  Note.—The games in this division are not necessarily noiseless or lacking in movement; but are distinguished from the active games largely by the lack of chasing or other vigorous exercise. AUTHOR'S INITIALS2 to 60 players. Parlor; schoolroom. Each player is given a piece of paper on which is written various series or groups of words, each group descriptive of some author, and each word beginning with one of his initials in regular order. The player wins who guesses the largest number of authors. The following are suggested; others may be devised:—
"B" GAME5 to 30 or more players. House party. Each player is given a sheet of paper with numbered questions prepared like the following list. The answer to each question is to be written opposite it, and must consist of the letter B as an initial and added to it the number of letters designated, the whole
The player wins who answers correctly the largest number. This game may be devised for any initial letter. BARGAIN COUNTER5 to 30 or more players. House party. Each player is provided with a paper and pencil. The following is either written on the papers in advance, or by the players from dictation, minus the underscoring. Each player is then required to find in the text the names of twenty-five textiles that may be purchased in a dry goods store, none to be mentioned twice, indicating each by underscoring. The player wins who has the largest number correct. Dolly Varden, immaculately dressed, sat in the window ledge and heard from the church near by the mellow chords of the organ dying slowly away. Her silken hair was well drawn back from her forehead low and broad. Clothed as she was in pink and green, she made one think of the spring. She was considered musical; I considered her brilliant in every way. I was before the dresser, getting ready to go out, and taking a forkful of cold slaw now and then, or some mock duck. "I want to send a line north, Henrietta," said Dolly, bringing ham sandwiches; for she saw I felt hungry. She then wrote this letter: "I marvel, veterans, if you pause in your good work for lack of cash, merely as is represented. You should canvas for a book or paper, Caleb, some handy volume, possibly a duodecimo. Hairsplitting terms like this I do not often employ, but, blessings on the head of Cadmus! linguists must sometimes use their hands as well as their wit, weed gardens, if need be, but spare the mullein, for it seems to me like a flower. Always remember that, though the light burns dim, it yet will burn." BEAST, BIRD, OR FISH10 to 30 or more players. Parlor; gymnasium; playground; schoolroom. The players stand or are seated, preferably in a circle. One player stands or sits in the center with a soft ball, made by crushing paper or knotting up a handkerchief. This is thrown at one of the players by the one in the center, who says quickly, "Beast, bird, or fish!" then repeats one of these classes and immediately counts ten, whereupon the player who has been hit by the ball must name some beast or bird or fish, according to the class last named by the thrower. This must be done before the latter has finished counting ten. For instance, the thrower will say as he throws, "Beast, bird, or fish!—Bird!" whereupon the player hit by the handkerchief must name a bird while the thrower counts ten. This must not be a repetition of any bird previously named in the game. Should the player who is hit by the ball fail to meet the requirements, he changes places with the thrower. Should he succeed, the thrower repeats the game by hitting some other player. IN THE SCHOOLROOM this game may be played with all the players but one in their accustomed seats. An old English form of this game substitutes the words "Fire, air, and water," for "Beast, bird, and fish," the players being required to name some animal that lives in the air or water when BUZZ5 to 30 or more players. Playground; gymnasium; schoolroom; parlor. This is a quiet game, as distinguished from those requiring much muscular activity. One of the players starts the game by saying "One"; the next says "Two," the next "Three," etc., until the number "Seven" is reached, when the word "Buzz" is substituted for it. The next player says "Eight," and so on up to a multiple of seven, such as fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight, etc., on each of which the word "Buzz" should be used instead of the right number. The word "Buzz" is also substituted for any number in which the word seven occurs, even though it should not be a multiple of seven, such as seventeen, twenty-seven, thirty-seven, etc. When seventy is reached, the counting proceeds as "Buzz-one," "Buzz-two," etc., and seventy-seven is "Buzz-buzz." Whenever a player says a number instead of "Buzz," or says "Buzz" in the wrong place, or calls out a wrong number, he must pay a forfeit and start the game over again by saying "One." The game may also be played by having each player who misses drop from the game. Where this is done, and the player retains his seat but is silent, the game becomes even more confusing for the players who remain. CAKE SALEAny number. Parlor. Each player is given a card or sheet of paper prepared with the following questions, or they may be dictated at the time. The one wins who has the largest number of answers correct. What kind of cake would you buy for—
CAT PARTY5 to 30 or more players. House party. Each player is provided with a sheet of paper on which are written the following questions. Each question is to be answered with a word, of which the first syllable is cat. The player wins who writes the largest number of correct answers, the list of answers being read by the host or hostess at the close of the time allowed for the game. Examples of questions are given below:—
