Evening star., 1921-03-27
AROUND THE CITY

IF you see on the pavement a big
chalk circle that would look like
the Mexican calendar stone over
at the museum. except that it
doesn't, you will know that hop-scotch
is with US again.
One woman, however, who might
have posed as stalking ignorance.
paused to study the scrawl as IL it
were a cryptogram. When another
woman came along she halted her to
ask if she could tell what the sign
meant. The other woman could and
did.
Funny I never heard of it; must
have come in after my time. When
j was a child We used to roll hoop,
jump rope. play jacks with marbles
that called for skill and imagination
instead of the lead squares girls use
today, and have ring games. l don't
see how mothers ever let those old
singing games die out. Where will
you find anything so innocent and
healthy and, educationally, SO valu-
able as those old FOLKLORE verses set
to play, or anything so dramatically
inspiring as. There came three dukes
a-riding, riding. riding: there came
three dukes a-riding, with a ransom,
tanSom-l forget the rest?
The other woman couldn't supply
the rhyme. but put in her own little
reminiscence:
Il lived in the country. where there
were few games. but 1 remember the
one about oh, sweet beans and barley
groves
The lady who knew nothing what
ever of hop-scotch raised a correcting
hand.
You haven't got it right. The
barley grows I'm SO glad 1 stopped
YOU See if you remember this one:
King William was King James SON
- Go on"
"'And of the royal race he run.
Upon his breast he wore a star. point
ing a way to the pickle jar
And when they had chummed and
chuckled, as wholesome, homely wom-
en- will-provided they own hearts and
souls and fair share Of brains-they
went their ways, and that was all
there was to it, except that:
Seeing you can find nothing more
innocent and healthy and education
ally valuable than those old folklore
verses set to play" wouldn't it be
fine idea for community centers to re-
vive the singing games of childhood?
A BOY picked up an apple core from
~ the street
To a stout woman Of tender sensi-
bilities the action was too narrowing
to pass without aid, for she halted the
man with her:
did you see what that poor child
did, Pa? Wait a minute. I'm going to
give him one good meal. anyhow"
She opened bag which looked like
a bank. in it's implication of wealth
within and waddled towards the Boy,
but
She didn't give him the bill in her
hand. for just then he SHE'D the core
at another boy ahead. The really
beautiful pity died out of her eyes
and, as she Joined her husband, the
bank was sealed with a snap:
That little rascal doesn't want
food. He wants Ghipping"
But Pa just laughed. He used to be
. boy himself.
THERE is nothing enticing about
one has dropped on the street. 1t just
lay where it fell, to be f1attened out
by passing feet or driven into the
earth between bricks, with no one to
bother over it one way or the other,
until: .. IN
Along about noon an old man shuf-
fling by saw the pin and picked it up.
To get it. he had to stoop with the
slow laboriousness of rheumatic
joints. and, when he had Strengthened
up, the hand that held the pin went to
his back with the spasmodic quick
ness that means cricks.
When he had Investigated his find,
rubbed it against his coat and then
stuck it in a lapel. he shuffied on and
out of the incident, and that was all
there was to It, unless you wanted to
wonder:
What did he want to hurt his old
back and joints for, seeing that he
wasn't the type that takes to miser-
able little miserliness. And he was
too outspokenly poor to humor him
self with hobbies.
Maybe he just wanted a pin, any old
pin. to stick something together with.
And maybe again. he had grown
mellow tenderness for the old saying
of superstitious days:
''See pin and let it lay. brings bad
luck all the day. See a. pin and pick
il up"-but he didn't look as lucky
MOVING. PACKING & STORAGE