Chapter VI: Part 6

After all were on shore, and the hampers had been taken to the grove, we hoisted the sail and made for deeper water; but there was no wind, and we had to content ourselves with looking at the glassy surface around us, and feeling that we were in a boat away from shore, even if not in rapid motion. We ate our lunch as we listened to a delightful story told by the captain, of how his ship was once chased by a pirate, and only escaped through the timely interposition of a snow-storm. We next tried our hands at the oars and rowed some distance further from the land. Finally, as we were about to return for the others of our party on shore, a small piece of wood Fred found on the cabin floor changed the current of our thoughts, and we saw for the first time the little device I am about to describe. This bit of wood which he had picked up was a thin strip of a cigar-box cover. In one end was a circular hole about an inch in diameter, in the middle was a square hole of the same diameter, and at the extreme end was still another opening, in the form of an isosceles triangle, the perpendicular being of the same length as the side of the square.

When Captain S. saw the piece of wood he challenged us each to make one peg which should exactly fit all three holes. “But it can’t be done, Captain,” we both exclaimed at once; “the holes that have corners couldn’t be fitted with a round peg, and the peg large enough for the square would be too large for the triangle,” continued Fred, as he examined the openings more carefully. “But it can be done,” answered Captain S., with a peculiar kind of chuckle he always gave when very much pleased. “It can be done, for I have done it hundreds of times.”

He had done it hundreds of times; had made one peg which should fit a round, a square, and a triangular hole, and fit them nicely! How was it to be done? We thought it over, and tried to study it out; we even took out our jackknives and whittled away at an old broken thole-pin which lay in the bottom of the boat. But we couldn’t make it work; there were always the corners to be filled, and little spaces would be left if we tried to compromise, and make the pin less round as it increased in length; then the triangle! that wouldn’t accommodate itself to any shape we could devise. We whittled away for over an hour, now and again receiving a little encouragement from the captain, who greatly enjoyed our successive failures. During the meantime a brisk south-west wind had sprung up, and we were bounding over the water at a delightful speed; but we paid little attention to the sail; in fact, we hardly knew we were moving at all, so intent had we become to solve the mystery. After the others of the party came on board, we soon fired them with our enthusiasm, and every bit of available wood and every jackknife was brought into use. But not one of the party was bright enough to hit upon the right shape. I shall never forget the fun made of us by the girls—not one of whom, by the way, could sharpen a lead-pencil decently—when the captain finally showed us how the thing was done. Asking one of the older boys to take the helm, he picked up a bit of wood we had thrown aside as too small, whipped out his jackknife, and in less time than it takes me to write it, had the peg made and fitted to the holes. How he made it fit so well in so short a time has never ceased to be a source of wonder to me; but probably the practice of years, while off on lonely whaling cruises, had something to do with his dexterity.

He first whittled out a cylinder, which exactly fitted the circular hole; then he cut it off, so that its length should be the same as the diameter of the square (see Fig. 2). Now, by putting this sideways into the square opening, it fitted it perfectly. Lastly, leaving the base of the cylinder undisturbed, he cut away from either side until he had a shape like Fig. 3, which, when looked at from another point, presents the appearance of Fig. 4, and would, of course, perfectly fit the last and triangular opening.

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SLATE GAMES FOR CHILDREN.

A slate is one of the most useful presents which can be given to a child. Long before the little hands can fashion letters, or the infant mind comprehend them, the baby fingers can make marks and scratches upon the smooth surface and derive considerable amusement from the exercise.

As the little one grows older, these meaningless scrawls gradually change to more intelligible forms, and then it is that the “Tit-Tat-To,” so very old, and yet so delightfully new, to every little girl or boy in their turn, comes into play.

TIT-TAT-TO.

This game is played on a figure similar to the above, made on an ordinary slate. The players alternately mark in the figure, the one a cross, and the other a nought; he who first obtains a row, either horizontally, perpendicularly, or diagonally, wins the game, and calls out the following rhyme:

“Tit-Tat-To, my last go;
Three jolly butchers all in a row.”

The object of each of the players is equally to obtain such a row and to prevent his opponent from obtaining one.

AIR, EARTH, OR THE SEA?

This game—which is sometimes called _Birds, Beasts, and Fishes_—is instructive as well as interesting to children who have some slight knowledge of natural history. It is played as follows: Two boys take their slates, and each writes down the first and last letters of the name of some bird, beast, or fish, first stating whether it belongs to the air, earth, or water, or from which category the name is selected, and puts a cross for each of the intermediate letters. For example: James writes upon his slate T × × × r, and remarks, as he passes it to his companion, “the earth.” Charles selects a bird and marks upon his slate as follows: E × × × e, saying, at the same time, “the air.” They exchange slates, and each tries to guess the name of the beast or bird indicated, and fills up the blanks accordingly. It is evident that those indicated above are respectively tiger and eagle.

TURKS AND RUSSIANS.