CRAMBO10 to 30 players. House party. Each player is provided with two slips of paper, and also with another full sheet of paper and a pencil. On one of the slips he writes a question. This may be as serious or absurd as fancy dictates. On the other slip of paper he writes a word, either a common or proper noun. The slips containing the questions are then collected in a box or hat, and those containing the nouns in another receptacle. The questions are thoroughly mixed and passed around, each player drawing one. The same is done with the nouns. Each player must then write a verse which shall answer the question and contain the word that he has drawn, no matter how irrelevant they may be. A time limit is generally given for this performance, varying with the facility of the players. The following may serve as examples. The author recalls a very grave banker, not suspected of humor, who drew the question, "How long should you roast a leg of mutton?" The word drawn was "Finger." He wrote:— "To roast the mutton, let it linger Longer than to roast your finger." Another business man drew the question, "What is the difference between doughnuts and sponge cake?" The word was "Youth." He wrote:— "Sponge cake is delicate and sweet to the taste, While doughnuts are tough as thunder; And the youth who partakes of the first in haste Will tackle the latter with wonder." The game may be made more difficult by each player writing on a third slip of paper a verb or an adjective, these to be collected and redistributed with the nouns and questions. CROSS QUESTIONS10 to 60 players. Parlor; schoolroom. All but one of the players sit in two rows facing each other, those directly opposite each other being partners. The odd player walks around the rows behind the others, asking questions of any player facing him from the farther row. The question must be answered, not by the player addressed, but by his partner or vis-a-vis, who sits with his back to the questioner. Any player answering a question addressed directly to him, or failing to answer one addressed to his partner, or giving an incorrect answer to a question, changes places with the questioner, or pays a forfeit, as may have been decided on beforehand. FOR THE SCHOOLROOM.—When played in the schoolroom, the adjacent rows should form a group and face each other so as to leave free aisles between the groups in which the questioners may walk, as shown in the diagram of "Old Man Tag." The game may be made to correlate with almost any subject in the school curriculum, the questioner asking, for instance, for capital cities, boundaries, mountains, etc., for geography; for dates or the names of heroes in great events, for history; or even for brief problems in mental arithmetic. DUMB CRAMBO10 to 30 or more players. Parlor. The players are divided into two parties. One party goes outside of the room, and those remaining choose some verb, which is to be guessed and acted by the other party. The outside party is then told some word which rhymes with the chosen verb. They consult among themselves, decide on a verb which they think may be the right one, enter the room, and without speaking act out the word they have guessed. The inside party must decide from this pantomime if the correct verb has been guessed. If not, they shake their heads. If right, they clap their hands. No speaking FIND THE RING10 to 30 or more players. Parlor; gymnasium; schoolroom. The players sit in a circle, holding in their hands a long piece of string tied at the ends so as to form a circle large enough to go around, a small ring having been put upon this string. One player is chosen to stand in the center. The players who are seated then pass the ring from one to another, the object being for the player in the center to detect who has the ring. The other players will try to deceive him by making passes to indicate the passage of the ring when it really is not in their vicinity. When the player in the center thinks he knows who has the ring, he calls out the name of that player. If right, he sits down, and that player must take his place in the center. This game may be played by the players repeating the following lines as the ring is passed around the circle:— "Oh, the grand old Duke of York, He had ten thousand men; He marched them up the hillago, And marched them down again. "And when they were up they were up, And when they were down they were down; And when they were halfway up the hill, They were neither up nor down." This game may be played out of doors around a bush, in which case the player who is It must circle around the outside of the ring formed by the other players instead of standing in the center. plate: FLOWER MATCH FLOWER MATCH FLOWER MATCH2 to 10 players. Out of doors. This is one of the pretty Oriental games recorded from Korea by Mr. Culin, and is played by the children of that country, Japan, and China. The players each gather a handful of meadow bloom—blossoms and grass indiscriminately, not selecting the contents of the bunch. All sit down in a group. The first player lays out one from his pile, say a buttercup. All of the players around the circle try to match this, that is, each one who has buttercups lays all of them in a pile with that of the first player, who appropriates the entire pile when this has gone around the circle. Then the next player lays out something which all must try to match. The one wins who has the largest number of grasses or blossoms all counted together at the end. Different sorts of grasses and leaves count in this game as well as