Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium Part 44

_5 to 30 or more players._

_House party._

Each player is provided with a paper and pencil. The following is either written on the papers in advance, or by the players from dictation, minus the underscoring. Each player is then required to find in the text the names of twenty-five textiles that may be purchased in a dry goods store, none to be mentioned twice, indicating each by underscoring. The player wins who has the largest number correct.

Dolly Varden, immaculately dressed, sat in the window ledge and heard from the church near by the mellow chords of the organ dying slowly away. Her silken hair was well drawn back from her forehead low and broad. Clothed as she was in pink and green, she made one think of the spring. She was considered musical; I considered her brilliant in every way. I was before the dresser, getting ready to go out, and taking a forkful of cold slaw now and then, or some mock duck. "I want to send a line north, Henrietta," said Dolly, bringing ham sandwiches; for she saw I felt hungry. She then wrote this letter: "I marvel, veterans, if you pause in your good work for lack of cash, merely as is represented. You should canvas for a book or paper, Caleb, some handy volume, possibly a duodecimo. Hairsplitting terms like this I do not often employ, but, blessings on the head of Cadmus! linguists must sometimes use their hands as well as their wit, weed gardens, if need be, but spare the mullein, for it seems to me like a flower. Always remember that, though the light burns dim, it yet will burn."

BEAST, BIRD, OR FISH

_10 to 30 or more players._

_Parlor; gymnasium; playground; schoolroom._

The players stand or are seated, preferably in a circle. One player stands or sits in the center with a soft ball, made by crushing paper or knotting up a handkerchief. This is thrown at one of the players by the one in the center, who says quickly, "Beast, bird, or fish!" then repeats one of these cla.s.ses and immediately counts ten, whereupon the player who has been hit by the ball must name some beast or bird or fish, according to the cla.s.s last named by the thrower. This must be done before the latter has finished counting ten. For instance, the thrower will say as he throws, "Beast, bird, or fish!--Bird!"

whereupon the player hit by the handkerchief must name a bird while the thrower counts ten. This must not be a repet.i.tion of any bird previously named in the game. Should the player who is. .h.i.t by the ball fail to meet the requirements, he changes places with the thrower.

Should he succeed, the thrower repeats the game by hitting some other player.

IN THE SCHOOLROOM this game may be played with all the players but one in their accustomed seats.

An old English form of this game subst.i.tutes the words "Fire, air, and water," for "Beast, bird, and fish," the players being required to name some animal that lives in the air or water when those elements are named, but to keep silence when fire is named. In this form the game is supposed to be a survival of fire worship.

BUZZ

_5 to 30 or more players._

_Playground; gymnasium; schoolroom; parlor._

This is a quiet game, as distinguished from those requiring much muscular activity. One of the players starts the game by saying "One"; the next says "Two," the next "Three," etc., until the number "Seven"

is reached, when the word "Buzz" is subst.i.tuted for it. The next player says "Eight," and so on up to a multiple of seven, such as fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight, etc., on each of which the word "Buzz" should be used instead of the right number. The word "Buzz" is also subst.i.tuted for any number in which the word seven occurs, even though it should not be a multiple of seven, such as seventeen, twenty-seven, thirty-seven, etc. When seventy is reached, the counting proceeds as "Buzz-one," "Buzz-two," etc., and seventy-seven is "Buzz-buzz."

Whenever a player says a number instead of "Buzz," or says "Buzz" in the wrong place, or calls out a wrong number, he must pay a forfeit and start the game over again by saying "One."

The game may also be played by having each player who misses drop from the game. Where this is done, and the player retains his seat but is silent, the game becomes even more confusing for the players who remain.

CAKE SALE

_Any number._

_Parlor._

Each player is given a card or sheet of paper prepared with the following questions, or they may be dictated at the time. The one wins who has the largest number of answers correct.

What kind of cake would you buy for--

1. Sculptors? (Marble cake.) 2. Politicians? (Plum cake.) 3. Geologists? (Layer cake.) 4. Advertisers? (Cream puffs.) 5. Dairymen? (Cream cake.) 6. Milliners? (Ribbon cake.) 7. His Satanic Majesty? (Angel's food.) 8. Babies? (Patty cakes.) 9. Lovers? (Kisses.) 10. The betrothed? (Bride's cake.) 11. Gossips? (Spice cake.) 12. Carpenters? (Plain (plane) cake.) 13. Idlers? (Loaf cake.) 14. Pugilists? (Pound cake.) 15. One who lives on his friends? (Sponge cake.) 16. Dynamiters? (Raisin cake.) 17. Invalids? (Delicate cake.) 18. Convalescents? (Sunshine cake.) 19. "Boodlers"? (Dough-nuts.) 20. Those who sample all these too much? (Stomach ache.)

CAT PARTY

_5 to 30 or more players._

_House party._

Each player is provided with a sheet of paper on which are written the following questions. Each question is to be answered with a word, of which the first syllable is cat. The player wins who writes the largest number of correct answers, the list of answers being read by the host or hostess at the close of the time allowed for the game.

Examples of questions are given below:--

1. What sort of cat is allowed in a library? (Catalogue.) 2. What sort of cat makes you think of reflected sounds?

(Catacoustics.) 3. What sort of cat unites well with a toilet article? (Catacomb.) 4. What sort of cat requires a physician's attention? (Catalepsy.) 5. What sort of cat is feared by soldiers? (Catapult.) 6. What sort of cat is bad for the eyes? (Cataract.) 7. What sort of cat is to be dreaded? (Catastrophe.) 8. What sort of cat is allowed on the table? (Catsup.) 9. What sort of cat goes to Sunday school? (Catechism.) 10. What sort of cat do girls most detest? (Caterpillar.) 11. What sort of cat makes small boys weep? (Cat-o'-nine-tails.)

CRAMBO

_10 to 30 players._

_House party._

Each player is provided with two slips of paper, and also with another full sheet of paper and a pencil. On one of the slips he writes a question. This may be as serious or absurd as fancy dictates. On the other slip of paper he writes a word, either a common or proper noun.

The slips containing the questions are then collected in a box or hat, and those containing the nouns in another receptacle. The questions are thoroughly mixed and pa.s.sed around, each player drawing one. The same is done with the nouns.

Each player must then write a verse which shall answer the question and contain the word that he has drawn, no matter how irrelevant they may be. A time limit is generally given for this performance, varying with the facility of the players.

The following may serve as examples. The author recalls a very grave banker, not suspected of humor, who drew the question, "How long should you roast a leg of mutton?" The word drawn was "Finger." He wrote:--

"To roast the mutton, let it linger Longer than to roast your finger."

Another business man drew the question, "What is the difference between doughnuts and sponge cake?" The word was "Youth." He wrote:--

"Sponge cake is delicate and sweet to the taste, While doughnuts are tough as thunder; And the youth who partakes of the first in haste Will tackle the latter with wonder."

The game may be made more difficult by each player writing on a third slip of paper a verb or an adjective, these to be collected and redistributed with the nouns and questions.

CROSS QUESTIONS