The slate should be divided into three divisions, the top and bottom divisions each having a small compartment marked off therein, as shown in the annexed diagram.

One of the two end divisions should be allotted to the Turks, and the other to the Russians, and marks put therein, to represent the soldiers of the respective nations.

Each player having provided himself with a well-sharpened pencil, the game is played as follows: The players decide the order of play, and the first selected being supposed to be a Turk, places the point of his pencil at the spot marked in the smaller compartment of the Turkish division of the slate and draws it quickly across the slate in the direction of the opposing army.

The pencil will, of course, leave a line marking its track, and all the men of the opposite side through which the track passes count as dead. Each player plays alternately, and he wins who first kills all the men on the opposite side.

The track of the pencil must be rapidly made and must be either straight or curved; any track in which there is an angle does not count. Sometimes the players turn their heads or close their eyes when making the track.

THIRTY-ONE.

Although this game is usually played upon a board similar to the one in the cut, and with small wooden blocks made for the purpose, a slate properly marked off would answer very well for the board, and bits of pasteboard, marked with the necessary figures, do equally well for the blocks.

The game consists of playing these bricks or squares of pasteboard, so that the column added up makes just thirty-one.

As only two persons play together, suppose William and Mary are contestants. Mary commences the game by playing a six; that is, she slides one of the blocks numbered six over to the right-hand side of the board. Then William plays block No. 4. This makes ten. Mary then plays two, and William follows with a five, making seventeen total. Now, some calculation is necessary if either will win. Mary, after some study, ventures a five, and William plays a six. It is now only necessary for Mary to slide No. 3 over to the right side, to make the total thirty-one and beat.

That move of Mary’s—which was made after considerable deliberation—was not a safe one, as William could have moved over a one and made the total only twenty-three. This would require eight more to complete the required thirty-one, and as six is the largest number on the blocks, William would have had the last play and gained the contest.

_Rules for Thirty-one._

The object of each player is to gain thirty-one, or _nearer_ thirty-one than his opponent, _without going over_ that number.

Put the blocks or bits of pasteboard on the left side of the board; and each in turn moves any piece they like to the other side.

Each player moves alternately one piece at a time.

Add together the numbers on _all the blocks moved_, until one or the other gains thirty-one, without going over that number.

The player gaining this number by his individual block wins.

The final honor is given to him who wins three out of five single games.

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SOLITAIRE.

During the long winter evenings, we cannot have too many games to amuse the younger members of the household, and a variety is always acceptable.

Where the family is large and the means small, and especially in the country where boys are forced to rely upon their own devices in the way of amusement, few of the ready-made games find their way into the household.

Now boys, and girls, too, let me whisper to you so softly that your city cousins may not hear—you are no losers because of that fact. A great part of the enjoyment of a thing consists in the making of it. And many of the games which are best enjoyed by children all over the land you can, with a little ingenuity and some trouble, perhaps, make for yourself.

Among the many things which a boy can make, there are very few more interesting or fascinating than the simple game of Solitaire, or, as it is more frequently called, _The Peg Puzzle_.

Take a piece of smooth board, from nine inches to a foot square, cut out the corners as indicated in the illustration, and bore holes in the positions indicated by the dots.

Out of soft pine or other suitable wood whittle thirty-two pegs, which are to fit into these holes; the middle or thirty-third hole is to be left empty.

The game consists in removing all the pegs excepting one from the board, and that one is to be left in the middle hole.

This is effected, as in “checkers,” by a series of captures; that is, when taken off the board, the peg removed must first have been jumped over by another peg.

In beginning the game, peg No. 1 jumps over peg No. 2, and is placed in the central hole. No. 2 is then removed from the board. As the hole occupied by No. 2 is now empty, peg No. 3 jumps over No. 4, and is placed in the empty hole No. 2. No. 4 is removed, and the moves continue in like manner as those described.

The following is a key to the solution of the puzzle, but should not be consulted until you find it impossible to accomplish the feat without its aid.

KEY.

1 to centre
3 to 2
5 to 4
2 to 3
7 to 4
8 to 6
9 to 7
11 to 3
7 to 4
6 to 8
13 to 2
x to 1
15 to 2
16 to 14
2 to 13
18 to 11
20 to 19
8 to 21
22 to 20
20 to 19
11 to 18
24 to 14
26 to 25
25 to 17
28 to 14
17 to 25
29 to x
x to 27
30 to 24
32 to 25
27 to centre.

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BATTLEDORE AND SHUTTLECOCK.

If any of my young boy friends wishes to make a useful, and at the same time acceptable, present to a sister or girl friend, he cannot do better than make a set of this pretty and amusing game.

The battledore is readily made with a hickory stick and a piece of hoop, and the shuttlecock with a cork and a few short feathers. The forms of the two are shown in the illustrations.