different kinds or colors of blossoms. GRASS BLADE2 to 10 players. Out of doors. This is a pretty game for little children, recorded by Mr. Culin, as played by the children of Japan, China, and Korea. Each child gathers a handful of grass, the soft, flexible grass blades being best for the purpose. The players are all seated in a group. One child makes a loop of a blade of grass by holding the two ends in his hand. Another child loops a blade of grass through this and the two pull; the one whose grass blade breaks loses, and the two pieces as trophies are given to the successful player, who then matches his grass blade with the next, and so on around the circle until his grass blade breaks, when he loses his turn and the next player has a similar turn. The one wins who has the greatest pile of trophies at the end. HANDS UP—HANDS DOWN10 to 60 players. Schoolroom. This is a schoolroom adaptation of Up Jenkins, and is designed especially for use as children assemble in a class room before the opening of the school session. The only material required is a small paper or worsted ball of a size that may be hidden in the clinched hand. The players are divided into two groups, each group seated, partly facing the other (indicated by arrows in the diagram) with a captain standing before each side at C. The side starting the game is given a small ball of paper or worsted, and at the command of the captain of the opposing side the players pass the ball rapidly from one to another. Each player makes the motion of passing, so as to deceive the opposing group as to the whereabouts of the ball. diagram: Hands Up, Hands Down Hands Up, Hands Down The captain and players of the opposing group meanwhile keep a sharp lookout for the ball without leaving their seats. After a short time of passing, the captain, who started the passing (Group B, diagram) calls suddenly, "Hands up!" and immediately all passing in Group A must cease, and all hands must be raised high overhead and tightly clinched, so the player having the ball, when the passing ceased, may not disclose the fact. The B captain again gives a sudden command of "Hands down!" Immediately all hands are brought down softly on the desk in front of each player of Group A, hands wide open, palms downward, and again the player with the ball tries to hide it under his hand. The players of Group B, who think they know who has the ball, raise their hands. No player may speak unless called by his captain. When called, he may say, "Under J.'s right hand" (or left hand, as the case may be). J. raises the right hand, and if the guesser be mistaken, places that hand in his lap, it being thereafter out of commission, so to speak. No other player of Group A moves a hand. Should the ball be found under the hand raised, the opposing group, i.e. Group B, receives as many points as there are hands left upon the desks. Otherwise, the search continues, the captain of Group B asking players of his group to order a hand raised, or orders it himself, until the ball is discovered. This adaptation was made by Miss Adela J. Smith of New York City, and received honorable mention in a competition for schoolroom games conducted by the Girls' Branch of the Public Schools Athletic League of New York City, in 1906. It is here published by the kind permission of the author, and of the Girls' Branch, and of Messrs. A. G. Spalding & Brothers, publishers of the handbook in which the game first appeared. HEN ROOST5 to 30 or more players. Parlor; schoolroom. Each of the players except one chooses a word, which should be the name of some object, and in answering any questions put to him in the game he must introduce this word which he has chosen into each answer. The odd player takes the place of questioner. He may ask one or more questions of each player, as he sees fit, the dialogue taking any turn he chooses, the following being suggestive of the general tone of it:— The questioner says: "I heard that you got into the hen roost yesterday. How did you get in?" Answer: "With the dictionary." To the next player: "What did you find there?" Answer: "A horse." To the next player: "What did you give him to eat?" Answer: "A sofa pillow," etc. Any player who laughs, or who fails to answer promptly or correctly to the question, must change places with the questioner. Forfeits may also be required if desired. HORNS5 to 60 players. Indoors; out of doors; schoolroom. This game is played very much like "Simon says." It is a quiet game that may be played with all of the players seated, their forefingers "All horns up!" "Cat's horns up!" or "Cow's horns up!" whereupon he lifts his own forefingers, pointing upward. Should he name an animal that has horns, all of the players lift their fingers in similar manner, but should he name an animal such as a cat, that has no horns, any player that lifts his fingers in imitation of the leader is out of the game. INITIALS5 to 30 or more players. House party. For this game it will be necessary to prepare slips of paper, one for each player. At the head of the paper are written the initials of some person who will be present; under this a series of questions which the player drawing the paper is to answer. The papers are put in a box or hat and drawn by the players, or held in the hand with the initials concealed and drawn in that way. A certain time may be allowed, if desired, for the answering of the questions. The answers must be written in each case immediately below the question, must consist of only as many words as there are initials at the top of the sheet, and the words of the answer must begin with the initials in their proper order. For example:— H. B. B.
