The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-01-05
scHooL-BoY GAMES.

terms wera scattered broadcast, and were foun'
in all parts of the country. Perhaps il WAS upoi
something like the same principle that bees dis
I tribute the pollen of flowers, or the winds an'
the birds scatter seeds. But wherever n boy EN-
israted to, especially throughout the West, h'
found the same games, and the same vocabular,
belonging to them
Mr. EgglestOn describes some of the game
"we boys used to play correctly, while he is OF
in Others "BuIl. PEN he pictures in true colors
as he does .'Anthony over" BY the way, We
have often wondered why this little game was -
called. 1t was probably originally .'ante over,
and became corrupted by iiliterate lakewood,
boys into "Anthony over" We refer to the game
played by pitching the hall over the roof of the
school house, the party having the ball calling
out ANTHONY the leader OF the party on the
other side of the house replying "over!" Then,
when the ball was caught, what scampering
around the house there was! The game of chat
ball" was played slightly different from his de.
scrip.iou. The hats were placed in a row, and
each boy stood by his hat, forming a row on both
sides The boys at the two ends of the row
tossed the ball back and FORTH in quick succes-
sion, aud the trick was for one of them to sud-
denly cast il into of the hats on the ground.
The boys then all scampcred away, except the
owner Of the hat in which the ball was, who was
to stand by his hat, and attempt to hit some 9TH
er boy by throwing the ball. 1.-The missed, he was
''out," and took up his hat. If he hit n boy, that
one gathered mp the ball, returned to the hats,
and tried to hit some else. The game that
Mr.. EgglestOn calls ''two-hole cat, - "three-hole
cal - iu nur lav si,nnly coIlad ~ lea
ball" 1t was "two-eornered cat" or "three-
cOrncred eat, or " "four-cornered cat"-neyer less
than two, more than four. On each corner
stood boy with a paddle, and behind him a
"cateher." IN this game, the players were not
divided into sides, but each one played for him.
self. The Catcher at one corner pitched the
ball to the striker on the next one, and 50 on
around. Whenever the ball was hit, the boys
with the paddles must change corners, each one
running to the next corner TO the right. If the
striker missed the ball, and the one behind him
caught it, that striker was cont" and the one
who caught the ball took the paddle. If, while
the strikers were changing corners, n catcher
succeeded in getting the ball and throwing it so
as TO hit one of them while off the corner, that
one was ''Out, and the boy who hit him took his
paddle; or, there being hole in the rear of each
corner, if catcher got the ball and put it in one
Of the holes while the corner was vacant. the
striker who was running to that corner was
"out,' and the other took his paddle. Also, if
striker hit the ball and sent it into the air. and
one of the catchers succeeded in catching it as it
came down, he ''caught OUT that striker. In
some games, there was also such thing as
EsPrnssiDU mi - l- H., h.It Lot,
player and the corner he was running for Some
boys were such expert dodgers, that it was al
most impossible to hit them with a ball. We
have used the word paddle instead of bat, >
because the bats were paddles, sometimes six or
eight inches wide. The boy who was expert in
striking the ball with a round club, had a con-
tempt for those who used paddles.
Nr. EgglestOn supposcs that .'cat" ball was an
early form of the present game of base ball.
There he is mistaken again. lie has .cat" mixed
up with that grandest of all games, ''tOwn ball"
1t was played very much as the present game of
base ball, but was a much better game, and the
players very seldom got hnrt. The players were
divided into two sides; there were bases, a
striker, a pitcher, catcher, and boys in the
field. Whenever one struck the ball. he had to
run the bases, but was not allowed to run back
to base he had left, if he found that he would
be intercepted before reaching the next enc. If
the striker merely ''nckcdr the ball. he need not
run until the third "nick7 Three "nicks,, or
u ticks, were equivalent to a fair strike When
all on n side were put cut except one, it was a
rule Of the game, that if this last one could strike
The ball and send it so far away that the boys in
he field could not get it home before the striker
,r some other one OF his side had gone around
he entire ring without stopping, merely touch
ng each base as he passed it, this feat would
,ntitle one of that side who had been put out, to
'e-enter the game. "Running-in" one of their
men, rs it was called, was the most exciting part
# the game.
There are several ball games which Mr. Esgles-
on has not yet come to. One of these is foot
'all, where the boys got the skin kicked off their
hins, when the bail got into close quarters. The
'all was made by taking n beef bladder to the
-illage saddler's shop. and having cover made
f hog-skin leather, 50 that when the bladder
Tas inflated with air, it would fill the cover
lightly. One corner of this cover was left open,
ut provided with holes and leather ''whang,"
0 that, when the bladder was inflated and tied
p, the neck could be showed in, and the cover
losed tightly. Then, there was "shnneying,"
layed with ball, or, for want of that, with a |
iece Of corn-cob. 1t was favorite game with |
Haters on the ice. ''Shinncying" was played |
18th stout club with hook curve the end. |
or some reason, which we could never under |
and, the game of "shinneying" had some mystic
Gus connection with the deer species The two
des would range themselves in opposite rows
semi-circles when the one with the ball would |
all out, I" High buck or low doe - to which the
adcr of the other side usually replied. "High
p in the middle, o." Up went the ball into
le air, and at it went the opposing sides with
ieir ''shinnies.r
Mr.. EgglestOn has not yet reached the games
marbles. That will be a rich field for him.
here were but few marble games that were
Dpular. One of them was trolley hole, played
three holes in n row, from six to ten feet apart
Ig with stick or pocket-knife, and rounded
1t with the boys calloused heel. Another game
as played by marking ON the ground square,
nj lines diagonally from corner to corner ON
lie inside, crossing in the centre of the square.
marble was placed at each of the four corners,
Id one at the crossing of the centre. The CEN
c marble was usually much larger than the
ur on the corners and was called old "bowler."
he boys wonld stand Off some distance, at
aw," and plump at 'bowler.- If any one hit
and knocked it outside the ring, the game was
s. If not they fired away, time about, from
here their marbles lay, until all the marbles
ere shot out of the ring, when the one who had
e greatest number, had the game. The play
S would shoot at each Others marbles or |