Part 7

Another method (besides that already described) of making a giant is to fasten a hat to the top of a broom or a long stick, and then a little below the hat to fix a small hoop to form the shoulders. A very long mantle of some description must then be firmly fastened on as gracefully as possible, under which a gentleman, the taller the better, must take his post, holding in his hand the stick. As may be imagined, the result is exceedingly ridiculous, owing to the giant being able to make himself tall or short, as it may suit his inclination. At one moment he may shoot himself out to a great height, then become quite small, chattering and gesticulating all the time, to make the affair more comical.

THINK OF A NUMBER.

Tell your neighbour to think of any number he likes, but not to tell you what it is. Tell him then to double it; when he has done that, let him add an even number to it, which you yourself must give him; after doing this he must halve the whole, then from what is left take away the number he first thought of. When he shall arrive so far, if his calculations have all been made correctly, you will be able to give him the exact remainder, which will simply be the half of the even number you told him to add to his own.

THIS AND THAT.

The trick in this game that must be understood by the two of the company who are to take the leading part in it, is nothing more than that the word _that_ is to precede the article that has been chosen for guessing. For instance, one of the two players acquainted with the game goes out of the room while an article is chosen by one of the company as _the object_ to be guessed. The absent one is then recalled, when the second player acquainted with the game remarks that something in this room has been touched, and requests him to name the article.

"Do you think it was this music book?"--"No."

"Was it the arm-chair?"--"No."

"Was it the writing desk? "--"No."

"Was it this chair?"--"No."

"Was it that bracket?"--"Yes."

The performance may be repeated until the secret has been discovered.

THROWING LIGHT.

This game is a wonderfully interesting one, though, like all others, its success depends very greatly upon the amount of energy that is thrown into it by the players. A word is chosen to be the subject of conversation by two of the party, and must be known to themselves only. It should be a word to which several meanings are attached, so that the remarks made in reference to it may be ambiguous and puzzling to the rest of the company. The two persons who know the word begin a conversation, referring to the word in all its different meanings, the others being allowed to add their remarks as soon as they have guessed what the word is.

Supposing the word fixed upon to have been _Hare_, which is also spelt in another way, the conversation could be very easily sustained in something like the following style:--

_1st player._--"I saw one the other day when I was out driving in the country."

_2nd player._--"I had one sent for a Christmas box."

_1st player._--"My own is dark brown."

_2nd player._--"And mine is nearly black."

_1st player._--"Do you like it hot or cold?"

_2nd player._--"Between the two, I think."

Here some one who has discovered the word may remark, "Don't we read of some one in the Bible who might have lived longer if he had not possessed quite so much of it?" Thus the chat runs on until the players, one by one, as they guess the word, are entitled to take part in the conversation. The penalty for making a mistake and joining in the conversation before the right word has been discovered, is to have a handkerchief thrown over the guilty person's head, which must be kept on until the word is really found out. The words Lock, Ball (Bawl), Deer, Key (Quay), Pen (Penn), Pain (Pane), Boy, Handel (Handle), Whale (Wail), and similar words with two or three meanings, are such as will be required.

TOILET.

We must not forget to name the old-fashioned game of the Toilet, which no doubt, if the truth were known, came in, like Blind Man's Buff, as far back as the time of William the Conqueror. The original idea in connection with it is for each person to fix upon some article indispensable to a lady's dress. Her fan, pocket-handkerchief, slipper, scent-bottle, and so on are chosen, an article to each player. The leader, supplied with a wooden trencher, generally begins by announcing the fact that my lady is invited to a ball, consequently her wants during the time of dressing will be very numerous. Probably the brush and comb will first be called for to dress the lady's hair, when the owner of these articles must respond to the call by taking up the trencher before it has ceased spinning; it being the rule that every one who makes a call shall spin the trencher. Instead of articles of dress, flowers have frequently been chosen by young ladies, each one representing her favourite flower, and in order to make the game suitable for use among boys it may easily be still further altered, according to fancy, the variations of course depending upon the articles chosen. In all round games, however, boys and girls generally play together, and it is usually found that a good girls' game is equally attractive among the boys. It must not be forgotten, in playing this game of Toilet, or Trencher, as it is also called, that when the word "Toilet" is used, or any other word that is fixed upon instead, every one of the company must change places. Should any one fail to do this, a forfeit can be demanded as a penalty.

