Mary’s Little Lamb.
This is a great favorite with the young folks. When everything else has become tiresome, some one starts the first line of the verse,
Mary had a little lamb,
Fleece as white as snow, etc.
All sing, and on the second verse being reached the last syllable of the first line is dropped, then the next to the last, the third, the fourth and so on, until the line is totally omitted. The aim of the singers is to keep exact time, counting a beat for each omitted syllable, and any one whose voice breaks in when all should be silent, pays a forfeit. The same can be done with “John Brown’s Body,” repeating the first verse and omitting syllable after syllable at the end of the first line until there is nothing left to sing but the chorus.