file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #acjbb-;h4htm or #acjbb-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/#a_/c_/j_/ b_/acjbb_/acjbb-;h_/#acjbb-;h4htm7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/#a_/c_/j_/ b_/acjbb_/acjbb-;h4zip7 ,,my ,,book ,,of ,,indoor ,,games by ,,clarence ,,squareman #aiaf ,with ,full ,page ,illustrations from ,photographs ,loaned by ,the ,chicago ,park ,commission ,illustration3 ,cover4 ,plate #a ,the publishers gratefully acknowledge their thanks to the ,chicago ,park ,commission for the loan of the photographs of which the half tone illustrations used in this book are copies4 ,,index ,,of ,,indoor ,,games ,acting ,proverbs #cg ,acting ,rhymes #ed ,adventurers #da ,all ,fours #fd ,alphabet ,game #hd ,animal1 ,vegetable or ,mineral #de ,ants and the ,grasshopper #ia ,balancing ,spoon #aad ,band ,box 7,charade7 #bi ,beggar ,my ,neighbor #fi ,bingo #if ,birds1 ,beasts and ,fishes #fa ,bird ,catcher #bf1 #aje ,birds ,fly #ajj ,blackboard ,relay #ajb ,blind ,man's ,buff #ah ,blind ,man's ,wand #dg ,bob ,major #bd ,bridge of ,knives #aab ,buff ,says ,buff #ah ,buzz #af ,card ,games #ac ,cat and ,mouse #ag ,cat and ,rat #ajd ,cat's ,cradle #ha ,charades #bh ,checkers #ef ,changing ,seats #ajb ,chinese ,shadows #aah ,coach and ,four #ic ,cock ,fighting #hc ,consequences #dc ,circle ,ball #ajf ,crambo #dd ,coin ,trick #aae ,cross ,questions and ,crooked ,answers #aa ,crows' ,race #ajd ,cushion ,dance #gg ,dancing ,egg #aaa ,dancing ,pea #aad ,dead ,ball #ajf ,diamond ,ring #gh ,dodge #ajg ,dominoes #eh ,draw a ,pail of ,water #hg ,drop the ,handkerchief #ae ,duck ,under the ,water #hh ,dumb ,crambo #bd ,dwarf #ba ,earth1 ,air1 ,fire and ,water #dd ,eraser ,game #ajf ,eraser ,relay #ajh ,family ,coach #ad ,farmyard #gg ,feather #ej ,find an ,object ,while ,blindfolded #aag ,fives and ,threes #fj ,flag ,race #ajc ,flowers #hj ,flying #dg ,forbidden ,letter #gh ,force of a ,water ,drop #aae ,fox and ,chickens #ajg ,fox and ,geese #hc ,fox ,chase #ajc ,french ,roll #bg ,frog in the ,middle #ajj ,gallery of ,statutes #ea ,game of ,cat #cd ,game of ,conversation #ej ,garden ,gate #bg ,giant #hc ,grand ,mufti #gi ,green ,gravel #ei ,hand ,shadows #aah ,hands ,up #dh ,hide the ,thimble #ajc ,honey ,pots #he ,hot ,boiled ,beans and ,bacon #eb ,how to ,light a ,candle ,without ,touching ,it #aab ,how1 ,when and ,where #ba ,huckle1 ,buckle1 ,beanstalk #ajb ,huntsman #ea ,hunt the ,ring #di ,hunt the ,slipper #dh ,i ,apprenticed ,my ,son #ag ,i ,love ,my ,love ,with an ,a #dc ,i ,point #gh ,i ,say ,stoop #ajj ,i ,sell ,my ,bat1 ,i ,sell ,my ,ball #ha ,i ,suspect ,you #fh ,it #ec ,jolly ,miller #ee ,judge and ,jury #dh ,jumping the ,rope #aje ,last ,man #ajb ,little ,lady #ii ,living ,pictures #cd ,living ,shadows #aai ,lodgings to ,let #di ,lost and ,found #de ,lubin ,loo #ig ,magic ,music #af ,magic ,thread #aaa ,magic ,whistle #ib ,magic ,writing #gi ,malaga ,raisins #ic ,man and ,object #ed ,man ,with ,his ,head the ,wrong ,way #aag ,mother1 ,mother1 the ,pot ,boils ,over #hi ,my ,master ,bids ,you ,do as ,i ,do #eb ,mysterious ,ball #aag ,noughts and ,crosses #fa ,oats and ,beans and ,barley #ie ,obstinate ,cork #aab ,old ,maid #ff ,old ,soldier #bb ,oranges and ,lemons #ab ,our ,old ,grannie ,doesn't ,like ,tea #db ,paper and ,pencil ,games #fa ,personations #hc ,pigeon ,house ,game #ie ,poison #ajc ,pope ,joan #fg ,postman #bj ,postman's ,knock #db ,preliminary ,ball #ajg ,proverbs #ch ,puss in the ,corner #bj ,questions and ,answers #hh ,racing and ,counting ,scores #aja ,red ,cap and ,blue ,cap #ec ,revolving ,pins #aaf ,riddles #fi ,riding the ,bicycle #ajd ,rule of ,contrary #bf ,running ,maze #ib ,ruth and ,jacob #ef ,sally ,water #id ,schoolmaster #be ,school ,room ,basket ,ball #aja ,school ,room ,tag #ajh ,sea ,king #ag ,seat ,tag #ajf ,sentinel ,drop #aae ,serpentine ,maze #aaj ,shadows #aah ,shouting ,proverbs #ch ,simon ,says #bf ,six and ,five ,make ,nine #aac ,slap ,jack #ajd ,slow ,poke #aaj ,snap #fe ,snip1 ,snap1 ,snorum #ff ,speculation #fc ,spelling ,game #hf ,stool of ,repentance #di ,squirrel and ,nut #aja ,suggestive ,breathing ,work #ajc ,swimming ,needles #aaa ,tag ,me or ,heads ,up #aje ,tag the ,wall ,relay #aaj ,teacher #aje ,teacher and ,class #aji ,think of a ,number #aai ,third ,man #ajg ,thought ,reading #gj ,tit1 ,tat1 ,toe #fa ,to ,balance a ,coffee ,cup #aab ,to ,guess ,two ,ends of a ,line of ,dominoes #abj ,to ,tell the ,age of ,any ,person #abj ,trades #fa ,travelers' ,alphabet #ad ,tricks and ,puzzles #aaj ,twirl the ,trencher #aa ,vanishing ,dime #aac ,what's ,my ,thought ,like8 #ha ,wonderment #hi ,,introduction ,let the child imbibe in the full spirit of play4 ,there is nothing like it to keep him on the path of health1 right thinking and mind development4 ,that is the guiding purpose of the author4 ,the reader will find in this book a collection of old and present day games4 ,the student of ,play has long realized that there are no new games1 that all our games of today are built on the old timers4 ,the purpose of ,my ,book of ,indoor ,games is to furnish amusement1 entertainment and to be the means of sociability4 ,so very often the question comes up--,what shall we do8 ,in many cases this book serves only as a reminder1 the games and parlor tricks are well known but cannot be recalled at the critical moment4 ,a combination1 such as this1 of the best of the old-fashioned games and a carefully compiled list of the games of today will furnish much help to the young in their search of entertainment and amusement4 ,but the book will be equally useful to grownups4 ,the author has seen staid1 respectable people play ,lubin ,loo with as much zest and spirit as the youngest group of children4 ,all of us have played ,going to ,jerusalem4 ,the spirit must be there2 there is nothing so contagious as the spirit of play4 ,illustration3 ,hide--then go seek ,illustration ,,twirl ,,the ,,trencher ,this is a game which almost any number of children can play4 ,the players seat themselves in a circle1 and each takes the name of some town1 or flower1 or whatever has been previously agreed upon4 ,one of the party stands in the middle of the circle1 with a small wooden trencher1 or waiter1 places it upon its edge1 and spins it1 calling out as he does so the name which one of the players has taken4 ,the person named must jump up and seize the trencher before it ceases spinning1 but if he is not very quick the trencher will fall to the ground1 and he must then pay a forfeit4 ,it is then his turn to twirl the trencher4 ,a very similar game to this is ,my ,lady's ,toilet4 ,the only difference is that each player must take the name of some article of a lady's dress1 such as shawl1 earring1 brooch1 bonnet1 etc4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,cross ,,questions ,,and ,,crooked ,,answers ,to play this game it is best to sit in a circle1 and until the end of the game no one must speak above a whisper4 ,the first player whispers a question to his neighbor1 such as3 ,do you like roses8 ,this question now belongs to the second player1 and he must remember it4 ,the second player answers3 ,yes1 they smell so sweetly1 and this answer belongs to the first player4 ,the second player now asks his neighbor a question1 taking care to remember the answer1 as it will belong to him4 ,perhaps he has asked his neighbor1 ,are you fond of potatoes8 and the answer may have been1 ,yes1 when they are fried6 ,so that the second player has now a question and an answer belonging to him1 which he must remember4 ,the game goes on until every one has been asked a question and given an answer1 and each player must be sure and bear in mind that it is the question he is asked1 and the answer his neighbor gives1 which belong to him4 ,at the end of the game each player gives his question and answer aloud1 in the following manner3 ,i was asked3 ',do you like roses8' and the answer was3 ',yes1 when they are fried6' ,the next player says3 ,i was asked3 ',are you fond of potatoes8' and the answer was3 ',yes1 they are very pretty1 but they don't wear well4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,,oranges ,,and ,,lemons ,two of the players join hands1 facing each other1 having agreed privately which is to be ,oranges and which ,lemons4 ,the rest of the party form a long line1 standing one behind the other1 and holding each other's dresses or coats4 ,the first two raise their hands so as to form an arch1 and the rest run through it1 singing as they run3 ,oranges and ,lemons1 ,say the bells of ,st4 ,clement's2 ,you owe me five farthings1 ,say the bells of ,st4 ,martin's2 ,when will you pay me8 ,say the bells of ,old ,bailey4 ,i do not know1 ,says the big bell of ,bow4 ,here comes a chopper to light you to bed6 ,here comes a chopper to chop off your head6 ,at the word head the hand archway descends1 and clasps the player passing through at that moment2 he is then asked in a whisper1 ,oranges or ,lemons8 and if he chooses oranges1 he is told to go behind the player who has agreed to be oranges and clasp him round the waist4 ,illustration ,the players must be careful to speak in a whisper1 so that the others may not know what has been said4 ,the game then goes on again1 in the same way1 until all the children have been caught and have chosen which they will be1 oranges or lemons4 ,when this happens1 the two sides prepare for a tug-of-war4 ,each child clasps the one in front of him tightly and the two leaders pull with all their might1 until one side has drawn the other across a line which has been drawn between them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,musical ,,chairs ,,or ,,going ,,to ,,jerusalem ,this game must be played in a room where there is a piano4 ,arrange some chairs1 back to back1 in the center of the room1 allowing one chair less than the number of players4 ,some one begins to play a tune1 and at once the players start to walk or run round the chairs1 to the sound of the music4 ,when the music stops1 each player must try to find a seat1 and as there is one chair short1 some one will fail to do so1 and is called put4 ,he must carry a chair away with him1 and the game goes on again until there is only one person left in1 with no chair to sit upon4 ,this person has won the game4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,traveler',s ,,alphabet ,the players sit in a row and the first begins by saying1 ,i am going on a journey to ,athens1 or any place beginning with ,a4 ,the one sitting next asks1 ,what will you do there8 ,the verbs1 adjectives1 and nouns used in the reply must all begin with ,a2 as ,amuse ,ailing ,authors with ,anecdotes4 ,if the player answers correctly1 it is the next player's turn2 he says perhaps3 ,i am going to ,bradford4 ,what to do there8 ,to ,bring ,back ,bread and ,butter4 ,a third says3 ,i am going to ,constantinople4 ,what to do there8 ,to ,carry ,contented ,cats4 ,any one who makes a mistake must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,family ,,coach ,this is a very good old game1 and is most amusing if you can find some one who is a good story-teller4 ,the players sit in a circle and every one1 except the story-teller1 takes the name of some part of a coach or its equipments2 for instance1 door1 step1 wheels1 reins1 box-seat1 and so on4 ,when all are ready1 the story-teller begins a tale about an old coach and what happened to it1 how it went on a journey1 came to grief1 was mended1 and started off again4 ,the story should be told fluently1 but not too quickly4 ,every time any part of the coach is mentioned1 the player who has taken that name must rise from his seat and then sit down again4 ,whenever the coach is mentioned1 all the players1 with the exception of the story-teller1 must rise4 ,any one who fails to keep these rules must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,drop ,,the ,,handkerchief ,a ring is formed by the players joining hands1 whilst one child1 who is to drop the handkerchief1 is left outside4 ,he walks round the ring1 touching each one with the handkerchief1 saying the following words3 ,illustration ,i wrote a letter to my love1 ,but on my way1 ,i dropped it2 ,a little child picked it up ,and put it in his pocket4 ,it wasn't you1 it wasn't you1 ,it wasn't you--but it was you4 ,when he says ,it was you1 he must drop the handkerchief behind one of the players1 who picks it up and chases him round the ring1 outside and under the joined hands1 until he can touch him with the handkerchief4 ,as soon as this happens1 the first player joins the ring1 whilst it is now the turn of the second to drop the handkerchief4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,magic ,,music ,one of the players is sent out of the room1 and the rest then agree upon some simple task for her to perform1 such as moving a chair1 touching an ornament1 or finding some hidden object4 ,she is then called in and some one begins to play the piano4 ,if the performer plays very loudly1 the seeker knows that she is nowhere near the object she is to search for4 ,when the music is soft1 then she knows she is very near1 and when the music ceases altogether1 she knows that she has found the object she was intended to look for4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,buzz ,plate #b ,this is a very old game1 but is always a very great favorite4 ,the more the players1 the greater the fun4 ,the way to play it is as follows3 ,the players sit in a circle and begin to count in turn1 but when the number #g or any number in which the figure #g or any multiple of #g is reached1 they say ,buzz1 instead of whatever the number may be4 ,as1 for instance1 supposing the players have counted up to #ab1 the next player will say #ac1 the next ,buzz because #ad is a multiple of #g 7twice #g7--the next player would then say #ae the next #af1 and the next would1 of course1 say ,buzz because the figure #g occurs in the number #ag4 ,if one of the players forgets to say ,buzz at the proper time1 he is out4 ,the game then starts over again with the remaining players1 and so it continues until there is but one person remaining4 ,if great care is taken the numbers can be counted up to #gj1 which1 according to the rules before mentioned1 would1 of course1 be called ,buzz4 ,the numbers would then be carried on as ,buzz #a1 ,buzz #b1 etc41 up to #gi1 but it is very seldom that this stage is reached4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,apprenticed ,,my ,,son4 ,the best way of describing this game is to give an illustration of how it is played4 ,the first player thinks of ,artichoke1 and commences3 ,i apprenticed my son to a greengrocer1 and the first thing he sold was an ,a4 ,second player3 ,apple8 ,no4 ,third player3 ,almonds8 ,no4 ,fourth player3 ,asparagus8 ,no4 ,fifth player3 ,artichoke8 ,yes4 ,the last player1 having guessed correctly1 may now apprentice his son4 ,no player is allowed more than one guess4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,cat ,,and ,,mouse ,the children sit in two rows opposite each other with a space between4 ,one child takes the place of cat1 being blindfolded1 and one takes the place of mouse1 and is also blindfolded1 the cat standing at one end of the row and the mouse at the opposite end4 ,they start in opposite directions1 guiding themselves by the chairs1 the cat trying to catch the mouse4 ,when the mouse is caught it is made the cat1 and one of the company takes the place of the mouse4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,sea ,,king ,this game can be played by any number of children4 ,they proceed by first choosing one of the party to act as the ,sea ,king1 whose duty it is to stand in the center of a ring1 formed by the players seating themselves round him4 ,the circle should be as large as possible4 ,each of the players having chosen the name of a fish1 the ,king runs round the ring1 calling them by the names which they have selected4 ,each one1 on hearing his name called1 rises at once1 and follows the ,king1 who1 when all his subjects have left their seats1 calls out1 ,the sea is troubled1 and seats himself suddenly4 ,his example is immediately followed by his subjects4 ,the one who fails to obtain a seat has then to take the place of ,king1 and the game is continued4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,buff ,,says ,,baff ,this is a game in which no one is allowed to smile or laugh4 ,all the players1 except one1 sit in a row or half circle2 one goes out of the room and returns with a stick or poker in his hand1 and a very grave and solemn face4 ,he is supposed to have just returned from a visit to ,buff4 ,the first player asks him3 ,where do you come from8 ,from ,buff4 ,the next asks3 ,did he say anything to you8 ,to which the reply is3 ,buff said ',baff1' ,and gave me this staff1 ,telling me neither to smile nor to laugh4 ,buff says ',baff1' to all his men1 ,and ,i say ',baff' to you again4 ,and he neither laughs nor smiles1 ,in spite of all your cunning wiles1 ,but carries his face with a very good grace1 ,and passes his staff to the very next place4 ,if he can repeat all this without laughing1 he delivers up his staff to some one else1 and takes his seat2 but if he laughs1 or even smiles1 he pays a forfeit before giving it up4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,blind ,,man',s ,,buff ,in the olden times this game was known by the name of ,hood-man ,blind1 as in those days the child that was chosen to be blind man had a hood placed over his head1 which was fastened at the back of the neck4 ,in the present day the game is called ,blind ,man's ,buff1 and very popular it is among young folk4 ,illustration ,before beginning to play1 the middle of the room should be cleared1 the chairs placed against the wall1 and all toys and footstools put out of the way4 ,the child having been selected who is to be ,blind ,man or ,buff1 is blindfolded4 ,he is then asked the question1 ,how many horses has your father got8 ,the answer is ,three1 and to the question3 ,what color are they8 he replies3 ,black1 white1 and gray4 ,all the players then cry3 ,turn round three times and catch whom you may4 ,buff accordingly spins round and then the fun commences4 ,he tries to catch the players1 while they in their turn do their utmost to escape ,buff1 all the time making little sounds to attract him4 ,this goes on until one of the players is caught1 when ,buff1 without having the bandage removed from his eyes1 has to guess the name of the person he has secured4 ,if the guess is a correct one1 the player who has been caught takes the part of ,buff1 and the former ,buff joins the ranks of the players4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,puss ,,in ,,the ,,corner ,this game is really for five players only1 but1 by a little arrangement1 six or seven children can take part in the fun4 ,four players take their places in the different corners of the room1 while the fifth stands in the middle4 ,if a greater number of children wish to play1 other parts of the room must be named corners1 so that there is a corner for every one4 ,the fun consists in the players trying to change places without being caught2 but they are bound to call ,puss1 puss1 first1 and to beckon to the one they wish to change with4 ,directly they leave their corners1 the player in the center tries to get into one of them4 ,when the center player succeeds in getting into a corner1 the one who has been displaced has to take his place in the middle of the room4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,postman ,for this game all the players1 except two1 seat themselves in a circle4 ,one of the two left out is blindfolded and is called the ,postman1 the other is called the ,postmaster-,general4 ,each of the players seated in the circle chooses the name of a town1 which the ,post-master-,general writes down on a slip of paper1 so that he may not forget it4 ,he then calls out the names of two towns1 thus3 ,the post from ,aberdeen to ,calcutta4 ,at once1 the players who have taken those names must change places1 and while doing so the ,postman must try to catch one of them4 ,if he succeeds in doing so he takes his place in the circle1 having chosen a town for his name1 and the one caught becomes ,postman in place of him4 ,sometimes ,general post is called1 when all have to change places1 and the ,postman is then almost sure to gain a seat4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,dwarf ,illustration ,this is a most amusing game if well carried out4 ,the two performers must be hidden behind two curtains in front of which a table has been placed4 ,one of the performers slips his hands into a child's socks and little shoes4 ,he must then disguise his face1 by putting on a false mustache1 painting his eyebrows1 sticking pieces of black court plaster over one or two of his teeth1 which will make it appear as though he has lost several teeth4 ,this1 with a turban on his head1 will prove a very fair disguise4 ,the second performer must now stand behind the first and pass his arms round him1 so that the second performer's hands may appear like the hands of the dwarf1 while the first performer's hands make his feet4 ,the figure must1 of course1 be carefully dressed1 and the body of the second performer hidden behind the curtains4 ,the front player now puts his slippered hands upon the table and begins to keep time1 while the other performer follows suit with his hands4 ,the dwarf can be used either to tell fortunes1 make jokes1 or ask riddles1 and if the performers act their parts well1 the guests will laugh very heartily4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,how1 ,,when1 ,,and ,,where ,one of the company goes out of the room1 while the others choose a word to be guessed1 one with two or three different meanings being the best4 ,illustration ,we will suppose that the word ,spring has been thought of4 ,when the person who is outside the room is recalled1 he 7or she7 asks each one in succession3 ,how do you like it8 ,the answers may be ,dry 7meaning the season71 ,cold and clear 7a spring of water71 ,strong 7a watch-spring71 and ,high 7a jump74 ,the next question is3 ,when do you like it8 ,the answers may be3 ,when ,i am in the country1 ,when ,i am thirsty1 ,when my watch is broken4 ,the next question is3 ,where do you like it8 and the answers may be3 ,anywhere and everywhere1 ,in hot weather1 ,in the clock4 ,the game is to try and guess the word after any of the answers1 and if right1 the player last questioned takes the place of the one who is guessing2 if wrong1 the questioner must try again4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,old ,,soldier ,old ,soldier is a game for young children1 and though it seems very simple1 yet there is a good deal of fun in it4 ,one of the children pretends to be an old soldier1 and goes round begging of each of the other players in turn1 saying that he is poor1 and old1 and hungry1 and asking what they will do for him or give him4 ,in answering the ,old ,soldier1 no one must say the words3 ,yes1 ,no1 ,black1 or ,white1 and he must be answered at once without hesitation4 ,any one who does not reply at once1 or who uses any of the forbidden words1 must pay a forfeit4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,,bob ,,major ,two of the players sit down1 and a cloth1 large enough to prevent their seeing anything1 is put over their heads4 ,then two other persons tap them on the head with long rolls of paper1 which they have in their hands1 and ask1 in feigned voices1 ,who bobs you8 ,if either of those who have been tapped answers correctly1 he changes places with the one who has tapped him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,dumb ,,crambo ,divide the company into two equal parts1 one-half leaving the room2 the remaining players should then select a word1 which will have to be guessed by those outside the door4 ,when the word has been chosen--say1 for instance1 the word will--the party outside the room are told that the word they are to guess rhymes with till4 ,a consultation then