Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-01-06
NEW GAME FOR THE LAWN.
Tennis and CroQuet Likely to Be SUI
perseded by Doxil.

II you happen to be calling at a sub
urban villa which boasts the luxury Of
a lawn and young female society" as
the boarding. house advertisements put
1t, the chances are that you will hear
continually word you probably never
heard before. At Richmond, at Hamp-
stead, at Willesden the one great topic
Of tea table discussion is thing called
"doXil." At first you wonder II it is a
patent meat essence, a lung tonic or a
cake of soap, Then somebody takes
pity on you and tells you that doxil is
a new game-at least, a newly revived
old one-the outdoor diversion which
is to supersede lawn tennis and GRO
quet; and that, as the opportunities it
affords for flirting are enormous, II
bids fair to exceed even these in wide
spread popularity.
Taking these things into considera:
ton, a representative of the Daily Mail
travelled down to Richmond day or
two ago to witness a quartet Of young
people playing doxil. After Watching
the game from the edge OF the lawn for
the space Of twenty minutes he came
to the conclusion that doxil booms 1t
will be mainly on account of one word.
Philosophers have asserted that the
word love" in tennis is no small adj
Junct to the game.
In doxil it is kiss" The players
lit hAr
Kiss on the-lawn would be an indefin-
itely better name than doXil. Not that
any real oscillation goes ON, but a blind
person in the vicinity overhearing such
remarks as There, Mr.. Archer. you
kissed mel" THAT makes four kisses
to me, Miss Mabel" would be to form
bis or her own conclusions.
To describe doXil in word one
might call it a combination of pool
and croquet. 1t is played on smooth
lawn with twelve balls of different
coiors. The balls are propelled by
mallets-called in doXil Founders" -
which are themselves only balls at the
end of a long stick or pole. To begin
with, it is absolutely necessary that
the person with the blue ball, for in
stance, should first kiss" the red. If
it is proximate this is not such diff
cult matter, although, owing to the
curious form of the mallet, not quite
Sc easy as it looks. II the red ball Is
in some other portion of the lawn 1t Is
very difficult indeed, but II the blue
player hits the red he can then proceed
to score off the green. If he succeeds,
then any other ball counts. To hit a
ball three times out of the proper or
der-that is If blue kisses yellow or
green first instead of red-counts your
own ball out.
The game is always played with
twelve balls. If only two persons play,
then each divides the balls; If four,
then three each.
The balls are seyerally drawn for IN
the first instance and white begins
play.
White plays on black, but IL any
other ball plays on black 1t is, ipso fac
to, dead On the other hand, any
player who kisses" white scores at
any period of the game. A kiss on
white removes the obliquy of "cl-
pher," so that player who, having al
ready made two ciphers, and VINO
would in the ordinary course OF aifalrs
become dead, is on kissing the white
ball saved from extinction and scores
one, besides Immediately continuing
to play.
When four play twenty points are
game.
Taken altogether, doxil is by no
means a bad game. 1t is said to be OF
German origin, but SO, by the way, is
Santa Claus. Doxil may never achieve
the heights of popularity which its sis
ter sport, croquet, once achieved but
it will not be at all surprising If,
thanks to it's aid, English lawns and
English lovers were merrier next sum
mer than ever.-IIondon Mail.