139. Cross-bars A boys game.--Halliwell s _Dictionary_. Cross-questions Nares (_Glossary_) mentions this game in a quotation from Wilson s _Inconstant Lady_, 1614. Cross Questions and Crooked Answers was a popular game at juvenile parties. The players sit in a circle, and each is asked in a whisper a question by the one on his left, and receives also in a whisper an answer to a question asked by himself of the person on his right. Each player must remember both the question he was asked and the answer he received, which have at the conclusion of the round to be stated aloud. Forfeits must be given if mistakes are made.--A. B.
Now this poor widow is left alone, Nobody could marry a better one; Choose one, choose two-- Choose the fairest daughter. --Sheffield (S. O. Addy). XVI. Round the green gravel the grass is so green, And all the fine ladies that ever were seen; Washed in milk and dressed in silk, The last that stoops down shall be married. [Johnnie Smith] is a nice young man, And so is [Bessie Jones] as nice as he; He came to the door with his hat in his hand, Inquiring for [Miss Jones]. She is neither within, she is neither without, She is up in the garret a-walking about. Down she came, as white as milk, With a rose in her bosom as soft as silk. Silks and satins be ever so dear, You shall have a kiss [gown?], my dear, So off with the glove and on with the ring-- To-morrow, to-morrow, the wedding begins.
This is usually called giving them a “free ride.” _=The Kitty=_ is now an almost universal adjunct to the pool. In clubs, it pays for the cards, and for an occasional round of refreshments; in small poker parties it defrays the expense of the weekly supper. When the amount is excessive, or accumulates too rapidly, it is often used to give the players a “free ride” by paying all their antes in a “kitty jack pot.” The kitty is usually kept by the banker, who takes a white counter out of every pool in which triplets or better are shown to the board, and a red counter out of every jack pot. These counters must be kept apart from the other chips, and must be accounted for at the end of the game by paying the kitty so much in cash, just as if it was one of the players. Gambling houses and poker rooms are supposed to derive their entire revenue from this source, and those of the lowest class invent endless excuses for taking out for the kitty. In many houses there is a sliding scale for various hands; one counter being taken for two pairs; two counters for triplets; three for straights or flushes; and a red for fours, jack pots, and misdeals. It is not uncommon for the proprietors of such games to find thirty or forty dollars in the kitty after a night’s play with five-cent chips. _=TABLE STAKES.
” If he gives cards, he may also take cards himself, after having helped his adversary. If he refuses, he must win at least three tricks or lose two points; and if the pone plays without proposing, he must make three tricks, or lose two points. The hands on which a player should stand, and those on which the dealer should refuse are known as _=jeux de règle=_, and will be found in the suggestions for good play. A proposal, acceptance, or refusal once made cannot be changed or taken back, and the number of cards asked for cannot be corrected. _=DISCARDING.=_ If the pone proposes, and the dealer asks: “How many?” the elder hand discards any number of cards from one to five, placing them on his right. These discards, once quitted, must not again be looked at. A player looking at his own or his adversary’s discards can be called upon to play with his cards exposed face upward on the table, but not liable to be called. The number of cards discarded must be distinctly announced, and the trump is then laid aside, and the cards given from the top of the pack, without further shuffling. It is considered imperative that the player who has proposed should take at least one card, even if he proposed with five trumps in his hand.
+-----+ +-----+ +-----+ | | | | | | +------+ Dealer’s:-- | 2 | | 4 | | 6 | |Trump.| | | | | | | +------+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ ] The players first take up hands Nos. 1 and 2; a card is led from No. 1, the dealer follows suit from No. 2, or trumps, or discards, and the play continues until these two hands are exhausted. The second set are then taken up and played in the same manner; the player who won the last trick in one set having the first lead in the next. Finally, the third set are played in the same manner; all the cards taken by each side being gathered into one pile by the player who has won them. The trump card must remain on the table until the dealer takes up the last hand. When three play, the set of hands first dealt must be first played, and then the second set taken up. The rules for cards played in error, leading out of turn, etc.
Harley). [Music] --Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy). I. I sent a letter to my love, And on the way I dropped it; And one of you have picked it up And put it in your pocket. --Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 213); Penzance (Mrs. Mabbott). II.
