I guess no story of a boy growing up in Wallins Creek would be complete without some mention of the games that tend to capture most of our waking thought processes. Why it only attracts boys, but not girls, is a mystery I will leave to geneticists and other behavioral scientist types. I only know that boys and girls are different. This is much deeper than the obvious things that are apparent to all that have eyes to see. Maybe it is as simple as modeling the behavior of others we are in contact with. No sense getting into a deep discussion on this. That is not what I had in mind.
I did want, however, to discuss some of the games little boys play. I’m not talking about the mind games we all use to manipulate others to get what we want. No I’m talking about simple but fascinating games of skill.
I remember shooting marbles at a very young age. This was some time before I started the first grade. But the most fun that I ever experienced playing marbles was on the playground of the Wallins school. I remember, that before there was a grass lawn or other landscaping at the school, there was plenty of good old earth. Ground if you will. You could draw circles and squares, or lines that are needed to play marble games. This would be impossible to do in today’s culture. There seems to be plenty of grass, concrete and asphalt to go around. But where do kids play marbles today? Please don’t tell me that today’s kids no longer play marbles.
When I started in the first grade, I was introduced to the marble games that went on all over the playground. There were groups playing in many separate games. All you needed was marbles. You learned quickly what the rules were. You have heard the old saying, “Playing for keeps.” I’m not for sure, but I think this phrase was probably taken from the marble vernacular.
As I said, the only thing you needed in order to be accepted into a game was marbles. The challenge was to keep what marbles you had. Most of the games were played for keeps. As in any game, there are the good shooters and there are the wannabes. You had to be careful with whom you were playing . It didn’t take long to learn with whom not to play for keeps. Some of the older boys also took advantage of the younger ones. Disputes and other skirmishes were a part of the games.
To be a successful marble player, you needed the right tools. These were the right marbles for the game you were playing. When playing “Ring”, you needed a sticker taw. A taw was the marble you used primarily to shoot with. In order to find the right taw, you had to try out a lot of marbles. A sticker taw was generally a bigger marble. What you desired in a sticker taw, was a marble that stuck when it struck another marble.
To play “Ring”, you first took a stick or other object, and drew a circle on the ground. If there was no stick to be had, you could make a ring by using the edge of your shoe to draw the ring. All the players anted up some marbles for the middle. The shooters then took turns shooting from the edge of the ring. The shooter tried to knock the marbles outside of the ring. If your taw stuck inside the ring, while knocking another marble outside, you could continue to shoot. All marbles touching the line were considered out. A good shooter with a good taw could get all the marbles without losing his taw. The worst-case scenario would be to leave your taw inside the ring where someone else could get it. To lose your taw was your worst nightmare. This did happen, so it was essential to have more than one favorite taw.
There is just something about marbles that appeal to a boy’s eye. You know when one looks good to you. Most of the good ring taws had to be a “Cat Eye.” I think “Cat's Eyes” had the most variety also. Different sizes and different colors were available for the choosing. You didn’t know what you had until you tried them all. This selection process was all-important in finding the right taw. Then there were the common marbles. These were mostly ones that had no singular value, except to shoot for. They did need to be ones that other players might desire, however. This would entice others to stake their marbles as a prize you hoped also to win.
Another marble game was called “Fatty.” This game used a small square or rectangle in contrast to the ring. Marbles also are placed inside the square. Players Shoot from behind a line in an attempt to knock the marbles outside the square. You need a different kind of marble for this game. This marble is called a “Fatty Taw.” This marble is smaller in size. In contrast to the “Ring Taw”, this marble must not stick in side the square. If it does, it must remain. Any marble on the line is considered as in.
The last marble game that I am going to mention is a wide ranging game. I believe that this game was called "War". The game "War" was played where each player tries to kill the other player. To kill another means to shoot and hit their marble. If you try and miss, but leave your marble too close, you become vulnerable. This game requires a high degree of skill, because the players are shooting from a greater distance.
As you can see, there was much about these games to attract a young lad. The main problem was that you didn’t want to quit when the bell rang to end recess. Many times the games were resumed during lunch, at the expense of eating. Games were also continued after school and on the weekends. But for sheer fun, nothing equaled marble games during recess at school.
Another game that I really got involved in was “Tops.” This game was played using a small wooden top. These came in all varieties and colors. It also required a lot of practice. The top had a metal tip on the small end. There was an art to knowing how to wrap the string around the top in such a way, that when you threw it out with a snap motion, the top spun upright on the metal tip as it hit the ground. You could either spin the top just for fun, or you could play “Tops.”
This game of "Tops" involved a ring drawn on the ground. If you played for keeps, the winner was the player who knocked your top outside of the ring. This had to be done while the tops were spinning. I remember that a top cost a lot of money in those days. If you lost your top, it might be a while before you could buy another one. This could also be a vicious game. I remember that one of the players, who shall remain anonymous, really enjoyed splitting our tops. I think he filed the point of his top to a razor sharp edge in order not only to knock us out of the game, but also to also totally destroy out top. I learned quickly not to play this person. Only problem was, that since he was older and bigger, participation was sometimes mandatory.
I never really got in to yoyos like I did the marbles and tops. I played quite a bit with them, but never took it to the same level. They were a nice to fool around with, but lacked the gamesmanship that was required in the others.
It's funny how a young boy gets drawn into different pursuits. I don’t know why we choose what we do. We just pick something up and go with it. I remember that for a time, I got into playing the spoons. Anyone out there remember that fad. I somehow talked my mom out of a couple of old spoons. These I meticulously taped up on the ends to keep them from wearing a blister on my fingers. I gave this up when I finally realized that I had no latent talent. Must be something to do with rhythm. I guess this would appeal to a person with an aptitude for percussion instruments. Something maybe my friend Theo Belcher could have mastered. I remember that Theo was a very good snare drummer in the Wallins Band.
These games were some of the pursuits of a young boy growing up in a small town. I’m sure that many others could tell similar stories. But let me pose a question that begs to be asked. Where are we today in our country? Do boys still engage in games such as these? I don’t think that they do. Life is more complicated now. I think we have stolen the innocence of our youth. There is too much violence in our culture. I think we have stolen something from them. I think what we have stolen from them is the time to be a child, playing childish games, before the pressures of life have to be addressed.
