Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Thursday, September 24, 2015

Hot Hand

Mabel and Percy (Casey) Jones. 1924
My parents' good friends
Mom and Dad, newlyweds, were out for the evening with their friends, the Jones - their nearest neighbours.
At the Jones’ ranch fifteen miles away.
In a time when the closest thing anyone had to electronic diversion was a radio or phonograph, the two couples and one of the Jones’ eldest sons were engaged in the next best thing.
Parlour games.
Inevitably . . . cards.
They had been playing for most of the evening, amidst much conversation and hilarity.
Casey Jones (yes, that was what he was called) had been fighting a steadily losing battle.
Another hand was dealt.
And Casey loudly voiced his displeasure at yet another 'bad' hand, then sighed heavily and played his bad hand.
Badly.
As it finished, his wife, Mabel suggested refreshments and got to her feet. She bustled (yes, I meant to use that word) into the kitchen.
Mom followed her and the two women happily visited as they sliced cake and set out cups and saucers.
Meanwhile, the men stayed in the parlour, discussing the game and Casey’s apparent inability to win.
“It’s the lousy cards!” he said. “I’ve gotten nothing but bad hands all evening!” He got to his feet. “Something has to be done!”
He gathered up the deck and arranged them neatly. Then he disappeared into the kitchen with them.
Moments later, Mabel appeared in the doorway, tray in hands and announced that their game had officially concluded.
Casey had thrown the cards into the stove.
Yep. Something had to be done.
Good thing he was on hand to do it.

10 comments:

  1. Whoa! He WAS upset, wasn't he?!

    Hot hand, indeed :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. I'd hate to see what he'd do if he got cut off in traffic . . .

      Delete
  2. Snickering at jenny_o's comment.
    NOT a good loser it seems.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well that's one way to solve the problem. Probably not the best way, but one way.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Definitely solved that problem! I'll have to remember that the next time we play euchre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just remember - timing is everything. Probably best if you do it at the end of game, rather then fairly near the beginning! :)

      Delete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?