The game is played by two players, each having a battledore, and each bats the shuttlecock from one to the other, the one failing to return it when it is batted to him within possible reach losing a point in the game. A game consists of twenty points, and the best two out of three games gains the match.

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RING TOSS.

This light pastime for the summer lawn, or for the parlor on a winter’s evening, is one of the most graceful and pretty games ever invented. Although particularly intended for the fairer sex, boys are generally the most skillful, if not the most graceful, competitors in the game.

This game is played with a target-post, more or less ornamental, as the skill and taste of the maker may decree, and a number of light rings or small hoops, ranging from five to ten inches in diameter.

The rings are nicely made of old hoop-skirt wires, bent in the desired shape, and strongly fastened with cords, the whole covered with bright silk or ribbon; the greater variety of colors used the brighter the effect of the game. The ribbons need not necessarily be perfectly fresh, as in winding the rings any soiled spots can readily be hidden.

It is also better to have the rings divided into three sets or sizes, and all those of each set as nearly as possible of the same size. For instance, if eighteen rings are to be used, let six be about five inches in diameter, six more be seven or eight inches, and the remaining six to be ten inches across.

The game is simply to toss the rings so as to fall on the target-post. The smaller the rings the higher the count.

For the large rings one point is scored, for the next in size two points, and for the smallest or five-inch rings, three points—fifty points being a full game.

The distance on a lawn which the player stands from the target-post is twenty-five feet. In the parlor it is fifteen feet.

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CHECKERS.

As I write the above title, I wonder if there is a boy or a girl in this great American land who does not own a checker-board, or does not know how to play this delightful game. The game was brought to us from England, we cannot say how many years ago, probably by the first settlers in these then lonely wilds.

This game of checkers is a scientific one and is governed entirely by calculation. So, in order to become a good player, one has to give considerable time and thought to the subject, which is perhaps as good mental discipline as many of our less interesting school studies.

The game is played upon a board or table, divided off into thirty-two white and thirty-two black squares, with twelve white and twelve black men or checkers.

The board can be made out of thin wood, or upon a strong piece of pasteboard, the white squares left the original color of the material used, and the black colored with ink or paint, whichever is most conveniently at hand.

For the checkers, small pieces of wood may be used, or black and white buttons be substituted in their place.

The table or board should be so placed that each player shall have a black square at his right hand, if playing on the white squares, or a white square, if playing on the black.

The men move obliquely _forward_ until they arrive at the last, or the adversary’s head row, when they are made kings and can then move _backward_ as well as _forward_.

To distinguish a king from a common man he is crowned, by placing another checker of the same color on top of him, as soon as he reaches the _king’s row_.

The adversary’s men are taken by leaping over them, and _must be taken_ whenever offered or exposed. No move can be recalled after the man has been quitted; that is, after the finger has been removed from him.

The players have the first move in each game alternately.

Checkers may best be learned by playing, for awhile at least, upon a board on which the white squares are numbered, some authorities advising the placing of permanent numbers in a corner of each white square, so as to be seen when the men are placed.

The numbers are arranged as follows: 1 being on your right hand and 4 on your left; number 5 the right hand of the second row, and 8 the left, and so on. See illustration.

The black men are placed upon 1 to 12; the white on 21 to 32.

In order to understand the game more readily, it may be of some assistance to beginners to show how a simple game might be played.

Suppose B., who has the black men, makes the first move from 11 to 15. W. follows him with 22 to 18. B. now moves from 15 to 22, jumping over 18, and capturing it by the move. 22 is now exposed, so W. is obliged to take it, and to do so moves from 25 to 18. B. now commences a new line of moving, and passes 8 to 11. W. moves 29 to 25 thus breaking his king’s row. B. 4 to 8; W. 25 to 22; B. 12 to 16; W. 24 to 20; B. 10 to 15. Now W. moves 27 to 24, and loses the game by so doing. B. follows with 16 to 19, thus exposing 19. As it is a law in the game that the opposite side must take up the exposed men, W. is obliged to jump 19, and moves from 23 to 16 in so doing. B. moves from 15 to 19; W. 24 to 15 to jump 19; B. 9 to 14; W. 18 to 9, and captures 14. B. now sees 15 and 22 exposed, and moves from 11 to 25, thus capturing both men by the act. W. 32 to 27; B. 5 to 14, jumping 9. W. 27 to 23; B. 6 to 10. W. 16 to 12; B. 8 to 11. W. 28 to 24; B. 25 to 29, and is made a king. W. now moves 30 to 25, but as 29 is a king and can move backward as well as forward, B. moves from 29 to 22 and jumps 25, but exposes the king, which is quickly captured by W., who moves from 26 to 17. Now both sides proceed in a quiet manner for a time, B. moving from 11 to 15, W. 20 to 16, B. 15 to 18, W. 24 to 20. B. captures 28 by moving from 18 to 27, and W. takes 27 by jumping from 31 to 24. B. 14 to 18; W. 16 to 11, which is taken by B. who moves 7 to 16. W., in turn, takes 16 with 20, which he jumps over to 11. B. 18 to 23; W. 11 to 8. B. 23 to 27, and W. now gains another king by moving 8 to 4. B. moves 27 to 31 and also gets a king. The king, you remember, can move backward, so W. moves from 4 to 8; B. 31 to 27. W. 24 to 20; B. 27 to 23. W. 8 to 11; B. 23 to 18. W. 11 to 8, and B. 18 to 15, which shows the game is lost to W.

