The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-05-28
GAMBLING FOR A WIFE.

Translated from the French, La Figaro for
the n 0. Times Democrat.
In no other part OF the world, our
friend said, do people gamble so much
as they doin Russia. It's not simply
q passion which has it's frenzies; it is
likewise luxury which has its obliga-
tions. An officer who does not gam
bic enjoys no social consideration; a
rising man who does not from time
to time expose himself to the risk of
being ruined at cards, would be look
ed upon as a mean fellow, and would
only hope for a very moderate share
of public esteem. We have all become
familiar with those terrible tories
about men who began to play merely
as q sacrifice to fashion, who subse-
quently acquired the love of gambling
through habit, and finally ended by
immolating everything to their pas
sion-fortune, position, honor, and
even life when nothing else had been
left to risk. Ibid not thereforet feel any
great surprise whenI was told that such
and such an officer had got himself
killed in the Caucasus, or that such
another one had blown out the little
brains he possessed, Or that such and
such prince had stolen the diamonds
of his family, or that such and such a
public official had embezzled the State
funds. But it became my privilege to
witness a less vulgar phenomenon.
One day woman was pointed out to
me by a friend, who said:
"That is the Princess Augustinoff.
Her husband won her at cards. Shall
introduce you?"
A wife won at cards! That was GER
tainly a fact curious enough TO give
me the desire of seeing more of her
She lost none of her attraction when
the high official who patronized me at
court added:
"She is very charming woman,
and in spite of her great age is still
able to please by the grace of her wit
and the elegance of her manners. She
is seventy years old, much as the fact
may surprise you! You could never
suspect it, of course. Look how
straight, graceful and supple her figure
still is! She walks like goddess; she
has the complexion of a young girl;
her eyes never could have been any
brighter; and her white hair is as be-
A~0ming as a silver wreath. Now she
going to dance; and no dancer On
te floor will will be be more graceful While
e is dancing will tell you her story
ssides, she is great lady in every
nse of the term She has already
away with eighty thousand pes
nts. She used to have a hundred
ousand. She has only twenty thou
nd left to live upon for the rest of
life; and am really afraid it will
be enough"
We seated ourselves In the corner of
the salon; and my friend commenced
his recital. will try to repeat it as
exactly as possible.
Maria t'ederowna, nee Princess
D., was married for her beauty.
Although rich, she was maid of-honor
to the Czarina, who was very fond OF
her. At the age of eighteen she was
married to Prince Tcheretzoff. who
was madly in love with her.
Tcheretzoff was good ofhcer-Ma-
jor General at an age when one is
| rarely more than lieutenant, aide
de-camp also to the Emperor, who
greatly esteemed the studious, serious
and learned young man While gifted
with the very finest qualities in other
respects, he had just one fault-he
never gambled. He had often been
reproached with this failing, and the
Car himself had said to him one
day:
'sWell, we'll, Generail how is thisthat
you never play? Come, play game
of preference with mel"
Preference, you know, is the game
in vogue at st. Petersburg. At least
! it was in my day. Since then, have
heard, baccarat has dethroned it.
But such was Tcheretzoff's aversion
to gambling that he had never learned
the rules of the game. and was obliged
to excuse himself to the Emperor.
"Whatl you do not know how to
play preference cried the Emperor,
! laughing. You must learn, my dear
fellow-you must learn. Here comes
Augustinoff, who is q master7in the
art, and who can give you lessons"
/ Nothing less than this order from
the Emperor himself could have in
duced Teheretzoff to play.
Augustinoff was the finest player at
court. Prudent, skillful, perfect in
self-control, no one knew better how
to manage game, to moderate inn
pulses, to hold himself in check and