According to the number of the party, one person may be invested with the name of the horse, another may represent the pigs, a third the fowls, and the fourth the ducks, or several may be grouped together under these heads. Place the names in a bag, and let the company draw for their names. Then place the Farmer's wife on one side, where she is to appear in the act of churning, which she is not to leave off, and the cat is to be near her. Next to her stands the Farmer's daughter feeding the fowls from her apron, and calling "Chick, chick, chick, coo-biddy, coo-biddy," as long as the game goes on. On the other side, in a row, place the THE FARM YARD. cart horse, the cow, the pig, the ducks, and the donkey. If there are several horses, several cows, several pigs, &c., arrange them in distinct groups. The horses and donkey are to neigh, the cows to low, the pigs to grunt, the ducks to quack, the fowls to cackle, and one of them to crow, the cat to mew, and the dog to bark, without ceasing. Meanwhile the Farmer pushes a chair before him, up and down the room, between the rest of the players, imitating ploughing, and saying; "Gee oh! Dobbin Wey oh! Robin," to his horses. The dog is to follow at his heels, and the Farmer's son to precede him smacking his whip. The noise and the merriment caused by this game are equally delightful to children, and-which is a matter not to be despised-very beneficial to health. - There is also another and less noisy way of playing The Farm Yard, similar to the game of The Family Coach. Every one of the party takes a character; if there are more than sufficient to personate one horse, one cow, one pig, one cock, one hen, &c., distinguish them as one of the horses-the other horse; the colt; one of the cows- -the other cow; the calf; one of the pigs-the other pig-the little pigs; the henthe other hens-the chickens. One of the party consents to become spokesman or spokeswoman, and must invent a little story for the occasion. When the Farmer's wife is named, she must jump up and drop a bob curtsey. The Farmer's daughter, when called upon, must jump up and imitate whatever action she is represented as accomplishing. The Farmer when called upon must jump up and pull the lock of hair over his forehead, and the duty of the Farmer's son is THE FARM YARD. to crack his whip. Each of them, when named, must crow, or bark, or neigh, or low, or quack, or cackle, or mew, according to the character assumed. Such a little narrative as the following may be improvised (leaving out all allusion to any characters not personated): "Down in our part of the country, and a very good part it is too, not its equal in all England for producing crops, and there is not better farming in all the world than you'll see there, nor finer heads of cattle, though I say it as should not, being a farmer myself. Well, as I was saying, down in our part of the country, there's Farmer Wollams, as honest a man as ever I knew.. Well! Farmer, he was raising cows, when one of his beasts showed signs of the cattle disease. Well! this puts Farmer and his son, and his wife, and for that matter, his daughter too, in a rare fright. And she-that's his daughter-was so upset she almost forgot the chickens, as also the old hen that was sitting on the other hen's eggs into the bargain, only the cock took to crowing, of course, and flew at the dog out of spite and anger. So the dog ran for refuge into the kitchen, which made the cat set up her back. The Farmer's son happening to be at dinner, for it was about twelve o'clock at noon, drove out the dog, and the Farmer's daughter thought of the fowls. Well she, that's the Farmer's wife, was ironing in the back kitchen, when she, that's the Farmer's daughter, run home again, and, said: "Oh mother!' says she, 'the pigs is all among the peonies in the garden, for somebody's left the gate open.' 81 G THE FARM YARD. "Well! the Farmer's wife, she dropped the iron red hot, as it was, on the cat's tail, and out she ran, calling the dog to drive away the pig. But by this time the other pig was in the garden munching the tips, and all the little pigs were busy grubbing up the lavender bed. "Lor'a mussy, Farmer's wife. who's left the gate open?' cried the 'It must be the Farmer's son.' “Oh, look, mother!' cried the Farmer's daughter, ‘if there ain't the calf in among the laurel bushes!' 666 Lor'a mussy! we'll have the old cow and the other cow, and both the horses, and the colt, and maybe the donkey too, in here afore long, let alone the pigs.' "Mother!' cried the Farmer's daughter, I won't let alone the pigs; call the dog to turn 'em out.' "As I was a saying,' persisted the Farmer's wife, ‘we'll have the old cow and the other cow, and all the horses, and the colt, and maybe the donkey, in here too, let alone the pigs, and they'll make ducks and drakes of the place; and all through that lazy fellow the Farmer's son leaving the gate open.' "By this time the Farmer's daughter had called the dog, who set upon the little pigs. So the little pigs began to tear about half mad, and the old pig and the other pig scampered grunting after them, and the cock hearing the noise began crowing, and the hens applauded him as well as they could by flapping their wings. The calf, however, refused to stir till the Farmer's son came to the rescue and drove him out, the cat adding to the disturbance by mewing over her burnt tail, which she was trying to cure by rolling on the grass-plot. |