The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-12-30

NJ J Y,
She Answered After a Pause: "There
Was Gen. Philemon Mercer, Con.
federate Army"
l used to hear of Your whist triumphs:
how did you happen 20 take to whist?"
ITO fill up the ime. | reckon. be
gan II years ago Sow a soldiers life
is a great deal molc varied, because a
man will be shifted a. ind and get a
show of the different kinds of service.
And there are the exams. and the
Philippines-oh, plenty OF diversions.
But in the old days a man in the line
was billed for an awfully stupid time
] didn't care to take 10 drink; and |
couldn't read as you do If I'd had
books. which / hadn't, so | took to
playing cards. ! played skat and
poker and whist, and OF late years I've
played bridge Millicent plays?'
"Millicent is a celebrated player.
She was a great duplicate-whist play
er, you know. To see Millicent In her
glory. one should play duplicate with
her I'm only a chump player; my
sole object is to win tricks"
What else should 1t beT"
Aunt Rebecca smiled upon him. "To
give information to your partner The
main object of the celebrated Ameri.
can-leads system is signaling informa-
tion to your partner. Incidentally, one
tells the adversaries, as well as one'g
partner, which, however, doesn't
count really as much as you might
think for most people. don't notice
what their partners play very much,
and don't notice what their adver-
saries play at all Millicent is al.
ways so busy indicating things to her
partner and watching for his signals
and his indications that you can run q
cross run In on her without her sus-
pecting. She asked me once II she
didn't play an intelligent game, and 7
told her she did; a babe in arms
could understand it, She didn't seem
quite pleased"
How about Archie? Can he play 9
good game2"
Very fair for boy OF IA; he was
fond of whist until his troubles
came" said Mrs Winter, with faint
clouding Of her keen gaze. Since
then he hasn't taken much interest In
anything. Janet has frightened him
mp more than anyone and when he
heard you were coming that did rouse
him. You are one Of his heroes. He's
that sort of boy" she added with g
tinge of impatience In her soft south
ern voice. AS If TO divert her thoughts,
before her. Her hands showed the
blue veins more prominently than they
show IN young hands This was their
Unly surrender to time; they were
shapely and white, and the slim fin.
gers were as straight as when tho
beaux OF Fairfax county would have
ridden ali day for a chance TO kiss
them.
The colonel watched the great ruby
wink and glow. The ruby was a part
OF his memories of his aunt: she had
always worn H. He remembered t.
when she used to come and visit him
at the hotel at West Point. dazzling
impartially officers. professors. cadets
and hotel walters. Was that almost
40 years ago? Well, "a anyhow, She
had been very good, very generous to
all the young Winters. then Indeed
although she never quite forgaye him
for not marrying the wife Of her SO.
leeting, she had always been kind and
generous to Rupert; yet. somehow
while he had admired and found a
humorous Joy In his Aunt Rebecca. ne
wondered II he Had ever loved her
She was both beautiful and brilliant
when she was young, a southern belle
northern society leader; her life waa
full Of conquests; her footsteps,
which had wandered over the world
had left phosphorescent wake OF ad.
miration. She had always been a per.
sonage. She was power In Washing.
ton after the war. they had found her
uniquely delightful in royal courts
long before Americans were the
fashioR5 she had baen Of Importance
in New York, and they had loved her
epigrams In Boston; now. In her old
age she held a yeritable little court OF
her own In the provincial western city
which had been her husbands home
lie went 10 congress from Fairport;
he had made a fortune there. and
when he died, many years ago. in
Egypt beer 10 his western hume. with