Patience: a series of games with cards

Front matter

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Oamtes

Mrs/

Preface

TO THIED EDITION.

In bringing out a new edition of my little book, I have taken the opportunity to make a few explanations of difficulties which have been reported to me in regard to the old games, as well as to add new ones.

A peculiar nomenclature has naturally arisen in the use of Patience, which is not always carefully employed by writers or understood by learners. One game has often developed from

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another ; and any one who wishes to master this beautiful recreation, would do well to begin at the beginning of the book and try all the games in succession, by which means he will understand them better, and find out which will give him most pleasure.

One player likes a difficult game, which taxes the mind and rewards a careful use of all opportunities, although success be rare. Such an one will keep to the strictest interpretation of rules. Another will like the soothing effect of the simpler games, which depend mainly on luck, and which beguile the time without taxing the brain .

Where directions are not explicit, each player will interpret them according to his feeling.

As the practice of the game has extended, numberless new forms have been brought out, and many variations occur on the same theme. I cannot give them all within the limits of my little book, but have tried to select those which are most valuable.

I heartily thank those who have received the book with so much favor, and who have aided me with criticism and suggestion.

It has been a welcome thought that this humble work has helped many a poor sufferer in exercising the virtue whose name it bears; has cheered the loneliness of old age, and even soothed the pangs of sorrow. May it go on ever developing and improving, until " Patience has its perfect work " in mitigating the sufferings of humanity.

Jamaica Plain Mass.

September 1894

PREFACE.

The Game, or rather style of game, called Patience, — for it is not one, but manifold; — has long been a great favorite in Europe, but is familiar to our people only in one or two of its simples! forms, under the French name of Soli taire.

I have endeavored, in this little bock, to naturalize it here, in all its charming variety. I believe it to be an innocent and agreeable amusement, well fitted to refresh the mind after severer labors, and to beguile the weary hours of invalidism or seclusion. Its great advantage consists in the fact that it is played by one person alone. Yet it can also become a social pleasure, by others looking on and sharing in the interest of the chase and the pleasure of success. The mother may be plying her busy needle, and yet share in the counsel and enjoyment of her child, who is planning out his game of Patience beside her. It does not produce the feverish excitement of games of chance and skill played against an opponent. The contest is against fate, or chance, or cir-

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cumstance, as you choose to call it, alone, and there is no feeling of rivalry or opposition excited. In most of the games both skill and chance enter into the account, and some of them tax the ingenuity of the player very thoroughly; but in others only quick observation is needed. The mind is thus gently stimulated, while the quiet progress of the game tends to cultivate the important virtue whose name it bears. The invalid, too feeble to lay out the cards, will often be entertained by watching the progress of the game in another's hands.

The interest of Patience is sometimes enhanced by using it as a fortune-teller.

The player will wish for the success of some enterprise he has at heart, and will fancy that his good or ill fortune in getting out the game is an augury of his luck in more important matters. It may often prove so, for the quiet attention and calm patience which enable one to seize the best opportunities in the mimic struggle, may help to win success in the more important affairs of life.

Patience is a great favorite among all the people of the Germanic races in Europe. Miss Bremer frequently alludes to it in her charming pictures of life in Sweden. For instance, in ! Tho Home," Louise calms her anxious

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thoughts by playing " Patience ; " and many others of her characters find it a good specific against weariness and trouble. It has been introduced both into France and England, and was, we are told, a solace to the weary hours of exile at St. Helena.

It remains for me to indicate the sources whence I have derived my information. The majority of these games are taken from a little book published first in France, and afterward translated into English, which accidentally came to my notice. So much of the awkwardness of a translation remained in the English book, that the descriptions of the games were often extremely obscure, and what may have been graceful sentiment in the original bocame absurd in the dilution. I have, therefore, entirely rewritten all the descriptions of the games, and tested them all by experiment, and have added diagrams wherever it seemed necessary to a perfect understanding. Several additional games, some of which are entirely different from any in the English book, have been gathered from other sources.

As many of the games require a large number of cards upon the table at once, it has been found convenient to use small-sized cards. It being difficult to procure these of good quality, the publishers have had some prepared to accompany this book.

Although I have long wished tho publication of these games, for my own convenience and that of others, esteeming any increase of the means of innocent amusement a public good ; yet my purpose was stimulated by the wish to procure funds for establishing libraries for the Freedmen's Schools at the South. All the compiler's percentage will be devoted to this object, and the very liberal allowance made by the publishers leads me to hope, that, while contributing to the entertainment of tho home circle and the solace of the invalid's couch, I shall also have the pleaslire of sending instruction and encour agement to many a school at the South, and so — " Patience may have her perfect work."

Ednah D. Cheney.

PREFACE

TO THE SECOND EDITION.

Patience has met with so much favor, that I gladly take the opportunity of a new edition to make such corrections and additions as four years' use has suggested to me. These consist only of slight verbal additions to make the text more clear, and of three new games which have come to my notice, and which are very valuable. They are the only important additions that [ have found, although many persons'

have kindly told me of games which they had played ; but 1 have always found them to be only slight variations of some already in the book. As I am fully convinced of the great value of this amusement as a resource to invalids and rest to over-wearied brains, I should be glad to make it of permanent value and as complete as possible, and I shall be grateful for any suggestions of new games, whose princiole varies from any of those I have already given.