Healthful Sports for Young Ladies

by Mademoiselle St. Sernin

Madame D’Hernilly’s birth-day was celebrated by her family without parade or ceremony: the offerings upon this occasion were those of the heart alone. The neighbouring farmers, and superior class of peasants, presented themselves at the castle, to offer their congratulations to Madame on the return of the day; their little girls, dressed in white, brought her flowers. Madame D’Hernilly received with pleasure the simple offerings of these worthy people, for whom she prepared pleasures suited to their taste. The court of the castle became the theatre of a fête champêtre, which not only lasted the whole day, but was prolonged during the evening, by the light of a number of small lamps. The villagers amused themselves with dancing, and at night they were regaled with a simple collation.

While the villagers were enjoying the dance, their children were diverting themselves in the gardens of the castle with the young ladies and their visitors. As the games which they commonly played would not suffice for the amusement of so many,

Ernestina, who had a very ready invention, proposed to them a new game, which she assured them was quite original. We know that children, and particularly young persons who are just past childhood, play sometimes at a game called “Who will laugh last?” The mode of playing this game is very simple; they look each other full in the face, using at the same time every effort to preserve their gravity, and the first who smiles, even in the slightest degree, gives a forfeit, or else her companions impose a slight penance upon her.

Ernestina invented a game of this sort, in which a great number of persons might be engaged at once. It was a trial who should remain the longest time motionless in the same place. This play, it must be confessed, did not promise much amusement, but the preparations were entertaining enough. Madame D’Hernilly’s daughters had the greatest trouble to make the young villagers comprehend what they were to do; some of them, as soon as they were placed in proper positions, and desired to remain without moving as long as they possibly could, turned round immediately to the opposite side, and asked, with great simplicity, what they were to do? The confusion which resulted from these blunders was very diverting to the lookers-on. At last every thing was arranged, and the game might have gone on smoothly enough, but

for want of patience in the players, who very naturally got tired of this silent amusement as soon as they began it; and, passing at once from one extreme to the other, in which, by-the-by, they resembled many grown people, they adopted the proposal of a pretty little peasant, to play at the game of “Thread-my-needle.” They comprehended with great facility the explanation which she gave them of it, and they began to play at it immediately.

The young ladies, their visitors, and the villagers, took each other by the hand, and formed a long file: they arranged themselves in such a manner that the two tallest girls were at the end of this file, and one of the most active at the opposite extremity. The lot fell to Aglaé to conduct the joyous band; and while the two last remained fixed in their places, with their arms raised, she passed under them, and all those who followed her did the same: after making a circuit, Aglaé returned between the second and the third, then between the third and the fourth, and so on, till by coming nearer and nearer, she found herself obliged at last to make a turn under the arm of the young girl who was next her; this is the termination of the game. Each of them took her turn in this manner to pass under one another’s arms, as a thread drawn through a needle, and, directed by a skilful hand, successively runs through all the meshes of a web.

This exercise does not require any particular degree of agility, the main point is to hold each other by the hand firmly, and to take care that you do not lose your hold. Half an hour was long enough to tire our young revellers of this game, and they had recourse to another somewhat similar to it, called queue-le-leu, or sometimes more simply termed the wolf.

They tossed up to see who should be wolf; the chance fell upon Adriana, who stood alone on one side during some time; her companions, holding each other by the tails of their gowns, ranged themselves behind a tall and active female villager, who was to play the shepherdess. It was expressly agreed upon, that Adriana should only take the last of the flock, and the shepherdess took all possible care to prevent her getting at that one. The struggle was a little unequal, because the shepherdess’s movements were quicker and more abrupt than those of the poor little wolf. Fortunately, those girls who formed the tail of the flock, had not so much strength or agility as their shepherdess, they relaxed by degrees in their exertions, and Adriana took advantage of it to catch the last; the file was then thrown into disorder, and they suffered themselves to be taken one after another. As fast as Adriana made a captive, it was placed behind her, and the flock of wolves became at last so formidable, that they completely

surrounded the sheep, and not one of them could escape. Valeria, Ernestina, and the others, each in their turn, became the wolf; and when they were tired of this game, they divided into groups, and played at “hide and seek,” “puss in the corner,” “paquets,” and other sports, which the villagers delight to play at in their rustic fêtes.