The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-11-26
Gnmcs That t,oys pIny.

A boy yesterday stopped to watch
some children playing In the street.
One of the boys covered his eyes In the
old. familiar way, and the Boy of Yes
terday was confident that he was to
81 spy" But the subsequent develop
ments were so at variance with the
familiar rules that he was distinctly
puzzled. So he sought counsel of his
nephew, Major (aged IL.
"Wh, that was Mile" Major
answered. The Boy of Yesterday ex-
plalned that Run-a-Mile was foreign
to his experience. and drew from Ma
jor the following:
In Run-a-Mile the boys count out
and at" hides his eyes. He is then
touched by one boy. who Immediately
conceals himself with the others
When "It" has counted 100 or so, he
starts out to find the TOUGHER" Each
player, when discovered, steps from his
hiding place, but offers no information
as to the whereabouts of the TOUGHER"
unless, indeed. he be that same, In
which case the exciting race to home
occurs, and IL at" gets there first he
may set any task he pleases for the
'toucher" to perform, even to the run
ming of a mile. But 1t is safe to as
sumo that this penalty is seldom ex-
acted-or paid.
Now, that is far cry from hide
and-seek; so, too, is willy-willy wolf,
In which TT is the wolf" and re-
verses the usual method by hiding
himself. The others then try to find
him, and the successful boy sets up
shout of 81 spy" The wolf cries
"stand!" and the boy must not move
until he shouts 81 spy willy-willy.
wolff" At this the wolf makes af-
ter him. and when the boy is caught
he becomes himself "a wolf" and must
help to capture still another, until all
are evolves" An interesting techni-
cality of this game is that, should the
boy cry 81 spy willy-willy dog" or
"horse." or any other name except
''wolf." the wolf may not stir from
its position.
Prisoners base also survives, but in
two novel forms.
In one of these. Red Rover, "It"
calls:
Red Rover, Red Rover!
Someone come Overt"
Someone may be Tom Brown. or
Dick, or Harry, but the player must
be called by name. The boy so indi-
Gated tries to cross without being
caught IL captured, he becomes a
Red Rover, and helps to catch the
rest.
The second variation Is known as
ne-foot-off- off-and-two-feet-off In this
"It" commands those on the sidewalk.
zone foot OFF," All must promptly
put their right foot in the gutter, and
at the order 1.-TWO feet Off" all run to
the opposite curb. The captured as
sist. as in Red Rover.
Another new game Is Stealing
Hats" in which the boys choose sides,
each side placing its hats on the curb
ing opposite to the others. and trying
to protect them while at the same time
endeavoring to steal the hats of the
enemy. lHe Slue WHICH SuCCceuS III
acquiring all the hats, of course. wins.
But 1t is hard on the hats, as mothers
will testify.
Leap frog is seldom played as of
old but is father to two important Off
shoots. In the favorte, Bombay, the
leaper tries to take several blacks" at
one spring. Backs" are also offered
in many various and difficult positions.
Spanisn-fy is the second form, where
in the leaper takes but single back"
but Is required to do stunts" while
leaping, the commands being given by
Captain" Johnny dump the ap-
pie. cart is one at which the leaper
tries to throw the frog to the ground.
"Cut butter and "Cut cheese" are
merely different ways OF shifting the
frog" in the ribs with the edge of
the hands. Mamma, spank the baby"
needs no explanation-'tis as obvious
as It Is unpleasant for the frog.
Francisco Chronicle.