takes place1 and they may think that the word is ill4 ,the company then enter and begin to act the word ill1 but without speaking a word4 ,the audience1 when they recognize the word that is being performed1 will immediately hiss1 and the actors then retire and think of another word4 ,thus the game goes on until the right word is hit upon1 when the company who have remained in the room1 clap their hands4 ,the audience then change places with the actors4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,trades ,each player must choose a trade and pretend to be working at it4 ,for instance1 if he is a tailor1 he must pretend to sew or iron2 if a blacksmith1 to hammer1 and so on4 ,one is the king1 and he1 too1 chooses a trade4 ,every one works away as hard as he can until the king suddenly gives up his trade1 and takes up that of some one else4 ,then all must stop1 except the one whose business the king has taken1 and he must start with the king's work4 ,the two go on until the king chooses to go back to his own trade1 when all begin working again4 ,any one who fails either to cease working or to begin again at the right time1 must pay a forfeit4 ,a somewhat more elaborate and livelier game of ,trades is played by each boy in the party choosing a trade which he is supposed to be carrying on4 ,the leader must invent a story1 and1 standing in the middle1 must tell it to the company4 ,he must manage to bring in a number of names of trades or businesses2 and whenever a trade is mentioned1 the person who represents it must instantly name some article sold in the shop4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration ,,the ,,schoolmaster ,this is always a favorite game4 ,one of the players is chosen schoolmaster1 and the others1 ranged in order in front of him1 form the class4 ,the master may then examine the class in any branch of learning4 ,suppose him to choose ,geography1 he must begin with the pupil at the head of the class1 and ask for the name of a country or town beginning with ,a4 ,if the pupil does not reply correctly before the master has counted ten1 he asks the next pupil1 who1 if he answers rightly--say1 for instance1 ,america1 or ,amsterdam1 in time1 goes to the top of the class4 ,the schoolmaster may go on in this way through the alphabet either regularly or at random1 as he likes4 ,any subject--names of kings1 queens1 poets1 soldiers1 etc4--may be chosen4 ,the questions and answers must follow as quickly as possible4 ,whoever fails to answer in time1 pays a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,rule ,,of ,,contrary ,this is a simple game for little children4 ,it is played either with a pocket-handkerchief1 or1 if more than four want to play1 with a table-cloth or small sheet4 ,each person takes hold of the cloth2 the leader of the game holds it with the left hand1 while with the right he makes pretense of writing on the cloth while he says3 ,here we go round by the rule of contrary4 ,when ,i say ',hold fast1' let go2 and when ,i say ',let go1' hold fast4 ,the leader then calls out one or other of the commands1 and the rest must do the opposite1 of what he says4 ,any one who fails must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,simon ,,says ,seat yourselves in a circle and choose one of the company to be the leader1 or ,simon4 ,his duty is to order all sorts of different things to be done1 the funnier the better1 which must be obeyed only when the order begins with ,simon says4 ,as1 for instance1 ,simon says3 ',thumbs up6' which1 of course1 all obey2 then perhaps comes3 ,thumbs down6 which should not be obeyed1 because the order did not commence with ,simon says4 ,each time this rule is forgotten a forfeit must be paid4 ,hands over eyes1 ,stamp the right foot1 ,pull the left ear1 etc41 are the kind of orders to be given4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,bird-,,catcher ,to play this game you must first decide which one of you is to be the ,bird-catcher2 the other players then each choose the name of a bird1 but no one must choose the owl1 as it is forbidden4 ,all the players then sit in a circle with their hands on their knees1 except the ,bird-catcher1 who stands in the center1 and tells a tale about birds1 taking care to specially mention the ones he knows to have been chosen by the company4 ,as each bird's name is called1 the owner must imitate its note as well as he can1 but when the owl is named1 all hands must be put behind the chairs1 and remain there until the next bird's name is mentioned4 ,when the ,bird-catcher cries ,all the birds1 the players must together give their various imitations of birds4 ,should any player fail to give the cry when his bird is named1 or forget to put his hands behind his chair1 he has to change places with ,bird-catcher4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,french ,,roll ,a good many children may play at this game4 ,one player is called the buyer1 the rest form a line in front of him and take hold of each other4 ,the first in this line is called the baker1 the last the ,french roll4 ,those between are supposed to be the oven4 ,when they are all in place the buyer says to the baker1 ,give me my ,french roll4 ,the baker replies1 ,it is at the back of the oven4 ,the buyer goes to fetch it1 when the ,french roll begins running from the back of the oven1 and comes up to the baker1 calling all the while1 ,who runs8 ,who runs8 ,the buyer may run after him1 but if the ,french roll gets first to the top of the line1 he becomes baker1 and the last in the line is ,french roll4 ,if1 however1 the buyer catches the ,french roll1 the ,french roll becomes buyer1 and the buyer takes the place of the baker4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,garden ,,gate ,the ,garden ,gate is a very pretty game4 ,a ring is formed of all the players except one1 who stands in the middle4 ,the others dance round her three times1 and when they stop she begins to sing3 ,open wide the garden gate1 the garden gate1 the garden gate1 ,open wide the garden gate and let me through4 ,the circle then dances round her again1 singing3 ,get the key of the garden gate1 the garden gate1 the garden gate1 ,get the key of the garden gate and open and let yourself through4 ,the girl inside the circle1 pretending to sob1 replies3 ,i've lost the key of the garden gate1 the garden gate1 the garden gate1 ,i've lost the key of the garden gate1 and cannot let myself through4 ,but the dancers dance round and round her1 singing3 ,then you may stop all night within the gate1 within the gate1 within the gate1 ,you may stop all night within the gate1 unless you have strength to break through4 ,the captive then rushes to the weakest part of the ring1 and tries to break through by throwing her whole weight upon the clasped hands of the children1 and generally contrives to break through1 the one whose hand gives way being made captive in her stead4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,charades ,a back drawing-room with folding doors makes a very nice theater for acting charades4 ,almost anything may be used for dressing up--shawls1 anti-macassars1 table-cloths1 handkerchiefs1 cast-off dresses1 or a dressing-gown4 ,the latter is a very useful garment in representing an old gentleman1 while tow or white fire shavings make excellent wigs4 ,the great thing in a charade is to try and puzzle your audience as much as you can4 ,you must choose a word of two or more syllables1 such as ,bagpipe4 ,first you must act the word ,bag1 and be sure that the word is mentioned1 though you must be careful to bring it in in such a way that the audience shall not guess it is the word you are acting4 ,next comes the word ,pipe1 and this must be brought in in the same manner4 ,when you have acted the two syllables1 you must act the whole3 ,bagpipe4 ,before beginning the charade1 you should arrange who is to bring in the charade word or syllable4 ,you must also settle what you are going to say1 or at least1 what the act is to be about4 ,let every scene be well thought out and be as short as possible4 ,you must be as quick as ever you can between the acts1 for all the fun will be spoiled if you keep your audience waiting4 ,if you have no curtain or screen1 the actors must simply walk off the stage at the end of the scenes4 ,to act charades well1 one requires a little practice and plenty of good temper1 for1 of course1 only one or two can take principal parts1 and therefore some of the children must be content to take the smaller ones4 ,it is a good plan to take it in turns to play the best parts1 and if the elder children are kind and thoughtful1 they will try to make some easy little parts1 so that their younger brothers and sisters may also join in the fun4 ,here we give you a very simple charade1 the words of which you may learn1 and then act1 after which you will very likely be able to make up charades for yourselves4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,band-,,box ,,charade ,,scene #a3 ,a ,,street ,this can be made by placing a row of chairs with open backs near the wall facing the audience2 a child is stationed behind each chair1 and1 looking through the open back1 pretends to be looking out of a window4 ,,band ,first ,child behind chair4--,oh6 dear1 how dull our street always is4 ,i declare nothing nice ever comes this way4 ,second ,child4--,no1 ,i quite agree with you4 ,why1 ,i haven't seen a ,punch and ,judy for months4 ,i wish my mother would go and live in another street4 ,third ,child4--,never mind1 let us go out and have a game4 7,enter five or six children--or a lesser number1 if more convenient--carrying toy musical instruments47 ,first ,child4--,hurrah6 ,here comes a ,german band4 ,come along1 children2 let's go and listen to it4 7,the band groups itself at the end of the street1 and the children stand round4 ,after tuning up1 the band begins to play47 ,second ,child4--,now1 ,mary ,jane1 we can dance4 ,i'll dance with you4 ,third ,child4--,no1 ,i want to dance with ,mary ,jane4 ,first ,child4--,i don't want to dance at all4 ,second ,child4--,you must4 ,third ,child4--,yes1 you must4 7,band ceases playing and one of the bandsmen comes round for money47 ,first ,child4--,i haven't any money4 ,second ,child4--,but we haven't begun to dance yet4 ,bandsman4--,you shouldn't have been so long arguing then4 ,surely you'll give the band a nickel1 after all the pretty music it has played8 ,first ,child4--,i won't4 ,second ,child4--,i won't4 ,third ,child4--,and ,i won't4 ,bandsman4--,well1 you are mean4 ,come along4 7,beckoning to the rest of the band47 ,we'll go1 and it will be a long time before we come down this street again4 7,curtain falls47 ,,box ,,scene #b3 ,a ,,room ,tommy 7hopping about the room1 waving a letter in his hand47--,hurrah6 hurrah6 ,uncle ,dick is coming4 ,hurrah6 hurrah6 7,enter ,tommy's brother and sister and papa and mamma47 ,papa4--,what's the matter1 ,tommy8 ,tommy4--,uncle ,dick has written to say he is coming to spend ,christmas with us1 and he is bringing me a ,christmas box4 ,mamma4--,how kind of him6 ,but be sure you are careful not to offend him1 ,tommy4 ,he is rather a touchy old gentleman4 ,sister4--,i wonder what it will be1 ,tommy4 ,brother4--,i hope it will be a set of cricket things1 and then we can play cricket in the summer4 ,tommy4--,oh6 yes1 ,i hope it will be1 but whatever it is1 it is sure to be something nice4 7,begins hopping about again4 ,enter ,uncle ,dick1 a very old gentleman with a gouty foot4 ,tommy does not see him and goes banging into him1 treading on his gouty foot47 ,uncle ,dick4--,oh6 oh6 oh6 oh1 my toe6 ,tommy4--,oh6 ,never mind your toe6 ,where's my ,christmas box8 ,uncle ,dick4--,your ,christmas box1 you young scamp6 ,think of my toe4 ,tommy4--,please1 uncle1 ,i'm very sorry1 but ,i do so want to know what you have brought me for a ,christmas box4 ,uncle ,dick 7roaring74--,here's your ,christmas box1 and may it teach you to be more careful in future4 7,boxes ,tommy's ears47 7,curtain falls47 ,here is a list of words which will divide easily into charade words3 ,brides-maids4 ,sea-side4 ,car-pen-try4 ,cur-tail4 ,nose-gay4 ,in-do-lent4 ,hand-i7,i7-craft4 ,turn-key4 ,hand-some4 ,key-hole4 ,rail-way4 ,sweet-heart4 ,port-man-teau7toe74 ,mad-cap4 ,a-bun-dance4 ,in-no-cent4 ,fox-glove4 ,pat-riot4 ,to make your charades a real success1 you will1 of course1 require a curtain4 ,a very effective one can be made with a little trouble and at a small cost2 indeed1 the materials may be already in the house4 ,first you must fix a couple of supports on each side of the room1 taking care that they are screwed firmly into the wall1 and also taking care not to damage the paper4 ,if you are a neat workman1 you will find on taking out the screws that the two small screw-holes on each side will scarcely be noticed1 as of course the supports must be fixed near the ceiling4 ,you must then put up your curtain-pole1 which should be as thin as possible1 so that the rings may run easily4 ,a cheap bamboo pole is the best4 ,two wide1 deep curtains are required2 very likely the nursery curtains may be suitable4 ,on to these curtains you sew a number of small brass rings1 which you can buy for about #bj cents a dozen1 or even less4 ,the rings should be sewn on the curtains1 as you see in the illustration1 right across the top1 and from the extreme top corner of the curtain1 slantingwise across to the middle4 ,the top rings are passed along the curtain-pole1 a string 7marked in the illustration ,a#a7 is sewn on to the curtain1 and threaded through the rings until it reaches ,a#b4 ,it is then threaded through the rings on the pole until it reaches ,a#c1 when it is allowed to fall loose4 ,the same arrangement is gone through with string ,b4 ,the bottom of the curtain must be weighted with shot1 or any other weights that may be convenient4 ,when the curtain is to be raised1 the stage manager and his assistant stand on each side of the stage with the strings ready in their hands1 and at a given signal--the ringing of a bell is the usual sign that all is ready--they each pull a string1 and the curtains glide to each side1 and may be fixed to hooks1 put up on purpose4 ,when the curtain is to fall1 the two in charge of it must simply loosen the strings and let them go1 and the weights cause the curtains to fall to the center4 ,all sorts of useful and ornamental properties may be made at home for a very small cost4 ,cardboard1 and gold and silver paper1 and glue go a long way toward making a good show4 ,swords1 crowns1 belts1 gold-spangled and gold-bordered robes can be made from these useful materials1 and look first-rate at a distance4 ,an old black dress with little gold stars glued or gummed to the material would make an excellent dress for a queen4 ,the swords or belts must first be cut out in cardboard1 then covered with gold or silver paper4 ,to make a good wig1 you should shape a piece of calico to fit the head2 then sew fire shavings or tow all over it4 ,if you wish for a curly wig1 it is a good plan to wind the shavings or tow tightly round a ruler1 and tack it along with a back stitch1 which will hold the curl in position after you have slipped it off the ruler4 ,these few hints will give you some idea of the very many different costumes which can be made by children out of the simplest materials4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,curtain ,,closed ,illustration3 ,,the ,,curtain ,,opened 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,cat ,the person who is to play the part of ,cat should stand outside the door of the room where the company is assembled4 ,the boys and girls1 in turn1 come to the other side of the door and call out miaou4 ,if the ,cat outside recognizes a friend by the cry1 and calls out her name correctly in return1 he is allowed to enter the room and embrace her1 and the latter then takes the place of ,cat4 ,if1 on the contrary1 the ,cat cannot recognize the voice1 he is hissed1 and remains outside until he does4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,,living ,,pictures ,living pictures are very amusing if well carried out1 and even with little preparation may be made very pretty or very comical1 whichever may be desired4 ,it is perhaps better to attempt comical ones if you have not much time in which to arrange them1 as the costumes are generally easier to manage1 and if you are obliged to use garments not quite in keeping with the characters1 it does not matter much2 indeed1 it will probably only make the audience laugh a little more4 ,the great thing in living pictures is to remain perfectly still during the performance4 ,you should select several well-known scenes either from history or fiction1 and then arrange the actors to represent the scenes as nearly as possible4 ,simple home living pictures are a great source of fun1 and many a wet afternoon will pass like magic while arranging scenes and making dresses to wear4 ,newspaper masks1 newspaper cocked hats1 old shawls1 dressing-gowns1 and sticks are quite sufficient for home charades4 ,suppose1 for instance1 you think of ,cinderella for one tableau4 ,one girl could be standing decked out with colored tissue paper over her frock1 and with paper flowers in her hair1 to represent one of the proud sisters1 while ,cinderella in a torn frock is arranging the other proud sister's train1 which may consist of an old shawl4 ,bouquets of paper flowers should be in the sister's hands4 ,little ,red ,riding ,hood is another favorite subject for a living picture4 ,the wolf may be represented by a boy on his hands and knees1 with a fur rug thrown over him4 ,red ,riding ,hood only requires a scarlet shawl1 arranged as a hood and cloak1 over her ordinary frock and pinafore1 and she should carry a bunch of flowers and a basket4 ,all living pictures look better if you can have a frame for them4 ,it is not very difficult to make one1 especially if you have four large card-board dress-boxes4 ,having carefully cut out the bottoms of the boxes1 place the frames as here shown3 ,illustration ,cut out the center framework1 leaving a large square1 so3 ,illustration ,you must then fasten the four pieces together by gluing cardboard on each side of the joints1 and you will have a very good frame1 which you can cover with colored paper or ornament with muslin4 ,this frame will last a very long time if carefully treated4 ,it should stand upright by itself2 but if it is a little unsteady1 it is better to hold it upright from the sides4 ,of course1 this will only make a very small frame1 but you can increase the size by using more boxes4 ,if you have no time to make a frame1 arrange your figures close to a door1 outside the room in which the audience is seated4 ,when quite ready1 some one must open the door1 when the doorway will make a kind of frame to the living picture4 ,it is always well to have a curtain if you can2 a sheet makes an excellent one4 ,two children standing upon chairs hold it up on each side1 and at a given signal drop it upon the floor1 so that1 instead of the curtain rising1 it drops4 ,when it has been dropped1 the two little people should take the sheet corners in their hands again1 so that they have only to jump upon the chairs when it is time to hide the picture4 ,of course1 these instructions are only for living pictures on a very small scale2 much grander arrangements will be needed if the performance is to take place before any but a home audience4 ,as ,i told you before1 comic living pictures are the easiest to perform on account of the dresses being easier to make1 but there are other living pictures which are easier still1 and which will cause a great deal of fun and merriment4 ,they are really catches1 and are so simple that even very little children can manage them4 ,you can arrange a program1 and make half a dozen copies to hand round to the audience4 ,the first living picture on the list is ,the ,fall of ,greece and sounds very grand1 indeed2 but when the curtain rises 7or rather1 if it is the sheet curtain1 drops71 the audience see a lighted candle set rather crookedly in a candlestick and fanned from the background so as to cause the grease to fall4 ,here are some other similar comic tableaux which you can easily place before an audience3 ,meet of the ,hounds4--,a pile of dog biscuits4 ,view of the ,black ,sea4--,a large capital ,c blackened with ink4 ,the ,charge of the ,light ,brigade4--,half a dozen boxes of matches labeled3 #aj cents the lot4 ,these are only a few of the many comic living pictures you can perform2 but1 no doubt1 you will be able to think of others for yourselves4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,acting ,,proverbs ,illustration ,the best way to play this game is for the players to divide themselves into two groups1 namely1 actors and audience4 ,each one of the actors should then fix upon a proverb1 which he will act1 in turn1 before the audience4 ,as1 for instance1 supposing one of the players to have chosen the proverb1 ,a bad workman quarrels with his tools1 he should go into the room where the audience is seated1 carrying with him a bag in which there is a saw1 a hammer1 or any other implement or tool used by a workman2 he should then look round and find a chair1 or some other article1 which he should pretend requires repairing2 he should then act the workman1 by taking off his coat1 rolling up his sleeves1 and commencing work1 often dropping his tools1 and grumbling about them the whole of the time4 ,if this game be acted well1 it may be made very entertaining4 ,sometimes the audience are made to pay a forfeit each time they fail to guess the proverb4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,shouting ,,proverbs ,this is rather a noisy game4 ,one of the company goes outside the door1 and during his absence a proverb is chosen and a word of it is given to each member of the company4 ,when the player who is outside re-enters the room1 one of the company counts ,one1 two1 three1 then all the company simultaneously shout out the word that has been given to him or her of the proverb that has been chosen4 ,if there are more players present than there are words in the proverb1 two or three of them must have the same word4 ,the effect of all the company shouting out together is very funny4 ,all that is necessary is for the guesser to have a sharp ear2 then he is pretty sure to catch a word here and there that will give him the key to the proverb4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,proverbs ,this is a very interesting game1 and can be played by a large number at the same time4 ,supposing there are twelve persons present1 one is sent out of the room1 while the others choose a proverb4 ,when this is done1 the guesser is allowed to come in1 and he asks each person a question separately4 ,in the answer1 no matter what question is asked1 one word of the proverb must be given4 ,for illustration we will take ,a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush4 #a4 ,john must use the word ,a in his answer4 #b4 ,gladys must use the word bird in hers4 #c4 ,nellie must use the word in in hers4 #d4 ,tommy must use the word the in his4 #e4 ,estelle must use the word hand in hers4 #f4 ,ivy must use the word is in hers4 #g4 ,wilfrid must use the word worth in his4 #h4 ,lionel must use the word two in his4 #i4 ,vera must use the word in in hers4 #aj4 ,bertie must use the word the in his4 #aa4 ,harold must use the word bush in his4 ,the fun becomes greater if the answers are given quickly and without allowing the special word to be noticed4 ,it often happens that the guesser has to try his powers over several times before succeeding4 ,the one who by giving a bad answer gives the clue1 in turn becomes guesser1 and is then obliged to go out of the room while another proverb is chosen4 ,here is a list of proverbs3 ,a bad workman quarrels with his tools4 ,a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush4 ,a cat may look at a king4 ,aching teeth are ill tenants4 ,a creaking door hangs long on the hinges4 ,a drowning man will catch at a straw4 ,after dinner sit