Chapter 3
A splendid game, and one specially suitable for a large party. A sheet or white tablecloth is first of all stretched right across the room, and on a table behind it is placed a bright lamp. All the other lights in the room are then extinguished, and one of the players takes a seat upon a low stool midway between the lamp and the sheet. The other players endeavor to disguise themselves as much as possible, by distorting their features, rumpling their hair, wearing wigs, false noses, etc., and pass one by one behind the player seated on the stool. Their shadows are thus thrown upon the sheet. The aim of the seated player is to guess the identity of the shadows as they pass before him; and the aim of the others is to endeavor by every means in their power to keep him from recognizing them. As may be imagined, the task of the single player is not an easy one, the distorted shadows being vastly different from the originals as seen before the lights were extinguished.
STEPS
The blindfolded player is placed in the middle of the room, and the other players all place themselves at various distances round him. The blind-man is then told how many steps he must take in order to be able to touch a certain player. This game does, I know, sound rather simple in writing; but try it, and you will find that it is not so easy as you imagine. It will also have the effect of making the dullest party lively, because the blind-man makes such absurd mistakes as to the direction and length of steps that he has to take.
THE SPELLING GAME
Each player in this game has what are called three "lives," or chances. When the company is seated in a circle, the first player mentions a letter as the beginning of a word. The game is for each of the company, in turn, to add a letter to it, keeping the word unfinished as long as possible.
When a letter is added to the former letters and it makes a complete word, the person who completed it loses a "life." The next player then begins again.
Every letter added must be part of a word, and not an odd letter thought of on the spur of the moment. When there is any doubt as to the letter used by the last player being correct, he may be challenged, and he will then have to give the word he was thinking of when adding the letter. If he cannot name the word, he loses a "life"; but if he can, it is the challenger who loses.
This is an example of how the game should be played. Supposing the first player commences with the letter "p"; the next, thinking of "play," would add an "l"; the next an "o," thinking of "plough"; the person, not having either of these words in his mind, would add "v"; the next player perhaps, not knowing the word of which the previous player was thinking, might challenge him, and would lose a "life" on being told the word was "plover." The player next in turn would then start a new word, and perhaps put down "b," thinking of "bat," the next, thinking, say, that the word was "bone," would add an "o," the next player would add "n"; the player whose turn it would now be, not wanting to lose a "life" by finishing the word, would add another "n"; the next player for the same reason would add "e," and then there would be nothing else for the next in turn to do but to complete the word by adding "t" and thus losing a "life."
It will be seen that there are three ways of losing a "life." First, the player may lay down a letter, and on being challenged be unable to give the word. Secondly, he may himself challenge another player who is not at fault. Thirdly, he may be obliged to add the final letter to a word, and so complete it.
SIMON SAYS
Seat yourselves in a circle and choose one of the company to be the leader, or Simon. His duty is to order all sorts of different things to be done, the funnier the better, which must be obeyed only when the order begins with "Simon says." As, for instance, "Simon says: 'Thumbs up!'" which, of course, all obey; then perhaps comes: "Thumbs down!" which should not be obeyed, because the order did not commence with "Simon says."
Each time this rule is forgotten a forfeit must be paid. "Hands over eyes," "Stamp the right foot," "Pull the left ear," etc., are the kind of orders to be given.
THE SERGEANT
One player represents the Sergeant, and the others the soldiers, whom he is supposed to be drilling. When the Sergeant says "Do this," all the players must imitate him. But when he says "Do that," they must take no notice.
If a soldier makes a mistake he has to pay a forfeit, and takes the Sergeant's place.
THE SEA KING
This game can be played by any number of children. They proceed by first choosing one of the party to act as the Sea King, whose duty it is to stand in the centre of a ring, formed by the players seating themselves round him. The circle should be as large as possible. Each of the players having chosen the name of a fish, the King runs round the ring, calling them by the names which they have selected.
