Old Cat

• Format: Manuscript
• Language: English
• Published: 1978
• Subjects: English language > Dialects > Newfoundland and Labrador; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/elrcdne/id/59662

old Grampa," said I, "did you ever try to figger out who started some of these old games?" "No," said Grampa, "because as far as I can figger out, they were started years and years before I was born. You take another game we had, we used to call it 'Old Cat.' That was a team game and we'd divide ourselves up into two sides, 'Clip and call'',' as we used to say. Well, one day a crowd of us were playin' 'Old Cat' when we saw the clergyman comin' along the road. Of course we stopped half ashamed like, and straightened up so as we could touch our caps to him as he went past us. But he didn't go past us." "He didn't?" said I. "No," said Grampa. "He stopped right there in the middle of the road and told us to go on with our game. He wanted to watch us play. And then he told us a funny thing. He said 'twas the first game of 'Old Cat' he'd seen since he come out from England." "Oh," said I, "he'd seen it in England." "Yes," said Grampa. "He said they used to play it often in the little village where he was brought up. He said that Easter time especially they'd have a real big game out on the green, and just about everybody in the village used to take part in it. This clergyman, he figgered that people who some out to Pigeon Inlet in the first place must have come from around the same part of England that he come from and must have brought out 'Old Cat' with them. He said the same thing about puckin' keels. PRINTED ITEM G. M. Story JAN 1978 JH JAN 1978 Used I and Sup Not used Withdrawn [see 'cat'; "tip-cat'