The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-12-23
Card Stories,

NedpOllGan AmDdSSduOT ndu DctH pre-
scented to her Majesty Queen Victoria
Lord Melbourne intimated that they
would be expected to Join in game al
whist with the Duchess of Kent. 81 play
but very poor game myself" said Mel
bourne, ''in fact, scarcely understand
it; but the Duchess is very fond of it. y
4'And l." said the Neapolitan to Everett
cam very bad player and should
chance to be your EXcellency's partner
/ invoke your fOrbearance in advances;
to which the American Envoy replied
that he knew very little of the game him
self AS he put it. three dgnified 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, ,dy-
in-waiting placed herself at the Duchess
back, and the latter said: "Your excel
lcncios will excuse me if rely upon the
advice of my friend here, for | must
confess that | am a very poor player
This was almost too much for Everett 5
gravity; a gravity undisturbed for the
rest of Che evening, since he found play
inc whist under such conditions mex
pressibly dull work.
Bold as he could be when the game
was worth the candle, Lord BeaconshelI
would never have been tempted to risk
much on the cards; for, knowing the
weakness of his play, he carefully es-
CheWGd anything like high stakes. One
evening, at the time when Parliament
was agltating itself about the Empress
ship OF India, Lord Beaconsllcld sat down
to whist with the Prince of Wales, and
asked the latter: ''What points, sr?'
go, 4 sovereign, if you please was the
answer. Seeing the Premier's look OF
annoyance, MIR, Barnal Osborne Oh
served: 'lthink, sir, the Premier would
rather have cro}"H points, The Prince,
taking the Joke and the hint, altered the
stakes accordingly.
marlborough was not above playing
Tor smaller stakes. though, perhaps. the
great Captain did not play high out of
tear for his loving Sarah, who had q
tongue and knew how to use it; like the
lady whose iege lord contrivcd that she
should not more than suspect the secret
of his bad hours until. coming home at
six in the morning tired out with cat
tending sick fricnI," he dozed at the
brCakfast-ta5lc, aui solemnly passing
the bread, said: ''''utr" That's your
sick friend, is lt' exclaimed the wife;
and what followed may be imagined.
A card-hating wife can upon occasion
set her scrup3ns aside. Soon after the
close OF the secession war, General For
3'e,t and his wife stopped at u hotel in
Mcmphis 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 q
quarter-dollar table, one a half, and
one q dollar and a half. l wanted
to make my seven dollars last as
long as | could make it, so | sat down
to the quarter table. BY dinner time |
had won enough to do better; and after
we had eaten, sat down to the dollar and
4 half table. Sometimes won, and then
again I'd lose, until nigh upon midnight,
whom had better luck. | knew Mary
was sitting up anxious and it made me
cool, 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. | 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 q
start. y
The wife of Bishop Beadon loved
whist so well that when the prclate 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
dirty at home the involidnd 0nco a,
fenced him with: .sMy lord. Mrs. Bea.
don would tell Won that late whist acts
as a tonic or restorative to dysncntic
pcopIc with weak nerves. Tho Bitbpn's
better half would have svmnoibiznd VIII
Goldsmitb's old ladv who LIMO sicl,
.