(H. Hardy). I. Mary s gone a-milking, Mother, mother, Mary s gone a-milking, Gentle sweet mother o mine. Take your pails and go after her, Daughter, daughter, Take your pails and go after her, Gentle sweet daughter o mine. Buy me a pair of new milking pails, Mother, mother, Buy me a pair of new milking pails, Gentle sweet mother o mine. Where s the money to come from, Daughter, daughter, Where s the money to come from, Gentle sweet daughter o mine? Sell my father s feather bed, Mother, mother, Sell my father s feather bed, Gentle sweet mother o mine. What s your father to sleep on, Daughter, daughter, What s your father to sleep on, Gentle sweet daughter o mine? Put him in the truckle bed, Mother, mother, Put him in the truckle bed, Gentle sweet mother o mine. What are the children to sleep on, Daughter, daughter, What are the children to sleep on, Gentle sweet daughter o mine? Put them in the pig-sty, Mother, mother, Put them in the pig-sty, Gentle sweet mother o mine. What are the pigs to lie in, Daughter, daughter, What are the pigs to lie in, Gentle sweet daughter o mine? Put them in the washing-tubs, Mother, mother, Put them in the washing-tubs, Gentle sweet mother o mine.
What about it? he demanded. I shrugged. I had my way with the dice, Peno. I dropped nine yards as fast as I could, then won it back. The spots came up for me every single roll but two, when I had my eye on something else. He snickered. We saw her, he said. How about it, Fowler? I asked my Lodge Brother. Was a worker tipping the dice tonight? I never felt it, he said. But the table had dropped nearly forty grand during the shift, which was about over when you started to play.
, to hand the stakes to the banker. Entamer, F., to lead. Established Suits, a suit is established when you or your partner can take every trick in it, no matter who leads it. Étaler, F., to expose a card. Exposed Cards, cards played in error, or dropped face upward on the table, or held so that the partner can see them. Face Cards, K, Q and J. Faire les Cartes, F., to shuffle; or to make the majority of cards or tricks in a game.
Mort is not liable to penalty under any circumstances. If any other player revokes, his opponents may take three points from the score of his side; or add three points to their score; or take three of his tricks. The penalty cannot be divided; but if two or more revokes are made by the same side, the penalty for each may be enforced in a different manner. For instance: If the score is 3 to 2 in favor of the adversaries, Vivant may take three points from their score for one revoke, and add three to his own score for the other. It is not permissible to reduce the revoking player’s _=tricks=_ to nothing. At least one must be left in order to prevent slams being made through revoke penalties. _=Cards Played in Error.=_ Vivant is not liable to any penalty for dropping his cards face up on the table; but if he or Mort plays two cards at once to a trick, the adversaries may select which they will allow to be played. The adversaries are subject to the same penalties as in whist for all cards played in error. _=Leading Out of Turn.
_=13.=_ If a ball or balls are in the way of a striker’s cue, so that he cannot play at his ball, he can have them taken up. _=14.=_ When the striker _takes_ a life, he continues to play on as long as he can pocket a ball, or until the balls are all off the table, in which latter case he places his own ball on the spot as at the commencement. _=15.=_ The first player who loses his three lives is entitled to purchase, or _star_, by paying into the pool a sum equal to his original stake, for which he receives lives equal in number to the lowest number of lives on the board. _=16.=_ If the player first out refuse to star, the second player out may do so; but if the second refuse, the third may star, and so on, until only two players are left in the pool, when the privilege of starring ceases. _=17.=_ Only one star is allowed in a pool.
If the battle is still undecided when both forces are reduced below fifteen men, the battle is drawn and the 100 points for victory are divided. Note--This game can be fought with any sized force, but if it is fought with less than 50 a side, the minimum must be 10 a side. (2) The Blow at the Rear game is decided when at least three men of one force reach any point in the back line of their antagonist. He is then supposed to have suffered a strategic defeat, and he must retreat his entire force over the back line in six moves, i.e. six of his moves. Anything left on the field after six moves capitulates to the victor. Points count as in the preceding game, but this lasts a shorter time and is better adapted to a cramped country with a short back line. With a long rear line the game is simply a rush at some weak point in the first player s line by the entire cavalry brigade of the second player. Instead of making the whole back line available for the Blow at the Rear, the middle or either half may be taken.
