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"SOLITAIRE"Y PLEASURES
Several years ago I purchased a paperback book of solitaire games* at a yard sale. Later, in a leisure moment I scanned the book looking for an interesting new game to try. I tried one with the intriguing name of La Belle Lucie. Since then I find myself picking up a deck of cards at every free moment- a game or two at breakfast before hurrying to get off to work, as many games as it takes to win one after the dinner dishes have been cleared away. I buy new decks of cards at garage sales so I'll never be without an unfrayed deck. I never look in the book for another game to try. I'm addicted and I'm faithful to La Belle Lucie.

For those who have read this far and are willing to risk becoming too involved with La Belle Lucie the rules of play are simple. Deal the cards out in fans of three. (There are seventeen fans and one extra card. I've counted.) Working with only the top cards
each fan, remove the available aces and begin building your piles on them (two, three, four, etc. of the same suit) as in most solitaire games. You can only move the top card of each fan, so once you've put the six of spades on the seven, for instance, it anchors down any cards below it. Keep building on the piles until no more moves are possible. Then pick up all the unused fans, leaving the piles of different suits you built from aces. Shuffle and deal the remaining cards in fans again, and once more try to add as many as possible to your piles. For the final and third try, deal the cards out as before, but on this last turn you are permitted to remove one card from underneath in the fans.
Sounds pretty simple and harmless. .
However, I've found myself oddly intrigued with this game. I've made up terminology for the moves, revised rules to facilitate winning, even dreamed of games. I've developed superstitions; I place the piles in a square of two over two, with a red suit next to a black suit alternating red and black like a checkerboard. I believe I'm more likely to win if I manage to place the hearts and clubs in the same row, but it has to happen naturally. I can't finagle it. I also find that my successes run in streaks; sometimes I can't win, sometimes I can't lose for game after game.
I know none of this has any relationship to rationality. I'm ~
obsessed. Others may need a cigarette after breakfast- or even sometimes a drink. I just need this game to start off my day.
I find that confession bewildering. I'm a mature college educated person with plenty of other

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