The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-16

baseball OF, the boards, the national
outdoor and indoor sports were craps
and poker.
The Tommies were not pl3rgers
like the Yarks; their salary way less
than half ours: they marvelled at the
amount Of money that changed hands
around pay day. The English troops
learned 10 play a little draw and stud,
but they didn't get the run Of the
bones readily:
Playing Crown and Anchor.
The Tommles staked their shilllngs
on Grown and Anchor" and House"
One man runs the crown and anchor
game. on little board there are SYM
bols, including a crown and an anchor,
which correspond to the symbols on
dice. The men bucking the game drop
their money on the symbol on which
they wish TO bet. II this Shows on the
dice when they are rolled from a box,
the banker pays the amount bet. Thus
IL a dollar is bet on the crown and it
turns up the bettor wins: II two
crowns show the bet is paid double; II
three. the number OF dice used. triple.
Sometimes money Is down on two sym
bols. But there is a big percentage in
favor OF the "house" and the Yanks
never took to crown and anchor
In Tommy's other favorite game
house" it costs you varying amounts
to buy paddle on which are num-
bers from ! to 100. There are a hun
dred little balls, also numbered from l
to 100. When paddles have been sold
to several players the balls are put in
a leather box and taken out, one at a
time, the house" calling out the num-
bers. When a player hears a number
called that is on his paddle he checks
It off. and the first man to have all the
numbers checked of his paddle shouts
house" and the entire receipts from
the different players. with a percent
age for the house" deducted, goes to
him.
Tommy plays this a good deal in the
wineshops and when he Is taking his
tea, but the game is alsA popular in
the open. l have seen half a dozen
games running on hillside, with
Messrs. Atkins sitting checking of and
the house shouting out numbers, many
Of which have nicknames, like Keliy's
lOp VI the Oust, Cllthlty CHICK,
Hill so, Blind 80.
With one roll OF the dice the Yank
may shoot as much az the winning
paddle usually brings a Tommy.
Tommy Likes Football.
Where the Yanks play baseball in
the back areas Tommy kicks a plgskin
around. A Jerry plane flying over
head during one OF these contests near
Poperinge signalled his artillery to
break up the game. But even the 9.2's
won't drive an Englishman awavefrom
football game. and a lot Of soldiers
stuck around to see the finish. In
1915 an English battalion went over
the top kicking footballs, and contin-
ued to boot them until they were we'll
into No Mans Land.
In the English convalescent camps
around Boulogne, where the sick and
wounded Yanks often went to recupe-
rate, there We're daily scheduled games.
and these players were practically all
from the Twenty-seventh and Thir-
tieth divisions.
Two hundred Yank prisoners Gwen
ty-seventh and Thirtieth divisions)
game to Dulmen about the middle Of
November, while I was In the hospital
adjoining the camp. They were the
| first Americans to be auartered there
| and were the centre OF interest among
the prisoners of other nationalities-
French, English, Russians. men from
every country at war with the Huns.
first heard OF their arrival through a
private OF the 1o6th, an Italian, who
came into the sick barracks.
These prisoners had been captured
in the drives against the Hindenburg
line on September 81 and 20. and were
praetSANlh. The only members Of the