h a passion of a
different kind. They gave the word to one of their female 'pals,' who
threw herself in his way, and prevailed upon him to accompany her to HER
establishment. In the morning the 'gentleman,' who in vain had solicited
him to play at the saloon the night before, would call--just to pay 'a
friendly visit.' Cards were again spoken of, and again proposed, with
the additional recommendation of the 'lady,' who offered to be the
partner of her friend in the game. The consequence was inevitable. Many
young noblemen and gentlemen were plundered by this scheme, of hundreds,
nay, of thousands of pounds. To escape without loss was impossible. They
packed and distributed the cards with such amazing dexterity, that they
could give a man, as it were, whatever cards they pleased.

CARDS THAT WOULD BEAT THE D--L HIMSELF!

A number of sharpers were detected in a trick by which they had won
enormous sums. An Ecarte party, consisting of a nobleman, a captain in
the army, an Armenian gentleman, and an Irish gentleman, sat down in one
of the private chambers attached to one of the large wine and shell-fish
rooms. The Armenian and the Irishman were partners, and were wonderfully
successful; indeed, so extraordinary was their luck in turning up cards,
that the captain, who had been in the town for some time, suspected the
integrity of his competitors, and, accordingly, handled the cards very
minutely. He soon discovered that there was an 'old gentleman' (a
card somewhat larger and thicker than the rest of the pack, and in
considerable use among the LEGS) in the midst of them. The captain and
his partner exclaimed that they were robbed, and the cards were sealed
up, and referred to a card-maker for his opinion.

'The old saying,' said the referee, 'that THE CARDS WOULD BEAT THE
CARD-MAKER, was never more true than it is in this instance, for this
pack would beat not only me, but the very d--l himself; there is not
only an OLD GENTLEMAN, but an OLD LADY (a card broader than the rest)
amongst them.'

The two 'gentlemen' were immediately accused of the imposition, but
they feigned ignorance of the fraud, refused to return a farthing of the
'swag,' and, in their turn, charged the losers with having got up the
story in order to recover what they had fairly lost.

GENEROSITY (?) OF A GAMING HOUSE KEEPER.

A young West Indian chanced one night to enter one of the gaming houses
in London, and began trying his chance at Roulette. Fo