bridge whist began a quarter of a century ago with the
older people and has increased slowly but steadily until it is scarcely an
exaggeration to say that those who do not play bridge, which means
"auction," are seldom asked out. And the epidemic is just as widespread
among girls and boys as among older people. Bridge is always taken
seriously; a bumble puppy game won't do at all, even among the youngest
players, and other qualifications of character and of etiquette must be
observed by every one who would be sought after to "make up a four."

=PEOPLE CHARMING TO PLAY BRIDGE WITH=

That no one likes a poor partner--or even a poor opponent--goes without
saying.

The ideal partner is one who never criticises or even seems to be aware of
your mistakes, but on the contrary recognizes a good maneuver on your
part, and gives you credit for it whether you win the hand or lose;
whereas the inferior player is apt to judge you merely by what you win,
and blame your "make" if you "go down," though your play may have been
exceptionally good and the loss even occasioned by wrong information which
he himself gave you. Also, to be continually found fault with makes you
play your worst; whereas appreciation of good judgment on your part acts
as a tonic and you play seemingly "better than you know how."

=PEOPLE DISLIKED AT THE BRIDGE TABLE=

There is nothing which more quickly reveals the veneered gentleman than
the card table, and his veneer melts equally with success or failure.
Being carried away by the game, he forgets to keep on his company polish,
and if he wins, he becomes grasping or overbearing, because of his
"skill"; if he loses he sneers at the "luck" of others and seeks to
justify himself for the same fault that he criticised a moment before in
another.

A trick that is annoying to moderately skilled players, is to have an
over-confident opponent throw down his hand saying: "The rest of the
tricks are mine!" and often succeed in "putting it over," when it is quite
possible that they might not be his if the hand were played out. Knowing
themselves to be poorer players, the others are apt not to question it,
but they feel none the less that their "rights" have been taken from them.

A rather trying partner is the nervous player, who has no confidence in
his own judgment and will invariably pass a good hand in favor of his
partner's bid. If, for instance, he has six perfectly good diamonds, he
doesn't mention them