No. 5.
The letter R.
Correct answers to puzzles have been received from Jamie Richardson, George E. McGreevey, "Gun Tzer," "Queen Bess," Belle T. Smart, Clara, Nellie, John S. Payne, May and Harvey Ridgway. "Fill Buster," "Lodestar," S. Brewster, William A. Lewis, Georgie Wardell, H. Jacobs, C. N. B., George P. Deacon, Anna F. Brown, Mabel Strobridge, Robert Andrews, Jun., "Rengaw," Arthur E. Dornin, Frank Lomas, Georgie Wardell, Jessie Godine.
Answer to Enigma on page 224—Courtship.
[For Exchanges, see 2d and 3d pages of cover.]
[A FIRST VALENTINE.]
[WHAT'S IN A NAME?]
Here is a pastime for winter evenings that will compel the players to keep wide awake unless they want to incur any number of forfeits. The name of each person playing should be written on little pieces of card, shaken together in a wide vase or bag, and drawn from it, so that all the players have exchanged names, but they do not tell their new names until they appear in the course of the game.
At the beginning, one player alone does not put in his name, and does not draw for a new one. This player now stands in the middle of the circle, questioning the others, ordering them about, and trying in every way to take them by surprise, so as to make them answer or stir at their real names.
After every ten questions or orders, the names are rapidly drawn from the bag again. This leads to more and more confusion, because there is an inclination not only to answer the sound of real names, but that of the last names possessed. The questioner must have ten counters—marbles, shells, or anything small—to give away, and a counter has to be taken by any one who stirs for his own name, and by any one who hesitates, forgetting to answer to the name which is drawn by lot.
When the ten counters are given away, the questioner sits down, puts his name in the bag, and draws out another name, the owner of which has to be questioner instead, and goes at once to stand in the middle. It will be his object to get rid of the ten counters now, and the object of the players to keep their wits clear, and not be taken by surprise. The questions and orders should go very quickly, thus: "Give me your hand, Mary." "Ethel and Tom, change places." "Pull your hair, Alfred." "Kate, look miserable." "Have you long holidays, Kate?" "Ethel, count your fingers." Or, with a change of tone, "What a pretty locket, Mary!" when perhaps Tom is Mary for the time being, and Mary must not so much as stir her head.
The frequent changing of the names is necessary for the fun and confusion in this game.
[AN EXPERIMENT IN SWITZERLAND.]
Scientific men have often to perform elaborate experiments for small results, but in the present case the question at issue was both interesting and instructive. Being desirous of testing the velocity of sound between two places of different heights above the sea-level, two Frenchmen arranged for a small brass cannon to be fired from the top of a mountain in Switzerland (Faulhorn), and another from a little village near Lake Brienz, 6500 feet lower than the former spot. The cannon—which were those used by the homely villagers in their festivals—were discharged twenty-eight times, and it was found that though the speed of the sound was not affected by the height, there was a very decided difference in the strength.
The report from the cannon at the lake was well heard on the mountain-top, while that from the latter was feeble, the strength of the sound being found to depend partly upon the density of the air at the place of its production, and not at the place of its being heard.
Thus, in order to produce a sound whose intensity should be the same at both spots, it was necessary to put eight parts of powder in the cannon on the mountain for every seven used in the charge for the gun by the lake.
FUN ON THE ICE—TREATING THE LADIES TO A SLEIGH-RIDE.