It was a pleasant spring morning in 1887, and Walter and his father were waiting for the arrival of the train from Fort Worth. They had travelled almost 15 miles from Garner in their buckboard to buy supplies and pick up Walter's uncle at the Texas and Pacific train station. Walter, a young teenager, marvelled at the Weatherford depot and looked forward to seeing his father's brother who would be visiting with them for several days in Garner.

While waiting for the train to arrive, Walter explored the premises. He found four railroad men playing dominos. The men sitting across from each other were partners and they bid before playing each hand. The highest domino won each round of play, and trump dominos were high. Walter thought this was an interesting game. He asked what game they were playing, and one of the railroad men said it was called Rounce.

"Walter, come on. The train's coming," his father called. Walter went to the loading platform adjacent to the railroad tracks to await the train. The railroad men quit their game to meet the train, too.

A few days later, after his uncle had departed, Walter and his friends resumed their secret playing of card games in the barn. They got together as often as they could and, so far, their clandestine activities had gone undetected by the adults in Garner. Most of the parents were devout Christians who believed that playing cards was Satan's game. As luck would have it, the boys' routine was about to change.

One afternoon, Walter, William, and two other boys were in the barn playing cards. They thought they were alone. Suddenly there was a looming figure standing over them. It was Walter's father. He had returned from the field to retrieve a tool, and he was not happy with what he saw. As expected, Walter's father took swift action to send the other boys home and discipline his son.

The next day, Walter and William got together to discuss the events of yesterday. Their one-room Trappe Spring School would close for the summer, and they would have time on their hands. What would they do if they couldn't play cards? They needed to come up with a plan to fill their idle time during the hot afternoons. Walter remembered the domino game he had seen played at the Weatherford train depot.

He and William decided to improvise a domino game that could be played like cards. They began fashioning a new game from Walter's recollections. They finally came up with a game very much like today's game of 42. One difference, however, was when trumps could be played. Walter and William allowed a trump to be played anytime, even if a player could follow the domino suit led.

After working out the rules and scoring details, they introduced the game to their card-playing friends. They loved it. Because it was played with dominos instead of cards, their highly principled parents permitted it. Some of the adults became interested and began playing, too. It wasn't long before the game spread within the rural community and to neighboring areas.

Forty years later, William had achieved prominence and was interviewed by a Dallas newspaper. He related the story of how he and Walter "invented" the game of 42. In 1985, a Fort Worth newspaper cited the story and added some local color to the game's reported history. In 1997, a book on 42 was published that reiterated the Fort Worth newspaper article and, with the help of the internet, 42 players statewide began accepting Garner, Texas as the birthplace of 42.

So, here we are today. The Texas legends associated with the origin of 42 are still diversified, but the documented story has overcome many of them. Even so, some senior 42 players do not discount the legends that advocate the origin of 42 in east Texas. Or Georgetown in central Texas where polling indicates a disproportionately high density of 42 players.

Since playing cards on trains and in public places was reportedly illegal in Texas, perhaps early railroad men improvised their own 42-like domino game(s) to get around the ban. Or maybe they and other rail passengers learned the game in domino-playing towns in Texas and carried it via rail to influence the start of 42 in other areas of Texas.

It doesn't really matter what might have been. Until more convincing documentation becomes available, the residents of Garner and the descendants of William Thomas and Walter Earl can boast the Texas bragging rights for the origin of 42. And Texans can now rally behind the well-publicized story garnered by William Thomas himself.

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In the early days of the resort era, the hotel life was very basic and centered around the waters, very few leisure or social activities were offered. ... Each well had a different activity, and visitors moved from well to well for entertainment. ... Games were very popular in the pavilions and boarding house lobbies, with the domino game '42' being the most popular.