LEAF BY LEAFAny number of players. Out of doors; indoors. A basket of leaves is provided, no two of the leaves being alike. These may be leaves from trees, shrubs, or plants, or flowers may be used in the same way. The players are each provided with a card or slip of paper and a pencil, and are seated. One leaf is handed to the first player, who passes it on to the next, and so on until it has made the round of the group. Each player, in turn, if he can identify the leaf, writes the name of it on a card. Each leaf is thus passed. The host or hostess then reads a correct list, naming the leaves in the order in which they were passed. The player wins who has the largest number correct. This is an especially pleasing game for nature students. LITERARY LORE5 to 30 or more players. House party. Each player is given a sheet of paper on which the following questions are written. The player wins who writes correct answers to the largest number of questions. This game may be worked up from the writings of any poet or author. Examples are given from Tennyson and Longfellow. The answers are appended here, but in playing the game should be read by the host or hostess at the end. TENNYSON
LONGFELLOW
LONDON2 players. Indoors; schoolroom; seashore. diagram: London London This is a quiet game in which the players are all seated. A diagram is drawn on a slate or piece of paper of oblong shape, about six by ten inches in outside dimensions, if the surface admits of one so large. This is divided by a horizontal line every two inches. It is an advantage if the players have different colored pencils, but this is not necessary. A piece of paper is placed at the bottom of the diagram and blown over the diagram toward the top; or a small piece of glass or china called a "chipper" is used, the latter being nicked or snapped with the fingers. The first player snaps his chipper, and in whichever place it stops marks with a pencil a small round "o" to represent a man's head. The chipper is then returned to its starting place and the play is repeated. This is continued until the player has marked a head in each of the horizontal spaces; or should his chipper land a second time in a space in which he has already marked such a head, he makes a larger round under the head to represent the body of a man. The third time it lands in this place he makes a downward stroke for a leg, and the fourth time one for a second leg, which completes the man. Should three complete men be so drawn in one The first player continues to play until the chipper lands on a line; a player whose chipper lands on a line or outside of the diagram loses his turn. The other player then takes his turn, and may start, continue, or complete men in any spaces which the first player has not occupied with three armed men, even though the latter may have started men in the space or have completed two of them. Each player may build only on his own men. The player wins who succeeds in occupying the largest number of spaces with three armed men of his own drawing. The space at the top of the diagram, called "London," is especially advantageous. No men are marked in it, but should the chipper land there at any time, the player may draw a head in every other space on the diagram, or add one mark to any one drawing he may have already in each space. This game may be played on the seashore or playground or wherever the diagram may be drawn in hard earth. For the schoolroom it is an interesting diversion for pupils who assemble early before the opening of the school session. MINISTER'S CAT (THE)Any number of players. Parlor; schoolroom. The first player says, "The minister's cat is an avaricious cat," using an adjective which begins with "a" to describe the cat. The next player makes a remark about the cat, using the same initial letter for the adjective; for instance, that it is an "aggressive" cat. This is continued, each player using a different adjective beginning with the letter "a," until the game has gone entirely around the circle. The first player then makes a similar remark about the cat, using an adjective beginning with "b." This goes MUSIC BOX3 to 60 players. House party; schoolroom; playground. Each player is given a slip of paper and pencil. Some one who has a good repertoire of popular airs sits at the piano—or lacking a piano, may sing without words—and goes briefly through snatches of one air after another, each of the players writing on his slip of paper the name of the air, or leaving a blank if he be unable to name it. The one wins who names