St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-05


| nature became exhausted. Monday
| morning the game was in full tlast, but
| al 10 O'Clock Bailey moved an adjourn
ment. alleging that his official duties
required his presence at the senate
chamber.
Stokes demonstrated, but the ser
geant-at-arms persisted and rose from
| the table.
| The governor grumbed and scolded.
but finally gave it up, swearing that if
he had suspected that Bailey would
break up the game thus prematurely he
would have seen him-so to speak-be-
fore he would have invited him to join
the party.
An Edward Everett Story.
One evening when Washington Irv-
ing, Everett and Bancroft were chatting
over diplomatic "reminiscences, Everett
told how, when he and the Neapolitan
ambassador had been presented to her
majesty Queen Victoria, Lord Mel
bourne intimated that they would be
expected to join in game of whist
with the Duchess of Kent.
Il play but a very poor game myself"
said Melbourne, ''ln fact. scarcely I'M
derstand it,"
"And l." said the Neapolitan to Ev-
erett, ''am very bad player,an should
L CUdICC W UC lOul lllfOhC
your forbearance in advance" to which
the American envoy replied that he
knew very little of the game himself.
Here" said Everett in relating it.,
"were three dignified persons clad in
| gorgeous attire solemnly going to play
a game they imperfectly understood,
and for which none of them cared a
straw"
Upon reaching the duchess apart
ments the ambassadors 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
back OF the duchess. and the latter said:
"Your excellencies will excuse me if |
rely on the advice of my friend here,
for | must confess that | am really
very poor player"
This was almost too much for Ever
| etts gravity, and it was only with the
! greatest effort that he could refrain from
laughing aloud at the ludicrous formal
ity of the situation.
ssLet's Play Till He Dies.''
| When Lord Thanet was imprisoned
in the tower for the O'COnnor riot three
of his friends, the Duke of Bedford, tine
| Duke de Laval and Capt. Smith, were
admitted to play whist with him, and
remain till the lookup hour of IL.
Early in the sitting Capt. Smith fell
back in fit of apOpleXy, and one of the
party rose to call for help.
"Stopn' cried another, 1--WE shall be
| turned out if you make noise: let our
friend alone till II; we can play
dummy, and he'll be none the worse,
for can read death in his face"
Gen. Forests Desperate Chance.
Shortly after the close of the secession
war Gen. Forrest and his wife stopped
| at hotel in Memphis, and, after exam
| lining their purses, found the sum total
| of their wealth amounted to $3.50. The
| general being due that evening at a
house where he knew 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. But let him tell
the rest in his own words:
''They had tableS-one was quarter
dollar table, one half and one dollar
and half. l wanted to make my 81
last as long as / could, so | sat down to
the quarter table. By dinner time 1
had won enough to do better, and, after
we had eaten. sat down to the dollar
and half table. Sometimes won, and
then again I'd lose, until nigh upon
| midnight, when ] had better luck. l
| knew Mary was sitting up anxious, and
| it made me cool.
Il set my hat upon the floor, and every
time | won I'd drop the money in the
hat. sat there until day broke, and
| then l took my hat up i'll both hands,
smashed it on my head and went home.
when | got to my room there sat
Mary in her gown. She seemed tired
and worried, and though she looked
mighty hard at me she didn't say a
word. | walked right up to her and
emptied my hat right into the lap of
her gown, and then we counted it. Just
$1,5C0 even, and that gave me a start"
HOudin's Sarcastic Trick.
Happening to drop into continental
casino one day, Robert Houdin OBJ
served Greek reaping rich harvest
at ecarte, and as soon as seat became
| vacant he took it. The Greek dealing,
deXterOusly turned king from the bot
| tom of the pack. When the deal came
to H0ddin he observed:
when | turn kings from the bottom
of the pack, always do. it with one
hand instead of two; it is quite as Ell
fective and much more elegant. Seel
| Here comes his majesty of diamonds"
and up came the card.
The cheat stared at the conjurer for
moment, and then rushed from the place
without waiting to possess himself of
his hat, coat, or winnings.
Another Like 1t.
Another OF the light-fingered frater-
| nifty, after winning ten games at ecarte
! in succession, tried his fortune against
| new opponent, and continued to win.
| He had made four points, and dealing
| turned up king and won.
"My luck is something wonderful"
he remarked.
EYES," said his adversary, land all
the more wonderful since l have the
| four kings of the pack in my pocket;"
and the professor of legerdemain laid
them on the table.
Outwitted by an Innocent.
There is good story told Of the out
whiting of a gambler and confederate
who was looking on, by an apparent in
nocent. The game, which was Napol-
con, is played in this manner: Five
cards are dealt, and the players in turn
I declare the number of tricks each claims
to make. Whoever declares the highest
number plays against the rest, and the
first card led is trumps.
There were in this case only two
players, and to the ''innocent" was
dealt ace. king, queen, knave of clubs
and ace of diamonds. He naturally
backed himself to get five tricks, the
chances in favor of his doing so being
enormous. He intended, Of course, to
make clubs trumps, but the readiness
with which his wagers were accepted
by the onlooker who saw his opponents
hand aroused his suspicious, ana when
the stake had risen to high amount, he
made his solitary diamond the trump,
and found his adversary with FIVE clubs
and so made every trick.
Struck the Wrong Benedict.
A Mr.. Purdy, of New York, as the
end of his bachelorhood drew nigh, let
his old cronies know that he intended
to give up card playing as soon as he
was married. On learning this they put
their heads together, and day or two
after the wedding invited him to a little
i n