It is to laugh

by Edna Geister

Red, White and Blue.

This is one of the most irritating and fascinating puzzles ever put to an informal group. While the confederate is out of the room the leader asks the guests to decide on any object in the room. The confederate is called in and after naming several wrong articles in the room, asking each time if that is the one chosen, the leader names the right one and instantly the answer is made, “That is the thing you chose.” Immediately someone says, “Oh, it is just like ‘Black Magic’ except that you name a red object just before the right one.”

The leader smiles and answers, “All right. Just watch this next time,” and next time the right object certainly was not preceded by an object that was red, nor was it the next time. As it happened, however, when the leader pointed out wrong objects and finally the right one the next time, the right one was preceded by something red and every last guest noticed it and spoke of it, but they could not say that the trick was that the right object was always preceded by something red, for that was not true.

The system used is indeed very much like “Black Magic” in which the object decided upon is always preceded by an object that is black, but in this case the right object is preceded by objects that are red, white and blue, in turn. The first time it follows a red object, next a white one, and then a blue one. Then the series begins all over again, first a red object to precede it, then a white one, and then a blue one and so on till finally some bright mind recognizes the familiar combination!

CHAPTER V.
PICNICS!

This chapter is headed “Picnics” but a great many of the events included may be used to good advantage in the gymnasium, as well as out-of-doors.

Races.

The Horse Races.

It certainly is fun to play baseball on horseback, but it is a great deal funnier to race on horseback, unless—your horse falls down!

Each runner sits on a horse, and at a signal from the starter the horses start running for the goal, some fifty feet away. All the runner has to do is to “sit tight” and, if possible, keep his horse from going down flat, for it surely is not the horse who gets the worst of that possible episode! They must return to the starting point, and if the relay plan is used, touch off the next horse and his rider, who must run the same course.

The Baby Carriage Contest.

If possible get two or three obsolete baby carriages, each carriage to be manned by a boy and a man. The boy is the rider of course, but if it is possible to find a man small enough to ride in the carriage without totally demolishing it, substitute this small man for the boy, for nothing looks funnier than a grown up man scrunched down into a baby carriage, with his feet dangling overboard!

The race is just like any other race, to a goal and return, except that it is harder to look at without hurting one’s self!

The Rollers.

“Whoops” under “Races” may be used at a picnic for a woman’s race. Another race, run on the same principle, uses automobile tires as the thing to be rolled by hand, men, of course, being contestants.

Hardboiled eggs too, make wonderful “rollers,” and should be rolled to the goal and return by means of lead pencils or hairpins.

The Sack Race.

Just the plain old-fashioned sack race, in which contestants have both legs in a sack and must run to the goal and return, thus impeded. Excitement is added if the relay plan is used, whereby each runner must, on returning to the starting point, take off his sack and give it to the other runner of his team! When one is in a hurry that is a very easy thing to do!

The New Era.

Men only are allowed to enter as contestants, and each is given a lady’s skirt which he must put on and wear throughout the race. Men are so graceful anyhow!

The Sticks.

Runners are given sawed-off broomsticks which they are to put under their bent knees. They are to keep them there while they race, inch by inch, to the goal and back. The course should be a short one.

The Squatters Race.

Runners bend knees, squat on heels, and with hands on hips, go to the goal and return at a whirlwind pace—maybe! What is more, nothing is said to them about the way they will undoubtedly feel the next morning! One should be merciful and make this course, too, a short one.

Bang!

Each contestant is given five common paper bags. At the signal for starting they are to blow up these bags one by one, exploding each one as it is filled with air. The one who first blows up and explodes all his bags gets a toy balloon.

The Water Bearers.

Each runner is given a glass which is full to the brim of water. All he has to do is to hop on one foot to the goal and return, carrying the water all the way! The prize offered for this race should be a generous one!

The Greased Pole and Pig.

A picnic would hardly be a picnic unless a greased pole is counted “among those present.” The pole is just exactly what it sounds like, a greased pole, and at the top of it is a tiny flag which must be captured and brought down by the victorious climber who gets a very real prize. He deserves it!

A cousin game to that which entails climbing a greased pole, is one which offers any and everyone the privilege of catching a greased pig. If no fence is available a barrier is made with strips of canvas, strong strips and high strips! The pig, which has been made as slippery as any pig can be made, is turned loose in this inclosure and the chase is on. The one who catches the pig keeps him—and welcome!

It might be fitting to suggest that contestants in either event be offered the temporary use of overalls!

The Picnic Blues.

Anxious mothers have been justified in worrying when they saw Johnny and Henry gobbling down pie in wholesale and extremely hurried fashion, in a blueberry pie-eating contest. They know what will happen that night at 3 a.m.! It is not the blueberries that give her anxious moments either! Neither is it the contest. It is the heavenly blue smeared all over the countenance of Johnny and Henry, in every place a blueberry can find a foothold! That blue will be just as heavenly and smear just as well when its source is a thick blue sauce made of blueberries, and it is put into pie tins for the same contest.