Each one, on hearing his name called, rises at once, and follows the King, who, when all his subjects have left their seats, calls out, "The sea is troubled," and seats himself suddenly. His example is immediately followed by his subjects. The one who fails to obtain a seat has then to take the place of King, and the game is continued.
TONGUE TWISTERS
The leader begins by saying the first sentence, which is repeated by each player in turn. The leader in every case adds the new line, which is repeated by the other players in succession. Anyone making a mistake or omission drops out of the contest. As the ranks grow thinner, the players are required to repeat the sentences more rapidly, and no time for hesitation allowed. The one who makes no mistake is entitled to a prize.
The sentences are as follows:
1. One old ox opening oysters.
2. Two tall Turks twirling twisted turbans.
3. Three tinkering tailors totally tired.
4. Four fat Frenchmen fanning a fainting fly.
5. Five funny farmers feeding feathered fowls.
6. Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward.
7. Seven shy soldiers shooting salted salmon.
8. Eight eccentric Englishmen exhibiting educated elephants.
9. Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nasturtiums.
10. Ten tipsy tailors toddling timidly together.
TRADES
Each player must choose a trade and pretend to be working at it. For instance, if he is a tailor he must pretend to sew or iron; if a blacksmith, to hammer, and so on. One is the king, and he too, chooses a trade. Everyone works away as hard as he can until the king suddenly gives up his trade, and takes up that of some one else. Then all must stop, except the one whose business the king has taken, and he must start with the king's work. The two go on until the king chooses to go back to his own trade, when all begin working again. Any one who fails either to cease working or to begin again at the right time, must pay a forfeit.
A somewhat more elaborate and livelier game of Trades is played by each boy in the party choosing a trade which he is supposed to be carrying on.
The leader must invent a story, and standing in the middle, must tell it to the company. He must manage to bring in a number of names of trades or businesses; and whenever a trade is mentioned, the person who represents it must instantly name some article sold in the shop.
THINK OF A NUMBER
In this game the leader tells one of the players to think of any number he likes, but not to say it aloud. He next tells him to double it; this done, the player is told to add eight to the result, and then halve it. After doing this he must halve the whole, and from what is left take away the number first thought of. If correctly worked out the answer will be four, which is just half the number which the leader told the player to add after the original number was doubled. For instance, we will suppose the number thought of to have been twenty. When doubled, the result will be forty. The player then adds eight, which gives him a total of forty-eight. He halves this, and has twenty-four left. When he has taken away the number first thought of (twenty) he has a total of four--which is half the number the leader told him to add in the beginning of the game.
THIS AND THAT
A confederate is necessary for this trick. The one performing the trick goes out of the room and the confederate agrees with the audience to touch a certain article. The person outside is recalled and his confederate begins to question him. "Did I touch this music book?" "No." "Did I touch this table?" "No." "Did I touch this knife?" "No." "Did I touch that fork?" "Yes." The secret consists in saying the word "that" before the article touched, instead of "this."
WHAT AM I DOING?
The players seat themselves in a row and the leader of the game takes his place behind them, beginning at the top of the row. He makes some absurd gesture and then asks the person behind whom he is standing "What am I doing?" If the player replies incorrectly, and he generally does, he is doomed to stand up and imitate in silence the gesture he could not guess, until he has leave to sit down.
WONDERMENT
It is necessary that only two of the party should have a knowledge of this game, and then "wonderment" is sure to be the result.
The two players agree that a certain word shall be regarded as a signal word. As an illustration, imagine this word to be "and."
One of the players asserts his belief that he is gifted with second sight, and states that he is able, through a closed door, to name any article touched by any person in sympathy with him, notwithstanding the said person may attempt to mystify him by mentioning a lot of other articles. He then chooses his confederate, as being one with whom he may be in sympathy, and goes outside.
The player in the room then proceeds to call out, perhaps as follows:--Table, Hearthrug, Piano, Footstool and Chair, Lamp, Inkstand. He then places his hand on the back of a chair and asks: "What am I touching now?" the answer will, of course, be "Chair," because the signal word "and" came immediately before that article.
