The little dart described below is perhaps the tiniest and least formidable of them all; but even this should not be carelessly tossed about the room in which others are playing; when, however, thrown in the open air, and away from others who might be hurt, there is considerable amusement derived from the airy bit of flying wood, which always comes down with such unerring certainty upon its spear-like head. To make this dart, take half a sheet of note-paper, double it diagonally across, so that its top edge may fall evenly upon that of one side (see Fig. 1), and cut off the surplus piece of paper which remains uncovered at the bottom of the page. Open your square, and fold it again in the other diagonal line c, d (the first is represented on Fig. 2, as a, b). Now, opening again, fold upon the line e, f, then, after opening, upon g, h. Crease all the folds as you make them. Now, having prepared your handle, which consists of a piece of wood about 8 inches long and the size of a lead pencil, cut across one end at right angles, with slits nearly or quite an inch in depth; take your paper and open it flat once more. Fold the diagonals so that the four points, a, b, c, d, shall all meet together above x, and the lines ax, bx, cx, and dx shall meet at the central line of the figure, and the four shorter lines, ex, fx, etc., form the outside edges of the figure. Insert a tiny wedge or knife-blade at the bottom of the slits, and press the paper down in the opening, bringing the folded edges through each of the four slits; remove the wedge, and the paper will be firmly held in its place. Insert a needle or headless pin in the other end of the wood, and the dart is ready for use.
—————◀▶—————
THE BALANCING PIN.
This amusing feat I first saw performed in our little district school-house, many years ago.
One morning, while the teacher was busy with his class at the blackboard, one of the boys drew an old clay pipe-stem from his pocket, and producing a small green gooseberry and a pin from some other part of his clothing, gave us boys to understand that he was about to perform some wonderful trick with them. We were of course all attention, and as the teacher’s back remained turned toward us, he proceeded to astonish us with his remarkable feat. He first stuck the pin through the gooseberry, and then let it fall, point downward, into one end of the pipe-stem; then, placing the other end to his mouth, and holding his head thrown well over backward, he blew into the opening, and the gooseberry and pin arose quite clear of the tube, and began dancing and balancing above it in a very funny way. How long it would have continued its gyrations I cannot tell, probably until his breath gave out, but just then a little boy in the front row made some exclamation, and straightway the teacher’s head came around, the pipe-stem, pin, and gooseberry went on a voyage of discovery out of the school-house window, and the boy got a thrashing for his pains. But the feat was often performed by us all after that, and some years later, when a second generation of boys were having over again the tricks and sports their older brothers had outgrown, I saw the same principle applied under more favorable conditions. Instead of the straight pipe-stem, which necessitated throwing the head over backward, to insure its perpendicular position, a tube bent at a right angle near one end was used, and the balancing of the pin could be much more easily watched by the performer. Instead of the gooseberry, a currant, pea, or any light, round fruit can be substituted, and a small glass tube may take the place of the pipe-stem.
—————◀▶—————
A BOX-SLED FOR BABY.
Procure a deep, smooth soap-box, and decide how high you wish the back and front to be; then take a piece of brown paper, the exact size of the sides of the box, and mark on it a curve, which shall unite the high back with the low front. After this has assumed a perfectly satisfactory form, cut it out and tack it on one side of the box. Mark the outline carefully on both side-pieces, and saw the boards as indicated by the line; cut the front straight across, and rasp and sand-paper the edges till they are very smooth and well rounded. Next paint the box inside and out, excepting the bottom, which is to be fastened to the sled, with a thick coat of burnt umber, and give it a good drying. Then with light-blue paint, make a narrow band, one-fourth of an inch wide, entirely around each side, the back, and the front, about half an inch from the edge. Stencil a pretty design on the back, and the name of the little owner on each side; let this thoroughly dry, and finish with two coats of varnish. A little seat can be fitted in the back part if desired, but a pillow answers the purpose much better.
—————◀▶—————