the largest number of airs correctly. This is an admirable game to use for old ballads, such as "Annie Laurie," "Suwanee River," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Blue Bells of Scotland," etc., or for national airs, or for both together. In a company that is well up on current music, airs from current songs and popular operas may be used successfully. MY LADY'S LAP DOG5 to 30 of more players. Parlor. My lady's lapdog. Two plump partridges and my lady's lapdog. Three great elephants, two plump partridges, and my lady's lapdog. Four Persian cherry trees, three great elephants, etc. Five Limerick oysters, four Persian cherry trees, etc. Six bottles of Frontignac, five Limerick oysters, etc. Seven swans a swimming, six bottles of Frontignac, etc. Eight flip flap floating fly boats, seven swans, etc. Nine merchants going to Bagdad, eight flip flap, etc. Ten Italian dancing masters going to teach ten Arabian magpies how to dance, nine merchants going to Bagdad, etc. Eleven guests going to celebrate the marriage of the Princess Baldroubadour with the Prince of Terra del Fuego, ten Italian dancing masters going to teach ten Arabian magpies, etc. Twelve triumphant trumpeters triumphantly trumpeting the tragical tradition of Telemachus, eleven guests going to celebrate the marriage, etc. The players sit in a circle; the one who is leader turns to the next player and says, "My lady's lapdog." This player turns to the one next him and repeats the phrase, which is thus handed around the circle. When it gets back to the leader, the leader turns to his neighbor and adds an item to that previously mentioned, saying, "Two plump partridges and my lady's lapdog." This goes around the circle, when the leader says, "Three great elephants, two plump partridges, and my lady's lapdog," and so on, adding each time different items according to the formula given above. Any player failing to repeat the list correctly pays a forfeit. VARIATION.—For younger players, the following list may be found better:— A big fat hen. Two ducks and a big fat hen. Three wild geese, two ducks, and a big fat hen. Four plump partridges, three wild geese, two ducks, etc. Five pouting pigeons, four plump partridges, three, etc. Six long-legged cranes, five pouting pigeons, etc. Seven green parrots, six long-legged cranes, etc. Eight screeching owls, seven green parrots, six long-legged, etc. Nine ugly black turkey buzzards, eight screeching owls, etc. Ten thousand domesticated chimney swallows, nine ugly black turkey buzzards, eight screeching owls, etc. NAUGHTS AND CROSSES2 players. Indoors; out of doors. diagram: Naughts and Crosses Naughts and Crosses A diagram is drawn on a slate, paper, or the ground, and consists of two vertical lines, crossed by two horizontal lines. One player chooses to write "naughts" (o) and the other "crosses" (x). The players take turns in marking a naught or a cross in one of the nine places provided by the diagram, the object being to get three naughts or three crosses in a row. This row may be either vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. A score is kept of the games won by each player, and a third score is kept of the games played in which neither player wins. This game may be played at the seashore, on the playground, or wherever the diagram may be traced on the earth. For school use it is an interesting diversion for pupils who assemble early before a session opens, or who remain in over a rainy noontime. NIMBLE SQUIRRELAny number of players. Schoolroom; parlor; playground. This is a device for mental arithmetic. It is one of which children are very fond. As the play element may enter very largely into the fanciful suggestions used by the teacher, it seems in place in a book of games. The teacher states her problem in a manner similar to the following:— "There was a tree with fifty branches. A squirrel started on the first branch, jumped up three branches [to the fourth], came halfway down [to the second], went three times as high [sixth branch], fell halfway down [third branch], saw a dog, and ran to the top of the tree; fell to the ground and started over again; went up eight branches, jumped past three branches," etc., finishing up with, "How many branches from the top was he?" This game has been found intensely interesting for children through the upper grades of the elementary schools. PENNY WISE5 to 30 players. House party. Each player is provided with a bright new penny (of design prior to 1909), a piece of paper, and a pencil. On the paper are written beforehand, or to dictation, the following requirements, of course without the answers. The player wins who has the largest number of correct answers. Find on the penny the following:— The name of a song.