a while1 after supper walk a mile4 ,a friend in need is a friend indeed4 ,a good servant makes a good master4 ,a good word is as soon said as an evil one4 ,a little leak will sink a great ship4 ,all are not friends that speak us fair4 ,all are not hunters that blow the horn4 ,all is fish that comes to the net4 ,all is not gold that glitters4 ,all work and no play makes ,jack a dull boy4 ,a pitcher goes often to the well1 but is broken at last4 ,a rolling stone gathers no moss4 ,a small spark makes a great fire4 ,a stitch in time saves nine4 ,as you make your bed1 so you must lie on it4 ,as you sow1 so you shall reap4 ,a tree is known by its fruit4 ,a willful man will have his way4 ,a willing mind makes a light foot4 ,a word before is worth two behind4 ,a burden which one chooses is not felt4 ,beggars have no right to be choosers4 ,be slow to promise and quick to perform4 ,better late than never4 ,better to bend than to break4 ,birds of a feather flock together4 ,care killed a cat4 ,catch the bear before you sell his skin4 ,charity begins at home1 but does not end there4 ,cut your coat according to your cloth4 ,do as you would be done by4 ,do not halloo till you are out of the wood4 ,do not spur a willing horse4 ,early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy1 wealthy1 and wise4 ,empty vessels make the greatest sound4 ,enough is as good as a feast4 ,faint heart never won fair lady4 ,fine feathers make fine birds4 ,fine words butter no parsnips4 ,fire and water are good servants1 but bad masters4 ,grasp all1 lose all4 ,half a loaf is better than no bread4 ,handsome is as handsome does4 ,happy is the wooing that is not long in doing4 ,he that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing4 ,hiders are good finders4 ,home is home though it be ever so homely4 ,honesty is the best policy4 ,if wishes were horses1 beggars would ride4 ,it is an ill wind that blows nobody good4 ,it is never too late to learn4 ,it is not the cowl that makes the friar4 ,it is a long lane that has no turning4 ,it's a good horse that never stumbles4 ,it's a sad heart that never rejoices4 ,ill weeds grow apace4 ,keep a thing for seven years1 and you will find a use for it4 ,kill two birds with one stone4 ,lazy folk take the most pains4 ,let sleeping dogs lie4 ,let them laugh that win4 ,make hay while the sun shines4 ,many a true word is spoken in jest4 ,many hands make light work4 ,marry in haste1 repent at leisure4 ,never look a gift horse in the mouth4 ,necessity is the mother of invention4 ,old birds are not to be caught with chaff4 ,old friends and old wine are best4 ,one swallow makes not a spring1 nor one woodcock a winter4 ,people who live in glass houses should never throw stones4 ,possession is nine points of the law4 ,procrastination is the thief of time4 ,short reckonings make long friends4 ,safe bind1 safe find4 ,strike while the iron is hot4 ,take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves4 ,the more the merrier1 the fewer the better cheer4 ,the darkest hour is just before the daylight4 ,the cobbler's wife is the worst shod4 ,there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip4 ,there's a silver lining to every cloud4 ,those who play with edge tools must expect to be cut4 ,time and tide wait for no man4 ,too many cooks spoil the broth4 ,union is strength4 ,waste not1 want not4 ,what the eye sees not1 the heart rues not4 ,when rogues fall out honest men get their own4 ,when the cat's away1 the mice play4 ,willful waste makes woful want4 ,you cannot eat your cake and have it also4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,adventurers ,this is a very good game and will combine both instruction and amusement4 ,the idea is that the company imagines itself to be a party of travelers who are about to set out on a journey to foreign countries4 ,a good knowledge of geography is required1 also an idea of the manufactures and customs of the foreign parts about to be visited4 ,it would be as well1 if not quite certain about the location of the part1 to refer to a map4 ,a place for starting having been decided upon1 the first player sets out upon his journey4 ,he tells the company what spot he intends to visit 7in imagination7 and what kind of conveyance he means to travel in4 ,on arriving at his destination1 the player states what he wishes to buy1 and to whom he intends to make a present of his purchase on returning home4 ,this may seem very simple1 but it is not nearly so easy as it appears4 ,the player must have some knowledge of the country to which he is going1 the way he will travel1 and the time it will take to complete the journey4 ,to give an instance1 it will not do for the player to state that he is going to ,greenland to purchase pineapples1 or to ,florida to get furs2 nor will it do for him to make a present of a meerschaum pipe to a lady1 or a cashmere shawl to a gentleman4 ,more fun is added to this game if forfeits are exacted for all mistakes4 ,the game continues1 and the second player must make his starting point from where the first leaves off4 ,of course1 all depends upon the imagination or the experience of the player2 if he has been a traveler or has read a good deal1 his descriptions should be very interesting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,postman',s ,,knock ,one player begins the game by going out of the room1 and then giving a double 7or postman's7 knock at the door2 it is the duty of one of the other players to stand at the door inside the room to answer the knocks that are made1 and to ask the postman for whom he has a letter4 ,the postman names some member of the company1 generally of the opposite sex2 he is then asked1 ,how many cents are to be paid8 ,perhaps he will say six2 the person for whom the letter is supposed to be must then pay for it with kisses1 instead of cents2 after which he or she must take a turn as postman4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,our ,,old ,,grannie ,,doesn',t ,,like ,,tea4 ,all the players sit in a row1 except one1 who sits in front of them and says to each one in turn3 ,our old ,grannie doesn't like ,t2 what can you give her instead8 ,perhaps the first player will answer1 ,cocoa1 and that will be correct2 but if the second player should say1 ,chocolate1 he will have to pay a forfeit1 because there is a ,t in chocolate4 ,this is really a catch1 as at first every one thinks that tea is meant instead of the letter ,t4 ,even after the trick has been found out it is very easy to make a slip1 as the players must answer before five is counted2 if they cannot1 or if they mention an article of food with the letter ,t in it1 they must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,love ,,my ,,love ,,with ,,an ,a4 ,to play this game it is best for the players to arrange themselves in a half circle round the room4 ,then one begins3 ,i love my love with an ',a1' because she is affectionate2 ,i hate her with an ',a1' because she is artful4 ,her name is ,alice1 she comes from ,alabama1 and ,i gave her an apricot4 ,the next player says3 ,i love my love with a ',b1' because she is bonnie2 ,i hate her with a ',b1' because she is boastful4 ,her name is ,bertha1 she comes from ,boston1 and ,i gave her a book4 ,the next player takes ,c1 and the next ,d1 and so on through all the letters of the alphabet4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,consequences ,one of the most popular games at a party is certainly ,consequences2 it is a very old favorite1 but has lost none of its charms with age4 ,the players sit in a circle2 each person is provided with a half sheet of notepaper and a pencil1 and is asked to write on the top--7#a7 one or more adjectives1 then to fold the paper over1 so that what has been written cannot be seen4 ,every player has to pass his or her paper on to the right-hand neighbor1 and all have then to write on the top of the paper which has been passed by the left-hand neighbor 7#b7 the name of the gentleman2 after having done this1 the paper must again be folded and passed on as before2 this time must be written 7#c7 one or more adjectives2 then 7#d7 a lady's name2 next 7#e71 where they met2 next 7#f71 what he gave her2 next 7#g71 what he said to her2 next 7#h71 what she said to him2 next 7#i71 the consequence2 and lastly 7#aj71 what the world said about it4 ,be careful that every time anything has been written1 the paper is folded down and passed on to the player on your right4 ,when every one has written what the world says1 the papers are collected and one of the company proceeds to read out the various papers1 and the result may be something like this3 7#a7 ,the horrifying and delightful 7#b7 ,mr4 ,brown 7#c7 met the charming 7#d7 ,miss ,philips 7#e7 in ,lincoln ,park2 7#f7 he gave her a flower 7#g7 and said to her3 ,how's your mother8 7#h7 ,she said to him3 ,not for ,joseph2 7#i7 the consequence was they danced the hornpipe1 and the world said 7#aj71 ,just what we expected4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,earth1 ,,air1 ,,fire1 ,,and ,,water ,illustration ,to play this game seat yourselves in a circle1 take a clean duster or handkerchief1 and tie it in a big knot1 so that it may easily be thrown from one player to another4 ,one of the players throws it to another1 at the same time calling out either of these names3 ,earth1 ,air1 ,fire1 or ,water4 ,if ,earth is called1 the player to whom the ball is thrown has to mention something that lives on the earth1 as lion1 cat2 if ,air is called1 something that lives in the air2 if ,water1 something that lives in the water2 but if ,fire is called1 the player must keep silence4 ,always remember not to put birds in the water1 or animals or fishes in the air2 be silent when ,fire is called1 and answer before ten can be counted4 ,for breaking any of these rules a forfeit must be paid4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,crambo ,one of the party leaves the room1 and on his return he is asked to find a word which has been chosen by the other players in his absence2 and in order to help him1 another word is mentioned rhyming with the word to be guessed4 ,questions may then be asked by the guesser1 and the players must all introduce1 as the final word of their answer1 another word rhyming with the word chosen4 ,for instance1 suppose the word way is selected4 ,the guesser would then be told that the word chosen rhymes with say4 ,he might then ask the first one of the party3 ,what do you think of the weather8 and the answer might be3 ,we have had a lovely day4 ,the second question might be3 ,have you enjoyed yourself8 and the answer might be3 ,yes2 ,i have had lots of play4 ,the game would proceed in this way until the guesser gave the correct answer1 or one of the party failed to give the proper rhyme1 in which case the latter would then be called upon to take the place of the guesser4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,lost ,,and ,,found ,a very similar game to ,consequences is that of ,lost and ,found1 which is played in an exactly similar manner1 but the questions are quite different3 7#a7 ,lost1 7#b7 by whom1 7#c7 at what time1 7#d7 where1 7#e7 found by1 7#f7 in what condition1 7#g7 what time1 7#h7 the reward4 ,the answers may be something like the following3 7#a7 ,lost a postage-stamp1 7#b7 by sister ,jane1 7#c7 at three in the morning1 7#d7 at ,st4 ,louis1 7#e7 it was found by a policeman1 7#f7 rather the worse for wear1 7#g7 at dinner-time2 7#h7 the reward was a kiss4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,animal1 ,,vegetable1 ,,or ,,mineral8 ,this is a capital game for a large party1 for it is both instructive and amusing4 ,two sides are picked1 one has to guess what word or sentence the remainder of the company has chosen4 ,they go out of the room1 and when the subject has been decided upon1 return and ask a question of each of the other side in turn4 ,the answer must be either ,yes or ,no1 and in no case should more words be used1 under penalty of paying a forfeit4 ,the first important point to be found out is whether the subject is ,animal1 ,vegetable1 or ,mineral4 ,supposing1 for instance1 the subject chosen is a cat which is sleeping in the room by the fire1 the questions and answers might be like the following3 ,is the subject chosen an animal8 ,yes4 ,wild animal8 ,no4 ,domestic animal8 ,yes4 ,common8 ,yes4 ,are there many to be seen in this town8 ,yes4 ,have you seen many this day8 ,yes4 ,in this house8 ,no4 ,have you seen many in the road8 ,yes4 ,do they draw carts8 ,no4 ,are they used for working purposes8 ,no4 ,is the subject a pet8 ,yes4 ,have they one in the house8 ,yes4 ,in this room8 ,yes4 ,is it lying in front of the fire at the present time8 ,yes4 ,is the subject you all thought of the cat lying in front of the fire in this room8 ,yes4 ,the subject having been guessed1 another one is chosen and the game proceeds4 ,the questions are limited to twenty1 but it is hardly ever necessary to use that number4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hunt ,,the ,,slipper ,illustration ,the players seat themselves in a circle on the floor1 having chosen one of their number to remain outside the circle4 ,the children seated on the floor are supposed to be cobblers1 and the one outside is the customer who has brought his shoe to be mended4 ,he hands it to one of them1 saying3 ,cobbler1 cobbler1 mend my shoe2 ,get it done by half-past two4 ,the cobblers pass the shoe round to each other as quickly as they can1 taking care that the customer does not see which of them has it4 ,when the customer comes to fetch it he is told that it is not ready4 ,he pretends to get angry and says he will take it as it is4 ,he must then try to find it1 and the cobbler who has it must try to pass it to his neighbor without its being seen by the customer4 ,the person upon whom the shoe is found must become the customer1 while the customer takes his place in the circle on the floor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,flying ,this game requires for the leader a person who can tell a story or make a little amusing speech4 ,each one who plays must place the right hand upon the left arm4 ,the leader then tells a story1 during the telling of which whenever he mentions any creature that can fly1 every right hand is to be raised and fluttered in the air to imitate the action of flying4 ,at the name of a creature that does not fly1 the hands must be kept quiet1 under pain of a forfeit4 ,thus3 ,the little wren is very small1 ,the humming-bee is less2 ,the ladybird is least of all1 ,and beautiful in dress4 ,the pelican she loves her young1 ,the stork its parent loves2 ,the woodcock's bill is very long1 ,and innocent are doves4 ,in ,germany they hunt the boar1 ,the bee brings honey home1 ,the ant lays up a winter store1 ,the bear loves honeycomb4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,blind ,,man',s ,,wand ,this is another way of playing ,blind ,man's ,buff1 and is thought by many to be an improvement on that game4 ,the player who is blindfolded stands in the center of the room1 with a long paper wand1 which can be made of a newspaper folded up lengthways1 and tied at each end with string4 ,the other players then join hands and stand round him in a circle4 ,some one then plays a merry tune on the piano1 and the players dance round and round the blind man1 until suddenly the music stops2 the blind man then takes the opportunity of lowering his wand upon one of the circle1 and the player upon whom it has fallen has to take hold of it4 ,the blind man then makes a noise1 such as1 for instance1 the barking of a dog1 a street cry1 or anything he thinks will cause the player he has caught to betray himself1 as the captive must imitate whatever noise the blind man likes to make4 ,should the blind man detect who holds the stick1 the one who is caught has to be blind man2 if not1 the game goes on until he succeeds4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,judge ,,and ,,jury ,the company should be seated in two lines facing each other1 and one of the party should then be elected to act as judge4 ,each person has to remember who is sitting exactly opposite1 because when the judge asks a question of any one1 it is not the person directly asked who has to reply1 but the person opposite to the judge4 ,for instance1 if the judge1 addressing one of the company1 asks3 ,do you like apples8 the person spoken to must remain silent1 while the person who is opposite to him must reply before the judge can count ten2 the penalty on failing to do this is a forfeit4 ,a rule with regard to the answers is that the reply must not be less than two words in length1 and must not contain the words3 ,yes1 ,no1 ,black1 ,white1 or ,gray4 ,for the breaking of this rule a forfeit may also be claimed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hands ,,up6 ,plate #c ,the company in this game must divide1 one-half taking seats on one side of the table1 and the other half on the other side2 the players on one side being called the guessers and the players on the other side being called the hiders4 ,a button or any small object is produced1 and the hiders have to pass it from hand to hand1 under the table1 so that those sitting opposite may not know who holds it4 ,when it is hidden1 one of the guessers cries out1 ,hands up6 ,immediately the hiders must place their closed hands on the table2 the guessers have then to find out which hand holds the button4 ,if successful1 the hiders take their turn at guessing4 ,the person in whose hand the button is found must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,lodgings ,,to ,,let ,the company sit in a circle1 and a player stands in the center4 ,there is one spare chair1 and the game is for this player to get possession of a vacant seat4 ,when the game begins1 every one moves as quickly as possible to the chair next beside him or her1 and as this is done all the time1 it is difficult for the person who is looking for lodgings to find a place by slipping in among them1 and his attempts will cause much amusement4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hunt ,,the ,,ring ,for this game a long piece of string is required4 ,on this a ring is threaded1 and the ends of the string are knotted together4 ,the players then take the string in their hands and form a circle1 while one of the company1 who is called the hunter1 stands in the center4 ,the string must be passed rapidly round and round1 and the players must try to prevent the hunter finding out who holds the ring4 ,as soon as he has done this1 he takes his place in the circle1 while the person who held the ring becomes the hunter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,stool ,,of ,,repentance ,the players sit in a circle1 in the center of which a stool is placed4 ,one of the company goes out of the room1 and the rest say all sorts of things about him4 ,for instance1 one will say he is handsome1 another that he is clever1 or stupid1 or vain4 ,the culprit is then called back into the room and seats himself on the stool1 which is called the stool of repentance1 and one of the players begins to tell him the different charges which have been made against him4 ,some one said you were vain2 can you guess who it was8 ,if the culprit guesses correctly1 he takes his seat in the circle and the person who made the accusation becomes the culprit in his stead4 ,if1 however1 the culprit is unable to guess correctly1 he must go out of the room again while fresh charges are made against him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,feather ,having procured a small flossy feather1 the players sit in a circle as closely together as possible4 ,one of the party then throws the feather as high as possible into the air1 and it is the duty of all the players to prevent it from alighting on them1 by blowing at it whenever it comes in their direction4 ,any player whom it falls upon must pay a forfeit4 ,it is almost impossible to imagine the excitement that is produced by this game when it is played with spirit1 and the fun is not altogether confined to the players1 as it gives almost as much enjoyment to those who are looking on4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,conversation ,to play this game successfully1 two of the company privately agree upon a word that has several meanings4 ,the two then enter into a conversation which is obliged to be about the word they have chosen1 while the remainder of the company listen4 ,when a member of the party imagines that he has guessed the word1 he may join in the conversation1 but if he finds he is mistaken1 must immediately retire4 ,to give an illustration3 ,supposing the two players who start the conversation decide upon the word box4 ,they might talk about the people they had seen at the theater and the particular part of the house in which they were sitting4 ,then they might say how nice it looked in a garden1 and one might mention that it grew into big trees4 ,perhaps one of the company might imagine that he had guessed the word correctly and join in1 when the conversation would be immediately changed1 and the two would begin to converse about a huge case in which a very great number of things were packed away4 ,by this time1 possibly the person who joined in the conversation will leave off1 completely mystified4 ,if1 however1 the word should be correctly guessed1 the person guessing it chooses a partner1 and they together select a word1 and the game begins again4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,gallery ,,of ,,statues ,for this game all the company leave the room with the exception of two4 ,one of these then stands like a statue1 with perhaps the assistance of a tablecloth or something similar as drapery1 while the other acts as showman4 ,when the position is decided upon1 one of the company is called in and taken on one side by the showman1 and is asked his or her opinion as to the merits of the statue4 ,it is almost certain that some suggestion will be made2 in that case he or she is made to assume the attitude suggested1 and another player is called in1 to whom the same question is put1 and another suggestion made and adopted4 ,as each statue is added to the gallery1 a great deal of merriment is caused1 and in a short time a large collection will be obtained4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,huntsman ,one person represents the huntsman1 the other players call themselves after some part of the huntsman's belongings2 for instance1 one is the cap1 another the horn1 others the powder-flask1 gun1 whip1 etc4 ,a number of chairs are arranged in the middle of the room1 and there must be one chair less than the number of players1 not counting the huntsman4 ,the players then seat themselves round the room1 while the huntsman stands in the center and calls for them one at a time1 in this way3 ,powder-flask6 ,at once ,powder-flask rises and takes hold of the huntsman's coat4 ,cap1 ,gun1 ,shot1 ,belt1 the huntsman cries2 each person who represents these articles must rise and take hold of the player summoned before him1 until at length the huntsman has a long line behind him4 ,he then begins to run round the chairs1 until he suddenly cries3 ,bang6 when the players must sit down4 ,of course1 as there are not sufficient chairs1 one player will be left standing and he must pay a forfeit4 ,the huntsman is not changed throughout the game1 unless he grows tired1 when he may change places with one of the others4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hot ,,boiled ,,beans ,,and ,,bacon ,this is a game for young children4 ,some small article is hidden in the room1 while the little one who has to find it is sent outside4 ,this finished1 the players call out together3 ,hot ,boiled ,beans and ,bacon2 it's hidden and can be taken4 ,the little one enters and begins to hunt about for the hidden article4 ,when she comes near to its hiding-place1 the company tell her that she is getting hot2 or1 if she is not near it1 she is told that she is cold4 ,that she is very hot or very cold1 will denote that she