Finally, stand steady ; hold your left arm out straight and firm ; look only at the " gold," as you bend your bow, and the moment your eye is on the centre of the target, and your bow is bent to the arrow's head, loosen your finger-hold on the cord, with a quick, easy motion, and if all your movements have been made correctly and in harmony with the thought in your rnind, that moment will see the arrow go direct to the " gold," and just as often, too, as your thought and motion are in harmony. CROQUET. There is no game ladies take part in which so fully affords an observer of character facilities for discovering the real disposition of a woman, her ladv-like manners and the feelings of true refinement SPORTS AND GAMES FOR LADIES. 95 she possesses, as Croquet does. It is a dreadfully effective method of testing a girl's temper, and few go through the ordeal without failure. Croquet is unlike every other game in vogue, owing to the fact that in no two cities or places in Europe or America, where it is played at all, is it played under the same code of rules. In the United States there are the Newport rules, the Saratoga rules, the New York rules, the Boston rules, the Philadelphia rules, and in fact every place's rules as well as every club's rules, each varynng in essential points of play, all of which necessarily leads to annoying differences of interpretation in every contest in which players from different cities take pari. In England the English books of in- struction in the game agree only in one thing, and that is, in the statement that "there are hardly two lawns in England where croquet is played in the same manner and under the same rules in every respect." This of course brings about a decidedly aggravating condition of things, and it has been the one cause which has led to the decline of croquet in popularity as a field-game worthy of taking any special pains to become accomplished in. The prevailing sentiment in regard to it is, " Oh, don't let us play croquet: we shall only get to quarreling over it." Nevertheless, it is a game in its elements, so simple and easy of attainment, and one, moreover, requiring so little physical exertion to play it under the ordinary' rules of play, as to cause it to fill up a gap that would otherwise leave a void in field-sports for ladies. Given a very smooth, close-cut grass lawn, quite level, and so kept as to allow a ball to be accurately rolled on it ; with first-class mallets, balls and hoops, and well-defined and scientific rules for contests, and the means for deeply interesting play, marked by skillful strategy as well as accurate mechanical movements, are afforded, which are well adapted to make very attractive field-sport. This fact can be reali2ied by ocular demonstration by a visit to the croquet lawn of Brooklyn Prospect Park any fine afternoon of the spring, summer or autumn months, when the scientific croquet players of Brooklyn are out on the lawn indulging in their favorite game. The 96 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. contrast between the play of these experts and that of the ordinar>^ picnic girls' croquet parties at the park is of course very great ; but it illustrates very fully the great difference between what croquet is capable of in first-class hands and what it actually is as it is simply and ordinarily played.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Finally, stand steady ; hold your left arm out straight and firm ; look only at the " gold," as you bend your bow, and the moment your eye is on the centre of the target, and your bow is bent to the arrow's head, loosen your finger-hold on the cord, with a quick, easy motion, and if all your movements have been made correctly and in harmony with the thought in your mind, that moment will see the arrow go direct to the " gold," and just as often, too, as your thought and motion are in harmony. CROQUET. There is no game ladies take part in which so fully affords an observer of character facilities for discovering the real disposition of a woman, her lady-like manners and the feelings of true refinement she possesses, as Croquet does. It is a dreadfully effective method of testing a girl's temper, and few go through the ordeal without failure. Croquet is unlike every other game in vogue, owing to the fact that in no two cities or places in Europe or America, where it is played at all, is it played under the same code of rules. In the United States there are the Newport rules, the Saratoga rules, the New York rules, the Boston rules, the Philadelphia rules, and in fact every place's rules as well as every club's rules, each varynng in essential points of play, all of which necessarily leads to annoying differences of interpretation in every contest in which players from different cities take pari. In England the English books of instruction in the game agree only in one thing, and that is, in the statement that "there are hardly two lawns in England where croquet is played in the same manner and under the same rules in every respect." This of course brings about a decidedly aggravating condition of things, and it has been the one cause which has led to the decline of croquet in popularity as a field-game worthy of taking any special pains to become accomplished in. The prevailing sentiment in regard to it is, " Oh, don't let us play croquet: we shall only get to quarreling over it." Nevertheless, it is a game in its elements, so simple and easy of attainment, and one, moreover, requiring so little physical exertion to play it under the ordinary' rules of play, as to cause it to fill up a gap that would otherwise leave a void in field-sports for ladies. Given a very smooth, close-cut grass lawn, quite level, and so kept as to allow a ball to be accurately rolled on it ; with first-class mallets, balls and hoops, and well-defined and scientific rules for contests, and the means for deeply interesting play, marked by skillful strategy as well as accurate mechanical movements, are afforded, which are well adapted to make very attractive field-sport. This fact can be realized by ocular demonstration by a visit to the croquet lawn of Brooklyn Prospect Park any fine afternoon of the spring, summer or autumn months, when the scientific croquet players of Brooklyn are out on the lawn indulging in their favorite game. The 96 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. contrast between the play of these experts and that of the ordinary picnic girls' croquet parties at the park is of course very great ; but it illustrates very fully the great difference between what croquet is capable of in first-class hands and what it actually is as it is simply and ordinarily played.

The hearthstone; or, Life at home