Games for Everybody Part 16

When the time is up the leader says, "Stop," and the number of peanuts in each bowl is counted and accredited to the two players. Each pair takes turn in playing, time and tally being kept for each until all have played.

The list of contestants is read aloud, the partners who succeeded in carrying the greatest number of peanuts to their bowls receive a prize.

DEFINITIONS.

Provide each player with pencil and paper. The leader has a dictionary which she opens at any place and selects a word which the rest are to define.

The players write the word and their definition of it on the slips of paper. When the leader taps a bell all the slips must be collected and mixed up in a basket or hat.

Each player then draws out a slip and the definitions are read aloud in turn. The leader decides which one has written a definition most like the one in the dictionary. The author of the best one rises, receives the dictionary, gives out a word and the game proceeds as before.

ALPHABETICAL ANSWERS.

Prepare cards with one letter of the alphabet on each, omitting V, X, Z. Of course if the company is large, several will have the same letter.

The cards are pinned on the guests, and it is announced that no one must answer any question presented to him except by a sentence commencing with the letter on his card, the answer being given before the questioner could count ten.

No two players can question a person at the same time, and no one can give the same answer twice.

If a player begins his reply with a wrong letter or does not answer in time, his letter is taken from him by his questioner, who adds it to his and he then has the privilege of answering with either of his letters. The player who is without a card is supplied with one again but after the third trial he is out of the game.

PITCH BASKET.

Select a number of small fruit baskets, all the same size, and have a box of checkers handy. Suppose you have five, on the bottom of one mark 20, on another 15, on two, 5; and on the other, 0. Place the baskets in a row on the floor so their numbers cannot be seen.

Choose sides, giving the red checkers to the leader of one side and the black checkers to the other. One side lines up about 10 ft. away from the baskets, the leader giving each player a checker; if there are any left he keeps them and has the privilege of throwing them. Each one in turn throws his checker into any basket, trusting to luck that they fall into a basket with a number on it.

When all have played the leader turns up each basket to see its number and counts the number of checkers thrown into it. If there were two in basket No. 20, it would count 40; if 3 in one basket No. 5, it would be 15; if four in the other basket No. 5, 20; and if there were 3 in basket 0, it would count nothing. Thus the score for that side is 75. The players on the other side line up and play as the others did. The order of the baskets must be changed by someone not of that side, so no one knows which is which. Their score is added up.

The game continues until a certain number, 300 or 500, has been reached. The side scoring that number of points first is victorious.

WHO AM I?

As the guests arrive pin a card with a name of some noted author, statesman, or poet written on it, on their backs, so that every one can see it but themselves.

Of course, each person wants to know who he is, so the guests talk to each other as though they were the person whose name is on the other's back, but do not mention the name, and from the conversation, they have to guess who they are.

PROGRESSIVE PUZZLES.

The players are provided with pasteboard cards 2 inches square, and scissors. At a signal, given by the hostess, they must cut their cards in four pieces, the cuts must intersect in some place, but the card can be cut in any other way.

When the cards are cut and the four pieces mixed, they are pa.s.sed to the player at the right, who has to put the four pieces together correctly.

A certain time is given for each puzzle and each time it is pa.s.sed to the right, until each player has his own puzzle again.

t.i.t FOR TAT.

Plan to have an even number of guests invited, half ladies and half gentlemen.

Provide thick boards for each lady, also a hammer and paper of tacks, and for the men, plain hats (untrimmed) and material for tr.i.m.m.i.n.g, also a paper of pins.

When all the guests arrive set them to work. The ladies have to hammer as many tacks in straight, in their boards as they can, during the allotted time, while the men trim their hats, choosing their material from that which is provided. When the time (which may be as long or as short as you wish) is up, the men put on their respective hats and pa.s.s before the ladies for inspection; the one having the best trimmed one receives a prize.

The men inspect the work of the ladies, and the one who has hammered the most tacks into her board "straight," receives a prize.

EYE-GUESSING.

Hang a sheet or screen in a doorway between two rooms and cut six holes, the size and shape of eyes, each pair a distance apart, in it, some up high and some down low.

Choose groups of four to go behind the sheet, the rest of the guests staying in the other room.

Three of the chosen four look through the holes at a time. The short ones can stand on chairs and look through the high pair, while the tall ones can stoop down, thus confusing those who have to guess who the pairs of eyes belong to.

A short time is given for guessing each group, and then the next set go out.

The guesses are written on slips of paper and after all the eyes have been "examined," the correct list is read by one who stayed behind the sheet all the time.

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Any number can play this game. The players stand in a line around the room and number themselves, beginning with one, until each has a number.

The leader, who has no number and who has charge of the game, begins by saying--

"The Prince of Wales has lost his hat, all on account of No. 1, Sir;"

then No. 1 says: "No, sir, not I, sir, No. 5, (or any number he wishes), sir." Then No. 5, repeats what No. 1 said, giving another number instead of 5; but if he fails to respond, then the leader says, "No. 5 to the foot, sir," and then all those who were below No. 5 move up one, and thus their number becomes one less.