is very near of very far away from the object that is hidden2 while if she is extremely near1 she would be told that she was burning4 ,in this way the hidden object can be found1 and all the children can be interested in the game by being allowed to call out whether the little one is hot or cold4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,my ,,master ,,bids ,,you ,,do ,,as ,i ,,do4 ,for all those children who are fond of a little exercise1 no better game than this can be chosen4 ,when the chairs are placed in order round the room1 the first player commences by saying3 ,my master bids you do as ,i do1 at the same time working away with the right hand as if hammering at his knees4 ,the second player then asks3 ,what does he bid me do8 in answer to which the first player says3 ,to work with one as ,i do4 ,the second player1 working in the same manner1 must turn to his left-hand neighbor and carry on the same conversation1 and so on until every one is working away with the right hand4 ,the second time of going round1 the order is to work with two1 then both hands must work2 then with three1 then both hands and one leg must work2 then with four1 when both hands and both legs must work2 lastly with five1 when both legs1 both arms1 and the head must be kept going4 ,should any of the players fail in keeping in constant motion1 a forfeit may be claimed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,red ,,cap ,,and ,,blue ,,cap ,the players seat themselves in a circle to represent tailors at work on a piece of cloth--a handkerchief or a duster will answer the purpose4 ,a leader or foreman is chosen1 and every one of the company is named in turn ,red ,cap1 ,blue ,cap1 ,black ,cap1 ,yellow ,cap1 ,brown ,cap1 etc4 ,the leader then takes the piece of cloth and pretends to examine the work which is supposed to have been done by the workmen4 ,he is supposed to discover a bad stitch and asks3 ,who did it1 ,blue ,cap8 ,the latter immediately answers3 ,not ,i1 sir4 ,who then1 sir8 ,yellow ,cap1 sir4 ,yellow ,cap must then answer at once in the same manner and name another workman4 ,any one who fails to answer to his name pays a forfeit4 ,if carried on in a brisk manner1 this game will cause endless amusement4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,it ,one of the players is asked to go outside while the company thinks of some person in the room1 and on his return he has to guess of whom the company has thought4 ,the players then arrange themselves in a circle1 and agree each to think of his or her right-hand neighbor2 it is best to have a girl and boy alternately1 as this adds much to the amusement4 ,the one outside is then called in1 and commences to ask questions4 ,before replying1 the player asked must be careful to notice his or her right-hand neighbor1 and then give a correct reply4 ,for instance1 supposing the first question to be3 ,is the person thought of a boy or a girl8 ,the answer would possibly be ,a boy2 the next person would then be asked the color of the complexion1 the next one the color of the hair1 if long or short1 etc41 to which questions the answers would1 of course1 be given according to the right-hand neighbor4 ,nearly all the answers will contradict the previous ones1 and something like this may be the result3 ,a boy1 very dark complexion1 long yellow hair1 wearing a black velvet jacket1 with a dark green dress1 five feet high1 about six years old1 etc4 ,when the player guessing gives the game up1 the joke is explained to him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,acting ,,rhymes ,for this game1 half the players go outside the door1 while those who stay in the room choose a word of one syllable1 which should not be too difficult4 ,for instance1 suppose the word chosen be ,flat1 those who are out of the room are informed that a word has been thought of that rhymes with ,cat1 and they then have to act without speaking1 all the words they can think of that rhyme with ,cat4 ,supposing their first idea be ,bat1 they come into the room and play an imaginary game of cricket4 ,this not being correct1 they would get hissed for their pains1 and they must then hurry outside again4 ,they might next try ,rat1 most of them going into the room on their hands and feet1 while the others might pretend to be frightened4 ,again they would be hissed4 ,at last the boys go in and fall flat on their faces1 while the girls pretend to use flat-irons upon their backs4 ,the loud clapping that follows tells them that they are right at last4 ,they then change places with the audience1 who1 in their turn1 become the actors4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,man ,,and ,,object ,two persons go out of the room1 and after agreeing together as to what they shall represent1 they come back again1 and sit side by side in front of the company4 ,one of the two takes the part of some well-known person1 and the other represents an object which is closely connected with that person2 for instance1 say one represents the governor1 and the other the mayor4 ,when the two return to the room1 the other players take it in turns to ask each of them a question1 to which both the man and the object must reply either ,yes or ,no1 until the right person and the right object have been guessed4 ,the first player will perhaps ask the man3 ,are you alive8 ,illustration ,the man will reply1 ,yes2 then the object is asked3 ,are you of wood8 ,no4 ,the second player next questions him1 and then the third1 and so on until every one has had a turn at questioning1 or the person and the object have been guessed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,jolly ,,miller ,the players decide among themselves which one of their number shall act the part of the ,jolly ,miller4 ,this being done1 each little boy chooses a little girl as partner2 the ,jolly ,miller having taken his stand in the middle of the room1 they all commence to walk arm-in-arm round him1 singing the following lines3 ,there was a jolly miller who lived by himself2 ,as the wheel went round he made his wealth2 ,one hand in the hopper1 and the other on the bag2 ,as the wheel went round he made his grab4 ,at the word ,grab all must change partners1 and while the change is going on the miller has the opportunity given him of securing a partner for himself4 ,should he succeed in doing so1 the one left without a partner must take the place of the ,jolly ,miller1 and must occupy the center of the room until fortunate enough to get another partner4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ruth ,,and ,,jacob ,illustration ,one player is blindfolded1 the rest dance in a circle round him till he points at one of them4 ,this person then enters the ring1 and when the blindman calls out ,ruth1 answers ,jacob1 and moves about within the circle so as to avoid being caught by the blindman1 and continues to answer ,jacob1 as often as the blindman calls out ,ruth4 ,this continues until ,ruth is caught4 ,jacob must then guess who it is he has caught2 if he guesses correctly1 ,ruth takes his place1 and the game goes on2 if he guesses wrongly1 he continues to be ,jacob4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,checkers ,this is a splendid game and one very easily learned4 ,it is played upon a special board with thirty-two white and thirty-two black squares4 ,two persons play at the game1 who sit opposite to each other4 ,the players have each a set of twelve pieces1 or men1 the color of the sets being different1 so that the players can distinguish their own men easily4 ,the men are round and flat1 and are usually made of boxwood or ebony and ivory1 one set being white and the other black4 ,before placing the men upon the board1 it must be decided whether the white or the black squares are to be played on1 as the whole must be put on one color only4 ,if the white squares are selected1 there must be a black square in the right-hand corner2 if the black squares are to be played upon1 then the right-hand corner square must be a white one4 ,the movements in checkers are very simple2 a man can be moved only one square at a time1 except as explained hereafter1 and that diagonally1 never straight forward or sideways4 ,if an opponent's man stand in the way1 no move can take place unless there be a vacant square beyond it1 into which the man can be lifted4 ,in this case the man leaped over is taken and removed from the board4 ,the great object of the game1 then1 is to clear the board of the opponent's men1 or to hem them in in such a way that they cannot be moved1 whichever player hems in the opponent or clears the board first gains the victory4 ,as no man can be moved more than one step diagonally at a time 7except when taking opponent's pieces71 there can be no taking until the two parties come to close quarters2 therefore1 the pushing of the men continuously into each other's ground is the principle of the game4 ,in beginning the game1 a great advantage can be obtained by having the first move2 the rule1 therefore1 is1 if several games are played1 that the first move be taken alternately by the players4 ,when either of the players has1 with his men1 reached the extreme row of squares on the opposite side 7the first row of his opponent71 those men are entitled to be crowned1 which is done by placing on the top of each another man1 which may be selected from the men already removed from the board4 ,the men so crowned are called ,kings and have a new power of movement1 as the player may now move them either backward or forward1 as he wills1 but always diagonally as before4 ,the ,kings having this double power of movement1 it is an important point for a player to get as many men crowned as possible4 ,if each player should be fortunate enough to get two or three ,kings1 the game becomes very exciting4 ,immediately after crowning1 it is well for a player to start blocking up his opponent's men1 so as to allow more freedom for his own pieces1 and thus prepare for winning the game4 ,it is the rule that if a player touch one of his men he must play it4 ,if player ,a omit to take a man when it is in his power to do so1 his opponent ,b can huff him2 that is1 take the man of the player ,a off the board4 ,if it is to ,b's advantage1 he may insist on his own man being taken1 which is called a blow4 ,the usual way is to take the man of the player ,a who made the omission1 and who was huffed1 off the board4 ,it is not considered right or fair for any one watching the game to advise what move to be made1 or for a player to wait longer than five minutes between each move4 ,great care should be taken in moving the men1 as one false move may at any time endanger the whole game4 ,with constant practice any one can soon become a very fair player1 but even after the game has been played only a few times it will be found very interesting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,dominoes ,there are several ways of playing ,dominoes1 but the following game is the most simple3 ,the dominoes are placed on the table1 face downward1 and each player takes up one1 to decide who is to play first4 ,the one who draws the stone with the highest number of pips on it takes the lead4 ,the two stones are then put back among the rest2 the dominoes are then shuffled1 face downward1 and the players choose seven stones each1 placing them upright on the table1 so that each can see his own stones1 without being able to overlook those of his opponent4 ,as there are twenty-eight stones in an ordinary set1 there will still be fourteen left from which to draw4 ,the player who has won the lead now places a stone1 face upward1 on the table4 ,suppose it be double-six1 the other player is bound to put down a stone on which six appears1 placing the six next to the double-six4 ,perhaps he may put six-four2 the first player then puts six-five1 placing his six against the opposite six of the double-six2 the second follows with five-four1 placing his five against the five already on the table2 thus1 you see1 the players are bound to put down a stone which corresponds at one end with one of the end numbers of those already played4 ,whenever a player has no corresponding number he must draw from the fourteen that were left out for that purpose4 ,if1 when twelve of these fourteen stones are used up1 he cannot play1 he loses his turn1 and his opponent plays instead of him4 ,the two remaining dominoes must not be drawn4 ,when one of the players has used up all his dominoes1 his opponent turns up those he has left1 the pips are then counted1 and the number of pips is scored to the account of the player who was out first4 ,if neither player can play1 the stones are turned face upward on the table1 and the one who has the smallest number of pips scores as follows3 ,if the pips of one player count ten and those of the other player five1 the five is deducted from the ten1 leaving five to be scored by the player whose pips only counted five4 ,the dominoes are shuffled again1 the second player this time taking the lead1 and the game proceeds in this way until one or other has scored a hundred1 the first to do so winning the game4 ,this game is generally played by two only1 though it is possible for four1 five1 or even six to join in it2 but1 in that case1 they cannot1 of course1 take seven stones each1 so they must divide the stones equally between them1 leaving a few to draw from1 if they prefer it2 if not they can divide them all4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,green ,,gravel ,in this game the children join hands and walk round in a circle1 singing the following words3 ,green gravel1 green gravel1 your grass is so green1 ,the fairest young damsel that ever was seen4 ,i'll wash you in new milk and dress you in silk1 ,and write down your name with a gold pen and ink4 ,oh6 7,mary7 ,oh6 7,mary7 your true love is dead2 ,he's sent you a letter to turn round your head4 ,when the players arrive at that part of the song1 ,oh1 ,mary6 they name some member of the company2 when the song is finished1 the one named must turn right round and face the outside of the ring1 having her back to all the other players4 ,she then joins hands in this position and the game continues as before until all the players face outward4 ,they then recommence1 until they all face the inside of the ring as at first4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,fives ,,and ,,threes ,this is another game that is played with dominoes1 and is one of the most popular4 ,it is excellent practice for counting1 and to be successful at it depends1 in a very great measure1 upon skill in doing this4 ,two1 three or four players may take part in this game4 ,after the dominoes have been shuffled1 face downward1 each player takes an equal number of stones1 leaving always three1 at least1 upon the table2 no player1 however1 may take more than seven1 and it is perhaps better to limit the number to five4 ,in playing dominoes1 it should always be borne in mind that one end of the domino to be played must always agree in number with the end of the domino it is to be placed against4 ,the object of the game is to make as many fives and threes as are possible2 for instance1 a player should always make the domino show fifteen if he can1 as three divides into fifteen five times1 and five divides into fifteen three times1 and he would thus score #h 7three and five74 ,the way to count is to add the two extreme ends together1 always1 of course1 trying to make the number as high as possible1 and to make it one into which either three or five will divide1 as if a number be formed into which these numbers will not divide1 no score will result4 ,suppose there are two players1 ,a and ,b4 ,a starts the game by playing the double-six1 for which he scores #d 7three dividing into twelve four times74 ,b then plays the six-three1 making fifteen1 and thus scores #h 7the highest score possible1 as explained above74 ,a next plays the double-three1 which makes eighteen1 and scores #f 7three dividing into eighteen six times74 ,b then plays six-blank onto the double-six on the left-hand side and scores #b 7three dividing into six twice74 ,a holding the blank-three1 places it onto the blank end1 making the number nine1 and scores #c4 ,b next plays the three-four1 which makes ten1 and #b is added to his score 7five dividing into ten twice74 ,thus the game proceeds1 each player trying to make as many fives and threes as possible4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,paper ,,and ,,pencil ,,games ,,birds1 ,,beasts1 ,,and ,,fishes ,take your pencil and write upon the top of your paper the words1 ,birds1 ,beasts1 and ,fishes4 ,then tell your companion that you are going to think of1 for instance1 an animal4 ,put down the first and last letters of the name1 filling in with crosses the letters that have been omitted4 ,for example1 write down on the paper ,c99999999999999e4 ,your companion would have to think of all the animals' names that he could remember which contained nine letters1 and commenced with the letter ,c and ended with e4 ,if the second player after guessing several times gives it up1 the first player would tell him that the animal thought of was ,crocodile1 and would then think of another ,bird1 ,beast1 or ,fish1 and write it down in a similar manner4 ,if1 however1 the name of the animal be guessed1 then it would be the second player's turn to take the paper and pencil4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,noughts ,,and ,,crosses ,illustration ,this is a game every boy or girl thoroughly enjoys4 ,take paper1 and with a pencil draw four cross lines as shown3 ,illustration ,two persons only can play at this game1 one player taking noughts1 the other crosses4 ,the idea is for the one player to try and draw three noughts in a line before the other player can do the same with three crosses4 ,supposing the player who places his ,o in the right-hand top corner1 the player who has taken the crosses will perhaps place an ,x in the left-hand top corner4 ,the next ,o would be placed in the bottom left-hand corner2 then to prevent the line of three noughts being completed1 the second player would place his ,x in the center square4 ,an ,o would then be immediately placed in the right-hand bottom corner1 so that wherever the ,x was placed by the next player1 the noughts would be bound to win4 ,say1 for instance1 the ,x has chosen the noughts commences and was placed in the center square on the right-hand side1 the place for the ,o to be put would be the center square at the bottom1 thus securing the game4 ,the diagram would then appear as illustrated3 99 99 99 99 99 ,,tit1 ,,tat1 ,,toe ,illustration ,there can be two1 three1 or four players for this game4 ,first take paper and pencil and write the players' names across the top of the paper in the order in which they are to play4 ,next draw a large circle1 in the center of which draw a smaller one1 placing the number #ajj within it4 ,the space between the inner and outer circles must be divided into parts1 each having a number1 as shown in the diagram4 ,this having been done1 the first player closes his eyes1 takes the pencil1 and places his hand over the paper1 the point of the pencil just touching it4 ,he then repeats the following rhyme1 moving the pencil round and round while doing so3 ,tit1 tat1 toe1 ,my first go1 ,four jolly butcher boys ,all in a row4 ,stick one up1 ,stick one down1 ,stick one in ,the old man's crown4 ,at the word crown the player must keep the point of the pencil firmly on the paper1 and open his eyes4 ,if the pencil is not within the circle1 or if within but with the point of the pencil resting upon a line1 then the player gives the pencil to the next player1 having scored nothing4 ,if1 on the contrary1 at the end of the rhyme1 the pencil is found to be resting in a division of the circle1 for instance1 marked #gj1 that number is placed beneath the player's name1 and the section is struck by drawing a line across it4 ,if afterward the pencil rest in a division of the circle that has been struck out1 the player loses his turn in the same way as if the pencil were not in the circle at all1 or had rested upon a line of the diagram4 ,the game continues until all the divisions of the circle have been scored out1 when the numbers gained by each of the players are added up1 and the one who has scored the highest number of points wins the game4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,card ,,games ,,speculation ,speculation is a game at which any number of persons may play4 ,the stakes are made with counters or nuts1 and the value of the stakes is settled by the company4 ,the highest trump in each deal wins the pool4 ,when the dealer has been chosen1 he puts1 say1 six counters in the pool and every other player puts four2 three cards are given to each person1 though they must be dealt one at a time2 another card is then turned up1 and called the trump card4 ,the cards must be left upon the table1 but the player on the left-hand side of the dealer turns up his top card so that all may see it4 ,if it is a trump card1 that is to say1 if it is of the same suit as the card the dealer turned up1 the owner may either keep his card or sell it1 and the other players bid for it in turn4 ,of course1 the owner sells it for the highest price he can get4 ,the next player then turns up his card1 keeps it or sells it1 and so the game goes on until all the cards have been shown and disposed of1 and then the player who holds the highest trump either in his own hand or among the cards he has bought1 takes the pool1 and there is another deal4 ,should none of the other players have a trump card in his hand1 and the turn-up card not having been purchased by another player1 the dealer takes the pool4 ,if any one look at his cards out of turn1 he can be made to turn all three up1 so that the whole company can see them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,all ,,fours ,this game takes its name from the four chances or points of which it consists1 namely1 ,high1 ,low1 ,jack1 and ,game4 ,it may be played by two or four players1 but the same rules apply to each4 ,the four points1 which have been already mentioned1 count as follows3 ,high1 the highest trump out2 the holder scores one point4 ,low1 the lowest trump out2 the original holder of it scores one point even if it is taken by his adversary4 ,jack1 the knave of trumps2 the holder scores one point1 unless it be won by his adversary1 in which case the winner scores one4 ,game1 the greatest number of tricks gained by either party2 reckoning for each ,ace four toward game1 each ,king three toward game1 each ,queen two toward game1 each ,jack one toward game1 each ,ten ten toward game4 ,the other cards do not count toward game2 thus it may happen that a deal may be played without either party having any to score for ,game4 ,when the players hold equal numbers1 the dealer does not score4 ,plate #d ,begging is when the player next the dealer does not like his cards and says1 ,i beg1 in which case the dealer must either let him score one1 saying1 ,take one1 or give three more cards from the pack to all the players and then turn up the next card for trumps2 if the trump turned up is the same suit as the last1 the dealer must give another three cards until a different suit turns up trumps4 ,in playing this game the ace is the highest card and the deuce 7the two7 is the lowest4 ,having shuffled and cut a pack of cards1 the dealer gives six to each player4 ,if there be two playing1 he turns up the thirteenth card for trumps2 if four are playing1 he turns up the twenty-fifth4 ,should the turn-up be a jack1 the dealer scores one point4 ,the player next the dealer looks at his hand and either holds it or begs1 as explained4 ,the game then begins by the player next the dealer leading a card1 the others following suit1 the highest card taking the trick1 and so on until the six tricks have been won4 ,when the six tricks are played1 the points are taken for ,high1 ,low1 ,jack1 and ,game4 ,should no player have either a court card or a ten1 the player