GAME PUZZLE FOR JULY.
Our Game Puzzle for this month will be in the form of a little story. Four children were one bright summer afternoon standing together in an old-fashioned garden. There was Millicent, aged fourteen, upon whom sat a weight of care, for it was her task to look after and amuse the other three, viz., her two brothers Harry and Arthur, aged ten and eight respectively, and little Beatrice, aged five. The children seemed altogether out of sorts, they were cross, petulant, teasing, and would settle to nothing. At last Milly thought of the toys indoors, and said, "Now we will go and have a good game in the nursery."
"No," said Bee, stoutly, "me don't want to do and play wiz dolly to-day. I 'ike ze darden best."
In this fashion answered the others.
Then, said Milly, an idea dawning on her, "shall we try a new game out of doors?"
"A new game out of doors—just the thing," the boys chimed in.
"Let us all stand," said Milly, "together by this bower, and in turn think of some flower. I will begin, and so show you the way. I think of a polyanthus, and I say, 'Who will first touch a poly?' Then I count three, and if any of you can guess the word during that time we shall all start together for the nearest polyanthus, and when we reach it call 'polyanthus.' Who reaches the flower first scores a mark. Do you understand?"
Yes, they all thought that would do, and so they tried it quite successfully. Such shouts of "Fuchsia," "Dahlia," "Geranium," "Snapdragon," &c. &c.; but when it came to Beatrice's turn they thought she wasn't old enough to think of a flower on her own account, and so suggested all kinds of words.
"No, me tell one myself," she said, and then grandly pronounced "Wo."
"What's that?" they all exclaimed, and whilst Bee counted three they all puzzled to find it out.