BUTTON, BUTTON
The players sit around the room in a circle. The leader then holds a button between his hands, with the palms pressed together, so as to hide it. He goes around the circle, passing his hand between those of the players. As he does this, he says: "Hold fast to what I give you." He is careful not to let the players see into whose hands he passed the button. The circuit having been made, the leader says to the first player: "Button, button, who has the button?" The one questioned must answer, naming some one whom he thinks has it. So it continues until all have had a turn at answering the same question. Then the leader says: "Button, button, rise!" The button holder must do this.
FRENCH RHYMES
Each member of the company writes upon a slip of paper two words that rhyme. These are collected by one player and read aloud, and as they are read everybody writes them down upon new papers. Five or ten minutes being allowed, each player must write a poem introducing all the rhyming words in their original pairs. At the expiration of the given time the lines are read aloud. Suppose the words given are "man and than," "drops and copse," "went and intent," etc., these are easily framed into something like this:
Once on a time a brooklet drops, With splash and clash, through a shady copse; One day there chanced to pass a man, Who, deeming water better than Cider, down by the brooklet went, To dip some up was his intent.
Of course, the result is nonsense, but it is pleasant nonsense, and may be kept up indefinitely, to the entertainment of the participants.
CONSEQUENCES
The players are each provided with a slip of paper and a pencil. Each must write the name of some gentleman (who is known to the party), turn down the end of the paper on which the name is written, and pass the paper to the next neighbor. All must then write the name of some lady (also known), then change the papers again and write "where they met," "what he said," "what she said," "what the world said," and "the consequences," always passing the papers on. When all are written, each player must then read his paper.
Mr. Jones . . . . . . . . . And Miss Smith . . . . . . . . . Met on a roof . . . . . . . . . He said, "I trust you are not afraid." She said, "Not while you are here." World said, "It's a match." Consequences, "He sailed for Africa next morning," etc.
ANT AND CRICKET
One of the company being appointed to represent the Cricket, seats himself in the midst of the other players, who are the Ants, and writes upon a piece of paper the name of a certain grain, whatever kind he pleases. He then addresses the first Ant: "My dear neighbor, I am very hungry, and I have come to you for aid. What will you give me!" "A grain of rice, a kernel of corn, a worm," etc., replies the Ant, as he sees fit. The Cricket asks each in turn, and if one of them announces as his gift the word already written upon the paper, the Cricket declares himself satisfied and changes places with the Ant.
A SPOONFUL OF FUN
This is a German game. One of the players goes into the middle of a ring formed by the other players. He is blindfolded and has a large, wooden spoon for a wand. The players join hands and dance about him. There may be music, if it be so desired. When the signal is given to stop, all must stand still. The blindfolded one touches one of the players with his hand and tries to guess his identity. If he guesses correctly, that player must take his place. Stooping, kneeling, or tiptoeing may be resorted to, to conceal the identity of the players.
WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?
Though this is a very old game, it is well worth the playing. The leader asks each player in turn, "What is my thought like?" The one questioned gives any answer he desires. Each player is asked in turn and a list is kept of the replies. Finally the leader tells what his thought was, and asks each player in what way it resembles the thing he, or she, likened it to.
BIOGRAPHY
Each player receives a pencil and paper and takes a seat as one of the circle of players. The left-hand neighbor is the subject for his right-hand neighbor's biographical sketch. Any absurd happening will do, the more ridiculous the biography, the better. The wittiest one calls for a prize.
NICKNAMES OF CITIES
Certain cities have been nick-named, as Chicago, the Windy City; Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, etc. The hostess requests her guests to wear something suggestive of the nickname of the city represented. Each guest writes on a piece of paper what cities he supposes the other guests are representing. A half hour is allowed, when a prize is awarded the one who has given the largest number of guesses correctly.
HOW, WHEN AND WHERE
One member of the company, leaving the room, a word admitting of more than one interpretation is chosen by the others. On his return, he asks each in succession, "How do you like it?" The player questioned being required to give an appropriate answer. He then inquires in similar manner, "When do you like it," and if the answer to that question still gives him no clue, proceeds to ask, "Where do you like it?"
When he at last discovers the word, the person whose answer has furnished him with the most information, must in turn leave the room and become the questioner.
We will suppose the word chosen to be "rain," which can also be taken as "reign" or "rein." The question, "How do you like it?" receives the answers, "tight," "heavy," "short," "warm," etc.
The question, "When do you like it?", "in summer," "when I am driving," "in the nineteenth century," etc.
"Where do you like it?", "in the United States," "on a horse," "in the sky," etc.