next to the dealer scores the point for the game4 ,if only one trump should be out1 it counts both ,high and ,low to the player who first has it4 ,the first great thing in this game is to try and win the jack2 next you must try and make the tens2 and you must also try and win the tricks4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,snap ,the pack of cards is dealt round1 face downward1 and each player packs his cards together1 without looking at them1 and then places them in front of him4 ,the first player then turns up the top card of his pack1 the next does the same1 and so on in turn2 but1 as soon as a player turns up a card corresponding in number to the one already lying1 uncovered1 on the table1 one of the two to whom the cards belong cries1 ,snap4 ,whichever succeeds in saying it first takes1 not only the snap card of the other player1 but all the cards he has already turned up1 and also those he has himself turned up4 ,the cards he wins must be placed at the bottom of his own pack4 ,the one who succeeds in winning all the cards wins the game4 ,it is necessary to be very attentive and very quick if you want to be successful at this game4 ,there is a game very similar to the above called ,animal ,snap4 ,each player takes the name of an animal1 and instead of crying ,snap1 he must cry the name of the animal chosen by the player who turned up the last card4 ,for instance1 suppose a five be turned up and a player who has chosen the name of ,tiger turn up another five1 instead of crying ,snap1 ,tiger would be called if ,tiger did not succeed in crying the other player's name first4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,snip1 ,,snap1 ,,snorum ,this is a first-rate game and very exciting4 ,any number of players may take part in it1 and the whole of the fifty-two cards are dealt out4 ,each player has five counters1 and there is a pool in the middle1 which is empty at the commencement of the game4 ,the first player plays a card--say it is a six--then the one next to him looks through his cards1 and if he has another six he puts it down and says1 ,snip2 the first player must then pay a counter into the pool4 ,if the next player should chance to have another six1 he plays it and says ,snap1 and the one who is snapped must pay in his turn1 but the fine is increased to two counters4 ,should the fourth player have the fourth six1 he plays it1 and says1 ,snorum1 and the third player must now pay2 his fine is three counters to the pool4 ,no person may play out of his turn1 and every one must snip when it is in his power4 ,when any one has paid the whole of his five counters to the pool he retires from the game2 the pool becomes the property of the one whose counters last the longest4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,old ,,maid ,from a pack of cards take out one queen1 shuffle the cards and deal them1 face downward1 equally among all the players4 ,the cards should then be taken1 the pairs sorted out and thrown upon the table4 ,by pairs is meant two kings1 or two fives1 and so on4 ,when all the pairs have been sorted out1 the dealer offers the remainder of his cards to his felt-hand neighbor1 who draws any card he chooses to select1 though he is only allowed to see the backs of them4 ,the player who has drawn then looks at the cards to see if he can pair it with one he holds in his hand2 if he can1 he throws out the pair2 if not1 he must place it with his other cards4 ,it is now his turn to offer his cards to his neighbor1 and so the game goes on until all the cards are paired1 except1 of course1 the odd card which is the companion to the banished queen4 ,the holder of this card is the old maid4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,pope ,,joan ,this amusing game is for any number of players1 and is played with a wooden board which is divided into compartments or pools1 and can be bought cheaply at any toy shop for a small sum4 ,failing a board1 use a sheet of paper marked out in squares4 ,before dealing1 the eight of diamonds is taken out of the pack1 and the deal is settled by cutting the cards1 and whoever turns up the first jack is dealer4 ,the dealer then shuffles the cards and his left-hand neighbor cuts them4 ,the dealer must next dress the board1 that is1 he must put counters into the pools1 which are all marked differently4 ,this is the way to dress the board3 ,one counter to each ace1 king1 queen1 jack1 and game1 two to matrimony 7king and queen71 two to intrigue 7queen and jack71 and six to the nine of diamonds1 which is the ,pope4 ,on a proper board you will see these marked on it4 ,the cards are now dealt round to the players1 with the exception of one card1 which is turned up for trumps1 and six or eight1 which are put aside to form the stops2 the four kings and the seven of diamonds are also always stops4 ,if either ace1 king1 queen1 or jack happen to be turned up for trumps1 the dealer may take whatever is in the compartment with that mark2 but when ,pope is turned up for trumps1 the dealer takes all the counters in ,pope's compartment as well as those in the game compartment1 besides a counter for every card dealt to each player1 which must1 of course1 be paid by the players4 ,there is then a fresh deal4 ,it is very seldom1 however1 that ,pope does turn up for trumps2 when it does not happen1 the player next to the dealer begins to play1 trying to get rid of as many cards as possible4 ,first he leads cards which he knows will be stops1 then ,pope1 if he has it1 and afterward the lowest card in his suit1 particularly an ace1 for that can never be led up to4 ,the other players follow when they can2 for instance1 if the leader plays the two of diamonds1 whoever holds the three plays it1 some one follows with the four1 and so on until a stop occurs2 whoever plays the card which makes a stop becomes leader and can play what he chooses4 ,this goes on until some person has parted with all his cards1 by which he wins the counters in the game compartment and receives from the players a counter for every card they hold4 ,should any one hold the ,pope he is excused from paying1 unless he happens to have played it4 ,whoever plays any of the cards which have pools or compartments takes the counters in that pool4 ,if any of these cards are not played1 the counters remain over for the next game4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,suspect ,,you ,this game may be played by any number of persons4 ,as soon as the cards have been dealt and the players have examined their hands1 the one on the left of the dealer plays the lowest card he has 7the ace counting lowest74 ,he must place the card face downward on the table1 at the same time calling out what it is4 ,the next player also puts down a card1 face downward1 and calls the next number2 for instance1 if ,no4 #a puts down a card and says ,one1 ,no4 #b says ,two1 ,no4 #c ,three1 and so on4 ,it is not necessary for the card laid down to be actually the one called out4 ,the fun of the game is to put down the wrong card without1 any one suspecting you4 ,naturally1 it is not often that the cards run straight on1 as no one may play out of turn1 and if one player thinks another has put down the wrong card1 he says1 ,i suspect you4 ,the player must then show his card1 and if it should not be the one he said1 he must take all the cards laid down and add them to his pack2 if1 however1 the card happens to be the right one1 then the accuser must take the cards4 ,the player who first succeeds in getting rid of his cards wins the game4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,beggar ,,my ,,neighbor ,the cards are dealt equally to the players4 ,the first player puts down a card1 face upward1 upon the table4 ,if it be a common card1 that is1 a two1 or three1 or anything but a picture card or an ace1 his neighbors put down in turn their cards until a court card 7that is1 a picture card or an ace7 turns up4 ,if at last an ace be played1 the neighbor of the one who plays it must pay him four cards2 if a king three cards1 if a queen two1 and if a jack one4 ,the one who played the court card also takes all the cards that have been played1 and puts them under his own pack4 ,if1 however1 in playing for a court card1 one of the players puts down another court card1 then his neighbor must pay him1 and he takes the whole pack instead of the previous player4 ,sometimes it happens that a second player in paying puts down a court card1 and the third player in paying him puts down another1 and so on1 until perhaps the fourth or fifth player actually gets the cards in the end4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,riddles ,few children think they will ever tire of playing games2 but all the same1 toward the end of a long evening1 spent merrily in dancing and playing1 the little ones begin to get too weary to play any longer1 and it is very difficult to keep them amused4 ,then comes the time for riddles6 ,the children can sit quietly round the room1 resting after their romps and laughter1 and yet be kept thoroughly interested1 trying to guess riddles4 ,it is1 however1 very difficult to remember a number of good and laughable ones1 so we will give a list of some1 which will be quite sufficient to puzzle a roomful of little folk for several hours4 ,why are weary people like carriage wheels8 ,answer3 ,because they are tired4 ,an old woman in a red cloak was passing a field in which a goat was feeding4 ,what strange transformation suddenly took place8 ,answer3 ,the goat turned to butter 7butt her71 and the woman into a scarlet runner4 ,why does a duck go into the water8 ,answer3 ,for divers reasons4 ,spell blind pig in two letters4 ,p ,g2 a pig without an ,i4 ,which bird can lift the heaviest weights8 ,the crane4 ,why is a wise man like a pin8 ,he has a head and comes to a point4 ,why is a ,jew in a fever like a diamond8 ,because he is a ,jew-ill4 ,why may carpenters reasonably believe there is no such thing as stone8 ,because they never saw it4 ,what is that which is put on the table and cut1 but never eaten8 ,a pack of cards4 ,when does a farmer double up a sheep without hurting it8 ,when he folds it4 ,what lives upon its own substance and dies when it has devoured itself8 ,a candle4 ,why is a dog biting his tail like a good manager8 ,because he makes both ends meet4 ,what thing is it that is lower with a head than without one8 ,a pillow4 ,which is the left side of a plum pudding8 ,that which is not eaten4 ,what letter of the alphabet is necessary to make a shoe8 ,the last4 ,if all the seas were dried up1 what would everybody say8 ,we haven't a notion 7an ocean74 ,why is it certain that ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin was not written by the hand of its reputed author8 ,because it was written by ,mrs4 ,beecher's toe 7,stowe74 ,why is a fishmonger never generous8 ,because his business makes him sell fish 7selfish74 ,what is that which works when it plays and plays when it works8 ,a fountain4 ,what is that from which you may take away the whole and yet there will be some remaining8 ,the word wholesome4 ,why are fowls the most economical things a farmer can keep8 ,because for every grain they give a peck4 ,why is it dangerous to walk in the meadows in springtime8 ,because the trees are shooting and the bulrush is out 7bull rushes out74 ,why is a vine like a soldier8 ,because it is listed and has ten drills 7tendrils7 and shoots4 ,if a man who is carrying a dozen glass lamps drops one1 what does he become8 ,a lamp lighter4 ,what belongs to yourself1 but is used more by your friends than by yourself8 ,your name4 ,a man had twenty sick 7six7 sheep and one died2 how many were left8 ,nineteen4 ,which is the best day for making a pancake8 ,friday4 ,what is that which everybody has seen but will never see again8 ,yesterday4 ,what four letters would frighten a thief8 ,o ,i ,c ,u4 ,illustration ,why is a spider a good correspondent8 ,because he drops a line at every post4 ,when is the clock on the stairs dangerous8 ,when it runs down4 ,why is the letter k like a pig's tail8 ,because it comes at the end of pork4 ,what is the keynote to good manners8 ,b natural4 ,why is a five dollar bill much more profitable than five silver dollars8 ,because when you put it in your pocket you double it1 and when you take it out you will find it in-creases4 ,why is a watch like a river8 ,because it doesn't run long without winding4 ,what is that which flies high1 flies low1 has no feet1 and yet wears shoes8 ,dust4 ,which is the smallest bridge in the world8 ,the bridge of your nose4 ,when has a man four hands8 ,when he doubles his fists4 ,what trees has fire no effect upon8 ,ash trees2 because when they are burned they are ashes still4 ,what is the difference between a schoolmaster and an engine-driver8 ,one minds the train and the other trains the mind4 ,what is that which goes from ,chicago to ,philadelphia without moving8 ,the road4 ,which is easier to spell--fiddle-de-dee or fiddle-de-dum8 ,fiddle-de-dee1 because it is spelled with more e's4 ,when may a chair be said to dislike you8 ,when it can't bear you4 ,what animal took most luggage into the ,ark1 and which two took the least8 ,the elephant1 who took his trunk1 while the fox and the cock had only a brush and a comb between them4 ,if a bear were to go into a dry goods store1 what would he want8 ,he would want muzzlin'4 ,why was the first day of ,adam's life the longest8 ,because it had no ,eve4 ,illustration ,why is a washerwoman like a navigator8 ,because she spreads her sheets1 crosses the line and goes from pole to pole4 ,why is it that a tailor won't attend to business8 ,because he is always cutting out4 ,when can a horse be sea-green in color8 ,when it's a bay4 ,why were gloves never meant to sell8 ,because they were made to be kept on hand4 ,when are we all artists8 ,when we draw a long face4 ,why are watch-dogs bigger by night than by day8 ,because they are let out at night and taken in in the morning4 ,why is ,b like a hot fire8 ,because it makes oil ,boil4 ,why is a schoolmaster like a bootblack8 ,because he polishes the understandings of the people4 ,when is a store-keeper always above his business8 ,when he lives over his store4 ,which is the liveliest city in the world8 ,berlin2 because it's always on the ,spree4 ,why is a water-lily like a whale8 ,because they both come to the surface to blow4 ,why is a shoemaker the most industrious of men8 ,because he works to the last4 ,what is book-keeping8 ,forgetting to return borrowed volumes4 ,why is scooping out a turnip a noisy process8 ,because it makes it hollow4 ,why are teeth like verbs8 ,because they are regular1 irregular1 and defective4 ,what ships hardly ever sail out of sight8 ,hardships4 ,when is an artist a dangerous person8 ,when his designs are bad4 ,why are tortoiseshell combs like citadels8 ,they are for-tresses4 ,why is the ,isthmus of ,suez like the first u in cucumber8 ,because it is between two c's 7seas74 ,what motive led to the invention of railroads8 ,the loco-motive4 ,why are deaf people like ,dutch cheeses8 ,because you can't make them here4 ,when is the best time to get a fresh egg at sea8 ,when the ship lays to4 ,who was the first whistler8 ,the wind4 ,why need a traveler never starve in the desert8 ,because of the sand which is 7sandwiches7 there4 ,why is sympathy like blindman's buff8 ,because it is a fellow feeling for a fellow creature4 ,if a ,frenchman were to fall into a tub of tallow1 in what word would he express his situation8 ,in-de-fat-i-gabble4 7,indefatigable47 ,why is a dinner on board a steamboat like ,easter ,day8 ,because it is a movable feast4 ,spell enemy in three letters4 ,f ,o ,e4 ,why is a little man like a good book8 ,because he is often looked over4 ,why is a pig in a parlor like a house on fire8 ,because the sooner it is put out the better4 ,what is the difference between a soldier and a bombshell8 ,one goes to wars1 the other goes to pieces4 ,which is the only way that a leopard can change his spots8 ,by going from one spot to another4 ,why did ,eve never fear the measles8 ,because she'd ,adam4 ,when is a tall man a little short8 ,when he hasn't got quite enough cash4 ,what houses are the easiest to break into8 ,the houses of bald people2 because their locks are few4 ,why is a watch the most difficult thing to steal8 ,because it must be taken off its guard4 ,why is there never anybody at home in a convent8 ,because it is an 7n7 uninhabited place4 ,why does a person who is not good looking make a better carpenter than one who is8 ,because he is a deal plainer4 ,what is the best tree for preserving order8 ,the birch4 ,why is shoemaking the easiest of trades8 ,because the shoes are always soled before they are made4 ,what plant stands for ,no4 #d8 ,,iv4 ,how can a gardener become thrifty8 ,by making the most of his thyme1 and by always putting some celery in the bank4 ,why is it probable that beer was made in the ark8 ,because the kangaroo went in with hops1 and the bear was always bruin4 ,what was the biggest thing you saw at the ,panama ,exposition8 asked a wife of her husband4 ,my hotel bill6 said he4 ,why is ,c like a schoolmistress8 ,because it forms lasses into classes4 ,what is that which never asks any questions and yet requires many answers8 ,the street door4 ,if a man bumped his head against the top of a room1 what article of stationery would he be supplies with8 ,ceiling whacks 7sealing-wax74 ,which is the oldest tree in the country8 ,the elder tree4 ,which is the longest word in the ,english language8 ,smiles2 because there is a mile between the first and last letters4 ,what is that which happens twice in a moment and not once in a thousand years8 ,the letter ,m4 ,how many sides are there to a tree8 ,two1 inside and out4 ,what sea would a man most like to be in on a wet day8 ,a dry attic 7,adriatic74 ,why is coffee like an axe with a dull edge8 ,because it must be ground before it is used4 ,what is the difference between a bottle of medicine and a troublesome boy8 ,one is to be well shaken before taken1 and the other is to be taken and then shaken4 ,what makes more noise than a pig under a gate8 ,two pigs4 ,when is a door not a door8 ,when it is a-jar4 ,what is the difference between a naughty boy and a postage stamp8 ,because one you stick with a lick1 and the other you lick with a stick4 ,why did ,william ,tell shudder when he shot the apple from his son's head8 ,because it was an arrow escape for his child4 ,what is that which the more you take from it the larger it grows8 ,a hole4 ,what is the best land for little kittens8 ,lapland4 ,why should a man always wear a watch when he travels in a waterless desert8 ,because every watch has a spring in it4 ,of what trade is the sun8 ,a tanner4 ,what relation is a doormat to a door8 ,step-fa7r7ther4 ,what is that which you cannot hold ten minutes1 although it is as light as a feather8 ,your breath4 ,what is the worst weather for rats and mice8 ,when it rains cats and dogs4 ,what is that which never uses its teeth for eating purposes8 ,a comb4 ,when are two apples alike8 ,when pared4 ,what is the difference between a blind man and a sailor in prison8 ,one cannot see to go and the other cannot go to sea4 ,why is a plum cake like the ocean8 ,because it contains so many currants4 ,what pudding makes the best cricketer8 ,a good batter4 ,when is a sailor not a sailor8 ,when he's a-board4 ,why is the snow different from ,sunday8 ,because it can fall on any day in the week4 ,what trade would you mention to a short boy8 ,grow sir 7grocer74 ,what tree is nearest the sea8 ,the beech4 ,why is a game of cards like a timber yard8 ,because there are always a great many deals in it4 ,why is a tight boot like an oak tree8 ,because it produces a corn 7acorn74 ,why is a city in ,ireland likely to be the largest city in the world8 ,because each year it is ,dublin 7doubling74 ,what is the easiest way to swallow a door8 ,bolt it4 ,why is a dancing master like a tree8 ,because of his bows 7boughs74 ,name a word of five letters from which if you take two but one remains4 ,stone4 ,why is ,a like twelve o'clock8 ,it is the middle of day ,when is a man thinner than a lath8 ,when he is a-shaving4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,thought ,,reading ,this is a very good game1 which always causes considerable amusement1 and if skillfully carried out will very successfully mystify the whole company4 ,it is necessary that the player who is to take the part of thought-reader should have a confederate1 and the game is then played as follows3 ,the thought-reader1 having arranged that the confederate should write a certain word1 commences by asking four members of the company to write each a word upon a piece of paper1 fold it up in such a manner that it cannot be seen1 and then to pass it on to him4 ,the confederate1 of course1 volunteers to make one of the four1 and writes the word previously agreed upon1 which is1 we will suppose1 ,ohio4 ,the thought-reader places the slips of paper between his fingers1 taking care to put the paper of his confederate between the third and little finger2 he then takes the folded paper from between his thumb and first finger and rubs it1 folded as it is1 over his forehead1 at each rub mentioning a letter1 as ,o1 rub1 ,h1 rub1 ,i ,o1 after which he calls out that some lady or gentleman has written ,ohio4 ,i did1 replies the confederate4 ,the thought-reader then opens the paper1 looks at it1 and slips it into his pocket2 he has1 however1 looked at one of the other papers4 ,consequently he is now in a position to spell another word1 which he proceeds to do in the same manner1 and thus the game goes on until all the papers have been read4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,cushion ,,dance ,the children first of all divide themselves into two parties4 ,they then form a ring1 and commence dancing round a hassock which is placed1 end upward1 in the middle of the room4 ,suddenly one party endeavors to pull the other party forward1 so as to force one of their number to kick the hassock and upset it4 ,the player who has been unfortunate enough to touch the hassock has then to leave the circle4 ,the game proceeds until only two remain2 if these two happen to be boys1 the struggle is generally prolonged1 as they can so easily jump over the hassock1 and avoid kicking it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,farmyard ,this game1 if carried out properly1 will cause great amusement4 ,one of the party announces that he will whisper to each person the name of some animal1 which1 at a given signal1 must be imitated as loudly as possible4 ,instead1 however1 of giving the name of an animal to each1 he whispers to all the company1 with the exception of one1 to keep perfectly silent4 ,to this one he whispers that the animal he is to imitate is the donkey4 ,after a short time1 so that all may be in readiness1 the signal is given4 ,instead of all the party making the sounds of various animals1 nothing is heard but a loud bray from the one unfortunate member of the company4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,point ,it is necessary in this game for the player acting the part of guesser to have a confederate2 he is then able to leave the room1 and on his return to mention what person was pointed at during his absence4 ,it is done in this way3 ,it is agreed between the guesser and his confederate that whoever speaks last before the door is closed upon the guesser shall be the person who is to be pointed at4 ,it is very seldom that any one discovers this trick4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,diamond ,,ring ,the players sit in a circle with their hands placed palm to palm1 the little fingers downward1 between the knees4 ,one of the company is chosen to act the part of maid4 ,she takes a ring between her palms1 which she keeps flat together in the same way as the rest4 ,she then visits each person in turn and places her hands between the palms of each1 so that she is able to slip the ring into some one's hands without the others knowing4 ,when she has visited each1 