The Subway.

Boys are lined up in columns, six or seven in each column, with feet spread apart. At a signal from the leader, the last one of each column gets down on his hands and knees and crawls through the natural “subway” to the front. As soon as he gets there he stands up in front of the column and calls “All set!” whereupon the last one of the column hurries through the subway, doing the same thing when he reaches the front. When the one who was originally the first of the column finally gets his turn and crawls through to his original place the race is over, and of course, all honor and glory and a prize to the team that can first get its original leader back to his place!

Two in One Race.

Boys are arranged in couples. The two forming each couple stand back to back with arms interlocked. One of them stands facing the goal. When all of the couples are so arranged, a signal is given and they start running to the goal, about twenty-five feet away, and return.

Two fat boys linked together and racing in this way make a sight worth going miles to see!

Leap Frog.

The boys are divided into two teams, each team forming a circle, everyone down on all fours. At a signal, a designated leader in each circle starts leapfrogging his way around the circle. When he has leaped ever the last one he gets down again on all fours and slaps the one in front of him who starts to leapfrog around the circle. When he has gone all the way around, he too squats down, slaps the one in front of him and he starts his little journey. The circle whose last leapfrogger first reaches his former place gets the prize.

The Human Wheelbarrow.

There are two on a team in this Wheelbarrow Race but there is no wheelbarrow. One member of the team is a boy and the other a man. The boy is the wheelbarrow, and the man the driver. The boy gets down on his hands and knees, the driver takes hold of his feet, and when the signal to start comes, lifts the feet off the ground so that the boy is walking on his hands alone.

The course, about twenty-five feet in length, should be on a grassy plot. Let a driver’s sense of humor get the best of him, as it usually does, and the wheelbarrow goes flat on his face!

The Penalty.

The usual three-legged race is put on with only two teams competing. Just before they start to run, tell them that the losers will be made to get down on all fours, the winners placed on their backs and that they will be forced to carry the victors the full length of the course, with all “accidental” tipping positively forbidden!

Housewives’ Race.

A large space is cleared with the onlookers forming a very close circle around it. Contestants are all women of not less than twenty-five years of age. A chicken is turned loose in this open space and the woman who catches it may have it. None of the onlookers may help her beyond seeing to it that the chicken does not get outside the circle.

You and I know that the chicken’s freedom is not in such very grave danger!

Obstacle Race.

The course is not longer than fifty yards, and a line of obstacles is set out for each one of the three teams, two men or boys in each team.

Runners No. 1 start the race. They are to:

1. Go through a barrel.
2. Sing up the scale.
3. Turn two somersaults.
4. Take off their shoes and put them on again.
5. Climb a designated tree.

They then hurry back to touch off No. 2 of their team, who must go through the same performance. There is one rule that is strictly enforced. That is that the singing must be done clearly and distinctly and as musically as possible!

Lobster Race.

Any number of men or boys may enter as contestants. At a given signal runners turn around, get down on all fours on the starting line, and speed to the goal and return, going backwards and on all fours all the way. It is remarkable, the great similarity to lobsters out for a stroll!

Hippity-hop.

Girls are pitted against the men. The girls stand in one line and the men in another, the first one in each line being about fifteen feet away from a tree directly in front of that line. At a signal the first girl and the first man start hippity-hopping, each one up to and around his tree and back to his line, touching the hand of the next runner who immediately starts to hippity-hop over the same course, while those who ran first go to the end of the line. When the second runner gets back, he touches the hand of the third one, and he too hippity-hops to the tree and back, each one going at once to the end of the line when he has finished. This goes on till everyone has hopped and members of the team whose last runner first touches the first runner’s hand win the game and a dish of ice cream.

I have never yet seen a group of girls who couldn’t out-hippity-hop any group of men!

The Bottle Race.

Six empty bottles are necessary for this race, milk bottles, Coca-Cola bottles, almost any kind will do, but it is preferable to have bottles that tip easily. Contestants are divided into two lines. A rope has been laid on the ground about twenty feet in front of these lines and six bottles have been placed there, three for each line. At a signal, the first one of each team runs up to the rope, picks up his three bottles which are lying on the ground, places them upright and runs back to touch the hands of the next runner, who starts at once for the goal, knocks the three bottles down, and hurries back to touch off the next runner. He in turn stands the bottles up again, while the next runner knocks them down, and so on. If a bottle falls down the runner must go back to stand it up again before he can touch the the next runner. Each runner, when he has finished and has touched off the next runner, goes to the end of the line. The side whose last runner first touches the first runner’s hand wins the race.

Masculine Vanity Race.

Contestants run the length of the course, about fifty feet, take off their caps, shoes, coats, and ties, put them on the ground, run to the starting point, back to their clothes, put them on, and then race back to the starting line. The one who arrives first, fully clothed, gets a little vanity mirror as a reward!

