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Show &EW IIIDE-AND-SEEK. WE8TBP.N GAME FOn BOYS AND PONIES. "aM RUI ami Utah Jompa Tha In-"aal In-"aal That lloraea Took In tha Sport Ulnars (Ifltn Loft In Craaa-, or "aslas from llooglia. Ots of the games boys played on aorta-back ln California In my day s hide and-scck. It was exciting fort, says tho New York Commercial Adverser. As I recall Incidents of Js istne they seem to me now to have wen dangerous, but that Is a mature lew. which never occurred to us then. Our favorlto place for the fan was on " edge of a neglected par, with a tteek running through It. and another crossed a field nearby llolh of these were hsrd Jumps, especially for somo cf the ponies, Hut there were several food Jumps, five or six ocr three or lour board fences, two over hedges, -d (alien trees wero Innumerable. The great advantage of this place, -owner, was a perfectly straight road long tho side of the park We measured meas-ured off a distance of about 300 yards down tho road from the nearest bilncli of woods For this dlttnnro there was 'o obstacle except on ono side, a fence too tuge to take. It was the home-ilretch home-ilretch to the line we drew with otif pars across the road, and many wore Us hot races down It. For tho gamo was to pick a boy to be "II" Usually the fastest horso de-tided de-tided that point. The boy who rodo aim had to count 100 or 200 to glvo tho others tlmo to scatter oft Into ths woods, across the creeks and down any of the mnny side rands, paths, trails cut of sight. Since everything was clear oft east of the homo mark, all the riders went off to the west beforo they left the main, straight road. After that they could ride any distance In uy direction. Hut they did not go far, for the pur-pole pur-pole of each boy was to get back kber undetected lo the homo mark, or If teen, to ride across this tins before "It" did, and he tried to ride cautiously after us, slipping along on hit horse at a walk, while ho peered Into tbe woods and high brush to catch a glimpse of boy or bone. When ho saw one ha called the rider's name and rode for home, unless the fellow caught gave In lo javo tho horse's wind. And If "It" called a boy from a position between hone and the hiding place, this usually happened This wasn't easy to do, however, for the lay nf the land was such that the outs could woik around, moving north or south from the main rosd and then eastward, whllo "It" had to hunt sometimes half n mtlo from home nnd far alt on one sldo or the other Then when he wns oft the rood beating beat-ing up after the sound of horses one way ho would catch the rattle of hoofs from tho other way or sec a flying pony and would have lo put back for n race to home base It was a disgrace to let more than ono or two riders In without a eonlest Well-mounted men liked to bo "It" so ss to mnko high records, and of courto the variety ut nnlmals was very greil All the horses, however, learned the game and enjoyed It Indeed, It was tbelr Interest In the sport that mado It dangerous, for often when n rider would not ico "It" coming, tho horso would, nnd at the familiar call would dash for home regardless of low houghs and trees close together. It was a common occurrence for a pony to get home safe, but without his mount, so common thnt It was n point long unsettled whether this should count safo or not. Sometimes we would agree before a game that It should, sometimes that It should not. "It" had to be a good horseman, for his horse put on the slert by his cautious movements, would listen and watch, and at tho slightest sound of running hoofs would whirl and dart off at full ereed. Fences were taken by horses with unready riders, creeks receded re-ceded boys who could not keep up with their horses, and brush and tbe limbs of trees often kept them back, suipendcd till help come. |