The two following problems are given for practice, and are intended to materially assist the learner in gaining some knowledge of the intricacies of the game.

SOLUTION TO NO. 1.

Black to move and win.

Black. White.

1st move 6 to 1 5 to 9
2d move 10 to 15 9 to 5
3d move 15 to 18 5 to 9
4th move 1 to 5 9 to 6
5th move 18 to 15 21 to 17
6th move 5 to 1 6 to 9
7th move 15 to 18 9 to 5
8th move 18 to 22 17 to 14
9th move 1 to 6 5 to 1
10th move 6 to 2 14 to 10
11th move 22 to 18 1 to 5
12th move 18 to 14 White loses.

SOLUTION TO NO. 2.

White to move and win.

White. Black.

1st move 18 to 14 5 to 1
2d move 14 to 9 1 to 5
3d move 22 to 17 5 to 14
4th move 17 to 10 21 to 25
5th move 10 to 15 25 to 30
6th move 15 to 19 30 to 25
7th move 27 to 32 25 to 22
8th move 19 to 24 20 to 27
9th move 32 to 23 White wins.

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THE SPIRIT JEW’S-HARP.

During the Christmas holidays, when families are home for the season, and entertainments are the principal things desired in the long bright evenings, perhaps a few more tricks may not come amiss.

Among these the spirit jew’s-harp will be sure to amuse and at the same time mystify both the older and younger members of the company, who will probably form the audience on these Christmas or New-year’s evenings; and will form a pleasant entertainment between the acts of a charade or the lapses in the music. Briefly described, the trick is as follows:

A jew’s-harp is placed in the mouth, and played upon for awhile with the finger in the ordinary way. Gradually, however, the performer moves his hand away, but continues the motion of playing some distance from the mouth, while the instrument continues to play quite as clearly and distinctly as before. The hand may wave above the head, or in any position, to show the audience that no thread or string is connected with the tongue of the instrument, but must keep up the motion of playing as long as the sound continues to come.

Procure a jew’s-harp with a very flexible tongue, and cover the end with a smooth ball of sealing-wax. Now place the instrument in your mouth with its tongue pointed inward, and if your tongue is placed against the ball of sealing-wax and suddenly pushed out, and as suddenly released, a sound will be produced much as if it was pushed out in the ordinary way with the finger.

After a time you will find it possible to produce different notes upon it, and with some practice will find it as possible to play tunes as by the common method.

It will now be seen that during the whole performance the music is elicited by the tongue, and not by the finger as at first appears; the placing the forefinger of the right hand to the mouth, and moving it as if playing in the ordinary way, is simply a little _ruse_ to mislead the audience.

The performer should so stand that the light does not shine too strongly upon his face, and thus expose the absence of the tongue of the jew’s-harp, and a complete mastery of the instrument in the inverted position should be acquired before one attempts the trick in public.

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A NEW WAY TO KINDLE THE FIRE.

There are many ways given for producing fire, but the following is the most unique, and at the same time convenient, of all these various methods, as it consists in simply blowing the flame from the mouth, and so igniting the camp-fire or whatever else one wishes to burn.

To all appearances you fill your mouth with raw cotton, and then, taking a fan in your right hand proceed to make the fire. First a stream of blue smoke will be seen curling from your lips, and after a moment or two a bright spark will appear in the mass of cotton in the mouth. This spark is quickly followed by others until at last a clear bright flame bursts forth.

Many of the audience may not believe that it is a genuine flame, but a paper may be lighted from it and passed around the room, which will soon convince the most skeptical that it certainly is _bonâ fide_ fire.

To perform this trick, procure from a chemist a piece of _amadon_ or German tinder. This is an inexpensive material, brown in color, and soft and silky to the touch. Tear off a small piece—perhaps as large as a dime—and roll it in a small bit of cotton wool, having already _lighted_ one end of the tinder. Place this with other cotton in your hand, and you are ready to produce all the fire your audience may demand.

First place the cotton which conceals the lighted tinder in your mouth—it will not burn you—and then some of the loose cotton you have in your hand; and remember to draw the breath in through the nostrils, but _breathe it out through_ the mouth. This will fan the tinder and in a moment light the cotton in front of it, so that the smoke will begin to pass out with the breath; then the sparks will appear, and finally the flame, as described above. While placing fresh cotton in the mouth, you may take advantage of the fact that your hand is before your mouth to let some of the burnt cotton fall out. By exercising a little tact your audience may be mystified for a long time, and, in fact, will probably be unable to guess the secret at all, unless you yourself divulge it to them.

