English grammar or punctuation, as explained previously; spelling, the teacher announcing the word for each relay as they leave their seats; authors, each pupil to write the name of an author belonging to a certain period or country; each pupil to write the name of some poem, play, story, essay, or book by an author whose name is given at the outset of the game; or the names of characters from a given literary work or author; or the next line or passage from a memorized selection.
Geography.—The names of mountain ranges, rivers, capital cities, boundaries, products.
History.—The names (related to a given period if desired) of famous men—statesmen, military men, writers, artists, musicians; of battles, discoveries, etc.
BLACK TOM
10 to 30 or more players.
Playground; gymnasium.
Two parallel lines are drawn on the ground with a space of from thirty to fifty feet between them. All of the players except one stand beyond one of these lines. In the middle territory between the lines the one player who is chosen to be It takes his place, and cries "Black Tom! Black Tom! Black Tom!" repeating the words three times as here given; whereupon the other players must all rush across to the opposite line, being chased by the center player, who catches any that he may. Any one so caught joins him thereafter in chasing the others.
The particular characteristic of this game lies in the fact that the center player, instead of saying "Black Tom," may trick or tantalize the runners by crying out "Yellow Tom," or "Blue Tom," or "Red Tom," or anything else that he chooses. Any player who starts to run upon such a false alarm is considered captive and must join the players in the center. This is also true for any player who starts before the third repetition of "Black Tom."
Another way of giving a false alarm is for any one of the center players except the original It to give the signal for running. Any runner starting in response to such a signal from any of the chasers, except the original It, thereby becomes captive and must join the players in the center.
The first one to be caught is center player, or It, for the next game.