It is seldom right to lead small cards of a plain suit. There is a better chance to make a trick with the King by leading it than by keeping it guarded. In the trump suit, tenaces are very strong, and should be preserved, especially if the tenace is over the turn-up trump. There is a familiar example of the importance of tenace when only two play, in which one person holds the major tenace in trumps, hearts, and must win three tricks, no matter which player leads. The cards in one hand are:-- [Illustration: 🂻 🂱 🂺 🂡 🂮 ] and those in the other hand are;-- [Illustration: 🃋 🂾 🂽 🂹 🃑 ] If the player with the major tenace has to lead first, all he has to do is to force his adversary with the plain suit, spades. Whatever the adversary leads, the player with the major tenace simply wins it, and forces again. If the player with the four trumps has the first lead, it does not matter what card he plays; the player with the major tenace wins it, and forces with the plain suit. As long as the major tenace in trumps is not led away from, it must win three tricks in trumps. _=Leading Trumps.=_ With strong cards in plain suits, the eldest hand may often lead trumps to advantage if the dealer’s partner has assisted, especially if the turn-up trump is small.
When singing the last line they unclasp their hands, and each one turns rapidly round. They then sing the next verse, suiting their actions to the words they sing, again turning round singly at the last line. This is done with every alternate verse, the first verse being always sung as a chorus or dance in between the different action-verses. The verses may be varied or added to at pleasure. The actions generally consist of washing and dressing oneself, combing hair, washing clothes, baking bread, sweeping the floor, going to and returning from school, learning to read, cleaning boots, and lacing stays. When going to school, the children walk two by two in an orderly manner; when coming home from school, jumping and running is the style adopted; lacing stays, the hands are put behind and moved first one and then the other, as if lacing; this is the way the ladies walk, holding up skirts and walking primly; gentlemen walk, walking with long strides and sticks. The dressing process and cleaning boots preceded school. (_c_) This game is well known, and played in almost all parts of England. It is always played in the same way. There is so little variety in the different versions that it appears unnecessary to give more than one here.
, &c. --Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 57). (_b_) There must be an odd number of players at this game. They form into couples, each standing behind the other, making a ring, the girls inside, one boy standing alone in the middle. As they go round they sing the verse. At the end each boy leaves hold of his partner s arm and catches the arm of the girl in front, the one who is standing in the centre trying in the confusion to get into a place. If he succeeds, the child left out has to be the one in the centre the next time. (_c_) Mr. Newell (_Games_, p.
At Asborne the struggle was between the up ards and down ards. At Dorking the divisions were between the east and west ends of the town, and there was first a perambulation of the streets by the football retinue composed of grotesquely dressed persons. At Alnwick the divisions were the parishes of St. Michael s and St. Paul s. At Kirkwall the contest was on New Year s Day, and was between up the gates and down the gates, the ball being thrown up at the Cross. At Scarborough, on the morning of Shrove Tuesday, hawkers paraded the streets with parti-coloured balls, which were purchased by all ranks of the community. With these, and armed with sticks, men, women, and children repaired to the sands below the old town and indiscriminately commenced a contest. The following graphic account of Welsh customs was printed in the _Oswestry Observer_ of March 2, 1887: In South Cardiganshire it seems that about eighty years ago the population, rich and poor, male and female, of opposing parishes, turned out on Christmas Day and indulged in the game of Football with such vigour that it became little short of a serious fight. The parishioners of Cellan and Pencarreg were particularly bitter in their conflicts; men threw off their coats and waistcoats and women their gowns, and sometimes their petticoats.
Mr. Newell (_Games_, p. 73), in describing a game with a similar rhyme, mentions a version which had been sent him from Waterford, Ireland. He says, We learn from an informant that in her town it was formerly played in this peculiar manner. Over the head of a girl who stood in the centre of a ring was held a shawl, sustained by four others grasping the corners. The game then proceeded as follows-- King William was King George s son, From the Bay of Biscay O! Upon his breast he wore a star-- Find your way to English schools. Down on the carpet you must kneel; As the grass grows in the field, Salute your bride and kiss her sweet, And rise again upon your feet. Then followed the game-rhyme, repeated with each stanza-- Go choose you east, go choose you west, apparently the same as last four lines of Sheffield version. King William is then supposed to enter-- The first girl that I loved so dear, Can it be she s gone from me? If she s not here when the night comes on, Will none of you tell me where she s gone? He then recognises the disguised girl-- There s heart beneath the willow tree, There s no one here but my love and me. He had gone to the war, and promised to marry her when he came back.
| -- | | 42.| -- | | 43.| -- | | 44.| -- | | 45.| -- | | 46.| -- | +----+----------------------+ (_e_) Henderson, in describing the curious rites accompanying the saining or blessing of a corpse in the Scottish Lowlands, states that empty dishes are arranged on the hearth as near as possible to the fire, and after certain ceremonies in connection therewith have been performed, the company join hands and dance round the dishes, singing this burden:-- A dis, a dis, a dis, A green griss; A dis, a dis, a dis. --_Folk-lore of Northern Counties_, p. 54. This rhyme is, it will be seen, the same as the first two lines of the game, the word griss in the burial-rhyme becoming grass in the game-rhyme, grisse being the old form for grass or herb (Halliwell, _Provincial Glossary_, quotes a MS. authority for this).
