3.—FRENCH SOLITAIRE.
ONE PACK.
This game is very simple, and well adapted to invalids who cannot make much effort.
Shuffle the cards well. Lay the four aces as they come in a row. Place the other cards as they appear from the pack, on the aces in order, without following suit; as, ace, deuce, three, four, &c.; this is called putting the cards in families.
Place the cards which do not fit on these, in due order in four piles below, and whenever the top card will go on the upper line, in regular sequence, you can use it, which will thus free the card beneath it.
The skill consists in deciding on which of these four piles to place the cards from the pack, and which card to use, if you have two top cards of the same number. Of course you must not, if you can help it, place a higher card on a lower; but if you have already four piles, this will often be unavoidable. You must then endeavor to get off the higher cards, to free those beneath. According to the old, strict rule, of not looking to see what cards are beneath the top card, it becomes an excellent exercise of memory to recall in which pile are the cards you want at the moment. It is not well to place many cards of the same number in one pile. If you can complete the families in the upper row to the kings, you have succeeded in this game; if not, you have failed.
You may make this game still easier by taking out the aces, and placing them in the upper row, before beginning the game; or you may make it more difficult by following suit in the families, in which case you are entitled to take up the lower piles, re-shuffle them, and re-lay them twice.