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A HOME-MADE COMPASS.

Break a knitting-needle in two pieces, and magnetize one of the pieces by passing it two or three times over one of the poles of a strong magnet. Insert this piece through a small cork. Fix an ordinary needle in the end of the cork with the end projecting.

Break the other piece of the knitting-needle into two equal parts; and having wound one end of each with thread pass the other end into the cork, as seen in the illustration.

Next procure a small brass thimble, deeply indented, and balance the cork upon it by dropping melted sealing-wax upon the thread-covered ends, first on one side and then on the other, until the equilibrium is established.

A small round box is next needed, and having fitted the top with a disk, like that seen in Fig. 2, cut the central hole large enough for the easy movement of the cork.

Now place the thimble on the bottom of the box, holding it in place with a few drops of glue. (Le Page’s liquid glue is best for this, as for all occasions in which glue may be required in constructing the objects described in this book.) Balance the cork upon it, with the needle-point resting in one of the indentations on top of the thimble, the magnetic needle having been temporarily taken out. Now adjust the cardboard disk in place.

Lastly, insert the magnetized needle, and your compass is completed.

This compass can be made very useful upon the various excursions into the woods which boys are always fond of taking, and, as a simple mechanical toy, much amusement may be derived from it.

By presenting the south pole of the magnet to the north pole of the compass, and jerking it quickly away, the momentum of the needle will carry it around several times before the impulse is exhausted.

The same experiment may be tried with the magnetized blade of a jackknife.

The magnetic needle does not point to the north pole of the earth, but to a point called the magnetic pole. This variation, or declination, is, from the Atlantic region of this continent, a few degrees westward of the direct north.

The arrow indicates about the average variation; and if the compass be so placed that the needle will rest directly over it, the line N. S. will more nearly indicate the true north and south.

The card should be held in place not by glue, but by a few very short pins (filed off and re-sharpened). Then if the needle is shaken from its perch, the card can be removed to permit its re-adjustment.

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HOW TO MAKE A CIRCLE.

Many of the operations described in this book require the making of circles of various sizes.

Those readers who own a pair of dividers, especially if they are furnished with a pencil-holder, will find this an easy matter. Those who are not as fortunate may be glad to learn the following ready way of describing circles accurately to any size desired.

One of the common substitutes for dividers is a loop of string or thread passed around the pencil-point, and a pin inserted in the center of the proposed circle. This is a tiresome and vexatious method, as it is difficult to tie the loop at just the right length when a circle of a specified size is to be made, the stretching of the thread adding to the perplexity. The loop is also very ready to slip up and down on the pencil or pin, making it altogether a matter of unusual good fortune to obtain a satisfactory result.

The better way is to take a strip of stout paper or thin card, about half an inch wide and a little more than half the length of the circle’s diameter. A strip cut from a postal card will serve the purpose admirably.

Near one end of this make a hole large enough for the insertion of the pencil-point. Toward the other end make a pinhole, the distance of which from the first hole must be half the diameter of the circle required. Stick a pin through this hole into the center of your proposed circle; place the pencil-point in the other, and you can achieve your result with accuracy and ease.

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THE MAGNETIC CIRCUS.

This mechanical toy is comparatively simple in its construction, and will serve as the foundation for one of the many Saturday shows, which are so dearly prized by most of the bright, active boys in our land.

A good-sized soap-box serves as a table on which the toy is to rest. The back is removed, and a hole cut in the top admits the passage of the crank. It is perhaps unnecessary to add that the exposed surface of this box should be papered, or covered with a cloth curtain, in such a manner as to give it a decorative effect.

The attraction of a magnet or iron is the principle on which the “circus” is made to work.

Procure or make from thin wood a box about a foot square, and five or five and a half inches deep. Cut a hole through the central point of the bottom, to allow of the passage of the crank.

Now from a board cut a round disk which shall revolve easily inside the box, and pass through its center an axle which shall be long enough to form a support for the ring-master on the top or stage, and extend down through the top of the soap-box, where it ends in a crank by which the whole machinery is worked. On the top of this disk, and a short distance from the edge, fasten a common horseshoe magnet, which should be about four inches long, and can be bought at almost any toy store for ten cents. This must be fastened in an upright position by means of staples, as seen in the illustration.

After the magnet is arranged so that it will revolve easily, fit the top of the box with a stiff pasteboard cover, which shall just clear the magnet; and mark upon this a circle which is to represent the ring of the circus.

Out of stiff pasteboard cut the ring-master, and with a small nail or strong pin fix him in place. Now from four thicknesses of pasteboard cut out a horse and rider, something like that represented in Fig. 3, and insert between the layers which form each forefoot, a nail, the head of which extends slightly below the pasteboard. File these nail-heads so that they shall be smooth and rounded. Glue the two layers together to form the legs of the animal, and spread them slightly apart, as seen in Fig. 4 (which gives an end view of the object), having already glued all four layers to form the body of horse and rider.

