The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-13
FOR LOVERS OF WHIST
Diedrich Digresses and Talks of
Living Whist.
AN ATTRACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT.

Social Amusement In u Suburban City.
Young Ladies Court Cards-The Part
of the Joker In whist-A Lively Dance
and n Shuttle.
Tho form OF entertainments known rs
living chess has been presented with uni
form success ut lawn parties and other So
Cial meetings where an opportunity for dis
playing quaint and attractive costumes
and graceful movements and poses Is al
ways desirable. Initiating this idea In one
of tho suburbs Of New York city, some
whist enthusiasts awhile ago conceived
and executed IN entertainments portray
ing by movements of living figures u regu-
lar game of whist.
For tho benefit of those who were not
present and who in he>coming summer
evenings may desire new diversion tho
following account Is transcribed:
Forty-four young ladies, all appropriate
ly gowned for their parts, and nino young
men, more diverting than pleasing in
their costumes, were "on deck when tho
gamo began. They marched In to slow
music behind tho four players, each suit
by itself-the hearts in white, the clubs in
red, tho diamonds in blue and tho spades
in yellow. The representatives of tho court
cards wcro handsomely costumed in tho
quaint style of tho conventional ouecns
and knaves, and those who stood for tho
suit cards had their insignia sewed upon
tho front of their gowns. The pack and the
players marched in and out in many do
vious and graceful figures until every cos
tumo was displayed, and then tho shufllo
began. 10 quickening music tho suits in
terminglcd their various colors until thoy
were thoroughly separated. Then the pack
was out and dealt, and off to the corners
assigned went every card but tho fifty
third. This was tho joker, who played the
part throughout of lone fisherman in his
entire lack of relation to tho game rs we'll
as that of the clown in his attempted ef-
forts to connect himself with it.
Hearts, of course, wero trumps. Each
play was performed to dance music. The
player to the left of the dealer led of with
a choice not very flattcring to tho card in
question, for she was evidently only his
fourth best" girl, being the two of the
suit. He led her out to the center Of tho
stage, where no dismissed her with n bow.
Each player in turn followed the fashion
OF the leader-not in playing tho doucc"
exactly, but tho other cards of the suit.
The four made u round and finished tho
trick with dance, all going over TO the
side of tho winner. But tho game was
changed into form of duplicate by tho
round being encorcd, and so 1t continued
in rather irregular fashion, with tho
joker trying continually to smugglc him
self in as u legitimate card Each round
was played with different fancy dances, n
changing calcium light from the balcony
being thrown on tho colored gowns of tho
players. The game stood six oil at tho
twelfth round, and the interest therefore
lasted till the end. The ladies represent
Ing tho court cards then came to the front.
where they were joined by the kings and
knaves. Together they went through the
stately measures of an old time quadrille.
ending with very pleasing tableau, the
suit cards forming the okground.
Indeed the artistic com binations render
ed possible by the choric correspondence
OF Whist play are infnites, and tho writer
might go ON indefinitely with suggestions
concerning them. In order, however, that
this article may not seem to be unduly
frivolous, he ends with less pleasing
correspondence noticed some time ago by
moraiiZing cpigrammatist:
Life Is u game of whist. From unseen sources
The cards shuffled and the hands are
dealt.
Blind are our efforts to control the forces
Ihat' though unseen, are less strongly
felt.
don't admire the way the cards are shuflled,
But still like the game and want to play,
And through the long, long night will l. un.
rufflcd,
PlAy what get until the break of day.
DIEDRICH,
knickcrbocker Whist club, New York.