Etchings in Verse (Underhill)/Four Kings

by Andrew Findlay Underhill

FOUR KINGS.

RONDEAU.

I hold four Kings—a regal hand.
My manner is serene, and bland.
 A chip is all I care to bet;
 For I prefer to wait—and yet
I am the mogul of the land.

They "crawl," both Jones and Thompson, and
I fear that Smalley will not "stand";
 But Smith seems anxious to be met—
I hold four Kings.

He "raises" five. My hopes expand.
"Ten more!" I say in accents grand.—
 "And twenty!" now he's in the net!
 I have him!—what! Oh, vain regret!
He shows four aces, on demand.
I hold four Kings.