Cradle Roll.

It is always possible to get certain wholesome hard candies wrapped in bright colored papers, preferably red. All Cradle Rollers are gathered into a small open space and it is left to their mothers to tell them that real, honest-to-goodness candy will be tossed up in the air and that they are to scramble for it, and that the one who gets the most will get a big red balloon! It is perfectly all right for mothers to accompany the scramblers as long as the children themselves pick up the candy.

Kindergartners.

At a signal each youthful contestant is to run over to the balloon man to get a balloon. As each one is given his balloon he begins blowing it up and the one who blows the biggest balloon in the shortest time gets a bag of peanuts.

You know what happens to fat Jimmy Pond! He blows like a north wind, determined that his balloon shall be the largest. It is—for one second, and then it pops!

Niagara Falls.

Two in each team, one of them provided with a glass of water, the glass full to the brim, and balanced on his head. At a signal from the leader, No. 1 of each team, with the water on his head, walks as rapidly as he dares to the goal, about fifteen feet away, and returns to give the glass to No. 2 of his team who does the same thing, trying of course to be the first one to return to the starting point.

His glass however must still be at least half full of water if he hopes to win the prize. Some water spills. We hope for that! But no one is allowed to spill more than half of it without going back for a fresh supply. Anyone who drops a glass and spills all his water, goes back to the starting point, is loaned a towel, given another glassful of water, and is started out again on his perilous journey!

Wheelbarrow Race.

Four on each team, two drivers and two passengers. Wheelbarrows are all set at the starting point with passengers No. 1 sitting in them and drivers No. 1 all ready to go. At the signal they are off to the goal and return, the drivers dumping their passengers without ceremony, and turning their wheelbarrows over to drivers No. 2, who hustle their passengers into the wheelbarrows and repeat the performance. It is always surprising to note how many men have forgotten how to propel a wheelbarrow, and even more surprising to see how few people can ride in one easily and comfortably!

Note.—Many of the events under “Races” may be used as Picnic Races.

Picnic Games.

Couple Baseball.

There are eighteen on a team, nine men and nine boys. The diamond is very small, not more than eighteen feet across, and preferably very grassy. The game is played exactly like Indoor Baseball except that every player is riding a “horse.” The boys are the riders and the men the horses. Horses are down on all fours with riders astride their backs.

The pitcher, who is perched on his horse, begins pitching and the boy up to bat, who is sitting with difficulty on a fat horse, makes a hit out toward center field. Immediately his horse starts for first base, while center field on his horse goes on a mad chase after the ball. No player is allowed to leave his horse voluntarily. There are times, however, when it is involuntary. For some unknown reason, horses hurrying from one base to another or chasing a ball, find humor in the situation and a prone position for both rider and horse is the inevitable result!

Out!

This game must be played within an inclosure. If no rope is available, certain trees may be pointed out as forming the boundary line and anyone going outside the boundaries is out. The game is a great deal of fun when the players number from twenty to forty, and four or five balls are used. The balls should be either very soft Indoor baseballs which have been considerably battered, or the larger Playground ball.

The leader tosses these balls into the center, which is the signal for the game to begin. Those nearest the balls pick them up and throw them at someone. If the people at whom the balls are thrown catch them, all is well, but if they do not, and are hit by the ball, they are out, and must go outside the boundaries. The game continues in this way until all but one have been hit. You can be sure he has had to be pretty agile!

Sad experience will prompt any leader to issue the warning that no one is allowed to aim above the shoulder, and in any case, no swift balls are allowed.

It makes for real humor when Mr. Black sees Miss Carnes aiming a ball at him and he either dodges or catches it, and is crowing in triumph, when along comes a well aimed ball from the rear and hits him smack between the shoulders, and he is out!

Duck on the Rock.

Each of the players, of whom there are from twelve to fifteen, provides himself with a small rock. Players stand in a line about twenty feet back of the duck, the rock belonging to “It.” This duck is placed on a large flat stone. When they are all ready, the signal to throw is given. They take turns throwing at the duck, each one trying to knock it off. No one succeeds however. This means that they must take a stand near their own rocks, and whenever they see the opportunity, snatch up their rocks and run home, home being the line from which they threw. If “It” is able to tag someone who has his rock in his hand, that person becomes the new “It” and his rock becomes the duck.

Immediately they begin throwing at the duck again, and while the first four fail to knock it off and are obliged to stand next to their rocks until they see a chance to run home, the fifth thrower is successful in knocking off the duck, and all those waiting to run home snatch up their rocks and run, for “It” cannot tag anyone while the duck is off the rock, and they may all go home in safety. As soon as he gets his duck back on again, however, he may tag anyone who is touching his rock, or running home with it in his hand.