MY GRANDFATHER'S TRUNK—ANY NUMBER OF PLAYERS
A great game for young folks of a winter evening. The company being seated in a circle, somebody begins by saying, for instance:
No. 1. "I pack my grandfather's trunk with a pair of spectacles."
No. 2. "I pack my grandfather's trunk with a pair of spectacles and a silk hat." No. 3. "I pack my grandfather's trunk with a pair of spectacles, a silk hat and a dime novel." And so on, each person repeating all the articles already mentioned, besides adding a new one.
If any one fails to repeat the list correctly, he drops out of the game, which is continued until the contents of the trunk are unanimously declared too numerous to remember.
LOCATION
Location is geographical in character. Two captains are chosen. They choose sides until the party is equally divided. One captain begins the game by calling the name of a city. He then counts thirty. Before he has finished counting, his opposite opponent must tell where the city is located. If his answer be correct, he in turn names a place, and the second player in the opposite row must locate it before he counts thirty. Should any player fail to answer before thirty is counted, or answer incorrectly, he or she must drop out. When there is only one player left on either side, that one gets the prize.
PREDICAMENTS
Predicaments are thought out. The more ridiculous they are the better. They are written on sheets of paper. Each person has to write his idea of the best way out of a predicament. Then the papers are collected and read. Prizes are given if the hostess so desires.
PROGRESSIVE PUZZLES
Provide as many small, square cards as there are guests; also several pairs of scissors. The party seats itself in a circle. The cards and scissors are given out. Then each player cuts his card twice across, so as to make four pieces. The straight cuts must intersect each other. After the first cut, the pieces must be held together until the second cut has been made.
A player mixes his pieces and passes them to his right-hand neighbor. When the leader gives the signal, all the players put together the four pieces they have. The one who first succeeds calls out "ready." Then all stop and pass the cards on again. The successful player is given a mark on a tally card. The game goes on until a half hour has passed. The person receiving the most marks is entitled to a prize, or may become the leader, as preferred.
MIRTH
The leader for this game must have a contagious laugh. He throws a handkerchief into the air; when he does this, all must laugh heartily, until the handkerchief lies upon the ground, then the laughing must stop immediately. The player laughing after the handkerchief touches the ground is "out." This also happens to the one laughing too soon. The one left alone at last is the winner, and may become leader.
CRAMBO
Each player in the party is given two slips of paper and a pencil. On one slip he writes a question. This may be serious or absurd, as he wishes. On another paper he writes a word, this being a noun—either proper or common. The questions being mixed are distributed—the words likewise. The players write verses answering the questions and containing the words received.
AUCTION
Needed: Twenty, or more, packages, wrapped in paper.
Auction may be made a very merry game. It depends upon the auctioneer, however, to make the sales interesting; any articles may be chosen, though dolls, Teddy bears, etc., are suggested. The articles are catalogued. They are paid for with the beans given to the players with the catalogues.
BEAST, BIRD OR FISH
The players sit round in a circle, and one player, who is "it," points to some one, and says either "beast," "bird," or "fish." He then counts ten as quickly as possible. The person pointed to must name some "beast," "bird," or "fish" (whichever he was asked), before ten is reached. If he fails he must give a forfeit.
THE ROTATION OF THE GLOBE
When you next chance to eat an egg for breakfast, do not fail to try the following experiment. It is one which always succeeds, and is productive of much amusement to the company.
Moisten slightly with water the rim of your plate, and in the center paint with the yolk of the egg a sun with golden rays. By the aid of this simple apparatus, you will be in a position to illustrate, so clearly that a child can comprehend it, the double movement of the earth, which revolves simultaneously round the sun and on its own axis.
All that you have to do is to place the empty half-shell of your egg on the rim of the plate, and keeping this latter duly sloped, by a slight movement of the wrist as may be needful, you will see the eggshell begin to revolve rapidly on its own axis, at the same time traveling round the plate. It is hardly necessary to remark that the egg-shell will not travel uphill, and the plate must therefore be gradually shifted round, as well as sloped, so that the shell may always have an inch or two of descending plane before it.
The slight cohesion caused by the water which moistens the plate counteracts the centrifugal force and so prevents the eggshell falling off the edge of the plate.
ADVICE
Pencil and paper having been given the players, each writes a piece of advice and folds his paper. He passes it to his neighbor, who before opening it, tells whether he thinks the advice good or bad. If he guesses correctly, he scores a point. The game goes on this way, each at the table taking a turn, when new advices are written and passed along. This is done as many times as the hostess desires. The one getting the most points is winner.
WORDS
Each player receives a pencil and paper. He is then told to make as many words as he can from a given word of fifteen letters, or more. It is surprising how many words can be thus made. The winner is the one fashioning the greatest number of words. A book is given him as a prize.