—America. PLANTING A GARDEN5 to 30 or more players. House party. Each player is provided with a sheet of paper and a pencil. The game consists in one player writing down something that he has planted and the next player stating what came up. Anything may be planted, though the questioner must have in mind something that could come up from what he writes. He must sign his initials. The names of the plants that come up For example, a player writes, "I planted a kitten; what came up?" The paper is handed to the next player, who writes, "Pussy willows." After the questions are written, the papers are collected and redistributed, and each writes an answer to the question he has drawn. They are then collected again, and the hostess reads the questions and answers. Any question not answered must be replied to by the player who wrote it. Examples follow:—
PRINCE OF PARIS10 to 30 players. Parlor; schoolroom. A player is chosen as leader; the others are numbered consecutively from one up, and are all seated. The leader, standing in front, says, "The Prince of Paris has lost his hat. Did you find it, Number Four, sir?" whereupon Number Four jumps to his feet and says:— "What, sir! I, sir?" Leader. "Yes, sir! You, sir!" No. Four. "Not I, sir!" Leader. "Who, then, sir?" No. Four. "Number Seven, sir." Number Seven, as soon as his number is called, must jump at once to his feet and say:— "What, sir! I, sir?" Leader. "Yes, sir! You, sir." No. Seven. "Not I, sir!" Leader. "Who then, sir?" No. Seven. "Number Three, sir!" Number Three immediately jumps to his feet, and the same dialogue is repeated. The object of the game is for the leader to try to repeat the statement, "The Prince of Paris has lost his hat," before the last player named can jump to his feet and say, "What, sir! I, sir?" If he succeeds in doing this, he changes places with the player who failed in promptness, that player becoming leader. Should any player fail to say "Sir" in the proper place, this also is a mistake, and the leader may change places with such player. This game has much sport in it for house parties or other uses. RECOGNITIONAny number of players. Parlor; schoolroom. Each player is given a card or slip prepared with the following questions, or the list may be dictated at the time. What famous persons, historical or mythical, do these objects suggest?
SCAT2 players. Indoors; out of doors; schoolroom. One player holds on his upturned palm a ruler, a paper knife, or a small thin strip of wood. The other player takes this quickly and tries to "scat" or hit the opponent's palm with the ruler before he can withdraw his hand. The game will be made more interesting by feints on the part of the player who has to take the ruler, he giving several appearances of taking it before really doing so. When a player succeeds in hitting his opponent's hand with the ruler they change parts in the game. Count is kept of the unsuccessful hits, the player winning who has the smallest score when the play ends. This is one of the diversions useful for rainy day recesses in school, or for pupils who congregate before a session opens. SEEKING FOR GOLD5 to 15 players. Out of doors; seashore. A handful of small pebbles is collected, and the players sit on the ground in a circle. One of the players scatters the pebbles on the ground in the center of the circle, as jackstones are scattered. This player then draws a line with his finger between any two of the pebbles, and tries to snap one of these two so that it will hit the other, as marbles are snapped at one another. If successful in hitting the pebble, the same player has a second turn, keeping each time the two pebbles hit. Should this player miss, another The one wins who at the close of the game has the largest number of pebbles. It will be seen that a small number of players is better for this game than a large group. Nuts may be used instead of pebbles. This game is played by children in China. SHAKESPEAREAN ROMANCE (A)Any number of players. House party; schoolroom. Each player is provided with a sheet of paper prepared with the following questions, or the questions may be dictated at the time. Each question is to be answered with the title of one of Shakespeare's plays. The player wins who has the largest number correct at the end of the time allotted for the game. Other questions may be devised.
