Tossing The Rings.
Fasten securely a stick two feet long and an inch or more in diameter to the centre of a block of wood or piece of board, so that the block forms a substantial base for the stick, which should be slightly tapered at its upper end. Make out of wire six hoops or rings, three of them nine inches in diameter, two of them seven inches, and one five inches. They should be heavy enough to toss easily, perhaps half an inch in thickness. Wind these with cloth torn into strips, fastening the ends with needle and thread. Use three colors of the cloth, the rings of each size being the same color. Red, white and blue make a pretty combination, using red for the largest size, white for the next, and blue for the one small one. Now set the standard at some distance from the players, and the game begins. One player takes all the rings and tosses them one at a time over the upright stick. For each of the large rings which he succeeds in getting upon the standard, he counts ten; for each of the next size, fifteen; and for the smallest one, twenty-five. Any number agreed upon may be called a game, and the player first obtaining that number of counts wins. After one player has thrown all the rings, another player takes them, tossing them in the same way. Any number of players may take part in the game. When once around, the first one tosses again, and so on until the game is out. For small children, five or six feet is far enough to toss the rings, but larger ones may increase the distance.