The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-26

From Tit Bits.
i F the full story of the card table could
be written it would surely be the most
Il startling revelation OF human cupidity
ever published. and almost every page of
it would be marked by some incident
which would outstrip fiction.
When Louis XIV. was at the card table
the fascination of the game made him alb
solutely dead to all externals. and even to
decency and humanity. On one occasion,
when he was playing for heavy stakes,
one of his opponents, overcome by excite
ment, collapsed in his chair in a fit OF
apoplexy His majesty affected to ignore
the Incident until some one exclaimed,
IN. de Chauvelin is illr' NIP retorted
the King, casting careless glance at the
stricken man; he Is dead. Take him
away; spades are trumps, gentlemen
Equally weird is a story Goldsmith tells.
When the clergyman arrived to prepare a
lady parishioner, who had passion for
gambling, for her approaching death, the
lady, after listening for short time to
his exhortation. exclaimed: That's
enough Now let US have game of
cards" To humor her the parson consent
ed to play. The dying woman won all
his money, and had just suggested play
ing for her funeral fee when she fell back
and expired.
In the early years OF last century a
whist club, composed largely Of clergy
men. used to meet in the back room of
BARRIERS shop in Somersetshire town. On
one occasion, so the story runs, when
four of the club members were acting as
pallbearers at the funeral of a reverend
brother some delay occurred, and the
coffin was set down in the chancel. One
of them produced a pack of cards and
suggested rubber The coffin served the
purpose of table, and the players We're
deeply immersed in the game when the
session arrived to announce that every
thing was at last ready.
Mazarin's passion for gambling was so
strong even in death that he played
cards to the very end, when he was so
weak that they had to be held for him;
and the Merry Monarch spent his last
Sunday on earth playing at basset, round
a large table with his great courtiers and
other dissolute persons, and with bank
of at least $1,000 before him.
The curious fascination cards possess for
their devotees is illustrated by thief oilow-
ing story of Lord Granville, at one time
our ambassador to France. One after
noon when he was about to return to
Paris he repaired to Graham's to have
a farewell game of whist, ordering his
carriage to be at the door at A. When
it arrived he was much too deep in the
game to 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 mes
sage 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
Mr.. George Payne. the great turf plunger
of 20 years ago. On one occasion he sat
down, at Limmener's hotel, to play cards
with Lord Albert Denison, later the first
Lord Londesborough. Hour after hour
passed; the game proceeded all through
the night and long after day dawned,
and it was not until an urgent message
came to tell Lord Albert that his bride
was waiting for him at the altar Of st.
Georges, Hanover Square, that the cards
were at last flung down. 1t was Lord
Alberts wedding day, and he met his
bride 100000 poorer than when he left
her on the previous day.
One of the most romantic of gambling
stories is told by Mr.. Thiselton-Dyer, of
a plainly dressed stranger who once took
his seat at a faro table, and after an
extraordinary run of luck succeeded in
breaking the bank "Heavens" ex-
claimed an old, infirm Austrian officer
who had sat next to the stranger, the
twentieth part of your gains would make
me the happiest man in the worldH You
shall have it, them, answered the
stranger as he left the room.
A servant speedily returned and pre-
scented the officer with the twentieth part
OF the bank adding: MY master, sir
requires no answer The successful