SIMON SAYS2 to 60 players. Parlor; schoolroom. The players sit around a table, or if played in the schoolroom, sit at their respective desks. Each player makes a fist of each The leader says, "Simon says, 'Thumbs up!'" whereupon he places his own fists on the table before him with the thumbs upward. The players must all do likewise. The leader then says, "Simon says, 'Thumbs down!'" whereupon he turns his own hands over so that the tips of the thumbs touch the table, the others imitating him. He may then say, "Simon says, 'Thumbs wiggle waggle!'" whereupon he places his fist on the table with the thumbs upward and moves the thumbs sideways, the players imitating him. If at any time the leader omits the words "Simon says," and goes through the movements simply with the words "Thumbs up!" "Thumbs down!" or "'Wiggle waggle!" the players must keep their hands still and not imitate his movements. Any player imitating him under these circumstances must either pay a forfeit or become leader, or both, as may be decided on beforehand. SKETCHES3 to 60 players. Schoolroom; parlor. The game here described for use with history may be used simply as a diversion in describing animals or any inanimate objects; or it may be used to correlate with English (authors), picture study, etc. Each player is provided with a sheet of paper and pencil and writes a description of some historical character; the object being to give a description that shall be perfectly truthful and yet puzzling or misleading for the other players who are to guess the identity of the character in the writer's mind. One player is called on to read his description. The other players may have the privilege of asking questions that may be answered by "Yes" or "No" only; but it is considered much more of an honor to guess correctly without this assistance. The one guessing the character correctly reads his description next. A description for instance might read:— "The person whom I would describe was a very tall man; very vigorous; used an ax on occasion; had much to do with legislators; was widely known outside of his native country, and has been the subject of many biographies." As this description would apply equally to Washington, Lincoln, Gladstone, and several others who might be mentioned, there is opportunity for considerable guessing before the right character be found. TIDBITS FARMER (THE)5 to 30 players. House party. Each player should be given a card or slip of paper on which the following verses are written, the last of each line being left blank. The game consists in filling in the blank spaces each with a double letter of the alphabet, as indicated in parentheses. The player wins who has the largest number correct.
TIP TAP TOE2 to 8 players. Indoors; out of doors. INDOORS.—A circle is drawn on a slate or paper, the size of it varying with the number of players, a larger circle being desirable "Tip, tap, toe, here we go, Three jolly sailor boys all in a row." At the close of the verse the player places the point of the pencil on the diagram, still with his eyes closed. He then opens his eyes, and should the pencil have touched one of the numbered spaces, he marks down to his score the number written in that space, and crosses out that figure on the diagram. Thereafter that space does not count in playing. Should the pencil touch a dividing line or the line forming the circumference of the circle, or fall outside of the circle, or fall in a space in which the number has been crossed out, the player scores nothing, and loses his turn, the next one taking up the play. diagram: Tip Tap Toe Tip Tap Toe When all of the spaces have been crossed out, the player wins who has the largest score, but should any player at any time touch his pencil to the center of the circle, he wins the game. OUT OF DOORS.—This game may be played out of doors by This is an admirable game for playing on the hard sand of the seashore. In that case little pebbles or shells are placed in the different spaces instead of numerals; one in the first space, two in the second, three in the third, etc. When a player places his stick or pointer in a space he removes the pebbles from that place to a little pile, and the score is counted at the end by counting this pile of pebbles. Any space from which the pebbles have been removed is thereafter out of the game, as when the figures are crossed out on the paper diagram. This game is supposed to have originated in early methods of allotting land. UP, JENKINS!6 to 20 or more players. Parlor; schoolroom. This is one of the most popular current games among young people, being usually played to the accompaniment of much laughter and intense interest. It consists in the guessing by opposing parties of the hand under which a coin is hidden. The players are divided into two parties. Each party has a captain, each player being captain in turn during successive rounds of the game. The players gather around a table, one party on one side and the others opposite. A coin, usually a quarter, is passed from hand to hand under the table by one of the parties in an endeavor to conceal from the opponents which individual holds it. The leader of the opposite party then calls, "Up, Jenkins!" when all of the hands of his opponents are brought from under the table and held up with palms outward toward the guessing party, fingers closed down tightly over the palms, the quarter being hidden in one of the hands. The opponents may look at the hands from their side of the table in this way as long as they choose. The leader then commands "Down, Jenkins!" when the hands are If the guessing party can