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Updated: September 1, 2025
"After this, what?" I whispered to Evan. "Jackstraws," he answered, shaking with silent laughter.
Rose had created a small sensation, on one occasion, by pointing out to the under boss the key-log in a jam. She was past mistress of the pretty game of jackstraws, much in vogue at that time. The delicate little lengths of polished wood or bone were shaken together and emptied on the table.
The players sit round the table and with little hooks try in turn to lift one jackstraw out of the heap, without moving any of the others. You go on until you do move one of the others, and this loses you your turn. European diplomacy at any moment of any year reminds you, if you inspect it closely, of a game of jackstraws.
The animals counted as in the former schedule and as each was picked from the pile it was given to Miss Hart, and she credited it to the player who took it. Of course, as in Jackstraws, if one made a mis-play it was the next player's turn. This game was great fun, and they watched each other breathlessly, though careful not to joggle anybody. "Now, Flossy Flouncy," cried King, "it's your turn.
Looking on past these things we saw much scattered dunnage: Frenchmen's knapsacks, flannel shirts, playing cards, fagots of firewood mixed together like jackstraws, canteens covered with slate-blue cloth and having queer little hornlike protuberances on their tops which proved them to be French canteens tumbled straw, odd shoes with their lacings undone, a toptilted service shelter of canvas; all the riffle of a camp that had been suddenly and violently disturbed.
In cold weather an Englishman arranges a few splintered jackstraws, kindling fashion, in an open grate somewhat resembling in size and shape a wallpocket for bedroom slippers. On this substructure he gently deposits one or more carboniferous nodules the size of a pigeon egg, and touches a match to the whole.
Immediately after our Revolution, there was one of these heaps of intrigue, in which we were concerned. This was at the time of the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Paris, to which I made reference at the close of the last section. This was in 1783. Twenty years later, in 1803, occurred the heap of jackstraws that led to the Louisiana Purchase.
The game is especially interesting just at dusk, when the uncertain light makes the "outs" brave in approaching home without detection. If "it" succeeds in capturing all the players the first one caught is "it" for the next game. This game is the same in principle as Jackstraws except that fagots or sticks of wood two feet long are used in place of jackstraws.
This was the result of that game of jackstraws. Let us remember several things: in our Revolution, France had befriended us, not because she loved us so much, but because she loved England so little. In the Treaty of Paris, England stood with us, not because she loved us so much, but because she loved France so little. We must cherish no illusions.
I do not ask you to think England's reason for this preference is that she has loved us so much; that she has loved others so much less there is her reason. She has loved herself better than anybody. So must every nation. So does every nation. Let me briefly speak of the first game of jackstraws, played at Paris in 1783. Our Revolution was over. The terms of peace had to be drawn.
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