MARBLES

There is a large variety of games with marbles and the expressions used are universal. Boys usually have one shooter made from agate which they call a “real.” To change the position of the shooter is called “roundings,” and to object to this or to any other play is expressed by the word “fen.” The common game of marbles is to make a rectangular ring and to shoot from a line and endeavour to knock the marbles or “mibs” of one’s opponents out of the square. A similar game is to place all the mibs in a line in an oval and to roll the shooter from a distance. The one coming nearest to the oval has “first shot” and continues to shoot as long as he drives out a marble and “sticks” in the oval himself. Reals are often supposed to have superior sticking qualities. Playing marbles “for keeps” is really gambling and should be discouraged. The knuckle dabster is a small piece of cloth or leather that boys use to rest the hand on when in the act of shooting. The best kind of a “dabster” is made from a mole’s skin.

NAMES OF MARBLES

The common marbles used by boys everywhere are called mibs, fivers, commies, migs, megs, alleys, and dubs. A very large marble is a bumbo and a very small one a peewee. Glass marbles are called crystals and those made of agate are called reals. The choicest real is supposed to be green and is called a “mossic” or “moss real.”

MUMBLETY PEG

This game is played with a penknife. A piece of turf is usually the best place to play. Various positions for throwing the knife are tried by each player, following a regular order of procedure, until he misses, when the knife is surrendered to the next in turn. When he receives the knife each player tries the feat at which he failed before. The last player to accomplish all the feats has the pleasure of “pulling the peg,” The peg consists of a wedge-shaped piece of wood the length of the knife blade which is driven into the ground by the back of the knife and must be pulled by the teeth of the unfortunate one who was last to complete the necessary feats. The winner has the honour of driving the peg, usually three blows with his eyes open and three with them closed. If he succeeds in driving it out of sight the feat is considered especially creditable and the loser is greeted with the cry, “Root! Root!” which means that he must remove the sod and earth with his teeth before he can get a grip on the peg top. There are about twenty-four feats or “figures” to be gone through in a game of mumblety peg, throwing the knife from various positions both right and left-handed. In each feat the successful result is measured by having the knife stick into the ground at such an angle so that there is room for two fingers to be inserted under the end of the handle without disturbing the knife.

ONE OLD CAT

This is a modified game of baseball that may be played by three or four. Generally there is only one base to run to, and besides the batter, pitcher, and catcher the rest of the players are fielders. Any one catching a fly ball puts the batter out and takes his turn at bat, or in another modification of the game, when one is put out each player advances a step nearer to batsman’s position, the pitcher going in to bat, the catcher becoming pitcher, first fielder becoming catcher, and so on, the batsman becoming “last fielder.”

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