One rule of this game invariably brings about the funniest and most awkward situations! If a person once touches his rock, thinking he sees a chance to run home, and “It” turns around unexpectedly, thereby making the safe run home a doubtful thing, the player is not allowed to drop his rock but must pick it up and run for all he is worth, even though his chances of getting past “It” are as nothing!

Triple Dodge Ball.

For a group of men and boys at a picnic, there is no game any livelier or more exciting than Triple Dodge Ball. It is played just like the more familiar “Dodge Ball” except that three balls instead of one are used. A large circle is made, players numbering from twenty to sixty. They count off by twos, numbering “1,” “2,” “1,” “2,” all around the circle. All the 1’s go into the center while the 2’s make a rather large circle around them. Three soft basketballs are distributed among the 2’s and at a signal from the leader they start to throw the balls at those in the center, no one being allowed to aim higher than the knees. Anyone who is hit must leave the center and join the circle made by the 2’s. When all of the 1’s have been hit they change places with the 2’s, the 2’s going into the center and the 1’s making the circle.

When all of the 2’s have been hit, the last 1 and the last 2 to leave the circle are called back into the center to decide which of the two sides is the more agile in dodging the ball. A very large circle is made to give them plenty of room. Of course all of the 1’s will make every effort to hit the No. 2 who is in the center and the 2’s will hardly be remiss when it comes to aiming at the No. 1 who is dodging them!

One rule must be enforced. No player is allowed to leave his place in the circle to throw the ball. It is such a temptation to take just a few steps inside the circle to get a better aim!

Family Hide and Go Seek.

A limited area must be defined on the picnic ground. The one who is hiding cannot go outside that area. Only one of a group goes out to hide. After giving him some three or four minutes in which to hide, the rest of the group go after him. They must go out singly, not even two people being allowed to hunt together. The reason for this is soon apparent. As soon as a hunter finds the one who is hiding, instead of setting up an alarm, he hides with him. The next one does the same, and so on, until they have all found the one who was hiding. The last one to find him is given the title “Booby!”

The one who first found the hider is the one who will go out to hide the next time.

Backward Tug of War.

The only difference between this and the ordinary tug of war is that all pullers must face away from the center, the two opposing teams having their backs to each other! You can imagine what that does to the losing side that starts to slip!

Two Deep.

This is played just like the old-fashioned “Three Deep” except that it is only two deep. Guests stand in a single circle, with “It” and the one who is being chased on the outside. The one who is chased runs around the circle and suddenly cuts inside and stands in front of some other player with his back to him. This player is the runner then and he must fly to get away from “It,” who is close on his heels. When he too gets inside and stands with his back to some other player he is safe, but the one in front of whom he stands is the next runner. If he gets caught he becomes “It” and the former “It” gets to safety by standing in front of some unfortunate friend of his.

Follow the Leader.

Anyone who wishes may join the line of march and drop out at any time it is getting too difficult for him, but no one is allowed to rejoin a line after once having dropped out to rest. The leader does the usual stunts of “Follow the Leader.” These stunts may include:

1. A short dog-trot.
2. A hippity-hop.
3. Walking on all fours.
4. Walking backwards.
5. Running on tiptoes.
6. Climbing a designated tree.
7. Going through a barrel.
8. Hopping on one foot.
9. Jumping a creek.
10. Turning a somersault.

One-Legged Pom Pom Pull Away.

This is played just like the old “Pom Pom Pull Away” except that all players and “It” are compelled to hop on one foot. Players line up on the “home” line, with “It” facing them in an open space some thirty feet in width. At the signal all players must leave home and hop on one foot to the opposite side of the open space. “It” chases them, he too being allowed only one foot. Anyone he tags while in the open space must come to the center with him and help him catch the others.

The Rooster Fight.

The group is divided into two even sides, each person having an opponent assigned him. At the signal each one starts “fighting” his opponent in the following way: The right hand is put on the hip, and hopping on the right foot, the rooster tries to bump his enemy in such a way that he is compelled to put down his left foot to keep his balance. If he does do that he is out of the game.

When the issue has been decided between all opponents, all the winners are called out, and they are again paired off with opponents. This is repeated until there are only two left to compete for the bumper championship. The one who wins gets a toy rooster.

The Target.

Some thirty to forty men players form two long lines facing each other not more than five feet apart. The one who by the process of “counting out” is chosen to be the first target, is to walk through these lines while the players punish him in various ways! Of course no one is allowed to touch his head or to really strike hard, but many very successful “taps” are possible! However, it is not as one-sided as it might appear. If the target is successful in being able to turn around quickly enough to actually see someone hit him, that someone immediately becomes the new target, and he too must walk up and down the line with head bent until he is able to catch someone in the very act of hitting him.

Poison Ball.

Small circles are formed with not more than fifteen players to a circle, one of the players being in the center. Someone in each circle is given an Indoor baseball and at the starting signal throws it across the circle to another player. If the one in the center catches the ball while it is going through the air the one who threw it becomes “It,” and takes the place in the center. Moreover, if “It” can touch the ball while it is still in some player’s hand, that player becomes “It.”

