The hostess prepares in advance as many slips of paper as there are guests expected, writing upon each the name of some well-known character in history or fiction.

Upon the arrival of her friends, following her greeting of them, she pins one of the bits of paper upon the shoulder or back of each. The wearer does not know what character he or she is supposed to represent, but is expected to guess it from the remarks of the rest, who are careful not to reveal the name.

For example: "The Queen of Hearts" may be complimented upon her housewifely talents and her delicious pastry, and be earnestly asked whether her dishonest servant had reformed as he promised.

"Little Red Riding-Hood" may be condoled with on the tragic death of her grandmother, and warned of the danger of making chance acquaintances on the road; "Henry VIII.," rallied on his fondness for the sex; "Lady Macbeth," ostentatiously shunned on account of her "shady past"; "Goliath," advised to "pitch into a man of his size and not bully a little fellow"; and when a pretty girl once asked "Columbus" archly whether he thought that "we were worth discovering," the answer was a foregone conclusion.

SHOUTING PROVERBS

One person leaves the room and the rest decide upon some proverb which he is to guess.

The words are appointed among the players, one word to each in succession. If there are more players than words in the proverb selected, two or more may say the same word.

At the reappearance of the banished person, all shout at once in a loud voice the words which have been given

them to say, and he must endeavour to catch the sounds, disentangle them from the combination and tell what the proverb is. If incorrect or unable to guess it, he must go out again, or, if successful, the one who furnished the clue must take his place.

CHARACTER GUESSES

One of the company leaves the room while the others decide upon some well-known person in history or fiction, living or dead, whose name is composed of the same number of letters as there are players present.

The letters of this name are divided among the company, each of whom must select another familiar character whose name begins with the letter assigned to him, whom he is to represent. The absent player is then recalled, and proceeds to question the others in turn, to discover the character whom each impersonates and so get the letters composing the name originally chosen.

It should be decided at the outset which of two ways the game should be played. Some persons think it more enjoyable if the questions are put so that only "yes," "no," and "I don't know" may be answered.

Others prefer to play it so that the ingenuity of the questioner may be taxed, and those who answer have opportunity for wit and clever evasion, and afford more amusement to the rest of the company.

For example: We may suppose that there are six players who have chosen "Darwin"-the letters of whose name they divide among themselves. The first player to whose lot falls the "D" takes Diana, the second Adam, the third Roosevelt, the fourth Walt Whitman, the fifth Iphigenia, and the last Nydia.

The questioner asks the first player, "Do you belong to history or fiction?" Answer-"In a measure to

both." "Are you man or woman?" "Neither; but I partake of the nature of woman." "Are you living or dead?" "I never lived nor died," etc., etc.

When by these investigations the questioner has secured three or four letters of the main word, he can usually make a pretty good guess at the name selected by the company, and the person who has given him the best clue or has confirmed his dawning suspicion of the truth must at his instigation take the place as questioner.

In selecting a character about which one will be individually questioned, it goes without saying that a reasonable amount of information in regard to him or her is a desirable qualification for its choice. The selection may be adapted to literary or artistic tastes by confining the choice of characters to authors or artists.

ALPHABET

From a box of anagram cardboard letters twenty are dealt to each player, which are turned face downward on the table before him.

Beginning at the left of the dealer, the first player turns up a letter so that all can see it and calls for a quotation from some standard poet, or an epigrammatic saying from some well-known author, beginning with the letter turned. As soon as the letter is exposed, the person appointed to be timekeeper either slowly counts thirty aloud or keeps his eyes on his watch, calling out "Time" when the half-minute has elapsed. If in that interval no one has answered, the drawer of the letter may then give a quotation himself and retain the letter -or, if all fail to respond, it is laid aside to be given to the one who next wins a letter.

If some one makes a quotation that is unfamiliar to all

present, he may be challenged to give the author. unable to do this, the letter is thrown out.

If

The same quotation may not be given twice. When X or Z is turned it may be added to the winnings of the player who drew it, without requiring him to give a quotation. The present generation is not so well versed in poetry as the preceding one; hence this is one of the games in which the elders may find entertainment.

UP JENKINS

There are few merrier games than this, and no selfrespecting book of games would omit it, lest any reader should happen not to know it and so miss the fine flavour of its fun.

"Up Jenkins" is most enjoyable when played by eight or more people, and its only requirement is a silver quarter.

The company seats itself at a table, the opponents facing each other. All the hands of the side which has the coin are held under the table until the person acting as captain of the opposite side gives the order "Up Jenkins!" when all hands tightly closed are held up high above the table. At the captain's order, "Down Jenkins," all hands are brought down simultaneously on the table palms downward, as much noise as possible being made so as to drown the clink of the coin. Care must be taken to obey only the command "up" or "down Jenkins"-nothing else and to obey no one but the person acting then as captain (each person takes that position in turn), otherwise the coin has to be forfeited to the other side.

The captain looks at the hands before him and orders

each hand in turn off the table that he has decided has not got the coin under it.

If the coin is discovered to be in the hand last ordered off the table, the coin goes to the side of the captain who guessed correctly, but if he guesses incorrectly, and the coin is under one of the hands that he has ordered off, the side holding the piece of money keeps it again, adding to its score the number of hands still remaining on the table that were not ordered off.

A time-limit is the only way to end this game.

ALLITERATION

As

This is a memory-exercise. The leader begins by repeating the first sentence, which is said by each player in turn. The leader in every case adds the new line, copied by the other players in succession. Any one making a mistake or omission drops out of the contest. the ranks grow thinner, the players are required to repeat the sentences more rapidly, and no time for hesitation allowed. The one who makes no mistakes is entitled to a prize.

The sentences are as follows:

1. One old ox opening oysters.

2. Two toads teetotally trying to trot to Trixburg. 3. Three tony tigers taking tea.

4. Four fishermen fishing for frogs.

5. Five fantastic Frenchmen fanning five fainting females.

6. Six slippery snakes sliding slowly southward. 7. Seven Severn salmon swallowing several shrimps. 8. Eight egotistical Englishmen eating enormously. 9. Nine nautical Norwegians nearing neighbouring Norway.

10. Ten tiny, toddling tots trying to train their tongues to trill.