THE TRADES.

In this game each player chooses some trade. For instance, one may be a carpenter, another a gardener, another a tailor, and so on. One person must then be nominated King, and at a certain signal from him every one must begin working at the trade he has chosen, imitating it by action the best way he can. After working for some time, the King may, if he chooses to do so, abandon his own trade and take up that of one of the others. Should he do this, every one must stop working, excepting the person whose trade he has adopted, and he must work at the King's trade instead of his own, until the King is inclined to return to his original occupation, when all may go on working as before.

Another game, quite as interesting as this one, though not perhaps so well known, is also played under the name of Trades. Each person fixes upon some trade which, for the time, he is supposed to follow. The leader of the game, or one of the party gifted with inventive faculties, then commences a narrative in which all the various branches of business occupy a conspicuous place. For instance, the narrator may recount to the company the amusing adventures of some old lady who set out one morning to do the family shopping. She first called at the _butcher's_. (Here the person who has chosen butchering as his trade must immediately, before ten has been counted, name a joint of meat;) and having extracted a promise from the _butcher_ (another joint of meat must here be named) that her order shall be attended to at once, she went on to the _greengrocer_. (Here the greengrocer must mention something sold by him.) She then went on to the _baker's_, and having bought all she wanted for dinner, thought she would call on her way home at the _shoemaker's_ to inquire if her shoes were mended. In a style of this kind the adventures of the old lady may be carried on to any length, the interest of the game depending, as in all games, on the amount of energy thrown into it. The great fun of the game also consists in the trades being mentioned very frequently, so that every one in the room may feel the necessity of being constantly on the watch, knowing that the various articles they are supposed to have in stock may at any moment be demanded of them.

THE TRAVELLER'S ALPHABET.

The players sitting in a row, the first says, "I am going on a journey to Amsterdam," or any other place beginning with A. The person seated next inquires, "What will you do there?" The verbs and nouns used in the reply must begin with A. The next player must adopt B, the next C, and so on, until the whole of the alphabet has been gone through; but perhaps an example will, best illustrate our meaning:--

_John._--"I am going on a journey to Amsterdam."

_Effie._--"What will you do there?"

_John._--"I shall articulate ancient anthems."

_Effie._--"I am going to Buckingham."

_Will._--"What will you do there?"

_Effie._--"I shall bewilder the beautiful butterflies."

_Will._--"I am going to Cambridge."

_Mary._--"What will you do there?"

_Will._--"I shall chase crawling caterpillars."

_Mary._--"I am going to Dundee."

_Robin._--"What will you do there?"

_Mary._--"I shall drown the dreadful dogs."

_Robin._--"I am going to Eastbourne."

_Nora._--"What will you do there?"

_Robin._--"I shall enquire for empty egg-shells."

And so on to the end of the alphabet, or until another game shall be called for.

TWENTY QUESTIONS.

In this game one person goes out of the room while the rest of the company choose some subject which he will be expected to find out by the time he has asked twenty questions. When he has received the twenty answers to his questions, should he still be unable to discover the subject of thought, he must not only produce a forfeit, but must also for the second time be the one to go out of the room until something else is thought of. Before doing so, however, the company may kindly allow him to ask a few extra questions, the answers to which may enlighten him on the first subject.

THE TWO HATS.

A similar game to this of the Two Hats is that known by the name of the Game of Contrary, a description of which will be found on another of our pages. One of the company comes forward holding in his hand two hats, one of which he places on his own head, the other he gives to one of his friends. The person to whom the hat is given must from the moment he receives it make every action of his to be exactly opposite to that of the owner of the other hat. For instance, should the latter sit down his victim must immediately stand up, should he place the hat on his head his friend must stand bare-headed, should he take it off the other must put his hat on. This principle of contrary must be carried out to the very utmost, not only as far as the hats are concerned, but in every other way imaginable. When once the game is entered upon, opportunities will readily present themselves of carrying out the original idea, namely, that dictated by the rule of contrary.