The one object of the game is to get the ball out of one’s hands before “It” can touch it.

Picnic Stagecoach.

A grassy plot is essential for this boys’ game. It is played very much like “Stagecoach,” in that each player, all of them seated on chairs, is given a part to represent. One may be a wheel, another the brake, another the door, etc., etc. The leader, who is on all fours, tells the story of an eventful ride on the stagecoach and as he calls out the name of the different parts they line up behind him on all fours. Finally all parts are assembled and the stagecoach moves off on its journey around the grassy plot. Suddenly an awful accident occurs and with an awful “Bang!” the whole thing falls apart, and all parts must hurry back to their chairs still on all fours.

It must be remembered that the leader was on all fours at the beginning of the game and had no chair. Therefore there will be someone who will be left without a chair. That person is the next story teller and tells the tale of what happened to the stagecoach, all the players having in the meanwhile changed parts with each other.

Tag Games.

Sing Tag.

This is one of the funniest tag games that ever left a person breathless from laughing. “It” is chasing some great big fellow and this big fellow cannot run another step, so to save himself from being caught he starts to sing at the top of his lungs and—he is safe! The minute “It” starts to go away, he may stop singing but that is the only way any player can be safe, to loudly sing some song no other player is singing!

Cripple Tag.

“It” must clasp his hands behind him and tag with his shoulder only.

Three in One.

Three players are “It” and must run with arms linked. To catch anyone they must encircle him. The one whom they catch hooks on to the right end of their line and the one on the left end is no longer “It” but goes free. The next one who is caught does the same thing, links arms with the right end of the “It” line and the one on the left end is free. That will make your “Its” change constantly.

If you think it an easy matter to get away from three “Its” just try it!

Ouch!

“It” runs around trying to tag someone in some spot that is remote from a runner’s hand.

He finally tags Jimmy right between the shoulders. Jimmy becomes “It” and must run around with his left hand on the place on which he was tagged, between the shoulders. But Jim gets his revenge because in just about no time he tags Harry on the heel and Harry has to be “It” with his hand on his heel. “It” must always keep his left hand on the place he was tagged. If there are any fat guests present tag them on the toe, and watch them run around with their hands on their toes!

Ankle Tag.

A limited space is advisable with not more than thirty men or boys as contestants. Let trees make a boundary line. No one is allowed to go outside that line. “It” is chasing Mr. Jones, who, wishing to save himself, looks for the nearest ankle as a safety spot. It belongs to Billy Sprowls. Mr. Jones clutches that ankle, thereby making both himself and Billy safe. Jack Knight has Billy’s other ankle and he too is safe. “It” looks for another victim who perhaps makes a noble effort to get an ankle but just as he is about to lay hold on it, the owner of the ankle flees, leaving him in the clutches of the enemy. If he is tagged he becomes “It.” A whistle is blown every time a new “It” is installed, to avoid confusion.

Perhaps “It” thinks that some people are playing safe too long at a stretch, so he may call out “Fruit basket!” and everyone must change his position.

The rules are very simple. They are as follows:

1. Anyone grasping an ankle is safe. So is the owner of the ankle. Any number of people may grasp the same ankle.

2. Anyone not touching an ankle who is tagged, is “It.”

3. A whistle is blown every time a new “It” is put in.

4. A call of “Fruit basket!” makes it necessary for everyone to change his position.

One of the funniest phases of the game is the inevitable situation in which Mr. Jaeck, fat and forty and funny, makes a flying leap for an ankle, only to have the ankle pass on! You know where it leaves that Mr. Jaeck!

Tail Tag.

All players are arranged in columns, four in each column, the one in front with arms stretched out, while the others have their hands on the shoulders of the one in front of them. At a signal the last one in each group steps out to the front and faces his column. He is “It,” and it is his business to catch the tail, the last one of the column. The column, however, does everything possible to prevent his tagging the tail. The one in front with his arms stretched out widely, leads the defense and the rest of the team just hangs on blindly. The leader must keep his arms stiff while “It” tries every possible means of dodging around those arms in his effort to tag the tail. If he succeeds, the tail becomes “It,” while the former “It” goes to the head of the line, and the chase to tag the new tail is on.

In their frantic protection of their tail, someone of a column may fall down. Tell them all beforehand that that offense is forgivable only if they will jump up at once, whether they can or not!

Backward Tag.

Ralph is “It” and is chasing Bob. Bob wants to save himself so he jumps behind Fred and stands with his back against Fred’s back, which makes both Bob and Fred safe. Ralph immediately goes out to catch Billy, but Billy too, flies to find a neighbor with whom he can stand back to back, for anyone who stands with his back against that of another player is safe. But finally Ralph catches Don before he can get to another boy’s back and Don is “It.”

