Whist and Matrimony.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 142, 16 June 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

Whist and Matrimony.

A lady in America has just committed matrimony on a new and startlingly original principle. It appears from the veracious pases of a Baltimore contemporary that there resides in Washington a highly-con-nected and very, wealthy female, whose ruling passion is whist. She allowed it to be understood that her hand was to be won by the gentleman who most distinctly satisfied her both of his ability to play a good all-round game, even under the depressing conditions of 'double dummy,' and of his willingness to devote every evening of his mortal career to the pursuance of this joyful pastime. A gentleman fulfilling the requisite stipulations, an amateur enthusiast over the harmless sport of the bard-table, came, saw, and conquered. In the marriage compact a very extraordinary clause was inserted, which gave the happy ' groom' £20,000 straight off, free apparently from all encumbrance except the lady herself. He was to have that amount settled absolutely on himself, to do what he liked with. On the marriage morn the compact was signed, the swain accepted the goMen fortune, and agreed, in consideration of it, to devote the whole of every evening to the pursuit of whist, conjointly with his newly-wedded wife, till death did them pare. The American couple must have had a high old time in trumping each other's best cards, leading up to dummy's strongest suit, arid finally clearing the board of the counters—or sovereigns —which represented the points and the winnings. Hitherto, we have, but of a feeling of natural respsct, omitted to mention the ' combined ages ' of the Yankee pair. But the story is incomplete without the addition of this picturesque detail. The bridegroom in this romantic affair at Washington was a man of forty, while the bride had Seen seventy Summers glide over her. head ; and the probabilities are that she" Would not now have married if her passion for whist had not led her to the altar.