she touches one child1 and says3 ,my lady's lost her diamond ring2 ,i fix upon you to find it4 ,the child touched must then guess who has the ring4 ,if she guess correctly1 she becomes the maid2 if not1 she must pay a forfeit4 ,the maid then touches some one else and repeats the two lines given above4 ,each guesser may be allowed three trials4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,forbidden ,,letter ,the idea of this game is to try how many sentences can be spoken without containing a certain letter which has been agreed upon4 ,supposing1 for instance1 the letter f is not to be introduced2 the first player might ask3 ,is this a new game to you8 ,the second player could answer3 ,oh1 no6 ,i played it years ago when quite a youngster4 ,he would perhaps turn to the third player1 and ask3 ,you remember it1 do you not8 ,the third player might answer3 ,yes2 but we used to play it differently4 ,this player1 having used a word with an f in it1 must pay a forfeit and remain out4 ,the answers must be given at once1 without hesitation1 and the player who avoids for the greatest length of time using a word containing the forbidden letter wins the game4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,grand ,,mufti ,one of the company is chosen as ,grand ,mufti4 ,the others then form a circle with the ,grand ,mufti in the center1 and every action which he performs1 if preceded by the words1 ,thus says the ,grand ,mufti1 must be imitated by every member of the circle4 ,the ,grand ,mufti1 in order to lead one of the company astray1 will sometimes omit to say the words3 ,thus says the ,grand ,mufti2 in this case1 if any member of the company imitate his action1 he is compelled to pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,magic ,,writing ,in this game a confederate is necessary4 ,the player states to the company1 after a few remarks on ancient sign-language1 that he is able to read signs made with a stick on the floor1 and agrees to leave the room while the company decide upon some word or sentence4 ,the game is played as follows3 ,it is agreed by the player and his confederate that one tap on the floor shall represent ,a1 two taps ,e1 three taps ,i1 four taps ,o1 and five taps ,u1 and that the first letter of each remark the confederate makes shall be one of the consonants of the word or sentence decided upon by the company4 ,the consonants must be taken in order4 ,on the player's return1 supposing the word chosen to be ,march1 his confederate would commence3 ,many people think this game a deception 7initial letter ,m74 ,one tap on the floor 7,a74 ,really it is very simple 7initial letter ,r74 ,coming to the end soon 7initial letter ,c74 ,hope it has been quite clear 7initial letter ,h74 ,a few more signs are made so as not to finish too abruptly1 and the player then states the word to be ,march4 ,if carefully conducted1 this game will interest an audience for a considerable time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,flowers ,the company divides itself into equal sides1 and each side must have a home in opposite corners of the room4 ,the sides retire to their own homes1 and one side privately chooses a flower1 then crosses over to the other corner and gives the initial letter of that flower4 ,the children on the second side must try and guess the name of the flower1 and when they have done so they catch as many as they can of the opposite side before they reach their home4 ,those caught must go over to the other side1 and the game goes on until one side has won all the children4 ,the sides take it in turns to give the name of the flower4 ,this game may also be played in the garden4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,fox ,,and ,,geese ,one of the party1 called the ,fox1 goes to one end of the room1 and the rest of the children arrange themselves in a ring1 one behind the other1 the tallest first and the smallest last4 ,the first one is called ,mother ,goose4 ,the game begins by a conversation between the ,fox and ,mother ,goose4 ,what are you after this fine morning8 says she4 ,taking a walk1 the ,fox answers4 ,what for8 ,to get an appetite for breakfast4 ,what will you have for breakfast8 ,a nice fat goose4 ,where will you get it8 ,well1 as your geese are so handy1 ,i will take one of them4 ,catch one if you can4 ,mother ,goose then stretches out her arms to protect her geese and not let the ,fox catch one4 ,the ,fox tries to dodge under1 right and left1 until he is able to catch the last of the string4 ,of course1 the brood must try and keep out of reach of the ,fox4 ,as the geese are caught they must go over to the den of the ,fox1 and the game continues until all are caught4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,sell ,,my ,,bat1 ,i ,,sell ,,my ,,ball ,a ring is formed with one child in the middle1 who is called the drummer-man4 ,whatever this child does the others mimic1 moving round as they do so1 and singing the following words3 ,i sell my bat1 ,i sell my ball1 ,i sell my spinning-wheel and all2 ,and ,i'll do all that e'er ,i can ,to follow the eyes of the drummer-man4 ,any one who does not at once imitate the drummer-man must pay a forfeit and take his place as drummer-man4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,what',s ,,my ,,thought ,,like8 ,the players sit in a circle1 and one of them asks the others3 ,what's my thought like8 ,one player may say3 ,a monkey2 the second1 ,a candle2 the third1 ,a pin1 and so on4 ,when all the company have compared the thought to some object1 the first player tells them the thought--perhaps it is the ,cat--and then asks each1 in turn1 why it is like the object he compared it to4 ,why is my cat like a monkey8 is asked4 ,the other player might answer3 ,because it is full of tricks4 ,why is my cat like a candle8 ,because its eyes glow like a candle in the dark4 ,why is my cat like a pin8 ,because its claws scratch like a pin4 ,any one who is unable to explain why the thought resembles the object he mentioned must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,cat',s ,,cradle ,take a piece of string and knot the ends together and slip it over your hands1 as in ,fig4 #a4 ,illustration ,next wind the string round your hands1 not including the thumb1 as in ,fig4 #b4 ,illustration ,slip the second fingers through the string on your hands and you have your cat's cradle1 as in ,fig4 #c4 ,illustration ,you must now ask a second person to put his thumbs and first fingers through the cradle1 as in ,fig4 #d4 ,illustration ,draw out the string and take it under the cradle1 and you will have ,fig4 #e4 ,illustration ,slip the thumbs and first fingers again into the side pieces of the cradle1 draw the string sideways and take it under the cradle1 and you will have ,fig4 #f4 ,illustration ,now curl the little fingers round the string1 slipping one under the other as shown1 and draw out the side pieces4 ,illustration ,slip the thumb and first fingers under the side string1 bring them up the middle1 and you have your original cat's cradle again4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,,personations ,to play this game the company seat themselves in a circle1 while one of the players commences to describe some person with whom most of the other players are familiar1 and continues until one or other of the company is able to guess from the description who the person may be4 ,the one guessing correctly then commences to describe some one4 ,if1 however1 the company are unable to make a correct guess1 the player goes on until some one is successful4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,frog ,,in ,,the ,,middle ,one child is seated on the ground with his legs under him1 while the other players form a ring round him4 ,they then pull him about and give him little pushes1 and he must try to catch one without rising from the floor4 ,the child who is caught takes the middle1 while the frog joins the circle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,giant ,this game must be arranged in the nature of a surprise for the company assembled4 ,the giant is formed by two youngsters1 one of whom seats himself on the shoulders of his friend4 ,a large cloak should then be thrown over them1 to make it appear as if it were only one person1 and the top boy might wear a mask to prevent recognition4 ,the giant then enters the room and commences dancing4 ,great amusement is afforded the little folk by this game4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,cock ,,fighting ,this is a most amusing game1 and although only two boys can play at it at one time1 they will keep the rest of the company in roars of laughter4 ,the two who are to represent the cocks having been chosen1 they are both seated upon the floor4 ,each boy has his wrists tied together with a handkerchief1 and his legs secured just above the ankles with another handkerchief2 his arms are then passed over his knees1 and a broomstick is pushed over one arm1 under both knees1 and out again on the other side over the other arm4 ,the cocks are now considered ready for fighting1 and are carried into the center of the room1 and placed opposite each other with their toes just touching4 ,the fun now commences4 ,each cock tries with the aid of his toes to turn his opponent over on his back or side4 ,the one who can succeed in doing this first wins the game4 ,it often happens that both cocks turn over at the same time1 when the fight commences again4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration ,,games ,,with ,,the ,,alphabet ,it is necessary for these games that a large boxful of letters should be provided1 which can be purchased at any toy store or made by the young people themselves by being cut out of newspapers4 ,the children should seat themselves round the table2 the letters should then be well shuffled and dealt round to the players4 ,each child has to form a word or sentence out of the letters which he has received4 ,another variation is to select a long word1 and then in a given time to try to form several words from it4 ,names of well-known men1 places1 etc41 can also be given4 ,these games are not only amusing1 but serve at the same time to instruct the young folk4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,honey ,,pots ,for little ones there is scarcely a more popular game than ,honey ,pots4 ,small children of three and four can be included in this game1 but there should be two bigger children for the ,buyer and the ,merchant4 ,the children1 with the exception of the ,buyer and ,merchant1 seat themselves upon the floor of the room1 with their knees raised and their hands clasped together round them4 ,these children are called ,honey ,pots4 ,the ,merchant and the ,buyer then talk about the quality and quantity of the ,honey1 and the price of each ,pot4 ,it is agreed that the price to be paid shall be according to the weight of the ,honey and the ,pot4 ,the children are carefully weighed by raising them two or three times from the floor and swinging them by the arms1 one arm held by the ,merchant and the other by the ,buyer4 ,illustration ,when the ,honey ,pots are all weighed1 the ,buyer says he will purchase the whole of the stock1 and asks the ,merchant to help him carry the ,pots home4 ,then the ,merchant and the ,buyer carry the children1 one by one1 to the other end of the room4 ,when all are safely at the ,buyer's house1 the ,merchant goes out of the room1 but suddenly returns and says to the ,buyer3 ,i believe you have carried off my little daughter in one of the ,honey ,pots4 ,the ,buyer replies3 ,i think not4 ,you sold me all the ,pots full of ,honey1 but if you doubt me you can taste them4 ,the ,merchant then pretends to taste the ,honey1 and after having tried two or three ,pots exclaims3 ,ah6 this tastes very much like my little daughter4 ,the little girl who represents the ,honey ,pot chosen by the ,merchant then cries out3 ,yes1 ,i am your little girl1 and immediately jumps up and runs away1 the ,buyer at the same time endeavoring to catch her4 ,when the one ,honey ,pot runs away1 all the others do the same1 the ,buyer catches whom he can1 and the game recommences4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,spelling ,,game ,each player in this game has what are called three lives1 or chances4 ,when the company is seated in a circle1 the first player mentions a letter as the beginning of a word4 ,the game is for each of the company1 in turn1 to add a letter to it1 keeping the word unfinished as long as possible4 ,when a letter is added to the former letters and it makes a complete word1 the person who completed it loses a life4 ,the next player then begins again4 ,every letter added must be part of a word1 and not an odd letter thought of on the spur of the moment4 ,when there is any doubt as to the letter used by the last player being correct1 he may be challenged1 and he will then have to give the word he was thinking of when adding the letter4 ,if he cannot name the word1 he loses a life2 but if he can1 it is the challenger who loses4 ,this is an example of how the game should be played4 ,supposing the first player commences with the letter p2 the next1 thinking of play1 would add an l2 the next an o1 thinking of plough2 the next person1 not having either of these words in his mind1 would add v2 the next player1 perhaps1 not knowing the word of which the previous player was thinking1 might challenge him1 and would lose a life on being told the word was plover4 ,the player next in turn would then start a new word1 and perhaps put down b1 thinking of bat2 the next thinking1 say1 that the word was bone1 would add an o1 the next player would add n2 the player whose turn it would now be1 not wanting to lose a life by finishing the word1 would add another n2 the next player for the same reason would add e1 and then there would be nothing else for the next in turn to do but to complete the word by adding t and thus losing a life4 ,it will be seen that there are three ways of losing a life4 ,first1 the player may lay down a letter1 and on being challenged be unable to give the word4 ,secondly1 he may himself challenge another player who is not at fault4 ,thirdly1 he may be obliged to add the final letter to a word1 and so complete it4 ,this is a most amusing game for a large party1 for as the different persons lose their three lives1 the players gradually dwindle down to two or three1 when it gets very exciting to see who will be the last person left in1 for he or she will be declared the winner4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,draw ,a ,,pail ,,of ,,water4 ,draw a pail of water ,for my lady's daughter2 ,my father's a king and my mother's a queen1 ,my two little sisters are dressed in green2 ,stamping grass and parsley1 ,marigold leaves and daisies1 ,one rush1 two rush1 ,pray thee1 fine lady1 come under my bush4 ,two children stand face to face1 holding each other's hands4 ,two others also face each other holding hands across the other two4 ,they seesaw backward and forward1 singing the above lines4 ,when they come to the line1 ,pray thee1 fine lady1 come under my bush1 another child pops under and comes up between one child's arms4 ,they sing the verse again and another child creeps under another pair of arms1 and so on until there are eight children standing facing each other4 ,the must then jump up and down until one falls down1 when she is almost sure to pull the others over4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,questions ,,and ,,answers ,each player is furnished with a pencil and two slips of paper4 ,on the first slip a question must be written4 ,the papers are then collected and put into a bag or basket4 ,illustration ,then the players write an answer on their second slip4 ,these are put into a different bag1 and the two bags are then well shaken and handed round to the company4 ,every one draws a question and an answer1 and must then read the two out to the company4 ,the result is sometimes very comical2 for instance3 ,questions ,do you like roses8 ,where are you going to this summer8 ,do you like beef8 ,do you like spiders8 ,answers ,yes1 with mustard4 ,i am very much afraid of them4 ,yes1 without thorns4 ,to ,switzerland4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,duck ,,under ,,the ,,water ,each child chooses a partner and stands opposite to her1 so that two long lines are formed4 ,each couple hold a handkerchief between them1 as high as they can lift their arms1 so as to form an arch4 ,the couple standing at the top of the lines run through the arch without letting go their handkerchief1 and station themselves at the bottom of the lines1 raising their handkerchief again so as to continue the arch4 ,this is done by each couple in succession until all have had a turn4 ,whoever breaks the arch or drops the handkerchief must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,wonderment ,it is necessary that two only of the party should have a knowledge of this game1 and then wonderment is sure to be the result4 ,the two players agree that a certain word shall be regarded as a signal word4 ,as an illustration1 imagine this word to be and4 ,one of the players asserts his belief that he is gifted with second sight1 and states that he is able to name1 through a closed door1 any article touched by any person in sympathy with him1 notwithstanding the said person may attempt to mystify him by mentioning a lot of other articles4 ,he then chooses his confederate1 as being one with whom he may be in sympathy1 and goes outside4 ,the player in the room then proceeds to call out1 perhaps1 as follows3 ,table1 ,rug1 ,piano1 ,footstool and ,chair1 ,lamp1 ,inkstand4 ,he then places his hand on the back of a chair and asks3 ,what am ,i touching now8 the answer will1 of course1 be ,chair1 because the signal word and came immediately before that article4 ,if the players are skillful there is no need for the trick to be discovered4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,mother1 ,,mother1 ,,the ,,pot ,,boils ,,over ,a number of children choose one of their number to be mother and another to be the witch4 ,one child represents the pot1 and the others are named after the days in the week1 ,sunday1 ,monday1 ,tuesday1 etc4 ,if there are too many children they might be called after the months4 ,the mother first names the children1 next she takes the pot and pretends to put it on the fire4 ,she tells the eldest daughter that she is going to wash1 and that she must take great care of her brothers and sisters while she is away1 and on no account to let the old witch into the house4 ,she is also to look after the dinner and see that the pot does not boil over4 ,the mother then goes away1 and the eldest daughter pretends to be very busy4 ,the child who is supposed to be the witch knocks at the door1 and asks if she may come in and get a light for her pipe4 ,she must pretend to be very old and walk with a stick4 ,come in1 says the eldest daughter2 what do you want8 ,to light my pipe at your fire4 ,very well1 but you must not dirty the range4 ,certainly not2 ,i'll be very careful4 ,while the eldest daughter pretends to look on the shelf for something1 the witch puts her dirty shoe on the range1 catches hold of ,monday 7the youngest child7 and runs off with him4 ,the child who is the pot now makes a hissing noise and pretends to boil over4 ,the daughter calls out3 ,mother1 mother1 the pot boils over4 ,take a spoon and skim it4 ,can't find one4 ,look on the shelf4 ,can't reach4 ,take the stool4 ,the leg's broken4 ,take the chair4 ,the chair's gone to be mended4 ,i suppose ,i must come myself4 ,the mother comes in from the washtub1 drying her hands4 ,where's ,monday8 she asks4 ,please1 mother1 some one came to beg for a light for her pipe1 and when my back was turned she took ,monday4 ,why1 that was the witch4 ,the mother pretends to beat the eldest daughter1 tells her to be more careful another time1 and goes back to the washtub4 ,the game then goes on as before1 and each time the witch comes she takes away a child1 until at last even the eldest daughter is taken4 ,the pot boils over for the last time and then the mother1 finding all her children gone1 goes to the witch's house to find them1 when this conversation ensues3 ,is this the way to the witch's house8 ,there's a red bull that way4 ,then ,i'll go this way4 ,there's a mad cow that way4 ,but the mother insists upon going into the witch's house to look for her children4 ,the witch generally hides the children behind chairs4 ,the mother stoops over one child3 ,this tastes like ,monday1 she says1 but the witch replies3 ,that6 it is a barrel of pork4 ,no1 no1 says the mother1 it is my ,monday1 and there are the rest of the children4 ,the children now jump out and they and their mother begin to run home2 the witch runs after them1 and whoever she catches becomes witch1 while the witch becomes the eldest daughter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,ants ,,and ,,the ,,grasshopper ,lots are drawn in order to decide who shall be the grasshopper2 the ants then seat themselves in a circle1 while the grasshopper writes on a piece of paper the name of a grain or food which a grasshopper might be supposed to like4 ,he puts this in his pocket and then addresses the ants3 ,dear friends1 ,i am very hungry2 would any of you kindly give me some food8 ,i have nothing but a grain of barley1 says the ant spoken to4 ,thank you2 that is of no use to me1 replies the grasshopper1 and goes on to the next player4 ,as soon as any one offers the grain of food which the grasshopper has written down the paper must be produced1 and the one who guessed the word pays a forfeit and becomes grasshopper4 ,if no one guesses the word1 the grasshopper pays a forfeit4 ,the game then goes on in the same way1 except that a different question is asked on the second round4 ,neighbors1 says the grasshopper1 ,i have eaten abundantly and would have a dance4 ,which would you recommend8 ,a waltz1 a polka1 a quadrille1 etc41 are suggested1 and when this question has gone the round1 the grasshopper asks what music he can dance to1 and the ants suggest the music of the violin1 the piano1 cornet1 etc4 ,then the grasshopper says he is tired of dancing and wishes for a bed1 and the ants offer him moss1 straw1 grass1 and so on1 to lie upon4 ,i should sleep very comfortably1 the grasshopper says1 but ,i am in fear of being pounced upon by a hungry bird4 ,what bird have ,i most reason to fear8 ,the ants answer3 ,the rook1 the lark1 the cuckoo1 etc4 ,when the game is ended1 the forfeits that have been lost must be called4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,magic ,,whistle ,all the players but three stand in two rows facing each other4 ,one player sits at the end of the two rows1 another leads a third player into the room and makes him kneel down before the player who is seated1 and who is called the ,president4 ,the ,president then proceeds to make all sorts of magic passes over the kneeler's face1 back1 and hands4 ,while he is doing this1 the boy who led the victim in fastens a whistle to his coat4 ,it must be slung on to a piece of string or tape1 and fastened very loosely1 so that it can be easily grasped and yet will not knock against the wearer's back4 ,the whistle is then blown by the boy who attached it1 and the kneeling boy is told to rise and search for the magic whistle4 ,the players who stand on each side must hold their hands before their mouths and pretend to blow whenever the whistle is blown1 which must be as often as any one can get a chance without being found out4 ,the victim will search all along the rows trying to find the magic whistle1 and it will be some time before he discovers that it is pinned to his own coat4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,running ,,maze ,form a long line of children1 one behind the other4 ,the leader starts running1 and is followed by all the rest4 ,they must be sharp enough to do exactly as the leader does4 ,after running for a moment or two in the ordinary running step1 the leader