“Bridge whist,” or “Bridge,” as it is often called by the younger
generation, is rapidly replacing whist as the favorite card game
of good society, and “bridge” parties are much _en vogue_ for
both afternoon and evening entertainments. In order to become an
expert “bridge” player one must, of course, spend many months and
even years in a study of the game, but any gentleman or lady of
average intelligence can, I believe, pick up the fundamentals of
“bridge” in a short while.
Let us suppose, for example, that you, as a “young man about
town,” are invited to play “bridge” on the evening of Friday,
November seventeenth, at the home of Mrs. Franklin Gregory. Now,
although you may have played the game only once or twice in your
life, it would never do to admit the fact, for in good society
one is supposed to play “bridge” just as one is supposed to hate
newspaper publicity, and on the evening of Friday, November
seventeenth, you should present yourself in suitable attire at
Mrs. Gregory’s home.
There you will find fifteen or twenty other guests, and after a
few minutes of light social banter a bell will ring and the
players will take their places. At your table will be Mrs. F.
Jamison Dollings (your partner) and Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Watts.
Mrs. Dollings (Sept. 6, 1880) is considered one of the most
expert “bridge” players in the city, while Mr. Watts has one of
the largest retail clothing stores in the central part of the
State. Mrs. Watts was one of the Van Cortlandt girls (the plain
one).
As you are probably (next to Mr. and Mrs. Watts) the worst
“bridge” player in the room it should be your duty to make up for
this deficiency by keeping the other three players
conversationally stimulated, for nothing so enlivens a game of
“bridge” as a young man or woman with a pleasing personality and
a gift for “small talk.” Thus, at the very beginning, after you
have finished dealing the cards, you should fill in what seems to
you an embarrassing pause by telling one of your cleverest
stories, at the conclusion of which Mrs. Dollings will remark,
“We are waiting for your bid, Mr. S——.”
The etiquette of “bidding,” as far as you are concerned, should
resolve itself into a consistent effort on your part to become
“dummy” for each and every game. The minute your partner (Mrs.
Dollings) bids anything, it should be your duty as a gentleman to
see that she gets it, no matter what the cost.
Thus, on the first hand, you “pass.” Mr. Watts then says, “Wait a
minute, till I get these cards fixed”; to which Mrs. Watts
replies, “Theodore, for Heaven’s sake, how long do you want?” Mr.
Watts then says, “Which is higher—clubs or hearts?” to which Mrs.
Watts replies, “Clubs.” Mrs. Dollings then says, “I beg your
pardon, but hearts have always been considered higher than
clubs.” Mrs. Watts says, “Oh, yes, of course,” and gives Mr.
Watts a mean look. Mr. Watts then says, “I bid—let’s see—I bid
two spades—no, two diamonds.” Mrs. Dollings quickly says, “Two
lilies,” Mr. Watts says, “What’s a lily?” to which Mrs. Watts
replies, “Theodore!” and then bids “Two spades,” at which Mrs.
Dollings says, “I beg your pardon, but I have just bid two
spades.” Mr. Watts then chuckles, and Mrs. Watts says (but not to
Mr. Watts), “I beg your pardon.” Mrs. Watts then bids “Three
spades,” at which you quickly say, “Four spades.”
This bid is not “raised.” Mrs. Dollings then says to you, “I am
counting on your spades to help me out,” at which you look at the
only spade in your hand (the three) and answer, “Ha! Ha! Ha!”
There is then a wait of four minutes, at the end of which Mrs.
Dollings wearily says, “It is your first lead, is it not, Mrs.
Watts?” Mrs. Watts then blushes, says, “Oh, I beg your pardon!”
and leads the four of hearts. You then lay down your “dummy”
hand. Before Mrs. Dollings has had time to discover just what you
have done to her, you should rise quickly and say, “Excuse me,
but I want to use the telephone a minute.” You should then go
into the next room and wait ten or fifteen minutes. When you
return Mrs. Dollings will have disappeared, Mrs. Watts will be
looking fixedly at Mr. Watts, and Mr. Watts will be saying,
“Well, it’s a silly game, anyway.”
You and Mr. and Mrs. Watts can then have a nice game of
twenty-five cent limit stud poker for the rest of the evening,
and it would certainly be considered a thoughtful and gracious
“gesture” if, during the next two or three weeks, you should call
occasionally at the hospital to see how Mrs. Dollings is “getting
on,” or you might even send some flowers or a nice potted plant.