It is also given by Mr. Addy in his _Sheffield Glossary_, the words being the same except the last two lines, which run-- But shows his face with a comely grace, And leaves his staff at the very next place. Buk-hid This seems to be an old name for some game, probably Blindman s Buff, Sw. Blind-bock, q. bock and hufwud head (having the head resembling a goat). The sense, however, would agree better with Bo-peep or Hide and Seek. --Jamieson. Bull in the Park One child places himself in the centre of a circle of others. He then asks each of the circle in turn, Where s the key of the park? and is answered by every one, except the last, Ask the next-door neighbour. The last one answers, Get out the way you came in.
+----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ | No.| Scotland (Chambers). | Lanarkshire. | Biggar. | +----+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ | 1.|A-dis, a-dis, a green |A-dis, a-dis, a green |A dish, a dish, a | | |grass. |grass. |green grass. | | 2.| -- | -- | -- | | 3.
Three of these throws require special mention, all of which would be very bad openings in the American game, for reasons which will presently be explained. These throws are five-ace, four-ace, and deuce-ace, when played as follows:-- [Illustration: ⚄⚀ +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | | | | || x| | x|| | | | | | | | || | | | | |⛀| | | | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| | | | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | |⛂|⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ ⚃⚀ +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | | | | || x| | x|| | | | | | | | || | | | | |⛀| | | | | | |⛂|| | | | | |⛀| | | | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | |⛂|⛂|| |⛂|⛂| | |⛀| +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ ⚁⚀ +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | | | | || x| | x|| | | | | | | | || | | | | |⛀| | | | | | |⛂|| | | | | |⛀| | | | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | |⛂|⛂|| |⛂| | |⛂|⛀| +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ ] These are all unfortunate opening throws, five-ace being especially bad, and the English players think the best, perhaps because the boldest, way to play them is to leave one or two blots, one of which, however, lays the foundation for possession of your five-point on the next throw, always a great advantage if you can secure it. If neither of the blots are hit, the Englishman pushes forward in the hope of gammoning his adversary, and so winning a double game. In America, where gammons count no more than hits, nothing is to be gained by taking such chances, and the foregoing methods of playing these three throws would therefore be considered very bad. _=The English Game.=_ When the players count double and triple games, it is not an uncommon thing to play for the gammon, especially against inferior adversaries, or when one gets a decided advantage at the start. The first thing is to secure your own or your adversary’s five point, or both, and if you succeed in that you should play a very forward game, and endeavour to gammon your opponent. After the five-points, secure your bar point, so as to prevent your opponent from “running” with double sixes. Some players think the bar point better than the five point, but it must be remembered that points in the home table are usually better than any outside. If you get the five and bar points made up, try for the four point, and after that you may take some risks to get your men home, and do not take up your opponent’s men if you are ahead of him, because they may give you trouble when they re-enter in your home table.
In Diagram No. 7 the position that would result from castling with the Queen’s Rook is shown by the black men. [Illustration: _No. 7._ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | ♚ | ♜ | | | | ♜ | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | ♟ | ♟ | ♟ | | ♛ | ♟ | | ♟ | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | ♞ | ♟ | ♝ | ♞ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | ♝ | | ♟ | | | | ] _=Queening Pawns.=_ If a passed Pawn succeeds in reaching the last or eighth square on any file, the player to whom the Pawn belongs may call it anything he chooses, from a Queen to a Knight. If the piece he chooses has already been captured, it must be replaced on the board, and on the square occupied by the Pawn, which is then removed. If not, some other piece must be put upon the board as a marker; a Rook upside down, or a Pawn with a ring on it, may represent a second Queen. _=OBJECT OF THE GAME.=_ If all the pieces could be captured, the object of the game might be to clear the board of the adversary’s men, as in Checkers; but the peculiarity of Chess is that one piece, the King, cannot be captured, and the object is to get the adverse King in such a position that he could not escape capture if he were a capturable piece.
=_ There are several methods of scoring at whist. The English game is 5 points, rubbers being always played. Besides the points scored for tricks, honours are counted; the games have a different value, according to the score of the adversaries; and the side winning the rubber adds two points to its score. In scoring, the revoke penalty counts first, tricks next, and honours last. _=The Revoke.=_ Should the adversaries detect and claim a revoke before the cards are cut for the following deal, they have the option of three penalties: 1st. To take three tricks from the revoking player, adding them to their own. 2nd. To deduct three points from his game score. 3rd.
