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Show MARBLE TIME HERE. Marble time U here. The ba'kbone of winter is broken. It makes no difference dif-ference what the weather man mry say, nor how the ground hog performed. per-formed. Spring Is coming right along, end ihr r will be no more ?r.. weather. weath-er. There tjever Is nny zero weather weath-er nfN-r marble time. It's r.gshist the rules, and the rules of marble I line-are line-are rfs certain and Invariable as the laws of I he Mede end Forslars. It U dl'ltcult to secure any very reliable re-liable Information concerning the flrt nmblo time the game Is of doubtful doubt-ful antiquity. The sporting editor ran't tell anything about it, although there was a time whn ho was more Interested In its preservation than he now professes to be In p. lot of thinss pertaining to wrestling, base-ball base-ball and other things which do not Interest a well-regulated I oy half ho much at this time nr. marbles. Sporting Sport-ing editors ought to be Interested hi marble time, because It marks the beginning of the outdrcr spcrts of sprlnstlrne. ot Is the one Infalllable sign. And li comes wl'hom r.ny foolish fool-ish prellmlm-rios. There arc no meetings meet-ings i f committees, nor association, nor managers. Marble tlnjo. ju9t comes; comes everywhere at once and continues until the peg-top acason opens, which In turn gives way to the splnnlng-top. If you are I he least hit 1n doubt as to the coming of nnirblo time, Just lake walk to tbe school jouse In your neighborhood ami look In the windows of ihe III lie .-tore. Lot your eyes fast upon the luxurious pre-Kentatlon pre-Kentatlon Of pe.'.wees, lommlep, ttgar-cye.-. icates, glassies, linmles and alleys. They would not have the place of honor In the window If It were not ihe open season for marbles. If still unconvinced, go over to the nearest vacant lot, or look for the proper cleared space between tbe fldewnlU and the curb, where the small boys have eon.repa'cd. Over-eoatle.-ss and barhcaded, yoi will find tbem with purple knuckles shooting away, unmindful of the fact that the wind '.s still chilling, and calling excitedly ex-citedly In language whlon has never yet found Its way Into any dictionary, nltlio.igh Its right to a place in the recognized vocabulary is . not to be questioned. If centuries of use establish estab-lish the authority of words. Do you remember the time when your mother made a marble bag for you, secured with a puckering string? Do you . remember the capitalist among jour buy friend j who possessed posses-sed a bag filled and overflowing with the little spheres, the result of steady shooting? Do you recall the f?ct that marble time Just came, that nolndy said anything about It, that It was not discussed, thru cue day it was and that every boy of your acquaintance acquaint-ance had a bag or pocketful of marble 1 and was prepared to win yours or lose his? Of course you do. and of course you don't know the occult reason! rea-son! Nol.odv can give the answer. Is Is a.-, dlfticclt n problem ti solve a. the e of Ann. . Do you remember "fen," "fen dibt" "pinch flnuored," "fen borings," "knuckles down, vcrew bonv." and these other classics? And did you ever fcl ilrher In your lift- than when you won the big "cornelian." If you ever did win one It tskes a mighty expert player to play in the j game when the "caruellan" J. at stake for a "carnellan," yon must remember. remem-ber. Is worth an entire bag full of ordinary marbles. It may be that you are a fan In some particular line and pre.fos to believe that marbles ij no more a game than ricquet. All right, If tha' Is your position, but it s a '"earnellin" ag-.iinst r.n "alley" that )ou ean"t "knuckle down ' and make two good shots In five. B.-t as a weather prophet proph-et marble time Is a rlnch. There Is no argument about that. No zero weather after marble time. Tlio first robin and the ground hoi; are ell right In their way, but marble time Is a certain ns the haptlneis of childhood Chicago Record-Herald. |