Miss Lawton and HULL GULL

When I was around nine years old, days could be boring when there was no school and Mama and Daddy were at work.  But it was always fun to go see Miss Lawton.  The landlady rented a bedroom to her and provided her meals in the kitchen.

Miss Lawton's small bedroom was upstairs with a window view that overlooked Second Street.  She had a charming way of making me feel welcome, and I enjoyed listening to stories of her childhood.

One day she introduced me to the game Hull Gull.  We sat facing each other, I on her bed and she in a chair.  Each of us had an equal amount of marbles in our laps covered by a towel.  She cupped her hands around a chosen number of marbles, brought them out from under the towel and said, "Hull Gull."  I was to answer, "Handful," and she then asked, "How many?"  I would guess how many marbles were in her hand.  If I guessed the right amount, she would give me the marbles.  If I guessed too many or not enough, I would give her the difference from my marble stash.

Then it was my turn to do the same as she had done, asking her to guess how many marbles I had in my cupped hands.  Sometimes we would have no marbles in our hands, especially if we had given them all away.  The game ended when the one who guessed wrong couldn''t give the difference to the other player.

I never forgot that kind, elderly lady who took the time to play with a lonely nine-year-old.  Why don't you try playing Hull Gull with the children or grandchildren in your life and have fun with them.