"WHAT AM I DOING?"

Six, seven, eight, or more players take their seats in a straight row. Behind them the person chosen to lead the game takes his stand. Placing himself exactly behind the player seated on the top chair, he then begins to conduct himself in the most absurd manner possible; for instance, making some ridiculous grimace, shaking his fist, or any other comical antic that may suggest itself to him. After doing this for a minute or two, he then says to the player seated before him, "What am I doing?" Should the unfortunate individual be unable to answer correctly he must stand up, and until permission be given him to desist, must imitate in silence the antics the nature of which he was unable to discover. More frequently than not the guesses are quite wide of the mark, consequently the spectacle is most laughable when five or six of the company are all occupying the enviable position above described.

"WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?"

This is a pleasant fireside game that, without requiring any very great depth of thought, is made all the more interesting by the ready wit and natural ability of the players. Some particular thing is fixed upon by one of the company as a subject of thought. He then asks each one in turn what his thought is like. They say anything they choose; a rainbow, a waterfall, a monkey, an umbrella, or whatever may occur to them. The leader then informs the company what his thought was, asking each one in turn to draw a resemblance between it and the object fixed upon as a comparison. It not unfrequently happens that the best reply is given by one whose task appears to be the most difficult, owing to the utter dissimilarity of the two objects compared; an ingenious player being able to detect some point of resemblance between two things so totally unlike each other as to be almost ridiculous.

As instances of really clever and apt answers, take the following--

"Why is love like a canal boat?"

"Because it's an internal transport."

"Why are lovers like apples?"

"Because they are often paired."

"Why is a Scottish dance like bitter beer?"

"Because there are so many hops in it."

"Why is the best coal like true love?"

"Because it always burns with a steady flame."

"Why is a thought like the sea?"

"Because it's a notion (an ocean)."

WHO WAS HE?

This game is not unlike the game of "Person and Object," though by many people it is considered superior. The first player begins by mentioning four distinguishing traits of either character or person belonging to some remarkable individual of whom at that present moment he is thinking. Supplied with these four facts the company are expected to guess the name of the person at once, instead of having a number of guesses, as in similar games of the kind; indeed, for every wrong guess a forfeit can be claimed.

THE WILD BEAST SHOW.

As the leader of this game will require the help of at least two of the party to assist him in his exhibition he should, if possible, select those who have already been initiated into the mysteries of the game. Retiring with his two or three friends into another apartment, he will contrive some means of fixing his menagerie behind a large curtain. In the absence of the curtain a kind of temporary screen might easily be fixed, just to give the whole affair an appearance of importance. On a small table a looking-glass should then be placed, but must be hidden from view. The leader must then take his post at the door of his establishment, and in an emphatic manner extol the beauty and value of the animals he has on view, while his partisans, crouched behind the curtain and out of sight, must, in the meantime, imitate loudly the cries of different wild animals, aiming to make the _hee-haw_ of the donkey more conspicuous than any other sound. Spectators are invited to enter. On consenting to do so, each one is asked which animal he would like to see first, and whatever he says, he is shown his own image in the mirror. The great aim is to prevail upon the visitors to view the magnificent donkey that is to be heard braying, when, of course, they see nothing but their own face reflected in the looking-glass. This game, though not one of the most refined, has had the charm, we may say, hundreds of times of causing many a hearty laugh.

"YES OR NO?"

In this game one person goes out of the room, while the company fix upon some object for him to discover. On being recalled, he may ask any number of questions and any kind of questions, but the answers received by him must be simply "Yes" or "No"--nothing more.

Another way of playing at the game, which renders it unnecessary for any one to go out of the room, is for one of the company to think of something. His friends then in turn each ask him a question, the reply to which must be, as in the former method, nothing but "Yes" or "No," the questions of course continuing until the object of thought has been discovered.

TOY GAMES AND TOY-MAKING.

