Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-11-11
THE GAMING PASSION
Incidents In Actual Life That
0utstrip Fiction.
A COLD FLOODED MONARCH.

Card TSble-A Woman Who Gam
blsd CT Hsr Deathbed-Lord Dsai-
sons Play While His Bride Waited
az the Altsr.
II the fun story OF the card table
could be written II would surely be
the most startling revelation OF human
cupidity ever published. and almost
every page Of it would be marked bv
some incident which would outstrip
fiction.
When Louis Nv. was az the card
table the fascination Of the game made
him absolutely dead to all cxternals
and even TO decency and humanity.
On one occasion when he was playing
Tor heavy stakes one OF his opponents.
overcome by excitement. collapsed in
his chair I'm n cit OF apoplexy. His
majesty affected TO ignore the incident
until some one exclaimed. M. dc Chau-
velin Is illr' mp retorted the king.
casting careless glance at the strick-
en- man; ''he is dead. Take him away.
Spades are trumpS. gentlemen
Equally weird Is story Goldsmith
tells. When the clergyman arrived to
prepare n lady parishioner who had n
passion for gambling for her approach
ing death the lady after listening for n
short time 20 his eXhortation cxclaim-
ed: That's enough, Now let US have
n game of cards" To humor her the
parSon consented to play The dying
woman won all his money and had
just suggested playing for her funeral
fee when she fell back and expired
In the early years Of last century =
whist club composed largely q clergy
men used 10 meet in the back room OF
n BARRIERS shop I'm n SomersctShire
town. On one occasion. so the story
runs. when four Of the club members
were acting as paIbearers at the fu-
neral Of n reverend brother. some delay
occurred. and the coffin was set down
In the chancel. One OF them produced
pack of cards and suggested rub
Der. The coffin served the purpose OF
table. and the players were deeply
immersed In the game when the sex
ton arrived 70 announce that every
thing was 1T last ready.
Mazarin's passion for gambling was
so strong even I'm death that he piayei
cards 70 tho very end. when he was so
weak that they had 10 be held fcr
him. and the merry monarch" spent
his last sunday on earth playing ~
basset round n large table with his
greet courticrs and other dissolutc
persons and with n bank Of at least
e. OGO before him.
The curious fascination cards possess
fl- e1-.f.- u +
following story Of Lord Granville. ut
the time ambassador TO France. One
afternoon when he was about 10 re
turn 70 Paris he repaired 10 Grnhau'S
TO have farewell game Of whist or
dering his carriage 20 be at the door ut
1. When IL arrived he was much too
deep in the game 10 be disturbed At
10 O'Clock he sent out to say that he
was not ready and that the horses had
better be changed. Six hours later the
same message was sent out. and twice
more the waiting horses were changed
before he consented TO leave the table
after losing 10000.
An equally remarkable story is told
OF George Payne. the great turf plum
ger Of seventy years ago. On one occa-
sion he sat down ut Limmer's hotel 10
play cards with Lord Albert Denison.
later the first Lord Londesborough.
Hour after hour passed The game
proceeded nil through the night and
long after day dawned. and IL was not
until IN urgent message came 10 tell
Lord Albert that his bride was waiting
for him at the altar of St Georges.
IonArA- -, .,
at last fiun;, down. II was Lord Al
berts wedding day, and he met his
bride $4,000 poorer than when he left
her on the previous day.
One Of the most romantic of gam
bling stories Is told by Mr.. Thiselton-
Dyer Of n plainly dressed stranger who
once took his seat ut faro table and
after an extraordinary run of luck
succeeded In breaking the bank
Heavens" exclaimed an old. infirm
Austrian officer who had sat next TO
the stranger the twentieth part OF
your gains would make NE the happi.
est man in the worldr' 'You shall
have II. then" answered the stranger
as he left tie room.
4 servant speedily returned and pre-
scented the officer with the twentieth
part OF the hank. adding. MY master.
sir, requires no answer" Tho success
full stranger was soon discovered TO be
the king of Prussia in disguise
The most costly game Of cards on
record was probably that In which the
late George McCull0ch, chairman Of
the Broken Hill Proprietary company.
once took part. \ syndicate Of seven
had been formed to finance the IA
nous Broken Hill silver mine. and Mr..
McCullOch was one of the seven. One
day, while sitting In n shanty at the
foot of the hill. McCulloch offered a
fourteenth share in the mine TO a
young man named Cox for 1000
Cox would only offer f12O. and after
much haggling 1t was decided TO set
tie the dispute by a game of euchre.
If Cox proved the winner he was to
have the share for f12O. If he lost he
was TO pay ESQ for IT. He won and
for the absurd sum OF $40 became
owner Of the share which few years
later was valued at 1880. O00.-I.on-
don Tit-Bits