Chapter I: With One Back: II. with Two or More Backs (5)

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.

RECOGNITION

_Any 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?

1. Hatchet? (George Washington.)
2. A rail fence? (Abraham Lincoln.)
3. A kite? (Benjamin Franklin.)
4. A muddy cloak? (Sir Walter Raleigh.)
5. A lonely island? (Robinson Crusoe.)
6. A burning bush? (Moses.)
7. A ruff? (Queen Elizabeth.)
8. A glass slipper? (Cinderella.)
9. An apple? (William Tell.)
10. A silver lamp? (Aladdin.)
11. A smooth, round stone? (David.)
12. Long hair? (Sampson.)
13. A dove? (Noah.)
14. A pomegranate seed? (Persephone.)
15. A spider web? (Robert Bruce.)
16. A key? (Bluebeard.)
17. A wolf? (Red Riding Hood.)
18. A steamboat? (Robert Fulton.)

SCAT

_2 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 GOLD

_5 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 gathers up the pebbles, scatters them, draws a line between any two of them, snaps them, etc.

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.

1. Who were the lovers? (Romeo and Juliet.)
2. What was their courtship like? (Midsummer Night's Dream.)
3. What was her answer to his proposal? (As You Like It.)
4. About what time of the month were they married? (Twelfth Night.)
5. Of whom did he buy the ring? (Merchant of Venice.)
6. Who were the best man and maid of honor? (Antony and Cleopatra.)
7. Who were the ushers? (The Two Gentlemen of Verona.)
8. Who gave the reception? (Merry Wives of Windsor.)
9. In what kind of a place did they live? (Hamlet.)
10. What was her disposition like? (The Tempest.)
11. What was his chief occupation after marriage?
(Taming of the Shrew.)
12. What caused their first quarrel? (Much Ado about Nothing.)
13. What did their courtship prove to be? (Love's Labor Lost.)
14. What did their married life resemble? (A Comedy of Errors.)
15. What did they give each other? (Measure for Measure.)
16. What Roman ruler brought about reconciliation? (Julius Cæsar.)
17. What did their friends say? (All's Well that Ends Well.)

SIMON SAYS

_2 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 hand with the thumb extended. One is chosen for leader, whom the others follow.

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.

SKETCHES

_3 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.

There is a farmer who is (YY)
Enough to take his (EE)
And study nature with his (II)
And think on what he (CC)

He hears the chatter of the (JJ)
As they each other (TT)
And sees that when a tree de (KK)
It makes a home for (BB)

A yoke of oxen will he (UU)
With many haws and (GG)
And their mistakes he will ex (QQ)
When plowing for his (PP)

He little buys but much he se (LL)
And therefore little (OO)
And when he hoes his soil spe (LL)
He also soils his h (OO)

TIP TAP TOE

_2 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 for a large number of players. This circle is intersected with straight lines, so that it is divided into a series of wedge-shaped spaces, the number of lines and spaces being also at the discretion of the players, the larger the number of players the larger the number of spaces desirable and the greater the variation in scoring. In each of these spaces numbers are written in consecutive order, one for each space, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., or the numbers may be done in multiples of five,--5, 10, 15, 20, etc. The players take turns in rotation. The one whose turn it is shuts his eyes, takes a pencil, circles it around over the diagram while he says the following verse:--

"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.

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 drawing the diagram on the earth with a sharpened stick, which is used afterwards as a pointer as a pencil is used on the paper diagram. If on hard earth the figures may be marked in the spaces as on a paper diagram, but the diagram should be drawn considerably larger than when on paper.

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 slammed down simultaneously flat on the table, palms downward. This is done with enough noise to disguise the clink of the coin striking the table. The object of the game is for the opponents (those not having the coin) to guess under which hand the coin is laid, each hand supposed not to have it being ordered off the table. The captain of the guessing party, who alone may give these orders (though his players may assist him with suggestions), calls for the lifting of one specified hand at a time. The player named must lift the hand indicated, and that hand is thereafter to be taken from the table.

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 because it can make a mark; like a rose because it is sometimes cut, etc. If any one happens to answer to the first question, "a pencil" (or whatever was thought of), he also must pay a forfeit.

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!"

ZOO

_5 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.

FEATS AND FORFEITS

FEATS AND FORFEITS

Athletic feats requiring skill, strength, or agility are a very
interesting and amusing feature for gymnasiums and many other
conditions, and contain possibilities for some excellent and
vigorous physical development. As some of these may be used for
forfeits (although some kinds of forfeits cannot take the place
of athletic feats), these two classes of amusements are
included here in one chapter. The searcher for forfeits will do
well, however, to look through the section on feats.