If the players are skilful there is no need for the trick to be discovered.
WINK
All the girls sit in a circle, and the boys stand outside, one boy behind each girl's chair. One chair is left vacant, but a boy stands behind it, and by winking at the girls one at a time, tries to get one for his empty chair.
As soon as a girl is winked at, she tries to leave her seat, and take the vacant one, but if the boy behind her touches her before she leaves the seat, she cannot go. Each boy has to keep his eye on the one who is winking and on the girl in his chair, for if he is not watching, she may escape before he has time to touch her, and then it is his turn to do the winking and get a girl for his chair.
If the winking is done quickly it adds to the interest of the game. No boy can keep hold of a girl all the time; he must only touch her when she starts to leave her place, and then if she is beyond arm's length he cannot call her back.
RIDDLES
Few children think they will ever tire of playing games; but all the same, towards the end of a long evening, spent merrily in dancing and playing, the little ones begin to get too weary to play any longer, and it is very difficult to keep them amused.
Then comes the time for riddles! The children may sit quietly around the room, resting after their romps and laughter, and yet be kept thoroughly interested, trying to guess riddles.
It is, however, very difficult to remember a number of good and laughable ones, so we will give a list of some, which will be quite sufficient to puzzle a roomful of little folk for several hours.
Why are weary people like carriage-wheels?--Answer: Because they are tired.
An old woman in a red cloak was passing a field in which a goat was feeding. What strange transformation suddenly took place?--Answer: The goat turned to butter (butt her), and the woman into a scarlet runner.
Why does a duck go into the water?--Answer: For divers reasons.
Spell "blind pig" in two letters? P G; a pig without an I.
Which bird can lift the heaviest weights?--The crane.
Why is a wise man like a pin?--He has a head and comes to a point.
Why is a Jew in a fever like a diamond?--Because he is a Jew-ill.
Why may carpenters reasonably believe there is no such thing as stone?--Because they never saw it.
What is that which is put on the table and cut, but never eaten?--A pack of cards.
Why does a sculptor die horribly?--Because he makes faces and busts.
When does a farmer double up a sheep without hurting it?--When he folds it.
What lives upon its own substance and dies when it has devoured itself?--A candle.
Why is a dog biting his tail a good manager?--Because he makes both ends meet.
What thing is it that is lower with a head than without one?--A pillow.
Which is the left side of a plum-pudding?--That which is not eaten.
What letter of the alphabet is necessary to make a shoe?--The last.
If all the seas were dried up, what would everybody say?--We haven't a notion (an ocean).
Why is it certain that "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was not written by the hand of its reputed author?--Because it was written by Mrs. Beecher's toe (Stowe).
Why is a fishmonger never generous?--Because his business makes him sell fish (selfish).
What is that which works when it plays and plays when it works?--A fountain.
What is that from which you may take away the whole and yet there will be some remaining?--The word wholesome.
Why are fowls the most economical things a farmer can keep?--Because for every grain they give a peck.
What coin doubles its value by taking away a half of it?--Halfpenny.
Why is it dangerous to walk in the meadows in springtime?--Because the trees are shooting and the bulrush is out (bull rushes out).
Why is a vine like a soldier?--Because it is listed and has ten drills (ten-drils) and shoots.
Why is an opera-singer like a confectioner?--Because she deals in ice-creams (high screams).
If a man who is carrying a dozen glass lamps drops one, what does he become?--A lamp lighter.
What belongs to yourself, but is used more by your friends than by yourself?--Your name.
Why is a spider a good correspondent?--Because he drops a line at every post.
When is the clock on the stairs dangerous?--When it runs down.
Why is the letter "k" like a pig's tail?--Because it comes at the end of pork.
What is the keynote to good manners?--B natural.
Why is a five-pound bank-note much more profitable than five sovereigns?--Because when you put it in your pocket you double it, and when you take it out you will find it in-creases.