It is true that as long as a boy stands back to back with another boy, they are both safe, but if “It” thinks they are playing safe too much he just calls out “Fruit Basket” and every boy has to move away from his safety spot and run to find another.

All Fours.

“It” is chasing Walter, and Walter cannot run another step so he flops down on all fours and he is safe. No runner who is on all fours can be tagged but to see to it that he is not so comfortable that he will stay there for the rest of the game, he is not allowed to sit down as he always wants to, but must stay on all fours as long as he wants to play safe.

Kamerad!

To be safe, a boy lies down on his back with arms and legs stretched up in the air. You can be sure that he will not stay there very long, so your game will be a lively one!

Forehead Tag.

To be safe from being tagged, a boy must have his forehead on the ground. There is never any trouble in Forehead Tag of boys playing safe too long!

Horse Tag.

Three boys make a horse, the head, the body, and the tail. The player who is being chased by “It” hooks on to the tail of a horse and calls out loudly “Gallop!” whereupon the head, who really is no longer the head, becomes the runner and must get away before “It” catches him. If he is caught he becomes “It” and the former “It” runs to safety by hooking on a horse’s tail.

Sometimes the head doesn’t hear the call “Gallop” when a runner hooks on to his tail, but he is not excused, for it is up to each head to watch his tail and avoid a runner who wants to hook on if possible. This makes the game far more exciting, for all the horses are dodging the runner who is dodging “It” and wants to catch on to a tail and be safe!

Hop Tag.

All players and “It” must use only one foot in moving around. When they are standing still and resting they may have both feet on the ground, but as soon as they start to move they must use only one foot.

Circle Tag.

Players form a large circle with enough room between each runner so that no one of them can be touched by the one behind him. At the starting signal they begin a slow dog-trot which at a call from the leader develops into a run.

Finally they are given the word “Go” which means that each one may run as fast as he can, and if possible tag the one in front of him, which puts him out of the race.

The circle gets smaller and smaller until finally there are only two runners chasing each other in a circle. It looks exactly like a dog chasing his own tail!

CHAPTER VI.
PARTNERS, REFRESHMENTS, AND DINNER TABLE AMUSEMENT

To Find Partners.

Millinery.

All the men line up for marching. The line of march leads through the ladies’ cloakroom, where each man is to take the hat nearest him, put it on, and continue in the march which leads back to the main room. There the men parade up and down the room until each hat and its “occupant” is claimed by some lady.

String Partners. (Small Group.)

A large paper heart is suspended in a doorway. A hole has been pierced in it, large enough to hold half as many strings as there are people present. These strings have been put through the hole just as evenly as possible. When the time for choosing partners has arrived, every man takes hold of a string on one side and every girl takes one on the other. At the signal from the leader they pull down, tearing the heart and straightening out their strings without letting go, to find out who has the other end. That “other end” is of course one’s partner.

Taking a Chance!

The men are blindfolded while the girls all line up in a row. The men are led up one by one to the row of girls and are asked to go down the row, shaking hands with each girl in turn until they come to the girl they want for a partner. They are warned that they cannot go to the end of the row and then come back for another chance, but that if they have not chosen by the time they come to the last girl, this last one will be their partner. Girls are not allowed to indicate in any way who they are. Any girl who does is put at the end of the line.

Proposals. (Small Group.)

Two widths of wrapping paper are pasted together so that they form a curtain. The ladies stand behind this with their left hands stuck through the paper. All means of identification, such as rings, have been removed. The men have been provided with ten cent store rings, no two alike, and as they pass down the line, reviewing the hands, they put the ring on the finger of the lady of their choice. When all the ladies have been presented with rings, the curtain is dropped and the men claim their rings and their partners.

Professions. (Small Group.)

The men have been given cards on which are written the professions each one of them is to pantomime. The ladies have been given cards on which corresponding professions are named, and as soon as each lady recognizes the profession being pantomimed as the one corresponding with hers, she claims her partner.

Sometimes, however, she makes a mistake. She thinks a man is pantomiming the dentist’s profession, whereas in reality he is a piano tuner!

The following professions may be used to good dramatic advantage:

1. Piano tuner.
2. Dentist.
3. Surgeon.
4. Teacher.
5. Hairdresser.
6. Vocal Teacher.
7. Artist.
8. Judge.
9. Riding Master.
10. Actor.

Rhyming Partners.

Familiar rhymes are cut in two, one side being placed on a plate for the men and the other side on a plate for the ladies. The two plates are passed to the men and ladies respectively, and it is the business of each man to find the lady who has the other half of his rhyme.

When they have all found their partners, before they can have any refreshments, if this is refreshment time, each couple in turn must stand before the others and glibly recite the nursery rhyme found on their cards.

Superlatives. (Small Group.)

