The age-herald., 1902-03-30
Season of Marbles And Checkers. -.
BY BOHEMIAN c. BULeER.

With the advent of spring pets comes news from the smaller towns of Alabama that merchants, editors, lawyers with small clientage and men in general who have warmed themselves by public stoves during the winter are getting ready for the season and an active search for old fishing tackle and time worn and honored checker boards has begun
 During the summer marbles will also draw large crowds around smooth places next to the country court houses or some other equally as convenient back stop This game in the rural sections is not played like the city boys know it but is far superior from every point of view to their ''Two-a~crack. 'stcne-a-crack, 'a etc. In some places 1t is called seven-up and in others as "Middler." Five large marbles are placed in a ring, the largest occupying a position in the center. At given distance, say ten feet the players arrange themselves with a small marble called Jaw and shoot at the ring. To Plump the Middler'' counts a point. 9th erwise a player has to clear the ring He can do this by knocking out all the ring men, or killing the other fellows Jaw" A description of this game Is, however, almost useless as every Alabamian who ever lived in a small town knows the rules and regulations by heart Even old men who have passed the four score years and ten mark can tell you exactly how much "roundance" you are allowed and when a player must "knucks'. Some of these old men can give the youngsters 'cards' and spades and beat them out by pumping the middler four or five times in succession.
 This game of "seven-up'' will grow more in favor as watermelon time comes around as the juicy fruit makes an ex- cellent stake to play for. Old men who have grown tired of fishing and talking politics and general affairs of the gov ernment usually attend these games and lean back against the shady side of a store and eat watermelon with as much delight as boy just home on a vaca- tion.
 The first game of the season in Ala bama is checkers, or drafts" as some call it, and already crack players are fighting battles under sheltering sheds in front of stores and nearby shade trees. Every town has it's champion, and woe be unto the man who goes there and de- feats him. This champion is unusally man with long white whiskers, and be- tween moves or rather between games, can enlighten a stranger on the family history of all Presidents of the United States. and exactly how he had figured it out beforehand that they would make certain mistakes. According to these ven- erable checker players they could ar range the entire matter and save the government if opportunity had been of- 1 fered. The writer of this was lucky | enough to defeat a champion (by acci- | dent) one time, but has always consider ed it unlucky. The otherwise delightful old man waxed wroth and almost went I so far as to accuse the winner of trick 1 ing" him. He threw down the board in 1 disgust, saying: And a young fellow l from the city beat me. did he? Well, | you can just mark 1t down, I'll never play with another one." He kept his word l to the letter and no inducements could persuade him to show the "city feller" something more about playing In fact l the stranger was regarded with suspicion l by the old gentleman until he left the town.
 During these checker games the older men are always allowed the privilege of laughing at the young man who is de- feated "out of countenance", or as a boy in city would say. giving him the horse laugh" When not watching the game these spectators sit around in low
 
 casionally inquiring as to the whereabouts of some old pioneers eldest son, and whose "gar' he married back in the 70s
 There is always some one present to eiSer give the direct information or com ment on the probable success or failure | of this historic son. It is also the duty | and prerogative of these bystanders to
 "caIl anybody down" who attempts to suggest a certain move to one of the play | CTS.
 Tn front of these country stores prac- tically all of the fishing trips are planned. l and when a good hole is suggested the crowd adjourns long eonugh to go home, worry their wives or sisters about getting something to eat, and then begin to dig bait There is a great deal of argument as to the best bait for such and such" a fish, but 1t usually ends with can full | of earthworms and a wasp nest full of | young ones Some of the real fishermen l mix corn meal with cotton and asafoetida | and have it baked like bread. This is con- sidered fine for suckers, especially in a
 .'baited hole" Grasshoppers and crickets are said to be best for perch and bream. but they are usually too hard to catch, and a compromise on earthworms Is adopted As a rule these expeditions turn out with the proverbiai "tlshermans