Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-01
GAMES IN THE HOME.
Whist Is the Worst Amuse-
ment the Family Circle
Can Indulge In.
ALWAYS GETS UP A ROW.
Safe Enough if the Players Treat
Each Other as Strangers.
AN UMPIRE PREVENTS BAD HUMOR.
Octave Thanet Gives a Familiar Picture
With the Usual Ending.
THE BOOR is ALWAYS BAD HEARTED
ALWAYS GETS UP A ROW.
AN UMPIRE PREVENTS BAD HUMOR.
Octave Thanet Gives Familiar Picture
With the Usual Ending.
THE BOOR is ALWAYS BAD HEARTED
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsPArcH.l

PLAYER. He belongs to the type that can
place the last four cards and understand the
mysterious workings of the nine spot and
firmly place an ace on partners nine, "to
unblock.' He is not one OF those book
learned, either, who can do anything at
whist-except take tricks; no, Papa Chester
field has been compared to Deschapelles be-
cause he is such a master of coups and
strategy, and can compel success from such
democratic hands.
Mamma Chesterfield is one of the loveliest
women of the century but her whist game
is beneath contempt On the other hand
Rose Chesterfield is the daughter of her
father and one of the most promising pupils
OF the celebrated Mr.. Foster of Boston. 1t
was Rose Chesterfield who played in the
ladies' match and won laurels and the Rock
wood candlestick that was first prize.
Nevertheless, whenever they play whist of
an evening at the Chesterfelds, Papa Ches-
terfeld asks Mamma Chesterfield to play
with him. And should Papa Chesterfield
be away, Rose begs for the martyrs crown
in his place. Therefore, L like to see the
Chesterhelds play whist L candidly own
that, if 1 can help it, do not play with
Mamma Chesterfield, but look on and ad
mire Rose OF her father receiving, so to
speak, the fire of their own side, in the
shape of poor Mammals hopeful and daring
attempts to unlock, or her extraordinary
management of trumps, and never finching
The AdvisablIity of Games at Home.
Why, 1 ask myself, need we treat each.
other so cruelty at our domestic games?
Who has not seen a family, who really love
each other dearly, get into grand squabble
over 100 questionsp' And the remarks
that fond brothers and sisters or parents
and children or husbands and wives will
make to each other at the card table must
keep the recording angel on his mettlel
OF course it is not pleasant to have your
partner your worst enemy in the game; 1
figure to myself the faint cringe of Papa
Chesterfeld's shoulders as dear Mamma
Chesterfield placidly leads up to the ene-
mics tenance-an opportunity of benevo-
lence she is never known to neglect!-but
never have l heard a word from that much
enduring man.
Colonel Gruffandgrim, however, who lives |
across the way and can play passabie game
only, nearly flaws his wife alive if they play |
partners. 1t is pitiful to see the honest |
lady wiggling her cards, which she always
holds rather at random, and calculating
trumps in q whisper, as the storm cloud |
gathers on her lords massive brow. 1t is
an awful moment when the last but one of |
suit is played. Now, it is not an easy thing |
when diamonds let US say. were opened |
early in the hand and ones whole soul since |
then has been taken up with clearing the |
wreck from ones own clubs and watching |
the uncanny gyrations of ones partners |
hearts, and diamonds hop into the arena |
again; it is not easy, repeat, to remember |
whether the seven spot played by the
enemy is the only diamond out or whether |
your partner has or has not showed signs of |
q wealth of diamonds.
How Your Partner Can Hurt You
Why, then, should nv partner glare at |
me and say, with q cold smile: 81 suppose |
you didn't watch the fall of the cards in the |
first trick, three was marked in my handp' |
Mrs. Grufandgrim does very we'll as long |
as the play winds up one suit before starting |
another She has all the devices for the |
cultivation of her so-called whist memory,
knows bv heart the rhymes in the back of |
"Pole on Whist" and all the odd maxims
and rules for holding the cards; and SO long
as the suits go on steadily she keeps her I
head very well, and even dares to "infer" a
little; but once let her trumps begin a |
guerrilla warfare Of ruling and it is all over
with her. Then it is painful to see the |
Colonel's crest rise and bristle; he never for |
gets card that has been played, although |
he never, either, puts the remaining cards |
in the right hands; but you may be sure
meek little Mrs Grutfandgrim does not re- /
mind him Of that.
l make no doubt that many and many |
tear has been shed by the poor little lady |
over whist; and when one comes to think of |
II, what an amount of causeless irritation, |
modification, wounded feelings, as well as
pride, envy, malice and all uncharitable-
ness from which the pious pray to be de-
livered is daily, and especially nightly,
rising, like baleful incense, from the |
tables around which the family gathers to
'amuse itself"
have never heard the Chesterfelds play
the game, but know of a family where it |
is played In peace. They, however, have
an umpire appointed and he or she draws
the ire. l daresay most PLAYERS would |
agree to that In the abstract, but the trouble
is moralists always lay too much stress on
self-lnterest, just as the ex-slave owners did |
on the restraints of property on cruelty.
We know perfectly that we do not do we'll |
to be angry, but We are not going to be i'm
posed upons and we are angry just the
same.
A Good Thing to Forget Relationship.
But only consider the saving of temper
ard peace if the whole family should re.
solve that during games they will treat each
other like strangersl If the brothers should
forbear to tell the sisters that they always
DO this and that wrong thing; and the sisters
should rot find the stupidest questions sex
actly like Charley" or 'Tom."
a game that ends in q row is really not
rightly named amusement, at least to those
OF US who are not of Irish descent. And
there Is always one safe way out of the
trouble In most games, that is to adopt two
rules OF etiquette; one is to have an umpire,
either person or a book, and the other is
to treat your kindred as strangers
Whist as destroying power, ranks with
any game going. 1t has SO many and such
subtle and sinister capacities for making
trouble IL families that it deserves place
by itself. Probably there are few persons
more superlor-especially in their own es-
teem-than the conventional whist PLAYER
he is TAR and away more superior than the
brilliant whist player. The latter is like
Papa Chesterfield, rather fond of the puz-
zlng, but abnormal leads of his partner, and
hndlng some clue to his alteration. His
own play is so elastic that he has liberation. |
Not SO the gifted youth who has taken a
course of whist lessons and condescends
openly when he sits down with his father,
VINO plays game that was in its prime ''be-
fore the war, and his mother, who invari-
ably inquiries ''What is the trump" and his
young sister, who is engaged to be married.
> de sits down opposite mamma with sort
OF Luther-at-the-diet-cf Worms, "Here-I-
and-!-can-do-no-other" air; and deals the
cards In the most approved manner "I
think you deal ever SO much faster than be- |
fore you took lessons, says mamma, fondly.