In treating the subject of toy games adapted for in-door recreation, it should be stated at the outset that many of the manufactured and expensive toys which form the groundwork of an almost innumerable number of games are not described with any detail, because descriptions of these toys with their various uses are invariably supplied to their purchasers, and further instruction here cannot be needed. To those who can afford to procure a constant supply of new and original toys and games, no better means of learning of their appearance can be had than is supplied in the catalogues issued, for the most part gratuitously, or at a very small cost, from time to time, by the leading firms engaged in the toy trade.

As to the most simple toys, particularly those which can be made at home by the exercise of a little skill and ingenuity, and at small cost, it should always be remembered that the making of such simple toys is in itself a recreation, and affords that variety of amusement which makes recreation truly valuable. Again, there are many toys provided by the purveyors of amusements for the youngsters, which can neither be classified among toy games nor as toy-making; but it will not be altogether out of place to mention them here by way, as it were, of parenthesis. The toys more especially alluded to now are those intended to find occupation for youngsters not blessed with playmates, or who are sometimes without playmates.

There are toy bricks and toy building materials of endless descriptions and varieties. By the way, a very amusing and ingenious trick may be performed with a box of bricks familiar to all, that partakes of the simplest character. The bricks referred to are those about two inches long, an inch wide, and half an inch thick, and which are supplied in boxes containing a large quantity of bricks all of that size. If these bricks are set up on end at distances apart of about an inch and a half to an inch and three-quarters, and the one at either end gently touched, so as to fall on to the one placed next to it, the whole set will gradually fall one after the other. The bricks may be arranged serpentine fashion, winding backwards and forwards like a figure 8 or letter S; but provided the distance named is adhered to the result will be the same, and the effect of two or three hundred bricks leisurely knocking each other down will, if the figure in which they are set up be well arranged, have an almost comical appearance.

Then, again, there is the class of toys now known by the name of the originator, "Crandall's toys," all of which are made on the principle of fitting parts of the same structure together by joints. These toys are being constantly extended and made more complicated, and they afford amusement not only to those piecing them together, but also to a numerous company of on-lookers.

Among the other leading toys for in-door recreation we would mention "Noah's Arks," "Farm Yards," "Shops," "Railways," "Omnibuses," "Tram Cars," "Wagons," "Horses" (an endless delight to the very young, and which may be had in almost any form, from the simple wooden toy drawn by a handle to that now so common, and which is mounted on a miniature but well-made tricycle), animals of all sorts and noises, singing and talking birds, miniature toy musical instruments, and other toys of a never-ending variety made especially for the male portion of the juvenile population, without mentioning here, in this Boys' Book, those dolls and other toys intended for the amusement of the boys' sisters and female cousins. As an illustration of the ingenuity of the toy-producers, it may be stated that among the latest additions to the more expensive of the mechanical toys is that known as the animal album, of which we give an engraving. This book has represented on the left-hand page the figure of some animal, and on the right-hand page there is some text descriptive of the creature exhibited. On pulling a small button attached to the book, the noise or sound peculiar to the animal on the opened page will be emitted from under the opposite leaf. In the woodcut the letterpress facing the portrait of Chanticleer has been removed to show the mechanism for producing the cries of the various animals.

In short, before proceeding to the description of those toys and toy games selected for more detailed treatment, it may be observed that the possession of toys is in itself a good thing; that the making of and making use of them is better; that the capability of obtaining amusement from those owned, be they simple or be they complicated, is better still; but that it is best of all to be able also to be the means of imparting amusement to those about us.

[Illustration: The Animal Album: a Talking Picture-Book.]

ÆOLIAN HARP.

This interesting little toy is best if made on a long box of very thin deal wood, about four or six inches deep, a circle an inch and a half in diameter, in which some small holes are to be drilled, being marked on the upper side of the box. Bridges, like the bridge of an ordinary violin or fiddle, are to be fastened on to each end of the upper side, and over these bridges are to be passed a number of strings of very fine cat-gut. The strings at one end are to be secured in the framework of the box, and at the other on screw pins, which are themselves fastened to the box. The strings can then be relaxed or tightened, as desired, by turning these pins, and the notes emitted by the different strings altered and arranged according to fancy. The instrument so made should be blown upon or placed in a current of air where the wind can pass freely over it, and then, according to the degrees of strength with which the strings are blown upon, different sounds will be produced.

ANIMATED SERPENT.