THE GAME. THAT WASN'T CRICKET.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 942, 8 October 1910, Page 11

THE GAME. THAT WASN'T CRICKET.

A.STORY OF REVOLT. (By Evelyn Sharp.) _ Down the alley where I happen-to live, playtime draws, a sharp line between tho sexes. It is not so noticeable during working hours, when girls and boys, banded together by the common grievance of compulsory education, trot oil' to school almost as allies, even hand-in-hand in those,cases where protection is sought from the-little girl by the little boy who raced ■ her into the world and lost—or won—by half a length. Butwhen school'is over sex antagonism,' largely fostered . by the parent, immediately sots in. Knowing the size of the average back yard in

A/ 'Race-. Coat;'of and 'Irish ' Crocnetj ■;■ with' \a ; ; simple and: becoming hat.;;. _'.-'..'■'v,\ /■■■ '-'-'■_ '.

•my ...neighbourhood,: I" have; 'plenty- '. .of ;sympathy•'■ for: the ' "who' wishes ,to'; : :keep it-cldar of; children; s !But J l' ) always? to know whyj',.in''.'order ,'to'; secure 'this privacy,; !shc gives "the' >boy. a -piece. of Ibread-and-'dripping' and ai-'.bali,,;-while. .the .'girl. is piece ;6f ' ; bread-and-dripping; '-'and ;)/ a.,.ibaby.' ;iid:l have-not yet, .decided ;'which. of -the two;.toys is-the. more destructive;of ;my: ipeace.- . ; i - ■i : :;,\-<l'-::'X:l i: ';r''■-,:i's : 'o.v :: .'■' Every, evening during-'the i; summer,.'cricket .is'.'played; just below; iny -window i;in;.-the;:;hpur.; ; precedirig'^sunset.;'..,,;/; ■,''•' ; easy to.achieve some .resemblauce to;. ; a. game of•■ foot-., ;ball:.even'..in..:a ..narrow' strip'of pave:ment •bordered by.;'houses,'-where you : can' place ; one • goal \in the• porch' 'of the ;model dwellmgs.'at-the;blind.end of;'tBo : ;alley, -. and'- the : other goal.; among: the' •.motor.'.trafßc-'at "the street 'end.;; :But ifirst-cla'ss' ; cricket,'is; ; more; difficult' .of, when: the field'.is/so crowded; 'is.i'to ;':make. ; if.;hard'.;to .;decide • which, player out', of three or.'four,has.caught you; out, .-whilefypur,,only...chance of ■noi being/run, out; first. ball ; ;isto'rtake, i , thls.;..wioket .with' you—always';a possiibility:'when the -wicket is' somebody's' Ic'oat'i that. has a';way of.-getting mixed ;up'with/'theJbatsmen'sfeGt.' -.; ;i; ; , :;: In', spite'.,of ."obstacles, however,: the icrioket. goes on. e?eryVevening- before Sunset 'i-., and-' all the while /the . little girl) who. .tripped- a. ! gay-basis .of ;equahty...wjth.. her. only a; few. hours' on the'door,'s% -minding ;tHe, baby'.,;. .1 doVnbt say ; that - ■ she 1 actively; objects : to' fthis. ;■. ; I ;brdy knovy i at:the: baby objects.'to:,it,' and;for'..,a;:long. time ; 1; felt; that it.wbuld'.'be -at' least ihter;esiing;to sea 'what would happenVifrthe; ■little, girl;: were, to. stand ,up 'at .'ihe ;ydcket .for .a change .while, her. brother, 'dealt'with: .the.baby.' -.■'■'. ) *'■:,;■; :-)';':-;i : '-:'-;-| !- ..And ;the other' evening this did happen. : Aimother, making,one of those sorties 'from...the- domestic stronghold, thafc : in; my alley always have .the elfect ;of.;bringing.' a; look of- : guilt ,:into the faces.'of.'the innocent,' sh.'j'uied'-'some-thing. 1; did not' hear,;.picked ;up"the'; wicket, culfed somebody's head with it, 'and made-him; put it-'onj-.gave'therb'aby ;to a brother,.and. sent: hib sister .off. to the oil-shop, with a jar'in on.) hand and "a..penny tightly clasped .in -the other. ;The' interruption, oyer, 'the scattered ti'.id-re-foi-nied.automacicallri .somebody else's jacket; was made; into' a 'mouhdj iand;-cricket' was resumed with the loss, : of,one player,--.who, 'by the way, showed, an astonishing -talent for minding the

Uiiuy., .-. ~,,.:,- , ■' .. "; " .< . .:■,; r, ' .;■,; '.Then.' the little, girl,, came .back from the oil-shop." I know not what spirit of.' revolt 'entered ' suddenly her small, subdued soul;, 'perhaps the-sight of 'a boy minding the baby'suggested an'upheaval 'of.the .universe that', demanded :her instant co-operation;/perhaps she had,no distinct idea in her mind.beyond, a.wrsh to . rebel.. Whatever.; her ■■.reasons',, there: she stood, bat in. hand, Waiting for the ball, 1 .while the baby crowed •delightedly in the unusual ■ embrace of a boy' who filled the: role of a 'motherly comforter. • ; : , : ".,'' Another instant',.and the air was rent with sound and fury._' In front,of the : wicket stood the .Spirit of Revolt,' with tumbled: hair, and : defiant eyes, breathless l much: running, intoxicated with success; around-her, an.outraged I'cricket team, strong in the,conventions of a lifetimo, was protesting fiercely. • '(What had happened was quite simple. Grasping in an instant of time the only possible way of eluding -jihe crowd of fielders, in the. narrow."- space, ,the ; little impromptu batswoman had .done the obvious thing and the ball against the .wall high over their, heads, whence it bounded into the open street and got lost iii the traffic. .Then she ran till she could run no more. • Why wasn't it fair? she wanted to know.: " 'Cause: it ain't—thero!" ■ was 'one illuminating reply. '■'< .;•." 'Cause we don't play that way," was another upon which she"was ; quick to pounce. . "You never thought, of it, that's why I" she retorted shrewdly. She was desperately outnumbered. • It ,was magnificent, but it wasn't cricket; moreover, her.place was the doorstep, as she was speedily reminded when the door reopened and avenging, motherhood , once mora swooped down upon the scene.

A- shake here, a push there—and theboy was back again at ■' the wicket, while a weeping baby lay unheeded on the lap of a weeping Spirit of Revolt. And the queer thing is that the innovation made by the small batswoman in her one of wild rebellion has now been adopted by. the, team that plays'cricket down my alley every, evening before sunset.