changes to a hopping step1 then to a marching step1 quick time1 then to a marching step1 slow time1 claps and runs with hands on sides1 hands on shoulders1 hands behind1 etc4 ,finally1 the leader runs slowly round and round into the center1 and can either wind the children up tightly or can turn them on nearing the center and run out again4 ,for another change the long line can start running and so unwind the spiral4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,coach ,,and ,,four ,two children stand hand-in-hand1 side by side4 ,these are the front horses4 ,two others1 close behind1 stand also hand-in-hand and side by side4 ,these are the back horses4 ,slip reins over the left arm of one of the front horses1 and over the right arm of the other4 ,the two back horses hold on the reins1 standing inside them4 ,a driver must then be chosen1 who gathers up the reins in his left hand and in his right hand holds a whip4 ,running beside him1 equipped with a horn and parcels and letters1 is another child1 who acts as guard or conductor4 ,the rest of the children form village streets1 by standing in rows facing one another4 ,the coach and four1 with the driver and guard1 gallop about the room and through the villages1 the guard blowing his horn and tossing out a paper or letter here and there4 ,change horses every now and then1 so that all may have a turn at being horses4 ,a change of driver and guard1 too1 is also much appreciated4 ,when the children have had about enough of this game1 start a cheer as the coach dashes through the villages for the last time4 ,two coaches greatly add to the fun and enjoyment1 as they have to pass and repass each other4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,malaga ,,raisins ,the players sit in a circle1 and one who is acquainted with the trick takes a small stick in his right hand1 makes some funny movements with it1 and then1 having taken it in his left hand1 passes it to his neighbor1 saying3 ,malaga raisins are very good raisins1 but ,i like ,valencias better4 ,he then tells his neighbor to do the same4 ,should any of the players pass on the stick with the right hand1 they must pay a forfeit1 but of course they must not be told what mistake they have made until the stick has been passed right round the circle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sally ,,water ,this game can be played by any number of children4 ,a ring is formed in which all join with the exception of one little girl1 who kneels in the center of the ring4 ,the children then dance round her1 singing the following verses3 ,sally1 ,sally ,water1 sprinkle in the pan1 ,rise1 ,sally1 rise1 ,sally1 for a young man2 ,choose for the best and choose for the worst1 ,and choose the very one you love best4 ,now you're married ,i wish you joy1 ,first a girl and then a boy2 ,seven years after1 son and daughter1 ,pray1 young couple1 come kiss together4 ,illustration ,when they come to the words1 ,rise1 ,sally6 the child in the center rises and chooses another from the ring4 ,the next two lines are then sung1 and the two children in the ring dance round and kiss4 ,sally then joins the ring1 the second child remaining in the circle1 and the game is continued as before until all the players have acted the part of ,sally4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,pigeon-,,house ,,game ,make a ring of children4 ,in the center place five or six of the smaller children of the party4 ,this forms the pigeon-house and pigeons4 ,now choose one child 7boy or girl7 to open or shut this old-fashioned dovecote4 ,he runs round the ring outside and gently pushes the children in toward the center1 and close to the pigeons1 who are sitting on the ground softly cooing 7or not1 just as they please74 ,this done he moves back4 ,let him be called the farmer or the farmer's boy1 if a name is wanted4 ,a pretty and lively tune is now started on the piano4 ,directly it begins1 the boy runs forward and pulls open the ring of children1 which widens out with raised arms1 to form pigeon-holes4 ,the pigeons rise to their feet and fly out of these holes1 round and round the room4 ,as the music begins to stop and die away1 the pigeons should return to their dovecote1 and when the last note sounds they should all be settled again4 ,the farmer's boy now runs round the ring1 closing it in and making all safe for the night4 ,this game can be played without music1 and the elder children can take their turn at being pigeons4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,oats ,,and ,,beans ,,and ,,barley ,all the children form a ring with the exception of one player1 who stands in the center4 ,the children then dance round this one1 singing the first three lines of the verses given below4 ,at the fourth line they stop dancing and act the words that are sung4 ,they pretend to scatter seed2 they stand at ease1 stamp their feet1 clap their hands1 and at the words3 ,turn him round1 each child turns round4 ,they then again clap hands and dance round1 and when the words1 ,open the ring and take one in1 are sung1 the center child chooses a partner1 who steps into the ring1 and the two stand together while the other children sing the remaining verse1 after which the child who was first in the center joins the ring and the game is continued as before4 ,oats and beans and barley ,o6 ,do you or ,i or any one know ,how oats and beans and barley grow8 ,first the farmer sows his seed1 ,then he stands and takes his ease1 ,stamps his foot and claps his hands1 ,and turns him round to view the land4 ,oats and beans and barley ,o6 ,waiting for a partner1 waiting for a partner4 ,open a ring and send one in4 ,oats and beans and barley ,o6 ,so now you're married you must obey1 ,you must be true to all you say1 ,you must be kind1 you must be good1 ,and help your wife to chop the wood4 ,oats and beans and barley ,o6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,bingo ,the miller's dog lay at the mill1 ,and his name was little ,bingo1 ,b with an ,i1 ,i with an ,n1 ,n with a ,g1 ,g with an ,o1 ,his name was little ,bingo4 ,the miller he bought some peppermint1 ,and he called it right good ,stingo1 ,s with a ,t1 ,t with an ,i1 ,i with an ,n1 ,n with a ,g1 ,g with an ,o1 ,he called it right good ,stingo4 ,one child represents the miller1 the rest stand round him in a circle1 and all dance round and sing the verses4 ,when it comes to the spelling part of the rhyme1 the miller points to a child1 who must call out the right letter4 ,any one who makes a mistake must pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,lubin ,,loo ,this game can be played by any number of children4 ,the players form a ring by clasping hands2 they then dance round singing the first verse1 which after the second verse serves as a chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 ,here we dance lubin1 light1 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 ,on a ,saturday night4 ,while singing the second verse1 the children stop1 unclasp their hands and suit their actions to the words contained in the verse4 ,i put my right hand in1 ,i put my right hand out1 ,i give my right hand shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,each child while singing this first stretches her right arm toward the center of the ring1 then draws the same arm back as far as possible1 next shakes or swings her right hand1 and when the last line is sung she turns right round4 ,the children then once more join hands1 and commence dancing1 at the same time singing the chorus4 ,the game proceeds as before until all the verses have been sung4 ,here are the remaining verses3 ,here we dance the lubin1 loo1 ,here we dance lubin1 light1 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 ,on a ,saturday night4 ,i put my left hand in1 ,i put my left hand out1 ,i give my left hand shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 etc4 ,i put my right foot in1 ,i put my right foot out1 ,i give my right foot shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 etc4 ,i put my left foot in1 ,i put my left foot out1 ,i give my left foot shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 etc4 ,i put my own head in1 ,i put my own head out1 ,i give my own head shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 etc4 ,i put my both hands in1 ,i put my both hands out1 ,i give my both hands shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 etc4 ,i put my both feet in1 ,i put my both feet out1 ,i give my both feet shake1 shake1 shake1 ,and turn myself about4 ,chorus4 ,here we dance lubin1 loo1 etc4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,little ,,lady ,for this game a number of pieces of rolled-up paper to represent horns are required4 ,whoever makes a mistake in the game has a horn stuck in her hair2 or1 if little boys are playing1 the horns might be stuck behind the ears4 ,the leader of the game begins by saying to her right hand neighbor3 ,good morning1 pretty lady1 always pretty2 ,i1 a pretty lady1 always pretty1 come from that pretty lady1 always pretty 7here she points to the girl on her left71 to tell you that she owns an eagle with a golden beak4 ,the next player turns to her right-hand neighbor1 saying3 ,good morning1 pretty lady1 always pretty2 ,i1 a pretty lady1 always pretty1 come from that pretty lady1 always pretty 7here she points to the last speaker71 to tell you that she owns an eagle with a golden beak and silver claws4 ,the next girl continues the story word for word1 adding a rare skin4 ,the next adds diamond eyes1 and the next purple feathers4 ,if there are a great number of children1 other charms must be added to the eagle1 but each child must say the whole of the story1 and for each mistake made she receives a paper horn1 which must be stuck somewhere about the head4 ,at the end of the game a forfeit must be paid for each of these horns4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,birds ,,fly ,this is a very simple game4 ,each player places a finger on the table1 which he must-raise whenever the conductor of the game says3 ,birds fly1 ,pigeons fly1 or any other winged creates fly4 ,if he names any creature without wings1 such as ,pigs fly1 and any player thoughtlessly raises his finger1 that player must pay a forfeit1 as he must also do if he omits to raise his finger when a winged creature is named4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,say ,,stoop ,teacher says to the class3 ,i say stoop4 ,upon the word stoop all the children must stoop4 ,if they do not they must be seated4 ,the teacher must say ,i say stand4 ,the children must stand4 ,if they do not they must be seated4 ,this game will cause the children to think quickly1 and to act quickly4 ,the teacher can say3 ,i say fold the hands behind the back4 ,i say take a deep breath of air4 ,i say hands on hips4 ,i say raise the arms over the head4 ,anything else may be substituted2 those who are slow to act and think must be seated4 ,the one who remains standing the longest wins4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,flag ,,race ,players seated at desks4 ,rows need not be full1 but there must be same number in each row4 ,choose a player to stand in front of each row to hold the flag1 and another to stand at the rear of each row4 ,at the signal the rear player of each row rises1 runs to the front1 takes the flag from the one holding it1 carries it to the one standing at the rear1 and takes his seat4 ,as soon as he is seated the next player goes and takes the flag back to the player in front4 ,this continues till all have run4 ,be sure that no team has an unfair advantage because of the positions taken by the flag holders4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,squirrel ,,and ,,nut ,players all seated1 but one1 heads on desks and eyes covered1 one hand open on desk with palm up4 ,the odd player is a squirrel and passes up and down between the rows and puts a nut in the hand of some player4444 ,this one rises and chases the squirrel4 ,if the squirrel is caught before he can reach his own seat1 the one who caught him becomes squirrel2 if the squirrel is not caught1 he can be squirrel again4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,racing ,,and ,,counting ,,scores ,make a scoreboard on the blackboard1 indicating each row by a number of letter4 ,players run as in ,racing 7,first ,grade1 ,first ,half ,year74 ,have front players run1 tag front wall and return to seats1 sit erect2 mark score2 others in a similar manner4 ,repeat1 runners tagging rear wall4 ,see which row has largest score4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,school-,,room ,,basket ,,ball ,place a basket in the front seat of the second row and another in the front seat of next to last row4 ,draw a throwing line on floor #bj feet from each basket4 ,at some time beforehand choose four captains and have these captains choose teams1 choosing in turn4 ,teams stand at least two rows apart and behind throwing line1 each team having a ball4 ,captains stand beyond baskets1 two captains at same basket4 ,each captain passes the ball in turn to his players and they throw for the basket4 ,team throwing the most baskets in a round wins one point1 first to get five points wins the contest4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,last ,,man ,players seated at desks4 ,rows playing must be full rows4 ,the game is much like ,fox and ,squirrel 7see ,first ,grade1 ,second ,half ,year74 ,one player is it1 and there is one runner1 besides the full rows of seats4 ,the runner may come to the front of any row and call ,last ,man1 and then each player in that row must move back one place1 leaving the front seat for the runner1 who is now safe4 ,the last one in the rear of the row will be out of a place and thus becomes runner4 ,when a runner is tagged1 he is it1 and the one who caught him becomes runner and must get out of the way at once4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,changing ,,seats ,players seated at desks4 ,when teacher commands ,change right1 all move one place to right and the right hand row stands4 ,in like manner the command may be ,change front1 ,change back1 or ,change left4 ,at first it is best to follow each change by the reverse1 so as to allow those standing to get seats1 but later they may be told that they must run to the vacant seats on the opposite side or end of the room4 ,leaders may be chosen to act in place of the teacher4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,huckle1 ,,buckle1 ,,beanstalk ,the children close their eyes and put their heads on their desks4 ,a small object--a thimble or button--is placed in plain sight4 ,at a signal1 the children move about the room1 and when they see it1 take their seats without making any sign of its whereabouts4 ,the first one to see it may hide it the next time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,blackboard ,,relay ,this is like the blackboard relay played in the third grade1 but instead of marks and letters1 words must be written2 these may be required to form a sentence1 numbers may be written and afterwards added1 subtracted1 etc41 by the succeeding players1 or each player may write his own name4 ,it is often interesting to have the last player required to erase all his team has written1 or each child may erase his own writing1 passing the eraser as he did the chalk4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hide ,,the ,,thimble ,one child goes out of the room4 ,a thimble or button is placed in plain sight by another child4 ,the one who was sent out is then guided to the object by the clapping of the children--soft clapping for cold1 and louder for warm4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,suggestive ,,breathing ,,work #a4 ,march winds whistling through the trees4 ,inhale a deep breath and imitate the wind4 #b4 ,keeping a feather in the air4 ,run with head back and blow short breaths1 keeping an imaginary feather from falling to the ground4 #c4 ,making ,ocean ,waves4 ,by blowing the water in a large basin4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,fox ,,chase ,four farmers are in their home in the country enjoying a quiet evening4 ,they hear a sound outside1 they watch and listen and decide that the foxes are near the cabin4 ,they wait until they are very close1 then give chase--and catch as many as they can before the foxes have reached their home in the forest4 ,all caught become farmers and help to catch the rest4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,poison ,the players join hands to form a circle4 ,about ten erasers are placed in the center of the circle1 with spaces between them through which a player might step4 ,the players then try by means of pushing or pulling their comrades by means of clasped hands1 to make them knock over the erasers4 ,any player who knocks over an eraser or who unclasps hands must take his seat1 the erasers again being replaced4 ,the first players so leaving the circle form a scrub circle4 ,the player wins who remains longest in the first circle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,slap-,,jack ,all the pupils are seated except one4 ,the odd player walks or runs through the aisles1 touching some player1 and runs around the room in the direction he is going4 ,the one touched immediately leaves his seat1 and runs around the room in the opposite direction4 ,the first one back in the empty seat wins4 ,dodging through the aisles to shorten the distance is not allowed4 ,the run must be around the outside of the room4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,crow',s ,,race ,all players form in a straight line4 ,grasp just above ankles and on ,go1 run a very short distance and return1 keeping hold above ankles all the time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,riding ,,the ,,bicycle ,hands in position in front1 as though grasping the handle-bars1 running in place with lifting the knee high and pointing toe to the ground4 ,the same movement1 traveling forward with short1 quick steps4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,cat ,,and ,,rat ,children form a circle around the room1 with hands joined4 ,a cat is chosen to stand outside the circle1 a rat to stand inside4 ,the players are friends of the rat1 and raise their arms to let him under1 but keep them down when the cat tries to get through4 ,the cat chases the rat in and out of the circle1 among desks and over seats1 till the rat is caught1 when a new cat and rat are chosen4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,jumping ,,the ,,rope ,this makes a splendid combination exercise4 ,swing the arms in a large circle1 as though swinging the rope1 and jump each time that the rope comes down4 ,travel forward with the same exercises1 jumping and landing on one foot instead of both4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,teacher ,the children stand or sit in one line4 ,one is teacher and he or she throws a bean bag or soft ball in rotation down the line1 the child missing goes to the front4 ,when the teacher misses he or she goes to the foot and the child at the head becomes teacher4 ,no bad or swift throws are counted4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,bird-,,catcher ,this game is a great favorite with all the children1 even in the upper grades4 ,two players are chosen as bird-catchers1 and stand in one corner of the room4 ,the mother-bird is chosen to stand in another nest in the other front corner of the room4 ,the other players are named in groups 7those in one row of seats usually7 for various birds1 robins1 wrens1 etc4 ,as the name of each group of birds is called1 they go to the back of the room1 and1 at a signal1 run to the mother-bird's nest4 ,the bird-catchers try to catch them before they reach it4 ,the birds dodge in and out among the desks1 jumping over the seats1 etc4 ,the mother-bird and bird-catchers count their birds at the end of the game1 and all fly back to their seats2 that is1 wave their arms and skip to their seats4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,tag ,,me1 ,,or ,,heads ,,up ,the pupils1 upon the command of the player who is the leader and stands in front of the class1 fold their arms upon the desk and lower the head upon the arms4 ,the leader has an eraser or other article which he places upon one of the desks4 ,he commands ,heads up and the pupils raise their heads4 ,the one finding the eraser on his seat rises and chases the leader4 ,if he catches him he becomes the leader2 if not1 the first one is again the leader4 ,if they fail to catch him after two trials he chooses another leader4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,an ,,eraser ,,game ,a boy places a rubber eraser1 or any small object1 on the desk of a girl4 ,she takes the eraser and chases him around the room to his seat4 ,if she tags him1 he goes to the corner to stand1 with others who are caught1 till the end of the game4 ,the girl then puts the eraser on a boy's desk1 and the game continues4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,circle ,,ball ,children stand in a circle around the room2 one stands in the center1 with a bean bag or ball1 and makes quick throws to children in different parts of the circle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,seat ,,tag--,a ,,school-,,room ,,game ,the one starting the game runs and tags someone near and gets to that child's seat as quickly as he can4 ,the child tries to tag him on the way4 ,if he tags him the one tagged must go in the mush pot1 that is1 to go to the front of the room and sit down4 ,the one who caught him continues the game1 and when another one gets in the mush pot the first one is permitted to take his seat4 ,the game continues until all have had a run4 ,the runs should all be very short to make the game go quickly4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,dead ,,ball ,children stand by desks4 ,a tennis or soft rubber ball is thrown among the players4 ,the child hit sits and is out of the game4 ,the child standing near where the ball falls throws it the next time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,preliminary ,,ball ,children stand in rows1 facing each other1 two rows of desks between them1 those on one side having bean bags4 ,on the teacher's counts they throw to those in the row opposite1 throwing and catching with both hands4 ,after a given number of throws1 they put the left hand behind them1 throwing and catching with the right hand2 the same with the left hand4 ,this is good muscular training4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,dodge ,players divide into equal groups4 ,one group forms a circle1 the other within4 ,outside group has a volley or an outdoor baseball with which they try to hit the one's 7players7 within4 ,as soon as one is hit he must immediately join the circle and help hit the others4 ,when all have been tagged in this way1 groups change places and repeat4 ,the two players who were last to be hit in the two games are captains to choose up for the next time4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,third ,,man ,played much like ,three ,deep4 ,players stand in couples1 facing each other1 couples scattered in any way around the room4 ,the runner is free from being tagged when he steps between the two players of any couple1 and the chaser must chase the one toward whom the runner turns his back4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,fox ,,and ,,chickens ,choose a player to be fox and another to be the mother hen4 ,the players are the chickens and all form in a line behind the mother hen1 and each one grasping the waist of the one in front4 ,the fox tries to tag the last chicken2 the line1 led by the mother hen1 turns and tries to keep between the fox and that chicken4 ,when the last chicken is tagged he becomes fox1 and the mother hen chooses another player in her place4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,eraser ,,relay ,place an eraser on the front desk of alternate rows4 ,at a signal to start the first child in each row takes the eraser in both