Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-13

talking about foot ball. In my days there
were no such appurtenances as now charac-
terize that great game. The ball was gen.
erally-or the best sort Of ball-a blown
Bladder. cased with leather. Very often
blown bladder without covering was
used. The only rules were to kick the ball
across the goal Of the opponent. Foot ball
in this country, of course. Will never go out
of fashion. 1t has, like base ball. come to
stay.
Now, there Is another old game that the
fathers and grandfathers of the young men
Of today used to play that deserves honor
able mention, and that Is the excellent old
out-of-doors sport of leapfrog. This was
game In which every fellow had an equal
chance Of leaping over his fellow players
heads Suppose there are a dozen boys
playing the game. They stand In a row.
Indian file you might say and about three
or four yards apart. The boys all stand
with their shoulders bent and their hands
on their knees. Then the man at the end
of the file of round backs makes
run, and putting his hand on the shoulders
of the first bent back, leaps over him and
then follows in the same way over all the
others. Then he takes place in the line,
bends his shoulders and the next man does
his stunt 1t Is a sort of endless chain ar
rangement, but generally when the last
HldI-tHe one VINO was at the mead of the
file when the game began-has had his leap
the game is over. 1t sometimes made the
players very tired. but tell you 1T was
feature of old-time open-air diversions that
was not to be despised.
There used to be old game that many
OF us old boys will remember. that gloried
In the plain appellation of duck This
was played generally by about eight or ten
fellows. The boys would hunt up large
stone with a smooth top and place it at
distance of twelve fifteen feet. Then
one would be placed on 1t and the PLAYERS
with other stones of various sizes would
shy them at the one on the large rock.
There must be one of the players to repre-
sent duck and If he can touch one of the
fellows who shived his missile at the rock
before he can pick it up again and go back
to the base. then the unlucky player must
be duck The little fellows generally play
ed duck. 1t was beneath the dignity OF
the big boys. who figured in prisoners base
and follow my leader
Short fox was a splendid and enticing
autumn and winter game 1t was great
on a pretty moonlit winter evening though
1t was fully as we'll a favorite daylight
game. This was an invigorating as well as
a simple game. 1t in my day PLAYED
with the opposite sides of the street as the
bounds One boy had to station himself
In the middle of the road and the others
made the attempt to run across If he
touched one of them that fellow had to
take his place. 1t was a great sport In my
day and. Great Scott. how sound I could
sleep after a short dose of short fox just
before bedtime. Boys were made to go to
bed early then (said the old gentleman in
parenthesis).
1T makes me sigh sometimes to think
that the games of the olden times have
been put on the shelf Some of the infan-
tile ones are still evident. such games as
kitehying. marbles. hopscotch, etc. but the
noble old games such as I have already
mennoned. games that required strength
fsarlessness and agility. have had their
day. They are laid on the shelf and most
Of them have long been forgotten"