The Mother sings the answers to their questions, standing still and hiding Jenny Jones all the time from view. When the verses are finished, Jenny Jones lies down as if she were dead, and the Mother stands aside. Two of the other players then take up Jenny Jones, one by the shoulders and the other by the feet, and carry her a little distance off, where they lay her on the ground. All the players follow, generally two by two, with their handkerchiefs at their eyes and heads lowered, pretending to grieve. This is the more general way of playing the game. In those versions where the reply, Very well, ladies, occurs, this is sung by the line of children just before they sing, We ve come to see Jenny Jones. Sometimes, as in the Berrington and Chirbury game, two lines of children facing each other advance and retire, singing the verses. They then carry Jenny Jones to a corner, lay her down, stand in a circle round, and sing to her the last verse. In the Hants versions sent by Miss Mendham, six or eight children carry Jenny stretched out and flat, lay her down, cover her over, and then sing the last lines. The rest of the children follow them.
Four Aces is always a no-trumper, no matter what the rest of the hand may be. If he is obliged to make it black, and has three or four probable tricks, he should announce whichever suit he is best in. Attention should be paid to the score; for in many instances the suit must be selected so that the adversaries cannot win the game with the odd trick, even if they double. _=Doubling.=_ The dealer or his partner having announced the trump, the adversary should carefully consider the score before doubling or playing. Most players consider themselves justified in doubling when they have six reasonably certain tricks in their own hands, trusting partner for one only. Great caution should be used in doubling no-trumpers, the position of the lead being carefully studied; because the odd trick usually settles the fate of the game when a no-trumper is doubled. While a player with the lead, and seven certain tricks in one suit, should double a no-trumper, his partner would be very foolish to do so, unless he had, in addition to his long suit, the heart ace; for it is a conventionality of the game for A to lead hearts if B doubles a no-trumper. The original maker of the trump should be very strong to justify him in redoubling the adversary. If he had four probable tricks originally, he may count the adversary who doubles for five, and of the four doubtful tricks remaining, the odds are against partner having the three which would be necessary to win the odd trick.
Cockertie-hooie. Cockle-bread. Cockly-jock. Cock s-headling. Cock-steddling. Codlings. Cogger. Cogs. Common. Conkers.
The Eckington (Derbyshire) version is played as follows:--A number of young women form a ring. A man stands within the ring, and they sing the words. He then makes choice of a girl, who takes his arm. They both walk round the circle while the others sing the same lines again. The girl who has been chosen makes choice of a young man in the ring, who in his turn chooses another girl, and so on till they have all paired off. (_c_) The first verse of the Shropshire version is also sung at Metheringham, near Lincoln (C. C. Bell), and Cowes, I. W. (Miss E.
” His partner then lays his cards face downward on the table and takes no further part in the play of that hand. If he exposes any card of the abandoned hand, the adversaries can call upon him to take up the hand and play it, leaving the exposed card on the table as liable to be called. This of course prevents the lone hand. If the dealer’s partner wishes to play alone, instead of assisting, he says: “_=I play this alone=_,” and the dealer lays down his cards, leaving the trump on the pack. _=PLAYING ALONE.=_ No player but the one that takes up, orders up, or makes the trump can play a lone hand. If the dealer takes up the trump card of his own accord, he can play alone. If any player orders up or assists, that player can play alone. Any player making a new trump after the first has been turned down, can play alone. If one player orders up the trump, neither his partner nor his adversary can play alone; and if the dealer’s partner assists, that prevents the dealer from playing a lone hand.