hands and passes it over his head to the child behind him4 ,this continues till the last child receives it4 ,the last child runs forward with it1 running down the right aisle4 ,on reaching the front seat1 his entire row moves one seat backward1 so as to leave an empty seat in front4 ,the runner then sits down in the empty seat and passes the eraser backward with both hands as before stated4 ,the changing of seats should be on the left side4 ,the game ends when each child is returned to his own seat4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,school-,,room ,,tag ,mark a circle on floor in front of desks4 ,choose a player to be it4 ,he stands near but not in the circle and calls the names of three players4 ,the players must rise and try to reach the circle without being tagged4 ,they run in any style in either direction4 ,the first one tagged is it and the game continues as before4 ,if none are caught1 three more are named4 ,encourage naming players who have not been called4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,serpentine ,,maze ,players all in single file1 teacher leading4 ,each player reaches right hand forward to player next in front and left hand back1 grasping hands4 ,march forward1 circling to left and winding up into a spiral4 ,when tightly wound1 last player should lead1 all turn about to left and wind up1 circling to right4 ,several variations should be used later3 #a4 ,same as first method without grasping hands4 #b4 ,when wound as far as possible and leave enough space1 teach circles right from center of spiral and line follows1 passing out in a reverse spiral2 this is done first grasping hands and later without4 #c4 ,when leader reaches center of spiral1 tight wound1 she signals to players in some direction and they lift arms1 forming arches1 under which the line may pass1 teacher leading1 hands are kept grasped in this case4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,teacher ,,and ,,class ,illustration ,similar to ,school ,ball4 ,a leader is chosen for each group of eight or ten players1 the players in a line and the leader eight or ten feet away at the side4 ,a row in the school-room may be taken as a group1 with a leader standing in front4 ,the leader tosses the ball or bean bag to the players in turn1 beginning at the head4 ,any player missing goes to the foot4 ,if the leader misses he goes to the foot and the one at the head becomes leader4 ,if the ball goes twice around and the leader does not miss1 he goes in the line just above those who have missed and the head player becomes leader4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,blackboard ,,relay ,the competing rows must be placed where there is a blackboard at the front of each row4 ,first player of each row has a piece of chalk4 ,at the signal he runs to the board and makes a mark with the chalk1 then he returns to his seat1 and hands the chalk to the next player1 who runs and marks in his turn4 ,later1 players may be required to make a cross1 circles1 capital letters1 small letters1 add columns of numbers1 write words1 construct sentences4 ,the teacher is the judge as to whether the marks come up to the requirements1 and each team is charged with a foul for each defect4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,tag ,,the ,,wall ,,relay ,this is like ,racing 7,see ,first ,grade71 but more continuous4 ,two or more rows compete4 ,the player in the back seat rises at a signal from the teacher1 runs forward down the aisle1 tags the wall at the front of the room1 and returns to his seat4 ,as soon as he has reached his seat the player next in front of him does the same1 the relay being complete when each player in turn has run4 ,the line whose front player is seated first wins4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,slow ,,poke 7,,indoors7 ,alternate rows of children are chosen4 ,on a signal from the teacher1 the last children in the alternate rows1 run down the aisles1 turn to their left2 run down the other aisle1 turn on reaching their seats1 and tag the person who sits in front of them4 ,the person tagged does as the first person did1 tagging the person in front only when he reaches his starting place4 ,each person running when tagged4 ,equal numbers should be chosen for each row4 ,the object of the game is to see which row is the winner1 depending entirely upon alertness1 quickness of mind and honesty in playing with fellow students4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,tricks ,,and ,,puzzles ,any one who wishes to play a trick or show off a puzzle should test it privately1 before attempting to show it before company1 for often1 owing to some slight error1 the trick may at first prove a failure1 whereas a little practice will soon make one perfect4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,dancing ,,egg ,get a hard-boiled egg and place it on the reverse side of a smooth polished plate or bread-platter4 ,if you now turn the plate round while holding it in a horizontal position1 the egg1 which is in the middle of it1 will turn round also1 and as the pace is quickened1 the egg will move more and more quickly1 until it stands up on one end and spins round like a top4 ,in order to be quite sure that the experiment will succeed1 you should keep the egg upright while it is being boiled1 so that the inside may be hardened in the proper position4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,magic ,,thread ,soak a piece of thread in a solution of salt or alum 7of course1 your audience must not know you have done this74 ,when dry1 borrow a very light ring and fix it to the thread4 ,apply the thread to the flame of a candle2 it will burn to ashes1 but will still support the ring4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,swimming ,,needles ,there are several ways of making a needle float on the surface of the water4 ,the simplest way is to place a piece of tissue paper on the water and lay the needle on it2 the paper soon becomes soaked with water and sinks to the bottom1 while the needle is left floating on the top4 ,another method is to hang the needle in two slings made of threads1 which must be carefully drawn away as soon as the needle floats4 ,you can also make the needle float by simply holding it in your fingers and laying it on the water4 ,this1 however1 requires a very steady hand4 ,if you magnetize a sewing-needle by rubbing it on a fairly strong magnet and float it on the water1 it will make an extremely sensitive compass2 and if you place two needles on the water at the same time1 you will see them slowly approach each other until they float side by side1 that is1 if they do not strike together so heavily as to cause them to sink4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,bridge ,,of ,,knives ,three knives may be supported by their handles in the following manner3 ,place three glasses in a triangle1 each side of which must be about the length of one of the knives4 ,the blade of the first knife should rest on the blade of the second1 by passing over it near to the point where the handle and blade are joined2 the blade of the second passing in the same manner over the blade of the third1 which is to be made to rest on the blade of the first4 ,the handles being then carefully placed upon the glasses1 a bridge is formed strong enough to bear a considerable weight4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,balance ,a ,,coffee-,,cup ,,on ,,the ,,point ,,of ,a ,,knife ,the articles necessary for the performance of this trick are very simple1 a dinner-fork and an ordinary sized cork being all that are needed4 ,fix the cork firmly in the handle of the fork1 then stick the fork into it so that two prongs shall be on each side of the cup handle1 and slope the fork in such a way that its handle will come under the bottom of the cup4 ,the heaviest weight being thus brought underneath1 you can hold the cup on the point of a knife1 if you very carefully find the exact place on which it will balance4 ,as the surface of the cup is usually glazed1 the hand which holds the knife must not tremble1 or the cup will slip off4 ,you may also obtain the same result by using two knives instead of a fork4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,obstinate ,,cork ,take a small cork and ask some one to blow it into a fairly large sized1 ordinary bottle that has a neck4 ,this seems to be quite an easy matter4 ,the one who tries it will probably blow as hard as possible upon the little cork2 but1 instead of going into the bottle1 as expected1 it will simply fall down4 ,the harder the puffs or blows1 the more obstinate the cork will appear to be2 and even if the effect of blowing gently be tried1 it will be of no use2 the cork will not go into the bottle1 much to the amusement of those who are watching4 ,the reason why the cork will not go in is this3 ,the bottle being already full of air1 when the cork is blown1 more air will be forced into the bottle1 and consequently the air inside will be greatly compressed and will simply force the cork back4 ,the following is a simple way of overcoming the difficulty3 ,instead of trying to force the cork through the compressed air in the bottle1 just the contrary should be tried1 that is1 some of the air should be sucked out of the bottle2 this being done1 the bottle will become partly emptied1 and when the outside air rushes in to fill up the empty space1 it will carry the cork with it to the bottom of the bottle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,six ,,and ,,five ,,make ,,nine ,this is a simple little puzzle4 ,take eleven strips of cardboard1 lay six of them at exactly equal distances on the table1 and ask one of the company to add the five other strips and yet only make nine4 ,it is done by placing six of them parallel to each other--the others are used to spell out the word nine4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,vanishing ,,dime ,stick a small piece of white wax on the nail of the middle finger of your right hand1 taking care that no one sees you do it4 ,then place a dime in the palm of your hand and tell your audience that you can make it vanish at the word of command4 ,you then close your hand so that the dime sticks to the waxed nail4 ,blow on your hand and make magic passes1 and cry ,dime1 begone6 ,open your hand so quickly that no one will see the dime stuck to the back of your nail1 and show your empty hand4 ,to make the dime reappear1 you merely close you hand again and rub the dime into your palm4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,light ,a ,,snowball ,,with ,a ,,match ,roll a snowball and put it on a plate4 ,while rolling1 contrive to slip a piece of camphor into the top of it4 ,the camphor must be about the size and shape of a chestnut1 and it must be pushed into the soft snow so as to be invisible--the smaller end uppermost1 to which the match should be applied4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,dancing ,,pea ,for this trick1 take a piece1 two or three inches long1 of a stem of a clay tobacco pipe1 taking care that one end is quite even2 with a knife or file1 work the hole at the even end larger1 so as to form a little cup4 ,choose the roundest pea you can find1 place it in the cup1 and blow softly through the other end of the pipe1 throwing back your head while you blow1 so that you can hold the pipe in an upright position over your mouth4 ,the pea will rise1 fall and dance in its cup1 according to the degree of force you use in blowing1 but you must take care not to blow too hard1 or you may blow it away altogether4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,balancing ,,spoon ,place a half-opened penknife on the edge of the table and hang a large cooking-spoon by its hook on to the knife1 just where the blade and handle join4 ,place the spoon so that its inner 7concave7 side is facing the table and1 after swinging for a little while1 the knife and spoon will keep still in perfect balance4 ,even if you fill the spoon with sand it will not fall1 so long as the heaviest point is under the edge of the table4 ,the cooking-spoon is hung on to the half-opened penknife where the blade and the handle join1 and you can now place the end of the knife-handle on the tip of your finger1 on the edge of the table1 or on the rim of a glass which is standing near the edge of the table1 and your knife and spoon will balance perfectly1 without falling over4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,force ,,of ,a ,,water-,,drop ,get a match and make a notch in the middle of it1 bend it so as to form an acute angle1 and place it over the mouth of a bottle4 ,now place a dime or other small coin on the match and ask any one to get the coin into the bottle without touching either the bottle or the match4 ,this is very easy to do4 ,dip your finger in a glass of water1 hold it over the place where the match is notched1 and let one or two drops fall on this point4 ,the force of the water will cause the sides of the angle to move apart1 and the opening thus become large enough to let the coin fall into the bottle4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,sentinel ,,egg ,this trick requires care and patience4 ,you must lay a piece of looking-glass on a perfectly even table2 then take a new-laid egg and shake it about for some time until the white is well mixed with the yolk4 ,in this condition it is possible to balance the egg on its end and make it stand upright on the glass4 ,this trick is more certain to be successful if you are clever enough to flatten the end ever so slightly and evenly1 by giving it a gentle and unsuspected tap4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,coin ,,trick ,take a coin in each hand and stretch out your arms as far apart as you can4 ,then tell your audience that you will make both coins pass into one hand without bringing your hands together4 ,this is easily done by placing one coin upon the table and then turning your body round until the hand with the other coin comes to where it lies4 ,you can then easily pick the coin up1 and both will be in one hand1 while your arms are still widely extended4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,wonderful ,,pendulum ,if you fill a wineglass with water and place a thick piece of paper over it so that no air can get in1 you will find that you can turn the glass upside down without spilling a drop of water1 because the pressure of the air on the outside will keep the paper from falling off4 ,it is on this principle that the present pendulum is to be made4 ,take a piece of cardboard larger than the mouth of the glass2 pass a cord through a small hole in the center of the card1 and fasten it by means of a knot on the under side1 then carefully cover the hole with wax1 so that no air may get in4 ,place your cardboard over the glass full of water1 and by making a loop in the end of the cord you can hang the glass from a hook in the ceiling without any fear of its falling off4 ,in order to make sure that no air can get into the glass1 it is wise to smear the rim with tallow before laying the cardboard on4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,revolving ,,pins ,take a piece of elastic which is not covered with silk or wool1 and through the middle of this stick a pin1 which you have bent as shown in the illustration4 ,now hold the elastic between the thumb and first finger of each hand and twirl it round1 stretching it a little at the same time4 ,the rapid movement thus caused will make the revolving pin look like a glass object1 and if you have a strong light falling on the pin and a dark background behind it1 the resemblance becomes very much stronger4 ,after a little practice you will be able to represent many things in this way--cheese dishes1 vases1 champagne glasses1 etc42 and if the bent pin should fall into a horizontal position while revolving1 on account of its shape1 you can tie one end to the elastic with a piece of white thread1 which will not in any way interfere with the working4 ,this trick looks well in a darkened room1 when the pin is illuminated by a ray of sunlight coming through a hole in the window shutter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,mysterious ,,ball ,this seems to be a plain wooden ball with a hole bored in its center1 through which a string is passed4 ,the ball will move lightly up and down this cord1 but let some one who knows the trick take the string in his hand and it becomes quite a different matter2 the ball will move quickly1 or slowly1 at command1 and1 if told to do so1 will stand still until ordered to move on again4 ,the reason for this peculiar behavior is that inside the ball there are two holes1 one of which is quite straight1 while the other is curved1 and turns out of the straight hole4 ,it is through this curved passage that the cord is passed1 and you can easily see that to regulate the movements of the ball1 it is only necessary to hold the string more or less tightly4 ,if you hold the cord perfectly tight1 the ball will not be able to move at all4 ,the ball can be purchased at any top shop4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,his ,,head ,,the ,,wrong ,,way ,put on a coat and vest so that they fasten behind4 ,then fix a mask over the back of the head and a wig over the face4 ,the effect is very curious4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,find ,,an ,,object ,,while ,,blindfolded ,to play this trick1 you must take one of your friends into your confidence4 ,borrow a watch and put it in your pocket1 and then ask your audience to sit at the end of the room1 blindfold your friend1 and lead him outside4 ,now say3 ,ladies and gentlemen1 if you will give me some small object to hide1 ,i promise that the blind man will find it1 although ,i shall not even tell him what he is to look for1 and ,i shall lower the gas1 so that if the bandage should slip1 he will still be unable to see4 ,a key1 pencil1 or any small thing having been handed to you1 lower the gas and proceed to hide the object1 at the end of the room1 mentioning where you have put it1 but not mentioning that you have placed the watch close beside it4 ,you then request ,silence and lead in the blind man and ask him to begin his search4 ,he is guided1 of course1 by the ticking of the watch1 and knows that whatever he finds close to it is the object hidden4 ,when he calls ,found1 he must slip the watch into his pocket4 ,you then turn up the gas and quietly ask your audience if they do not think your friend is a very clever fellow8 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chinese ,,shadows ,here is a simple way of making shadow pictures3 ,place a candle on the table and fix a piece of white paper on the wall at the same height from the ground as the light is4 ,now place some non-transparent object1 as1 for instance1 a large book1 between the candle and the paper1 and on one side of the table place a mirror so that it will reflect the light of the candle on to the paper on the wall4 ,if you now put little cardboard figures between the candle and the mirror1 a shadow will be thrown on the white paper and you can move your figures about just as you please4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hand ,,shadows ,it is very difficult to explain how these shadows should be made1 but you must bear in mind the fact that it is necessary to stand between the lamp and the wall1 and extend your arms so that the shadow of your body does not interfere with the picture shadows you intend to make with your hands4 ,the illustrations given will show you how to make two very good shadow pictures1 but the fun of the game is for several people to make up pictures of their own1 and see who can succeed in making the best4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,game ,,of ,,shadows ,for this game you require a white sheet to be hung up at the end of the room4 ,then the shadow-makers take up their places on low stools behind the sheet4 ,there must be only one lamp in the room1 which should be placed about six or seven feet behind the shadow-makers4 ,then the shadow-makers drape themselves with shawls1 or anything handy1 and take their places so that their shadows are thrown upon the sheet4 ,they must1 of course1 try to disguise themselves1 so that the shadow-seekers may not be able to guess their identity4 ,by loosening the hair and letting it fall over the face1 a girl may appear like a man with a beard2 bending the finger over the nose gives one a very queer-looking hooked nose in the shadow1 and entirely alters the appearance of the face4 ,covering one's self up in a sheet and then extending the arms gives one the appearance of a large bat4 ,as soon as a shadow-maker's identity has been guessed he must take his place as a shadow-seeker1 and the one who guessed him becomes a shadow-maker4 ,the penalty of a glance behind the sheet on the part of the shadow-seeker is to pay a forfeit4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,think ,,of ,a ,,number ,tell some one to think of any number he likes1 but not to tell you what it is4 ,tell him then to double it4 ,when he has done that1 let him add an even number to it1 which you must give him4 ,after doing this1 he must halve the whole1 then from what is left1 take away the number he first thought of4 ,when this is completed1 if he has counted correctly1 you will be able to give him the exact remainder1 which will simply be the half of the even number you told him to add to his own4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,living ,,shadows ,in order to make these1 you must stand in the corner of the room1 near a mirror4 ,let some one hold a light behind you1 so that the shadow of your head and shoulders will be thrown upon the wall1 and also that the reflected light from the mirror will fall at exactly the same spot as the shadow of your head4 ,if the mirror is now covered with a piece of thick paper1 from which two eyes1 a nose1 and a mouth are cut out1 the effect shown in the drawing will be produced4 ,in order to make the shadow still more lifelike1 cut out two pieces of paper1 fasten one over the mirror1 and move the other over it4 ,in this way the eyes and mouth of the shadow may be made to move4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,guess ,,the ,,two ,,ends ,,of ,a ,,line ,,of ,,dominoes ,for this trick a whole set of dominoes is required1 the performer taking care to hide one of the set1 not a double1 in his pocket4 ,the remaining dominoes should be shuffled1 and placed according to the ordinary rules of domino games1 and the performer undertakes to tell1 without seeing them1 the two numbers forming the extremes of the line1 set during his absence from the room4 ,the numbers on the extreme ends of the domino line will be exactly the same as the numbers on the domino which the performer has in his pocket4 ,if he is asked to repeat the trick1 he should be sure to change the hidden domino1 or he may chance to be found out4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,tell ,,the ,,age ,,of ,,any ,,person ,prepare a set of cards by making a copy of the tables given here4 ,hand them to the person whose age you wish to ascertain1 and ask him to name the cards on which his age appears4 ,if you then add together the first number on each of the cards he names1 the total will be the age required4 ,no4 #a ,card ,no4 #b ,card ,no4 #c ,card ,no4 #d ,card ,no4 #e ,card ,no4 #f ,card #a #bi #b #cj #d #cj #h #bh #af #bh #cb #dd #c #ca #c #ca #e #ca #i #bi #ag #bi #cc #de #e #cc #f #cd #f #cf #aj #cj #ah #cj #cd #df #g #ce #g #ce #g #cg #aa #ca #ai #ca #ce #dg #i #cg #aj #ch #ab #ch #ab #dj #bj #dh #cf #dh #aa #ci #aa #ci #ac #ci #ac #da #ba #di #cg #di #ac #da #ad #db #ad #dd #ad #db #bb #ej #ch #ej #ae #dc #ae #dc #ae #de #ae #dc #bc #ea #ci #ea #ag #de #ah #df #bj #df #bd #dd #bd #eb #dj #eb #ai #dg #ai #dg #ba #dg #be #de #be #ec #da #ec #ba #di #bb #ej #bb #eb #bf #df #bf #ed #db #ed #bc #ea #bc #ea #bc #ec #bg #dg #bg #ee #dc #ee #be #ec #bf #ed #bh #ed #bg #ee #bg #ee #bi #ee