The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-12-02

scattered. for any bull could grab the
ball and hit = keeper. II they MT i
keeper he WAS out" and # they missed
the balls lost 4 member. The game con
tinucd uny:l all Of one side had been rut
out. II was 4 wonderful game for quick
ness for doU&iug and for throwing and
the boys developed real skill At IT,
That game In my tim" suffered and
was put under the ban. We had new
male teacher who wanted to make MT
with the kids and insisted upon get
ting into all the games. II takes quite
a man to win boys we'll enough 10 be
treated as an equal and this one showed
that he was CondeScending to play with
us He came out 10 play bull pen and was
one Of the bulls During the game
Charlie Gamble winked at me and threw
q ball across. l grabbed II and cut
loose al the teacher. Just as | threw
realized why Gamble had winked. The
teacher lodged. the ball missed his head
an inch and Splntered Il board In the
fence. Gamble had thrown ball or the
species known as half dollar dead
which was only little harder than
granite, TO me in place of the soft ball
and ;hat unreasonable teacher refused
to be convinced that we had not plotted
to kill him.
Hat Ball A Good Game
Another game which was extremely
popular was hat ball" played with
firm but not too hard ball. Each boy
put his hat on the ground and stood
! over il. One took the ball. motioned,
pretending To drop IL first in one ha'
, then tho other. and finally let II fall In
70 one The fellow whose hat caught
the ball had to grab IL and throw at the
Ii hn fNt,f
him out and II he missed he was out.
In our day, OF course. Gymnastums
= and organized sports wer" unknown. We
3 played a form OF football. zoo or more
kids OF all sizes dividing into two sides.
Two boys chose up and II was quite
. an honor to he chosen first. In fact.
when we finally learned football OF the
: American type the first dozen boys
I chosen At the old game were picked as
the team 1t has seemed sometimes as
o IL this ScleCtiye work was better done
than that OF coaches. for kids who play
with and against eaC hother know each
. others ability.
This mass football was. OF course. an
inherirnaCe from old British school foot
ball. Maurice Joy has promised 10 write
: for YOU and me about the kid kamcS In
English schools he attended. especially
= about gravel football. wnlGh ~21
/ something like our form OF the game.
"ons and over" Great Sport
Our great game in the spring was
+ 'one and over" form Of leapfrog. We
J played leapfrog going home. but one
/ and over" was reserved for the fellows
who could jump. Al the start one boy
WAS down" He bent over. presenting
his back for the others To vault upon
; their hands. The leader started from a
! mari and the one who was down moved
! up TO where the leader set the mark
by humping over him. Each boy in
the game then vaulted over him and the
! leader set a new mark. and whoever
! failed to get over the boy who was
! down had 70 TAX" hiss place. l have
seen four or more boys clear the hurdle
! at seventeen fcet,and some up to twenty
feet.
Another form Of the game was that
each one who failed had 10 poin the one
who was down" and. turning sideways,
| lineup with him until at times ten or
more boys would be down. with the sur
viyors leaping over them. their hands
| lighting on the last one in the row.
| Organized sport games With fixed
! rules Of course are better. and directed
| sport prevents evils especially bullying
| but some Of those games evolved by
| kids may be worth kecpinG.