It’s funny how some players get mad at their partners. An acquaintance of mine, Abernethy C. Growler, is a member of this school. Just put 13 cards in his hand, good or bad, and he acquires the wisdom of Solomon and the autocracy of a sergeant with new stripes.

Abernethy was playing at the club one day with Aloysius Meek, and he got to four hearts on the deal shown. No sooner had dummy hit the table than Abernethy hit the ceiling. He couldn’t understand how Meek could stop short of a small slam, let alone a grand slam. And he said so in no uncertain terms.

After Abernethy calmed down a bit, he ruffed the club lead in dummy and played the K-A of hearts. When East showed out, South was in trouble. He cashed the queen of hearts and tried to run the diamonds, but West trumped the third one, and South wound up losing a trump, a club and two spades to go down one.

Mr. Meek, who is no dope, saw how South could have made the contract. After cashing the K-A-Q of trump, he could have given West his trump trick then and there and lost only a heart and two clubs.

Or Abernethy could have led dummy’s nine of hearts at trick two and let it ride as a safety measure against either opponent holding the J-x-x-x. This play would have produced 12 tricks. But all Mr. Meek said was: “I wish I had passed two hearts. Then we’d have gone plus instead of minus.”

Tomorrow: Bidding quiz.