Why is a watch like a river?--Because it doesn't run long without winding.
What is that which flies high, flies low, has no feet, and yet wears shoes?--Dust.
When has a man four hands?--When he doubles his fists.
What trees has fire no effect upon?--Ash-trees; because when they are burned, they are ashes still.
What is the difference between a schoolmaster and an engine-driver?--One minds the train and the other trains the mind.
A man had twenty sick (six) sheep, and one died; how many were left?--19.
What is that which everybody has seen but will never see again?--Yesterday.
Which is the best day for making a pancake?--Friday.
Which is the smallest bridge in the world?--The bridge of your nose.
What four letters would frighten a thief?--O I C U.
What is that which goes from London to York without moving?--The road.
Which is easier to spell--fiddle-de-dee or fiddle-de-dum?--Fiddle-de-dee, because it is spelt with more "e's."
When may a chair be said to dislike you?--When it can't bear you.
What animal took most luggage into the Ark, and which two took the least?--The elephant, who took his trunk, while the fox and the cock had only a brush and a comb between them.
Which of the English kings has most reason to complain of his washer-woman?--King John, when he lost his baggage in the Wash.
If a bear were to go into a linen-draper's shop, what would he want?--He would want muzzlin'.
Why is B like a hot fire?--Because it makes oil Boil.
Why was the first day of Adam's life the longest?--Because it had no Eve.
If an egg were found on a music-stool, what poem would it remind you of?--"The Lay of the Last Minstrel."
Why is a schoolmaster like a shoe-black?--Because he polishes the understanding of the people.
Why is a washer-woman like a navigator?--Because she spreads her sheets, crosses the line, and goes from pole to pole.
Why is an author the queerest animal in the world?--Because his tale comes out of his head.
Why is it that a tailor won't attend to business?--Because he is always cutting out.
When can a horse be sea-green in color?--When it's a bay.
Why were gloves never meant to sell?--Because they were made to be kept on hand.
When are we all artists?--When we draw a long face.
Why are watch-dogs bigger by night than by day?--Because they are let out at night and taken in in the morning.
When is a tradesman always above his business?--When he lives over his shop.
Which is the liveliest city in the world?--Berlin; because it's always on the Spree.
Why is a water-lily like a whale?--Because they both come to the surface to blow.
Why is a shoemaker the most industrious of men?--Because he works to the last.
What is book-keeping?--Forgetting to return borrowed volumes.
Why is scooping out a turnip a noisy process?--Because it makes it hollow.
Why are teeth like verbs?--Because they are regular, irregular, and defective.
What ships hardly ever sail out of sight?--Hardships.
When is an artist a dangerous person?--When his designs are bad.
Why are tortoiseshell-combs like citadels?--They are for-tresses.
Why is the Isthmus of Suez like the first "u" in cucumber?--Because it is between two "c's" (seas).
What motive led to the invention of railroads?--The locomotive.
Why are deaf people like Dutch cheeses?--Because you can't make them here.
When is the best time to get a fresh egg at sea?--When the ship lays to.
Who was the first whistler?--The wind.
What tune did he whistle?--Over the hills and far away.
Why need a traveller never starve in the desert?--Because of the sand which is (sandwiches) there.
Why is sympathy like blindman's-buff?--Because it is a fellow feeling for a fellow creature.
If a Frenchman were to fall into a tub of tallow, in what word would he express his situation?--In-de-fat-i-gabble. (Indefatigable.)
Why is a diner on board a steam-boat like Easter Day?--Because it is a movable feast.
Why is a little man like a good book?--Because he is often looked over.
Why is a pig in a parlor like a house on fire?--Because the sooner it is put out the better.
What is the difference between a soldier and a bombshell?--One goes to war, the other goes to pieces.
Why is it dangerous to sleep in a train?--Because every train runs over all the sleepers on the line.
Spell "enemy" in three letters?--F O E.
Which is the only way that a leopard can change his spots?--By going from one spot to another.
