The Washington herald., 1909-02-21
ROMANCES OF CARD TABLE
4 Story Of Louis XV-The King Of
Prussia, in Disguise, as a Winner.
Goldsmith Tells Weird Story of a
Woman on Death Bed Gam
bling with Clergyman.

II the fun story OF the card table could
be written it would surely be the most
startling revelation OF human stupidity
ever published; and almost every page OF
II would be marked by some incident
which would outstrip fiction, says Tit
Bits
When Louis XIV vas az the card table
the fascination OF the game made him
absolutely dead 10 al externals. and even
70 decency and humanity. On one occs-
sion. when he was playing for heavy
stakes. one of his opponents. overcome BY
excitement, collapsed IL his chair in a
1T Of spopisxy- His majesty affected TO
ignore the Incident until some one ex-
claimed N de ChaUveIIn IS uI.'' "IU2"
retoued the King. casting a careless
glance az the stricken man. ''he Is dead
Take him away spades are trumps, gen
tlemen.7
Equally weird Is = story Goldsmith
tells When the clergymsn arrived to
prepare a lady parishioner, who had a
passion FOR gambling. for her approach
ing death. the lady. after listening FOR 6
short time to MS exhortation, exclaimed:
That's enough. New let US have 4
game % cards" To humo- her the par
/ son consented 20 play. The dying woman
won Gll his money, and had Just suggest
( Cd PLAYING for her funeral fee when she
( fell back and expired
/ II the early years OF last century q
whist club. composed largely Of clergy
men. used 20 meet IN the back room OF
a BARRIERS shop in a SomeTsetshirs town
/ On one occasion. so the story runs. wher
/ four Of the club members were acting as
/ palIbea-ers at the funeral Of a reverend
/ brother. some delay occurred. and ths
/ cOfin vas set down IN the chaacei. Ons
! OF them produced a pack of cards and
/ suggested a rubber The coffin served tht
/ purpose Of a table. and the players Eer,
deeply immersed in the game when th'
/ sexton arrived 20 announce that every
/ thing was al last ready
/ Mszarin's passion for gambling was s.
strong even in death that he played card!
TO the very end. when he was so veal
that they had 20 be held for him: and III,
/ Merry Monarch spent his last Sunda,
on earth playing az basset round larg,
table with his courtiers and other dis
I solute persons. and with a bank OF a
least e2o00 before him
! The curious fascination cards posses
for their devOtees IS illustrated by IN
following story OF Lord Granville. at tn
tine our ambassador to France. One af
ternoon when ne was about TO return Z
/ Paris he repaired 10 Graharn's % have
farewell game nf whist, ordering his car
risge 20 be al the door at 4 When II a.
rived he was much too deep IN the gam
20 be disturbed. At 10 o'clock he sent Z
say that he was not ready. and that IN
horse had better BE- changed Six hour
later the same message was sent out, an
twice more the waiting horses wer'
changed before he consented to leave n
table after losing s10,ooo
An equally remarkable story Is told Q
George Payne. the great turf piunseT c
seventy years ago On one occasion h
b sat down. az Limmer's Hotel. 10 pla
, cards with Lord Albert Denison. late
the first Lord Lcndes50rough. Hour al
ter hour passed: the game proceeded a
through the night and long after da
dawned. ard II was not until an uTger
message came 70 tell Lord Albert that HI
3 bride was waiting for him at the alta
OF St Georges Hanover Square. ths
, the cards were at last flung down
was Lord Albert's wedding DAY. and h
met his bride GSo0o0 poorer than whe
he left her on the previous day.
That all gamblers are not ungenerous
I Lproved by the following story told b
: Horace WalpOle In one Of HIS letter
1 Mr. O'Birne. an Irish gambler. had wo
- E10o. coo from young Mr.. Harvey. Of CHS
9 ! vel. Just started from midshipman inr
an estate by his eldest brothers dealt
O-Birne said: You can never pay ne
, 7 can said the youth. My esta'
+ VIII sell for the debt" No" si
l. O'Birne 4 VIII win ten thousand. ar
you shall throw for the odd ninety tho'
sand" They did-and Harvey won.
7 The most costly game OF cards {
. record was probably that in whiC
: George McCulloch. chairman Of Il
! Broken Hi Proprietary Company. too
/, part. A syndicate Of seven had bee
u formed to finance the famous Broke
Z FIll silver mine, and Mr.. McCulloch WI
, one OF the seven. One day. while 81
q ting in a shanty at the foot OF the hi
z McCuHoch offered a fourteenth share
the mine 20 q young man named Cox 4
e2a
Cox would only offer c12o. and aft
much hsggling Il was decided 70 sett
z the dispute BY a game Of euchTe. If O.
z proved the winner he was 20 have q
! share for e1e0: II he lost he was 10 .;
e1Ss for II. He won. and for the absu
sum OF s125 became owner OF the sha
which a few years later was valued