Various horses of different colors, forms, positions, and with or without riders, may be made in a similar manner; and elephants or other animals may be substituted for the horses, and made to move around the track, as if subject to the master’s whip. After the glue is dry, the outside edges should be rounded and the roughnesses removed by the use of a rasp and sand-paper.

The ring-master should be so fastened, facing the horse, as to turn with each revolution of the axle.

The back of the box is fitted with a pasteboard or cloth screen, painted to represent stage scenery, and supported on either side by uprights, from the top of which float banners. For further decorations the twigs of evergreen trees are added, those of the larch or spruce, or perhaps best of all the small branches of the juniper or cedar tree, are best for the purpose. When these tiny stage trees become brown and faded, they can be easily exchanged for fresh ones, or may be painted with green paint, if a new supply is not readily obtainable.

The front of the box may be papered with fancy wall-paper, or otherwise decorated to suit the fancy of the maker; and the one who supplies the motive power, or, in other words, turns the crank, should be kept out of sight of the audience if possible. As the horses are not connected with any visible motive power, the cause of their revolution will be enveloped in a mystery which will add vastly to the entertainment of the little folks.

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TO PRODUCE RAISED FIGURES ON AN EGG.

Melt some tallow, and with it paint on the shell of an egg, making letters, numbers, profiles, or any outline which your fancy may suggest, or the fineness of the brush may permit. Then immerse the egg in strong vinegar. After the lapse of a few hours, whatever is covered with the lines of tallow will project slightly, the vinegar, which is mainly acetic acid, having dissolved away the unprotected surface. By painting with a fine brush an intricate scroll or vine pattern, carrying it all around the egg, the result is very pretty, giving somewhat the effect of carved ivory.

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AN ARITHMETICAL CURIOSITY.

Write the nine digits in their order, and multiply them by 9; the result will be composed of units, excepting the next to the last, thus:

123456789
9
----------
1111111101

Multiply by 18, instead of 9, and the product will consist of 2’s. By 27, and it will be 3’s. In this manner all the digits may be obtained by multiplying by the multiples of 9; as 36, 45, 54, etc.

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ONE WAY TO FIND THE NUMBER OF DAYS IN THE MONTH.

Count the knuckles of the hands, with the spaces between them; all the months with thirty-one days will fall on the knuckles, and those with less than thirty-one in the spaces. Thus, beginning with the forefinger of the left hand, July will come on the knuckle of the little finger; then beginning with August on the forefinger of the right hand, December will be reached at the knuckle of the third finger.

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SOME ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTS.

Considerable amusement may be derived from the electrical phenomena manifested by a sheet of stout brown paper, when friction is applied to it. Having warmed such a sheet, and rubbed it with the dry palm of the hand, or some woolen fabric, giving six or eight smooth, steady strokes, with considerable pressure, and all in one direction, away from the body, then place a bunch of keys in the center of the paper, and lift it by the ends; a spark of electricity may now be taken from the keys.

If ordinary unglazed paper be immersed in a mixture of equal parts of sulphuric and nitric acids, then well washed with plenty of water and dried, it becomes extremely electric. If placed on a wooden table, or, better still, on a waxed cloth, and rubbed with the hand, it attracts feathers, pith-balls, fragments of paper, or other small light objects.

When suddenly stripped from the waxed cloth in a darkened room, the entire surface will have a luminous phosphorescent appearance. A spark can be taken from it by holding the finger about half an inch from the surface. If placed against the wall it will adhere to it and keep its place for several minutes.

This paper retains its electrical properties a long time. When weakened, it is sufficient to slightly heat it to restore all its energy.

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THE ELECTROPHORUS.

This instrument, whose name, derived from the Greek, means _bearer of electricity_, consists of two parts; first, a cake or disk of resin, or of shellac and wax, these substances being melted and poured into a tin mold; second, a disk of brass, or sometimes of thin, well-dried wood, covered on each side with thin sheet-brass or even thick tin-foil. This should be fitted with a glass handle, to insulate it; a stout, round bottle of moderate size will answer. The cake of resin is rubbed vigorously; a surface of fur is the best to use for this, such as a cat-skin or fox-tail. The disk is then taken by the handle and rested on the cake, and its upper surface touched a moment with the finger; then, on withdrawing the disk from the resin, a bright electric spark can be obtained from it. By resting it once more on the resin, again touching and withdrawing it, another spark may be elicited, and so on for eight or ten successive trials.

The scientific explanation of this phenomenon is, that negative electricity is excited in the cake by friction. When the disk is applied, the electricity does not pass into it from the cake, but is _induced_ in the disk by the law of electrical polarity; the lower surface being covered with positive electricity, while the negative is repelled to the upper side, from which it is drawn by the finger. Then, when the disk is lifted, the spark of positive electricity may be drawn.