Why did Eve never fear the measles?--Because she'd Adam.
When is a tall man a little short?--When he hasn't got quite enough cash.
What houses are the easiest to break into?--The houses of bald people; because their locks are few.
Why is a watch the most difficult thing to steal?--Because it must be taken off its guard.
Why is there never anybody at home in a convent?--Because it is an (n)uninhabited place.
Why does a person who is not good-looking make a better carpenter than one who is?--Because he is a deal plainer.
What is the best tree for preserving order?--The birch.
Why is shoemaking the easiest of trades?--Because the boots are always soled before they are made.
What plant stands for No. 4?--IV.
How can a gardener become thrifty?--By making the most of his thyme, and by always putting some celery in the bank.
Why is it probable that beer was made in the Ark?--Because the kangaroo went in with hops, and the bear was always bruin.
"What was the biggest thing you saw at the World's Fair?" asked a wife of her husband.--"My hotel bill!" said he.
Why is C like a schoolmistress?--Because it forms lasses into classes.
What is that which never asks any questions and yet requires many answers?--The street-door.
If a man bumped his head against the top of a room, what article of stationery would he be supplied with?--Ceiling whacks. (Sealing-wax.)
Which is the longest word in the English language?--Smiles; because there is a mile between the first and last letters.
Which is the oldest tree in England?--The Elder Tree.
How many sides are there to a tree?--Two, inside and out.
What is that which happens twice in a moment and not once in a thousand years?--The letter M.
What sea would a man most like to be in on a wet day?--A dry attic. (Adriatic.)
Why is coffee like an axe with a dull edge?--Because it must be ground before it is used.
What is the difference between a bottle of medicine and a troublesome boy?--One is to be well shaken before taken, and the other is to be taken and then shaken.
What makes more noise than a pig under a gate?--Two pigs.
When is a door not a door?--When it is a-jar.
What is the difference between a naughty boy and a postage-stamp?--Because one you stick with a lick, and the other you lick with a stick.
Why did William Tell shudder when he shot the apple from his son's head?--Because it was an arrow escape for his child.
What is that which the more you take from it the larger it grows?--A hole.
What is the best land for little kittens?--Lapland.
Why should a man always wear a watch when he travels in a waterless desert?--Because every watch has a spring in it.
Of what trade is the sun?--A tanner.
What relation is a doormat to a door?--Step-fa(r)ther.
What is that which you cannot hold ten minutes, although it is as light as a feather?--Your breath.
What is the worst weather for rats and mice?--When it rains cats and dogs.
What is that which never uses its teeth for eating purposes?--A comb.
When are two apples alike?--When pared.
What is the difference between a blind man and a sailor in prison?--One cannot see to go and the other cannot go to sea.
Why is a plum-cake like the ocean?--Because it contains so many currants.
What pudding makes the best cricketer?--A good batter.
When is a sailor not a sailor?--When he's a-board.
Why is the snow different from Sunday?--Because it can fall on any day in the week.
What trade would you mention to a short boy?--Grow sir (grocer).
What tree is nearest the sea?--The beech.
Why is a game of cards like a timber-yard?--Because there are always a great many deals in it.
Why is a tight boot like an oak tree?--Because it produces a corn (acorn).
Why is a city in Ireland likely to be the largest city in the world?--Because each year it is Dublin (doubling).
What is the easiest way to swallow a door?--Bolt it.
Why could a negro slave not be caught if he ran away?--Because he would be sure to keep dark at all times.
Why is a dancing-master like a tree?--Because of his bows (boughs).
Name a word of five letters from which if you take two but "one" remains--Stone.
GAMES FOR ADULTS
ADVICE
Each player is given a slip of paper and asked to write a piece of advice--the ladies write to the gentlemen and vice versa. The slips are collected and again distributed and each player is asked to read the advice which has been given him. Before looking at the paper he must tell what sort of advice it is--good, bad, unnecessary, etc., and whether or not he intends to profit by it.
ADJECTIVES