FOR "KEEPS" As youngsters playing a game we called "marbles", we learned quite early what it meant to play the game "just for fun" or "for keeps." One had to be especially careful that everyone understood which rules of play were to apply before actual battle was enjoined.
A fine collection of many-types of marbles could be gathered together as a personal treasure over a period of time and by placing the proper words for a "bag of marbles"a times such, Christmas, birthdays, or some other gift-exchanging days plus the best method of all - that of trading individual marbles. my older brother became quite a "dealer" and actually played the game only occasionally.
Marbles were made of many types of of material suitably weighted and formed, decorated such as common clay, baked, colored and fired with all manner of historical hints which gave they a vague reason for being. I am reminded of like processing of historical materials during World II when a friend of mine went to considerable expense to have imposing book end sets shipped home bearing plates letting owner know they held in hand store bombed from the British House of Parliament by Hitler's blitz bombers. I am amazed as well by the number of three and flour inch iron nails which crossed precisely at the precise points to be fused by flames of the burning Cologne Cathedral to form so many salable crucifix souvenirs.
Thinking back to my brother's marble collection, I don't recall
his ever claiming he had a few dabs made by Daniel Boone a few miles west of us down Kentucky way or, perhaps something Ben Franklin might have turned out between his stove and his bi-focal eyeglasses. Then, there are those creative folks up in New Hampshire who are ever-so-Keene on marbles.
I maybe about time to start up the playing of marbles. I, personally, never did much collecting them and I've been wondering why, of late, so many people have been heard to say: "...too bad about ole Andy, isn't it? They tell me he's lost all his marbles."
Andrew McCaskey amccsr@adelphia.net 7-8-06 [c367wds]
