Part 5

The answer to the Great Peach Puzzle on page 752 of No. 151 is as follows: The morning rate was 7 peaches for 1 cent; the afternoon, 3 cents for 1 peach: each boy received 10 cents. Jack sold 7 peaches for 1 cent and 3 peaches at 3 cents each--10 cents; Tom sold 28 peaches at 7 for 1 cent and 2 peaches at 3 cents each--10 cents; Ned sold 49 peaches at 7 for 1 cent and 1 peach at 3 cents--10 cents.

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Correct answers to puzzles have been received from Walter P. Knight, Harry Johnston, Effie May, Edith Ames, John Jackson, Elsie Hopgood, Charles Mark Ellis, "Junebug," Jessie P. and Mamie Hull, M. W. A., Hammond Tubman, Tiny Rhodes, Bertie Walters, Susan Chase, William Van Duser, Oliver Thompson, Benny Close, Frederick Lansing, Andrew Ward, "Fuss and Feathers," Alice Fleming, Amy Leslie, "Fanchon," "Little Buttercup," "Eureka," Flo Hanington, May Hanington, Grace P. Ford, Robin Dyke, A. L. Taylor, and Alonzo L. Gibbs.

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[_For Exchanges, see 2d and 3d pages of cover._]

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THE GAME OF HISTORIC CHARACTERS.

BY C. W. FISHER.

The game known by the above title is somewhat uncommon, and has afforded so much enjoyment to children of an older growth that it can not fail to entertain our young friends.

It is a round-table game, and may be played by any number of persons. A watch, slate, and pencil are all the materials required.

One of the players, who is called the leader, selects the name of some historical personage, and writes upon the slate several of the letters forming it, in the order in which they occur.

The slate is then passed to the next player, who is allowed two minutes to form some idea of the name chosen, and to write a single letter either before or after those already upon the slate. If the letter so added be the right one, the leader announces it correct, and the slate is passed to No. 3. If, on the contrary, it is wrong, he calls it a miss, passing the slate, as before, to the following player, but at the same time placing to No. 2's credit, or rather discredit, in his score, a mark to indicate the failure.

No. 3, who has had the advantage of studying the word during No. 2's allotted time, now takes his turn, scoring or missing, as the case may be; and so on around the table, only the misses being marked.

The leader is of course the judge of the correctness of the additions, and must act as time-keeper and scorer as well. Capitals are never used, and the period with which the word ends is regarded as a letter, with the difference, however, that all subsequent additions must be prefixed.

Suppose, for example, that the leader, having in his mind Sir Walter Raleigh, writes upon his slate the letters _eig_. No. 2, at the end of his time, finds no clew to the word, takes a miss, and No. 3 tries his hand. A happy thought strikes him: he adds an _l_, which is pronounced correct; and No. 4 finds himself confronted with _leig_, and with a thought perhaps of Lord Burleigh, boldly prefixes an _r_. His brilliancy is rewarded with a demerit mark, and so the game goes on, until, when the letters have grown to _aleigh_, the period is added, and almost any one can easily guess the rest. The game is won by the player who at the end of the sitting has the cleanest score. When one word has been discovered, the second player becomes the leader, and after him the others in turn.

No letters should be added at random even should they prove correct, and any player having reason to suspect that this has been done may demand the word of the person preceding him. If the latter can give any historic name in which the letters occur as then written upon the slate, even if it is not the leader's word, the person so calling is counted a miss, and the player giving the name chooses anew. If, on the other hand, he fail to do so, the miss is scored against his account, and the game proceeds as before.

As it frequently happens that the same series of letters is to be found in several or many words, one is very apt to get off the track, and the results are confusing and amusing. The want of capitals also makes even a completed word look so strange that all of a party have been confounded by it until the leader, in his turn, added the lacking period, and the disgust of his companions may be easily imagined. The game may be pleasantly varied by using noted names in poetry or fiction, authors, and the like, but it is well to confine it, during one sitting at least, to a particular class.

All disputes--and there will be many--as to whether a name can properly be called historical or not, and similar questions, must be decided by a majority of the players.

The game gives excellent opportunity for the exercise of observation and quickness, and leads to discussions and researches which prove as instructive as they are entertaining.

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GREEDY JERRY.

"Chowder? Why, bless your kindly heart, there's nothing so delicious; 'Twould keep the very wildest cat from being cross or vicious. Of all things you could offer us at morning, noon, or night, ma'am, There isn't any other dish would give us such delight, ma'am." Thus to his mistress Tom did speak, then raised his sweet voice louder: "Jerry, you most ungrateful cat, come thank the dame for chowder."

But greedy Jerry, full of glee, would never mind his brother; He sucked his spoon, and danced about on one foot and the other; He grinned and gasped and giggled out, and couldn't wait a minute, He wanted so to seize the dish, and get at what was in it; Which made his brother rage and rave, while, better bred and prouder, He bowed and scraped, and blandly smiled, and thanked the dame for chowder.

Alas for evil-doers all, on two feet or on four feet, Or even if, like centipedes, they've twice as many more feet! No sooner were they left alone than, without judge or jury, Tom flew at greedy Jerry's throat, and beat him like a fury. Then, while the blows and caterwauls came ringing loud and louder, Oh, didn't greedy Jerry wish he'd thanked the dame for chowder!

M. E. B.

End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Young People, October 10, 1882, by Various