales, and
asked the latter: '.What points, sir?"
20, sovereign, if you please" was the
answer. Seeing the Premier's look of
annoyance, Mr.. Bernal Osborne OBJ
served: II think, sir, the Premier would
rather have Groom points, The Prince,
taking the joke and the hint, altered the
stakes accordingly.
Marlborough was not above playing
for smaller stakes, though, perhaps, the
great Captain did not play high out of
fear for his loving Sarah, who had a
tongue and knew how to use it; like the
lady whose liege lord contrived that she
should not more than suspect the secret
of his bad hours, until, coming home at
six in the morning tired out with Eat
tending a sick friend" he dozed at the
breakfast-table. and solemnly passing
the bread, said: "Cutr That's your
sick friend, is it?" exclaimed the wife;
and what followed may be imagined.
A graduating wife can upon occasion
set her scruples aside. Soon after the
close of the secession war, General For
rest and his wife stopped at hotel in
Memphis, and upon examining their
purses found the sum total of their
wealth amounted to $3.50. The General,
being due that evening at house where
poker was sure to be played, proposed
that he should tempt Fortune to the full
extent of his means, and asked his wife
to pray for his success. She would not
promise; but he felt that she was for
him and knew how it would be. Let
him tell the rest himself:
''They had three tables -one was a
quarter-dollar table, one half, and
one dollar and a half. l wanted
to make my seven dollars last as
long as could make it, SO l sat down
to the quarter table. By dinner time l
had won enough to do better; and after
we had eaten, sat down to the dollar and
a half table. Sometimes won, and then
again I'd lose, until nigh upon midnight,
when had better luck. knew Mary
was sitting up anxious and it made me
cool. 1 set my hat on the floor, and
every time I'd win I'd drop the money
in the hat. / sat there until day broke
and then took my hat up in both
hands, smashed it on my head and went
home. When l got to my room there
sat Mary in her gown. She seemed tired
and anxious, and though she looked
mighty hard at me, she didn't say a
word. 1 walked right up to her, emptied
my hat right into the lap of her gown,
and then we sat down and counted it.
Just $1,000 even, and that gave me
start"
The wife of Bishop Beadon loved
whist so we'll that when the prelate told
one of his clery if she was able to sit up
half the night playing whist at the bath
rooms she must be well enough to do
duty at home, the invaded once 81
fenced him with: "My lord, Mrs. Bea-
don would tell you that late whist acts
as tonic or restorative to dyspeptic
people with weak nerves" The Bishops
better half would have sympathized with
old lady, who, lying sick
unto death, played cards with the curate
to pass the time away, and, after winning
all his money, had just proposed to play
for her funeral charges when she ex-
pired.
There have been stranger stakes still.
In 1875 Henry and James Trotter sat
down at the Salmon inn, Chesterle
Street, to play gaane of cards against
Robert Thoms and Thomas Ellison, the
latter pair stalking five shillings and the
former child, the son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Leesh, who gave up their boy to the
winners. A traveller in New Zealand,
spending night in squatter's hut, was
invited to cut in for rubber of whist.
AS he took his seat he inquired: "What
points?' His partner responded in a
tone significant of surprise at such a
question: Why, the usual game, of
points and bullock on
the rubber"
Even the sharpest of sharpers may
meet more than his match. Robert
Houdin happening to saunter into Con-
tinental casino where Greek was reap
ing a rare harvest at ecarte, looked on
quietly until seat became vacant, and
then dropped into it. The Greek, deal
ing dexterously, turned king from the
bottom of the pack. When the deal came
TO Houdin he observed: When turn
kin0s from the bottom of the mack / al