The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-11-04
APRETTY TOUGH STORY.
A Game OF Cards in Which Invisible
Persons Played.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 2O.--This story
was told me by young medico, and WE
all know that medical students are of
peculiarly reserved, reticerlt and sober
race, averse to exaggeration and re
markab!e for the veracity o. their anec,
do:es. lie who related the following
astonishing experience. told me that ii
took place at st. Bartholomew S or per.
haos it was at Guys or St. Thomas's
The essential thing is that it took place
at = hospital.
1t was evening, and not late. One oi
the resident house physicians-a young
man, with a friend also young medi
cal man whose evidence can be procur.
ed to corroborate the story-was play.
ing double drmmy,'with an accom-
paniment of tobacco and whiSkey and
water. They had been playing some
time, nothing unusual happening.
They were seated at a square table
One of them at the beginning of new
game had to deal with his own dummy
as is the rules at double dummy. When
he had finished most wonderful thing
happened. The cards of the two dun.
mics were taken up by invisible hands
which arranged them and held them in
the usual fan-like form. It was said
the cards were in the air. The two
men looked at each other and at this
phenomenon with a Stupefaction. L
they had not been men of science they
would have fed, sbrieking. Then one
of the dummies hands were sharply
raped on the table. THAT mean:
play" whispered one of them, and, with
a gasp, he led. The play of the lnvisi.
BILE dummies was all right. The lead.
ine partner took the trick and return
ed, changing the suit to show the hand
she held. l say she, because by this
time there were visible the hands and
arms that held the cards but nothing
mere. One of the players was wo-
man with bare arms showing from a
sleeve of white lace; her fingers had
rings upon them. The other was a
mun's, with an ordinary coat sleeve
and white cuff.
The men put down their pipes and
removed the whiskey and water to an
other table. They played the game in
solemn silence. Presently it became
apparent that the lady played a master
ly game. She held good cards; so did
be: partner. They scored in the first
rub-double, treble and the rub, and in
the second-treble. single and the rub
Never" my narrator told me, "did ]
play with finer player. She seemed to
know by instinct where every card IN
the pack was. at the end of the dou'
BILE rubber the arms disappeared. They
went away as they came. l have never
seen them since, though often invited
them to come by dealing the cards on
the table. I have often wondered who
the lady was; young, as l gathered
from the appearance Of her arms; a gen.
tie woman, as was shown by the taper
fingers and the rings and the lace and
! a certain way of carrying her arms
FroIicsome, as proven by her sitting
down to play with only her arms Visi'
Bile; unmarried, from the absence Of a
wedding ring.
"Who could she be? Why was she
brought to the hospital? What is heI
story? Why did she die SO young
AboYe all, how could she, at her early
age, have acquired such knowledge
of whist? 1t Is very rare to find girl
playing whist even decently. Perhaps.
after leaving the hospital" he ADDED
with some delicacy of experience, "she
may have found opportunities tor prac.
tice. AS for her companion, he was
comparatively uninteresting. He had
chalsed stones on his fingers, and he
was only mediocre player. He neglect
ed his partners lead, he bottled her
trumps, and once he threw away the
king of trumps, not even trying to save
it by any obvious tinesse. But the lady
the lady-she, indeed, was divine"
Train Robbers Caught.