When inclement weather forces youthful marble addicts indoors during the height of the season, it is a simple matter to provide for the continuation of this outdoorsport. After ascertaining the players' preference in the matter of ring make a loop with a f-in. cotton clothesline and loin its ends with adhesive tape. There will probably have to be a meetilg of minds as to whether the ring is to be pitched on a rug, linoleum or the bare floor, and local ground rules will prescribe whether marbles shall be considered "out" when they touch the ring, or whether they must clear the rope barrier in order to score.

Bombs Away

Sometimes known as Clothespins-in-the-Bottle, the simple competitive test of dropping old-fashioned wooden clothespins into an upright quart milk bottle from a given height has been known to intrigue adults for the better part of an evening.

Ten clothespins are handed each contestant in turn after a predetermined height has been agreed upon such as the player's nose, when standing erect. The clothes spins are dropped singly and points scored for each one that falls inside the empty bottle. That's all there is to it; but try it. It isn't as elsy as it sounds.

When some players begin to exhibit undue proficiency, their/newly won confidence can often be shattered by requiring that five corks be dropped before five clothespins are released, or by alternating me clothespins with corks. Another disconcertin variation is to use small paper darts of the type children fold for airplanes as explained in an earlier part of this

Darts

For children who have reached an apparent stage of discretion, a fairly safe dart game can be quickly assembled on the spur of the moment.

As indicated in Figure 6.9, ordinary kitchen matches with their heads cut off form the darts. Pieces of paper 2 1/2 inches square are folded as indicated in detail A and slipped into slots cut in the matches to form feathers. The heads of large sewing needles are then forced into the other ends.

The dart board can be a spare piece of soft wallboard or heavy cardboard ; the smooth side of a piece of corrugated cardboard packing is excellent. For a standard target, a piece of string around a pencil will serve as a compass for drawing a series of concentric circles, with values marked in any descending scale from the bullseye outward. For grade school contestants, the simmer target shown in detail B will present elementary problems in addition and subtraction (or in multiplication, if preferred), when one of the two darts is inked black. Each player throws the white or "plus" dart, then the black or "minus" dart. Scores made by the plus dart are added to the player's total and then the score made by the minus dart is subtracted. Darts which strike outside the square are minus 10. The first player totaling 50 or better wins; older players may be required to make an even 50 when their turn comes.

Fig. 6.9. Match dart game.