XXIX

MISS MILLIGAN (WITH TWO WHIST PACKS)

THIS is an old-established favourite, though not at all an easy one to bring to a conclusion. Deal out eight cards, face upwards, in a row. Put out any aces to form the foundations of packets to be built upon upward in suit. Cards on the board are to be built upon each other downward in alternate colours. If none of the first eight will so build, deal out eight more, and so on continually, forming eight columns, until "stock " is exhausted. In building on the board or on the ace-packets, only " exposed " cards can be moved on to " exposed " cards (an " exposed " card being the lowest of a column or the top of an ace-packet), but a sequence at the foot of a column may be moved bodily, if it will fit. The game will be made clear by an

EXAMPLE:

Suppose the first eight cards dealt are 6 of clubs, 5 of diamonds, king of hearts, ace of diamonds, 3 of clubs, 7 of clubs, 2 of clubs, 3 of hearts. The ace of diamonds is put out for a foundation. This leaves a vacancy in the fourth place. Put the 5 of diamonds on the 6 of clubs. Put the 2 of clubs on the 3 of hearts. Since no more packing can here be done, we must deal out eight more cards in order into the eight places. If a card or cards be already there, the new card is dealt underneath; if there be a vacancy, the new card fills it. Suppose the next eight cards to be 3 of diamonds, king of clubs, 4 of hearts, 6 of hearts, 10 of hearts, 2 of diamonds, 4 of clubs, 6 of spades. Put out the 2 and 3 of diamonds on the ace. Put the 4 of clubs on the 5 of diamonds. Put the 6 of hearts on the 7 of clubs. Being again at a standstill we deal eight cards more — say, the 8 of spades, 6 of spades, 6 of clubs, 10 of spades, 4 of diamonds, knave of spades, queen of spades, knave of spades. No packing can here be done, and we must deal again — say, knave of clubs, knave of diamonds, ace of clubs, 9 of hearts, 4 of clubs, 3 of spades, 3 of hearts, 9 of hearts. The ace of clubs is put out for a second foundation. Pack the 9 of hearts on the 10 of spades standing immediately above. Deal again  — 4 of hearts, 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 10 of spades, 2 of clubs, king of clubs, 9 of clubs, 3 of clubs.

Put out 2 of clubs on the ace; 3 of clubs on the 2; 4 of clubs on the 3. Pack the 9 of hearts on 10 of spades, and the 8 of clubs on 9 of hearts.

MISS MILLIGAN PATIENCE (in progress).

Deal again — ace of hearts, queen of hearts, 2 of hearts, 5 of clubs, 7 of diamonds, 10 of hearts, 9 of spades, 3 of spades. Put out the ace of hearts, and upon this the 2 of hearts. Pack 3 of spades on 4 of hearts; 10 of hearts on knave of spades; 9 of spades on 10 of hearts; queen of hearts on king of clubs. Move the knave of spades sequence (at foot of the eighth column) on to the queen of hearts. Build up in succession (on the club foundation packet) the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of clubs. Put out 3 of hearts on the 2; then the 4 of hearts (at foot of third column) on the 3. Put queen of spades on king of hearts; knave of diamonds on queen of spades; 10 of spades and 9 of hearts on the knave of diamonds; 6 of spades on 7 of diamonds. Move the king sequence (at foot of sixth column) into the vacancy of the seventh column. The cards are now as diagrammed on p. 118.

Eight more cards must now be dealt, and so on until "stock" is exhausted. When this occurs, and you still find yourself unable to proceed, you have the special privilege (peculiar to "Miss Milligan") of "waiving" a card. That is to say, you may take up from the board the lowest card of any column, and if this will set anything above it free, and enable you to proceed, you may do so before restoring the "waived" card to its place. You may continue in this way to " waive " cards, one at a time, as long as you find it useful. If, even with this help, you find that you cannot complete the eight foundation-packets, each up to its proper king, the game has failed.

There is a variety of this game known as "Giant" Patience. In this any card or sequence may be lifted from the foot of a column into a vacancy whence a column has been cleared. In "Miss Milligan" only a king or a king sequence may be so lifted. Instead of the special privilege of "waiving," you are allowed to "worry back," that is, to return the top card of a foundation-packet to the foot of any column, if it will fit there according to the rule for packing. This will often set the game going again when it is "blocked." In other respects "Giant " is identical with "Miss Milligan."