The Seven, Eight and Nine have no counting value. The rank of the suits has no influence on their trick-taking powers, nor on the value of the Zahlkarten; but it increases or diminishes the value of the “game” played for. When any suit is made the trump, it takes the precedence of the three others only in so far as trumps will win other suits, and the suits which are not trumps are equal in value so far as trick-taking is concerned. As the four Wenzels are always the highest trumps, there will always be eleven cards in the trump suit, and seven in each of the plain suits; so that if clubs were trumps, the rank of the cards would be:-- [Illustration: 🃛 🂫 🂻 🃋 🃑 🃚 🃞 🃝 🃙 🃘 🃗 ] In any of the other suits the rank would be:-- [Illustration: 🂡 🂪 🂮 🂭 🂩 🂨 🂧 ] _=Matadores.=_ The club Jack is always the best trump, and every trump card in unbroken sequence with the club Jack is called a Matadore, provided the sequence is in the hand of the same player. This rule holds whether the sequence was in the hand originally dealt to him or part of it is found in the Skat, should he become possessed of the Skat cards. For instance: Clubs are trumps, and a player holds these cards:-- [Illustration: 🃛 🂻 🃋 🃑 🃚 🃘 🃗 ] He has only one Matadore; but as the Skat cards will belong to him if he has made the trump, he may find in them the spade Jack, which would complete his sequence, giving him six Matadores, instead of one. As one side or the other must have the club Jack in every deal, there must always be a certain number of Matadores, from one to eleven. If the player who makes the trump has them, he is said to play _=with=_ so many; if his adversaries hold them, he is said to play _=without=_ just as many as they hold. The difficult thing for the beginner at Skat to understand is that whether a player holds the Matadores or not, the number of them has exactly the same influence on the value of his game.
THREE-HANDED SIXTY-SIX. This is exactly the same as the ordinary game, except that the dealer takes no cards, but scores whatever points are won on the hand he deals. If neither of the others score, either through each making 65, or one failing to claim 66, the dealer scores one point, and the others get nothing. The dealer cannot go out on his own deal. He must stop at six, and win out by his own play. There are two ways to settle: Each may pay a certain amount to the pool, and the first man out take it all; or, after one is out, the two remaining finish the game, and the loser pays both or settles for the refreshments, as the case may be. If the first man goes out when it will be his turn to deal, he must deal the next hand. FOUR-HANDED SIXTY-SIX This game is sometimes called _=Kreutz-mariage=_, owing to the German fashion of dealing the cards in the form of a cross; but as the cards are not dealt that way, and marriages are not scored in America, the name is not appropriate in this country. The pack is increased to thirty-two cards by the addition of the Sevens and Eights. After the cards are cut by the pone, the dealer gives three to each player on the first round, then two, and then three again, turning up the last card for the trump.
The three sights on the end rail at head of the table are not occupied by any ball. The opening stroke _must_ be to strike the _one_-ball. If that ball is holed it is placed to the credit of the player, and he continues his hand until he fails to score, but in continuing he must play each time upon the ball bearing the lowest number on the table. After playing upon that ball, however, should any other be pocketed by the same stroke, irrespective of its number, it shall be placed to the player’s credit so pocketing it. If the line of aim at the ball required to be hit is covered by another ball, the player may resort to a bank play or massé, etc., but should he fail to hit the required ball he forfeits three, receiving a scratch. COW-BOY POOL. 1. The game is played by two or more contestants, on a pool table, with one cue ball and three colored balls numbered respectively 1, 3 and 5. 2.
Then the left hand is taken away, and the four stones caught up in one sweep of the hand. Then all four stones are thrown down, and one is picked up before the marble is caught. This is retained in the hand, and when the second stone is picked up the first one is laid down before the marble is caught; the third is picked up and the second laid down, the fourth picked up and the third laid down, then the fourth laid down, the marble being tossed and caught again each time. The stones have different names or marks (which follow in rotation), and in picking them up they must be taken in their proper order, or it is counted as a mistake. The game is played throughout by the right hand, the left hand only being used when arches is made. The marble should be thrown up about the same height each toss, and there should be little or no interval between the different figures.--Annie Dicker. I saw this game played in Endell Street, London, W.C., by two girls.
Udal s versions from Dorsetshire are not only called The Lady of the Land, but are fuller than all the other versions, though probably these are not complete. Mr. Newell (_Games_, pp. 56-58) gives some versions of this game. He considers the original to have been a European game (he had not found an English example) in which there were two mothers, a rich and a poor one; one mother begging away, one by one, all the daughters of the other. (_d_) This game no doubt originates from the country practice of hiring servants at fairs, or from a dramatic Hirings being acted at Harvest Homes. The Good-bye of mother and daughters belongs, no doubt, to the original game and early versions, and is consistent with the departure of a servant to her new home. The lover incident is an interpolation, but there may have been a request on the part of the mother to the lady not to allow the girl followers or sweethearts too soon. As to the old practice of hiring servants, Miss Burne has noted how distinctly it stamps itself upon local custom (_Shropshire Folklore_, pp. 461, 464).