Any one dealing out of turn, or with the adversary’s cards, may be stopped before the trump card is turned up, after which the game must proceed as if no mistake had been made. 49. A player can neither shuffle, cut, nor deal for his partner, without the permission of his opponents. 50. If the adversaries interrupt a dealer whilst dealing, either by questioning the score or asserting that it is not his deal, and fail to establish such claim, should a misdeal occur, he may deal again. 51. Should a player take his partner’s deal and misdeal, the latter is liable to the usual penalty, and the adversary next in rotation to the player who ought to have dealt then deals. THE TRUMP CARD. 52. The dealer, when it is his turn to play to the first trick, should take the trump card into his hand; if left on the table after the first trick be turned and quitted, it is liable to be called; his partner may at any time remind him of the liability.
He may even go no trump on a lighter hand. When the dealer bids a suit, second hand should over-call only when he can make his contract or wishes to indicate a lead in case third hand should go to no trumps. Second hand should never take the dealer out of a losing suit with a winning suit unless he has seven tricks in his own hand. If the dealer bids no trump, second hand should pass, unless he is prepared to over-call any further bid for three tricks. _=Third Hand=_ is not obliged to take the dealer out of a spade, and should not do so unless he is a trick or two stronger than he would have to be to declare as dealer. But the dealer must never be left in with a two or three spade bid. If third hand cannot do any better, he should declare a royal. When the dealer bids no trump, third hand should take him out with any weak five card suit and nothing else, simply to warn him that there are no winning cards in the hand. Always take him out with five cards in a winning suit, no matter how strong the rest of the hand. Take the dealer out of one suit with another suit only to deny his suit.
BANFFSHIRE-- Duthil, Keith, Strathspey Rev. W. Gregor. ELGIN-- Fochabers Rev. W. Gregor. KIRKCUDBRIGHT-- Auchencairn Prof. A. C. Haddon.
The deal then passes to the left. Should any player make a bet, each in turn, beginning with the one on his left, must call it, raise it, or abandon his hand. Players who have passed the first time, must now decide. The rules for seeing, raising, calling, and showing hands are precisely the same as at Draw Poker. Owing to the absence of the draw, there is no clue to the strength of an opponent’s hand, except his manner, and the amount of his bet. The hands shown are much weaker than the average of those at Draw Poker, being about equal to hands that a player in that game would come in on. Triplets are very strong at Straight Poker, and two pairs will win three out of four pools in a five-handed game. The great element of success is bluff. STUD POKER. The arrangements for the cards, seats, antes, buck, etc.
As the last figure, but the checks are taken up two at a throw. 3. As the last, but at the first throw one check, called the Horse, is taken up, and at the second the remaining three checks at once, called the Cart. 4. As before, but all the checks taken up together. 5. Called Ups and Downs. The checks are taken up at one throw, and set down outside the ring at the next. This is done first with one, then with two, and so on. 6.
Then tell him what he does not know, that you have the Queen also. Suppose you have led the King from these combinations:-- [Illustration: 🂱 🂾 🂽 🂻 | 🂡 🂮 🂭 🂢 ] Your partner knows you have the Ace, because your King wins. From the first, go on with the Jack, which is just as good as the Ace, but tells your partner you have not only the Ace but the Queen, still in your hand. From the second, go on with the Queen, the card your partner does not know, which tells him you still have the Ace, _=but not the Jack=_. If you have not the Queen, you will have to go on with the Ace, and your leading the Ace _=will deny the Queen=_. If you have not the best, lead one of the second and third-best, if you hold both:-- [Illustration: 🃞 🃝 🃛 🃚 | 🂾 🂽 🂻 🂲 ] From the first of these, having led the King, if it wins, go on with the ten, whether you have any smaller cards or not. From the second, if the King wins, go on with the Jack, which denies the ten, but tells your partner you still have the Queen. No mistake is more common among beginners than leading a low card on the second round, on the assumption that the partner must have the Ace. If you have led from King and Queen only, you must go on with the fourth-best; because you have not both the second and third-best. This fourth-best is the card that was the fourth-best originally.
The last one answers, Get out the way you came in. The centre one then makes a dash at the hands of some of the circle, and continues to do so until he breaks through, when all the others chase him. Whoever catches him is then Bull.--Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler). The Bull in the Barn is apparently the same game. The players form a ring; one player in the middle called the Bull, one outside called the King. Bull: Where is the key of the barn-door? Chorus: Go to the next-door neighbour. King: She left the key in the church-door. Bull: Steel or iron? He then forces his way out of the ring, and whoever catches him becomes Bull.--Berrington (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, pp.
