At the expense of time and study, of labor and cost, covering a period over-reaching two full years, the author, who is a retired accountant, book-keeper and cashier, of forty years practical experience, is now competent and fully prepared to issue his revised, corrected and perfected game of "Guest," for the purpose of copyright protection to himself, in the use and general publication of same, as hereinafter published and contained. It is now nearly four hundred years since the playing cards were first introduced, and with the exception of material and kind, of finish and design, there has been no change in the first original, fifty-two card pack, and never will be. The first original game of "Whist" could have had no previous history, no previous law and no rule beyond that adopted and practiced by the first original players for the edification, entertainment and amusement of their honored Egyptian king and queen, by whom their game was named, and will so remain, unchanged so long as playing cards continue in use. About one hundred years ago the German game of "Euchre" was introduced to overcome the long, tedious and fatiguing game of "Whist," but in doing so they did but overreach their mark and drifted upon an opposite extreme, making their game too short, too oft repeated and discouragingly monotonous. Like "Whist," they have no history, no law, and only such rules as they adopted and played at pleasure. Many changes have been introduced by the modern players of both games to overcome the two objectionable extremes peculiar to the two original games of "Whist" and "Euchre." After a thorough study had been made, and a thorough knowledge of the origin of the playing cards had been acquired, the author of the present game of "Guest" was not slow to realize the importance of a third game, which could be introduced on the basis of an exact even divide between the two previous games of "Whist" and "Euchre," in every particular, and thus to meet the required want and supply the much-needed game, which may be best expressed as "perfection perfected." Such is the game of "Guest," and many old-time "Whist" and "Euchre" players have practiced and participated in the use of this new third game, who unanimously pronounce it to be the superior game of the period. When card players have made a study of the game, and also the law and the rule, and have familiarized themselves with the play of the same, they will then recognize the game of "Guest" to be as simple as "A, B, C," and as practical as "two and two make four;" a thoroughly scientific and mathematical game with no complications. THE AUTHOR. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CATLIN'S NEW, ORIGINAL AND SCIENTIFIC GAME OF "GUEST,"