If the construction of the instrument just described appears too formidable a task to my young readers, perhaps they may yet be inclined to experiment with

A SIMPLE ELECTROPHORUS.

Take a lacquered iron “tea-tray;” cut a sheet of stout brown paper so as to fit the flat part of the tray, and fix two strips of paper at each end by means of sealing-wax. These strips serve as handles by which to lift the paper, and the sealing-wax, being a non-conductor, prevents the electricity from passing off. The tray is also insulated by placing it upon two tumblers.

The sheet of paper is now heated quite hot, placed on a wooden table, and rubbed with a hard and very dry clothes-brush. Then it is lifted and placed on the tray.

The paper is negatively electrified; it induces a similar state in the lower side of the tray, which should be touched a moment with the finger; then lift the paper from the tray. An electric spark can now be taken from the latter.

The strips by which the paper is lifted can be brought together, and held by the thumb and finger of one hand, leaving the other free to take the spark. The paper may now be replaced. By touching the lower surface of the tray, and lifting the paper as before, another spark may be obtained, and so on for several times, if the air be dry.

THE EBONITE ELECTROPHORUS.

This piece of apparatus, also called Pfeiffer’s electrophorus, is composed of a thin sheet of ebonite, measuring about six by eight inches. A small sheet of brass, about five by three inches, is fixed on one side. With this, electricity may be evoked with unusual readiness.

It is placed flat on a wooden table, and rubbed successively on both sides with the open hand; if lifted in the left hand, and the right hand is presented to the brass, a spark will be received.

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A LEYDEN JAR.

This may be made as follows: Fill a plain glass tumbler two-thirds full of shot; insert the bowl of a spoon in the shot, leaving the handle projecting. Hold the tumbler in the hand, and bring the handle of the spoon near to the electrophorus—previously prepared for action—so as to receive its spark. On repeating this a few times, the electric fluid will be accumulated in the “jar,” and the many small sparks may be obtained as one large one, by approaching the finger to the spoon, still holding the tumbler in the other hand.

This idea may be varied by using a large wide-mouthed bottle or small jar, instead of the tumbler, and covering the outside nearly up to the top with tin-foil. If that rare treasure, a bullet-mold, is to be had, a ball may be formed on the end of a stout wire, and used instead of the spoon, the end with the ball being the projecting one, thus making an article corresponding more nearly to the regular professional pattern.

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THE PITH DANCER.

This fastidious little skipper never dances except to piano music. It is fashioned from pith, cork, or other light material. Generally it has a human head and body; but when we consider its dancing extremities, we must regard it as a quadruped, or even a tripod, as the case may be; for it stands on three or four stout hog’s bristles. These may be borrowed from the floor-brush, and should be even at the lower ends, that the dancer may stand erect. It should be painted in a gay and conspicuous manner, to compensate for its diminutive size, and a mantle of colored tissue-paper may add to its consequence. When the image is complete, stand it on the sounding-board of the piano, which should be operated with vigor. The dancer will respond to the lively notes with edifying briskness and vivacity.

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THE OBEDIENT BOTTLE.

Fashion a shape like a small bottle, out of pith, paper pulp, or some other light substance. Cut a bullet in two, and fasten the base of the bottle to the flat portion of one of the halves. A straight piece of large wire, the length of the bottle, should be provided, and a hole made down through the center of the bottle, into which it will slide readily, and remain with the end out of sight. This hole may be made with greater ease before attaching the bullet. This object can be made to yield apparent obedience to the commands of its maker. If he orders it to remain upright, he will place it on the table without inserting the wire, when nothing but constant pressure will induce it to lie prostrate. Then, taking it into his hands, and skillfully introducing the wire while the attention of the observers is directed elsewhere, he next orders it to lie flat; and, as the weight of the wire overbalances it, it will tumble over as often as it is set up.

The bullet should be covered with thin paper as smoothly as possible, and the whole affair painted, to better conceal the _modus operandi_.

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THE IMMOVABLE CARD.

If a card, such as an ordinary visiting card, is turned down about a quarter of an inch at each end, at right angles to the rest of the card, and then placed on a table so as to rest on the turned edges, you may safely challenge most persons to blow it so as to make it turn over on the other side. It would naturally seem easier to overturn a card so prepared, than one whose shape remained unchanged; but whoever tries it will find that the facts are otherwise.

The card can be overthrown, however, by blowing on the table, toward the card, as the stream of air is then reflected against its under side.

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A TRIPLE BRIDGE.

This may be constructed by means of three table-knives, in the manner illustrated in the figure. Three goblets or tumblers will serve as the piers; these are to be arranged in a triangle, a little farther from each other than the length of the knives. Lay two of the knives on the table, with the blades crossing each other. Then pass the blade of the third knife over the uppermost blade of the other two, and under the undermost; then take them up and place them with the ends of the handles on the rims of the glasses. The bridge now sustains itself, and if a moderate weight be placed upon it, it will be all the firmer.

