The two little girls took the box of small papers, and gave them out to the others, being careful not to look at the written side. The slips were about an inch long, and half an inch wide, and though the girls tried honestly not to look, they couldn’t help seeing there was a single word written on each one.
At last, all were distributed, and the children sat round the room waiting for the game to begin.
“This is a lovely Jinks Club meeting,” said Dorothy Adams. “I like it better than the ones where we romp so hard.”
“It’s sure lots of fun,” agreed King. “But it’s just like a party. Jinks Club never was like a party before.”
“I don’t care what it’s like, if you all have a good time,” said Delight, who had been afraid the “Jinksies” wouldn’t have a good time at her house, where romping was not allowed.
“We’re having a beautiful time,” Marjorie said, as she squeezed Delight’s arm.
Then Miss Hart began the game.
“I will tell a story,” she said, “and when I pause, King, who sits next to me, will turn over one of his papers and read the word on it. Then I’ll go on, and when I pause again, Dorothy, who sits next, will turn over one of her papers and read it out. And so on, round the circle. Each one of you be ready in turn, please, so as not to delay the thrilling tale. Now we’ll start. Once upon a time a gentleman was walking down a crowded city street, when he suddenly saw a——”
“Giraffe,” said King, who had his paper all ready to read.
“ ‘What a strange thing!’ exclaimed the gentleman. ‘But I will lead it away from here lest it scare somebody.’ So he persuaded the giraffe to go with him, and, stopping at a shop, he bought a——”