In this case it is the girls who must find partners. They are given cards on which are written brief, two-word descriptions of the men who will act as their partners. The descriptions may be similar to those following:

1. Biggest foot.
2. Nicest looking.
3. Smallest hand.
4. “Shiningest” eyes.
5. Curliest hair.
6. Broadest shoulders.
7. Sweetest disposition.
8. Best dancer.
9. Most extravagant.
10. Pearliest teeth.

The girls are given their cards, are asked to say nothing about what is on them but to silently look at the men for two full minutes and then to quietly go and claim their partners. In case of any dispute, the leader settles the argument. After all the men have been claimed each girl must give her reason, based on the description on her card, for choosing the partner she did.

The Hunt.

This may make a real game for a group of guests if the place in which they are being entertained is large enough to afford a great many hiding places. Each guest is given a card and he is to follow directions explicitly, for each card will direct him to another card, and so forth, the goal being one’s partner. All cards have been carefully worked out beforehand, to be sure there are no slip-ups, or duplications.

We might follow Miss Gail as she follows directions on her cards.

Her first card reads, “Go look on the third shelf of the music cabinet.” There she finds another card which bids her go up to the front bedroom and look under the red pin-cushion. The card there asks her to look under the gas stove in the kitchen for further instructions. Next she is to look under the foreleg of the wash machine in the laundry, and there she finds a card which tells her that she will find her partner in the living room on the couch.

He, in the meantime, has had just as varied a journey, and his last instructions were to look on the couch in the living room for a charming partner.

When the weather permits, it adds a great deal to put part of these different trips out-of-doors.

The Matrimonial Bureau. (Small Group.)

Early in the evening every guest is given a piece of paper and a pencil, and is asked to write out his or her ideal of a perfect husband or wife. Names are signed on the backs of these descriptions, and the papers are collected. Later in the evening, just before refreshments, the papers written up by the ladies are given out to the men, and vice versa. Then some man designated by the hostess reads aloud the description handed him and says in addition, “Marion Davis wrote this. This is her idea of a perfect husband; which of us is he?” and by popular vote the men pick out the perfect partner for Marion Davis.

She has her turn too, however. She reads the idea given her, announces who wrote it, and then asks the ladies to help her find the perfect partner for this deluded man. They do so joyfully!

Thus it goes around the entire group. Each one reads his description, tells who wrote it, and the group picks out the ideal partner for each one. Some of them have difficulty in recognizing themselves.

Note.—Unless otherwise designated, all these events may be used for either large or small groups.

Refreshments.

Refreshments should be served when the evening is just about two-thirds over. Every social committee wants guests to go home feeling that the evening has been a tremendous success from start to finish. The committee takes a chance as to their going home with that feeling when refreshments are the last thing on the program. Some of them finish before others, and finally a group decides that it is time to go home and they start out. Others follow them, and eventually they all drift out, but with a more or less vague and indefinite feeling of being let down at the end of a mighty fine evening.

It has proved to be far more effective to carry the fun right through refreshment time, then have a few more games, finally closing your evening with a game that brings in everyone, the kind of game that makes one have a new respect for one’s capacity for laughing. Let that game end in “Good-Night Ladies,” and your guests go home refreshed and relaxed and absolutely convinced that they never had a better time in their lives.

However, there is a pause sometimes, during refreshments, which, instead of promoting sociability, promotes a letting down of interest. It comes when some of them have finished and others have just begun their refreshments. That is a splendid time to put on informal singing. It isn’t at all necessary to get people out of their seats to sit in straight rows in front of the piano. Those who have finished may come up to the piano. Popular songs and old songs are always very effective, and a few foolish ones never fail to make the slower eaters hurry up and join the crowd. For example, let them sing “Smiles.” Then ask them to sing it omitting the word “smile.” In its place they are to smile sweetly at their neighbors. It is so easy to smile sweetly when one is convulsed with laughter!

Another good impromptu song is “John Brown’s Baby Had a Cold Upon Its Chest.” It is sung to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.” The first line is repeated twice. The fourth line is, “And they rubbed it with camphorated oil.” At first it is sung in perfectly proper fashion, but the second time the word “baby” is omitted and an imaginary baby is rocked. The third verse omits both “baby” and “cold,” a sneeze taking the place of the cold. In the next verse the same two words are omitted, and in addition “chest” is left out and pantomimed by a hearty slap on one’s chest. Next omit “rubbed,” rubbing one’s chest instead, and lastly omit “camphorated oil,” pinching one’s nose as decidedly indicative of one’s feelings toward the oil.

If the song is not allowed to drag, the last verse usually leaves your guests helpless, for although there is almost no singing left to be done, the violent pantomiming is enough to reduce them all to tears!

If a program of entertainment features has been planned this same “in-between” time has proved to be a far better time for it than the first half hour which is usually given it. If the program is made up of several numbers, ask the men to get up and change partners between numbers. A five cent fine is imposed on any man sitting with the same partner for two successive numbers.

Stunts, too, always fit in well at this time, both impromptu stunts and three or four which have needed a little preparation.