It always excites a hearty laugh among the senior bystanders; but, ridiculous as it is, it gives occasion for the display of some spirit and agility, as well as skill, there being always an inclination to topple over. Each performer sings the verse (Chambers; Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_). Mr. Ballantyne says that each one apart tried to dance by throwing out their feet and jumping sideways. (_c_) The first syllable of this word is, says Jamieson, undoubtedly the verb _curr_, to sit on the houghs or hams. The second may be from Teut. _kudde_, a flock; _kudd-en_, coire, convenire, congregari, aggregari; _kudde wijs_, gregatim, catervatim, q. to curr together. The same game is called _Harry Hurcheon_ in the North of Scotland, either from the resemblance of one in this position to a _hurcheon_, or hedge-hog, squatting under a bush; or from the Belg. _hurk-en_ to squat, to _hurkle_.
_=Taking Tricks.=_ The methods of taking tricks, and placing them so that they can be easily counted, have been fully described in connection with whist. _=OBJECT OF THE GAME.=_ As in whist, the object is to take tricks; the highest card played of the suit led wins, and trumps win against all other suits. The first six tricks taken by one side, and forming a _=book=_, do not count; but all above that number count toward game. At the end of each hand, the side that has taken any tricks in excess of the book scores them, their opponents counting nothing. As soon as either side reaches five points, they win the game, but the concluding hand must be played out, and the winners are entitled to score all the points over five that they can make on that hand. For instance: The score is 4 to 3 in favor of Vivant and Mort. They win the first seven tricks, which makes them game; but they do not cease playing. If they succeed in gaining eleven tricks out of the thirteen, they win a game of 9 points, instead of 5.
8. Before every deal, the cards must be shuffled. When two packs are used, the dealer’s partner must collect and shuffle the cards for the ensuing deal and place them at his right hand. In all cases the dealer may shuffle last. In _=Boston=_ and in _=Cayenne=_, two packs must be used; and in Boston there must be no shuffling of either pack after the first deal. 9. A pack must not be shuffled during the play of a hand, nor so as to expose the face of any card. CUTTING TO THE DEALER. 10. The dealer must present the pack to his right hand adversary to be cut; the adversary must take a portion from the top of the pack and place it toward the dealer; at least four cards must be left in each packet; the dealer must reunite the packets by placing the one not removed in cutting upon the other.
” As the black King can move only one square at a time, he cannot get out of check by moving, because the only squares to which he could go would still leave him in check from the Rook. Neither the Knight nor the Bishop can interpose to shut out the Rook’s attack; neither of those pieces can capture the Rook; and the Pawns cannot move backward; so the black King is mated, and White wins the game. A mate may take place in the middle of the board, as shown in Diagram No. 9. [Illustration: _No. 9._ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | ♛ | ♚ | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | ♕ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | ♔ | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | ♜ | | | | | | | ] If the black Queen moves diagonally four squares, placing herself in front of the white King, and on the same horizontal file as the black Rook, it will be check-mate, because the white King cannot get out of one check into another by taking the Queen, which is protected by the Rook. For the same reason he cannot move, as the only squares open to him would leave him in check from the Queen, or move him into check from the black King. _=Stalemate.=_ If the King is not in check, but cannot move without going into check, and there is no other piece for the player to move, it is called a stale-mate, and the game is drawn.
See Bridgeboard, Nine Men s Morris. Nine Men s Morris In the East Riding this game is played thus: A flat piece of wood about eight inches square is taken, and on it twenty-four holes are bored by means of a hot skewer or piece of hot iron. [Illustration: Fig. 1.] Each of the two players has nine wooden pegs, which are either coloured or shaped differently, and the object of each player is to get three of his own pegs in a straight line (fig. 1). It is called Merrils. --Sheffield (S. O. Addy).
| -- | -- | -- | |25.| -- |She showed her ring |Married to-day so kiss| | | |and bells did ring. |one another. | |26.| -- | -- | -- | |27.| -- | -- | -- | |28.|[Wallflowers verses | -- | -- | | |follow.] | | | |29.| -- | -- |Poor widow left alone,| | | | |and choose the fairest| | | | |daughter. | |30.