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AN ILLUSTRATION OF “INERTIA.”

Inertia is defined as the tendency of a body to persevere in its state either of rest or motion. It is generally used in the sense of persisting in a state of rest. Among the many illustrations of this property of matter, is one which figured in the text-books of thirty or forty years ago, and which the boys of that time adapted to their amusement by constructing the apparatus here illustrated.

It consists of three parts: the board which forms the base, a post about six inches high, and a strip of stout whalebone, or dry, elastic wood.

The board should be as much as seven-eighths of an inch in thickness, and the elastic strip or spring should be firmly inserted in an inclined slit cut through the board. The places of the spring and post should be so adjusted to each other, that when the latter is secured solidly by a good-sized screw passing up through the board, the former will press with its upper end against the top of the post (as shown by the dotted line) with some degree of force.

The top of the post should be hollowed slightly, to retain the ball; and the appearance of the whole will be improved by a coat of shellac or paint.

Now place a card on the top of the post; and if it is sufficiently level, a marble or bullet may be induced to remain on it, directly over the column; if not, a large bean, a spool, or a coin, will prove more tractable. Draw back the spring with the thumb and finger, as in the illustration; let it go _suddenly_, and it will snap the card away, leaving the superimposed object resting quietly on the top of the column.

The same principle is sometimes illustrated by balancing a card on the finger, placing a coin on the card, and snapping away the card with the other hand, the coin remaining on the finger.

Another way is to pile up a small tower with “checkers” or “draughts.” By a quick blow with a ruler, one checker may be knocked from between the others, without overturning the tower.

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OTHER CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AMUSEMENTS.

Perhaps one evening of this ever delightful season might not be more entertainingly spent than in witnessing an exhibition of some feats in _Magic_, if any lad of the company could become sufficiently expert in the art to render them with a fair amount of skill.

There are many of these mysterious tricks performed by the professional “Thaumaturgist” or “Prestidigitateur,” but as most of them require a complicated or expensive apparatus, I shall only call your attention to such as are comparatively simple, and require but few “aids” or materials for their fulfillment.

HOW TO PALM A COIN.

As it is necessary for any boy or girl who intends to become an expert sleight-of-hand performer to be a successful _palmer_, this is naturally the first lesson to be learned. Indeed, very few of the tricks performed by an expert prestidigitateur would be effective without its use.

To explain this art is difficult, although it is an easy matter to show how the thing is done. By the aid of an illustration may be seen, however, the final position of the coin, or how it is held while it is palmed.

If possible, balance a half-dollar on the tip of the second finger of the right hand; but if not at first easily accomplished let the coin rest on the tips of the second and third fingers, steadying it, in this position, by touching it lightly with the thumb. Close the hand quickly and the coin will rest in the palm. Then, by throwing the thumb forward, the ball of the thumb will hold the silver piece on one side, and that part of the palm which lies between the second and third fingers holds it securely on the other.

Practice this well, and be sure you can depend upon yourself to accomplish it perfectly with the left as well as the right hand, before you try any of the following tricks in the presence of a critical audience.

HOW TO PASS A COIN.

Borrow of your audience two half-dollars and lay them on your table.

Next shake your sleeves and let your friends see that you have no coins hidden about you. When they are convinced that such is the case, pick up one half-dollar with the thumb and second finger of your _right hand_. Palm this in your right hand while you _pretend_ to pass it to your left, of course making a motion with the _left hand_ as if it received and still held the coin.

The right hand will then _seem_ to be empty, although still holding the half-dollar. Next pick up the other coin with the right hand, and place the hand behind you, being careful to keep the left well in front, and always in sight of your audience. Make some few remarks concerning the difficulty of the trick, and at last pronounce the magic word “Pass”; at the same time clink the two coins together, as if one had hit the other in the meeting. Then bring the right hand forward, and, opening it and the left at the same time, show that the coin has actually left the latter and entered the former, as you promised it should do.

HOW TO ROB PETER AND ENRICH PAUL.

Twenty pieces of money are necessary for this trick; and two-cent pieces, or quarters, are perhaps the most convenient sizes to use. Of these, borrow fifteen from your audience, the other five have at hand, but concerning which your friends are to know nothing.

Having borrowed them from the company, count out five, and give them to one of your audience, while to another you give ten, and after having seen that the latter counts his carefully, take those given to the first, mutter some cabalistic nonsense, and order them to pass into the hands of the one who has the ten pieces. Finally, request him to count them again, when, strange to relate, he will find that he has fifteen, instead of the ten pieces which he was supposed to have.

The trick is performed in this manner: Upon receiving the money, throw it upon a plate or box cover—the plate is the best—and passing it to the first person, request him to take five of the pieces away. Now give the remaining money, with the plate, to the second, and ask him to drop each coin as he counts it, on the plate, that all may know he has counted correctly.