r with the young men, as well as boys, by teaching
them the old game of hat-ball.

The players (about a dozen) put their hats in a row near a house,
fence, or log (hollows up). A dead line is drawn ten feet from the
hats; all must stand outside of that. The one who is "it" begins by
throwing a soft ball into one of the hats. If he misses the hat, a
chip is put into his own, and he tries over. As soon as he drops the
ball into a hat, the owner runs {304} to get the ball; all the rest
run away. The owner must not follow beyond the dead line, but must
throw the ball at some one. If he hits him, a chip goes into that
person's hat; if not, a chip goes into his own.

As soon as some one has five chips, he wins the booby prize: that is,
he must hold his hand out steady against the wall, and each player has
five shots at it with the ball, as he stands on the dead line.

Duck-on-a-Rock

This is a good old grandfather game.

Each player has a large, smooth, roundish stone, about five or six
inches through. This is his duck. He keeps it permanently.

Toe rock is any low bowlder, block, stump, bump, or hillock on level
ground. A dead line is drawn through the rock, and another parallel,
fifteen feet away, for a firing line.

The fellow who is "it," or "keeper," perches his duck on the rock. The
others stand at the firing line and throw their ducks at his. They
must not pick them up or touch them with their hands when they are
beyond the dead line. If one does, then the keeper can tag him (unless
he reaches the firing line), and send him to do duty as keeper at the
rock.

But they can coax their ducks with their feet, up to the dead line,
not beyond, then watch for a chance to dodge back to the firing line,
where they are safe at all times.

If the duck is knocked off by anyone in fair firing, the keeper is
powerless till he has replaced it. Meantime, most of the players have
secured their ducks and got back safely to the firing line.

Road-side Cribbage

This is a game we often play in the train, to pass the time
pleasantly.

Sometimes one party takes the right side of the road, with the windows
there, and the other the left. Sometimes all players sit on the same
side.

The game is, whoever is first to see certain things agreed on scores
so many points.

Thus:
A crow or a cow counts 1
A cat 2
A hawk 3
An owl 4
A sheep 5
A goat