be successful in thus eliminating all of the empty hands so that the coin is left under the last hand, they are considered to have won, and the coin passes to them for the next round. If the coin be disclosed before the last hand be reached, the side holding it adds to its score the hands remaining on the table that were not ordered off. The side wins which has the highest score when the play stops, the time limits being indefinite. For the schoolroom see also an adaptation called Hands up—Hands down. WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?5 to 30 players. Children's party; house party; playground. The players are seated in a circle or any convenient group. One of the number decides upon a "thought"; that is, he thinks of some person, object, or abstraction, without telling the others what it is. He then asks of each in turn, "What is my thought like?" Each answers anything he chooses. The first player then declares what his thought was, and asks of each, "Why is—(naming the object he thought of) like—(whatever such player answered)?" Each must find some likeness, however absurd, or pay a forfeit. For instance, the answers around the circle might be, "Your thought is like an umbrella," "like Napoleon," "Pinafore," "sadness," "my necktie," "a rose," etc. The questioner then says, "I thought of a lead pencil. Why is a pencil like an umbrella?" "Because it is oftenest black." The pencil may be like Napoleon WOODLAND LOVERS (THE)5 to 30 or more players. House party. Each player is given a paper on which the following is written or dictated, the words in parentheses being omitted and a blank space left. The game consists in each player filling in these blank spaces with the name of some tree. The host or hostess at the end reads this list of words in order, the player winning who has the largest number correct. The same tree may be mentioned more than once. He took her little hand in his own big (palm). "I love (yew), dear," he said simply. She did not (sago) away, for it had been a case of love at first sight. She murmured something in (aloe) voice. They had met one day upon a sandy (beech), and from that (date) onward, they cared not a (fig) for the outside world. Her name was (May Ple). She was a charming girl. Rosy as a (peach); (chestnut) colored hair; (tulips) like a (cherry); skin a pale (olive). In fact, she was as beautiful (as pen) or brush ever portrayed. The day he met her she wore a jacket of handsome (fir). He was of Irish descent, his name being (Willow) 'Flaherty. He was a (spruce) looking young fellow. Together they made a congenial (pear). But when did the course of true love ever run smooth? There was a third person to be considered. This was (paw paw). Both felt that, counting (paw paw) in, they might not be able to (orange) it. What if he should refuse to (cedar)! Suppose he should (sago) to her lover? And if he should be angry, to what point won't a (mango)? Well, in that case she must submit, with a (cypress) her lover in her arms for the last time, and (pine) away. But happily her parent did not constitute (ebony) skeleton at their feast. He was guilty of no tyranny to reduce their hopes to (ashes). They found him in his garden busily (plantain). He was chewing (gum). "Well," he said thoughtfully, in answer to the question: "Since (yew) love her I must (cedar) to (yew). You make a fine young (pear). Don't cut any (capers) after you're married, young man! Don't (pine) and complain if he is sometimes cross, young woman! I hope to see (upas) many happy days together!" ZOO5 to 10 players. Parlor; schoolroom. Each player is provided with ten slips of paper, numbered conspicuously from one to ten, but arranged irregularly in a pile. The players gather around a table or sit in a circle, each one being given the name of an animal; the sport of the game will consist largely in choosing unusual or difficult names, such as yak, gnu, camelopard, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, Brazilian ant-eater, kangaroo, etc. Each player holds his slips with the numbers turned downward. The first player turns up his upper slip so that the number is visible and lays it down in front of him. In doing this he must turn it away from himself, so that the other players see it first; the next player then does the same. Should the two slips happen to coincide in number, for instance, should the first player have turned up number three and the second player turn up number three, they must each at once call each other's names, as "Yak!" "Hippopotamus!" or whatever name was assigned to them. The one who first calls the other's name gives away his slip to that other, the object being to get rid of one's slips as fast as possible. Should the slip turned up by the second player not correspond in number to that turned by the first, he also lays it down in front of him; the third player then turns his up, and this is continued around the circle until a slip is turned that corresponds in number with any that has already been turned up, when those two players must immediately call each other's names, as before explained. The player wins who first gets rid of all of his slips. For schools, a class should divide into small groups for this game, which may be made to correlate with geography or history, by using proper names from those subjects instead of names of animals. For older players the game may be made very funny also by assigning to each player the name of a patent medicine instead of the name of an animal, and playing cards may be used instead of the numbered slips. |
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