Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-06-17

card. These serve as counters and afford
an adequate basis for accusations Of cheat
ing. Recently there was q large and typ
ical progressive euchre contest for charity,
open to ladies only, held in a public build
ing in Brooklyn, at which q reporter was
present. Being unarmored, he sat in the
gallery, where he was out of dangers way
and could see everything. Explanations
of the movements were furnished to him
by a young lady who wasn't playing on
account of injuries to her feelings received
a week before in a game in which she had
been wrongfully, maliciously, illegally,
underhandedly and devilishly deprived of
third prize.
"Now they're going to Begin" said the
reporters mentor Us somebody rang q big
gong several times.
Immediately about 500 women on the
floor bsgan rushing unanimously about
the place, while tho air buzzed with the
inquiry:
(which is my tablo?"
A red haired woman who sat OF q stand
near tho door seemed to be in charge, as
sisted by eight young wolnen wearing
badges.
"They're the scorers, - said the mentor,
'sand before this is over they'll wish they
were dead"
A few moments were consumed in the
distribution of playing and score cards,
after which tho manager called out:
"Play will now begin Mt tho sound Of
the gong and continue until tho gong
rings, when all hands must DO thrown
down. Are you all ready?"
"Wait! wait! r. shrieked a little woman
shrilly. "This pack hasn' t any joker in it. "
"Wo don't play euchre with a joker
here, replied the manager in whitening
tones. "Wo will proceed"
I'D like to know where she comes
FROM" commented the mentor, ''to want
to play with tho joker!"
Clang! went tho gong, and tho game
commenced. For five minutes there was
comparative silence, broken only by spo-
radio wrangles over tricks cropping up at
various tables. Then somebody at the
king table cried:
THAT'S five. We're out. Ring the bell. ,"
Again the bell sounded, and this time it
was the signal for pandemonium.
play the hand out" "No; play stops
now" "No, it don't" "We're ahead"
"1t isn't fair; you ought to play out. I"
when the trick is on the board, you have
to take it up" 1.-The hand is finished. -
14oIc, DCluB GIic 6LuES. NO, uOG GISCC.
We won that hand"
Five hundred separate questions were
fred simultaneously at the manager, while
the scorers tried to unravel the snarl. A
gaunt oma finally obtained recognition
by standing upon q chair and waving her
arms.
when diamonds are trumps, docs tho
right bower take the left bower?' is what
she wanted to know in thunderous tones.
"Sit down." called q score Of voices, and
she subsidized under a load of explanations.
Would you rather manage chat or UNI
pire q football gamer said the reporters
mentor to him. "That's the way it will
be after every hand"
1t was, only 1t seemed to grow worse
each time. At one time there were no less
than 30 women who, having rushed up
the floor, were waving frantic arms, at the
manager and demanding that Justice be
done though the roof fall, which it seemed
very likely to do. Then four players got
into SO animated q discussion that they all
burst into tears and left the game, vowing
that it served them right for entering q
public progressive euohre game, where you
never could tell what kind of people you
were playing with. 1t was quite vain for
the scorers to try to keep order, but in
some way or other they managed to get
the tables rearranged and the play to pro-
coed. Once the king table made itself un-
popular by absentmindedly playing on
past the five points, which, when it be-
came known, caused all the losers in that
hand to demand that no count be made
Of it.
This sort of thing kept on for two hours,
the number of players diminishing after