After the refreshment hour is over it is always a good plan to get all guests on their feet in some big group game, not alone for the digestive value of such an action, but for the social value as well.

The following stunts are typical of the kind of stunt which is particularly good for that “in-between time” directly after refreshments.

Head-Work.

A quartette is announced, made up of people who really can sing, and whose success is laid at the door of the director who has devised a new and highly successful method of getting the best out of one’s voice. He stands back of the quartette, which is seated facing the audience. When they are ready he starts the music by pushing down the head of the one who sings first, and thereafter keeps on the jump, pushing down the heads of the music-makers. When all four sing together he has a lively time, but by using both his elbows and his hands he manages to push down all four heads at once.

Usually they are heartily applauded, both for their nonsense and for their really good music. Even if they are not, however, they bow and respond with an encore. This time something goes wrong with the mechanism, and though they sing something old and familiar like Home Sweet Home, when a head is pushed down for a certain necessary note, a certain other note comes forth instead, and what is worse, a note gets loose, and doesn’t wait for the push on the head that insures harmony. It all ends in one final blare of awful discord, and the master drives them out in despair.

The Pygmy Choir.

Another stunt that is both delightful to listen to and highly interesting to watch is that of the pygmy choir. When the curtain of the stage is drawn a large sheet of paper is seen, with eight heads shown through holes cut in the paper, and eight pairs of long legs charcoaled on the paper below the dresses, and eight artistic charcoaled hats on the paper above the heads. The holes must be large enough to plainly show the faces of the singers, who are men. The effect is grotesque, to say the least—eight masculine faces attached to eight frivolous little bodies dressed in crêpe paper.

There is nothing frivolous about their music, however, until just at the last of the encore, when one man loses his dress, which had not been pasted on, but which he held on by means of a pin. His distress, which is loud and lamenting, breaks up the choir.

Bedlam.

One person comes out and sings a well-known song in English. It is heartily applauded, but instead of an encore someone else comes out and sings the same song in French; then it is sung in Spanish; in Swedish; Italian; Dutch; and Norwegian. Finally, all of them come out and sing the song together, each in his own language, and each trying to outdo the other in being heard. It is always appreciated by an audience, this melody!

A Chinese Reading.

Some well-known local person is announced as about to give a reading, with no hint in the announcement of any foolishness. The reading is extraordinary, only in that it is given backwards!

It really is not difficult to memorize a piece backwards, if one will write it out that way before attempting to memorize it. The difficult part comes in listening to it!

Note.—For further stunts see Helen Ferris’ “Producing Amateur Entertainments.” Dutton & Co., N. Y.

Dinner Table Amusement.

There are so many hostesses at dinner parties, to whom the preparation of the dinner and its serving are not the awful bugbear. That honor goes rather to the painful silences that spoil the best dinner ever served. There is only one thing more painful. That is a very evident attempt to make conversation, and to force a social atmosphere.

The following “Dinner Table Amusement” has been given every conceivable test as to real ice-breaking capability. It has been found, too, that much of it can be used to just as good advantage at church and school and club and community suppers, as at smaller affairs in the home. Where there are several tables or very long tables it is a good plan to have one person at every table or every section of a long table, who is responsible for putting on the various stunts.

All of these stunts are included in other chapters of this book. The following are examples:

1. Crystal gazing. This trick is infallible. It has never yet failed to gain the most helpless laughter of the evening. Instead of having the victim kneel, however, when this is done at the table, ask him to put his hands on the table, with fingers spread out wide. A good time to bring this in is just after dessert has been served, particularly if that dessert is tempting. Your victim is utterly helpless, and it is not an unheard of thing for another guest to calmly eat the delicious apple pie that stands idle.

Another good time to do it is just after dinner is over, and the other guests depart, leaving Mr. Unfortunate to sit alone for a moment to reflect on his sins.

2. Virtues. This may be put on between courses, but partners are not changed.

3. Mimic. Vocal gymnastics are possible, but because guests are seated, no “funny steps” are used.

The following may be used just as they are:

1. Paralysis.	13. Prison guard.
2. Help!	14. Hee haw!
3. Be Definite.	15. Impossible.
4. Prohibited Words.	16. Palmistry.
5. Dressing up.	17. Mr. Bumps.
6. Hear! hear!	18. Wrong.
7. Abbreviations.	19. Self praise.
8. And I.	20. “T.”
9. Elastic Spelling.	21. Eny.
10. Owa Tagoo Siam.	22. Unbreakable match.
11. Under the table.	23. Rubber!
12. Willie.	24. Elastic ring.

Conversation.

After the ice has been broken one feels safe in guiding the conversation along certain lines between partners, confident that conversation will not seem forced. The following topics are not conducive to forced conversation:

1. My most thrilling adventure.
2. The most fun I ever had.
3. The “scaredest” I’ve ever been.
4. The biggest fish story I know.
5. The oldest joke I know.