of the "sailors" immediately thereafter will suggest rough weather and a heavy sea. 2. A bit of paper is pinned to a curtain or portière, and then blindfolding the culprit, he is requested to remove it. 3. One is told to kiss himself or herself-which may be done on the hand or on the reflection in a glass. 4. "Walking Spanish" is an old favourite. A cane or umbrella is given to the person under sentence, which he rests upon the floor, puts both hands upon its top and then rests his forehead upon them. While in this position, he must turn around three times, and then, with head erect, walk straight ahead. 5. A large bottle is placed upon its side. The delinquent is seated upon this, with the heel of his right foot resting upon the ground and the heel of the left foot against the toe of the right. A good-sized needle is then given him, and a thread which he must endeavour to pass through the needle's eye without losing his balance. 6. A boy or girl may be told to lie down at full length on the floor and rise with the arms still folded. 7. A German band is announced as about to give a performance. Three or four of the company are requested to imitate the sound of some musical instrument in concert-to some popular and familiar air. 8. Blindfold a person, and then let each of the company give him a spoonful of water from a glass until he guesses who it is that is feeding him. 9. A favourite sentence for transgressors of the laws of games is the following: Two persons stand at opposite ends of the room, each holding a lighted candle. They advance slowly, and with deep gravity look into each other's faces. When they meet, the following dialogue takes place: "The Princess Hugger-Mugger is dead, defunct and gone." "Can it be possible! Alack and alas!" They then retreat to their starting-points with the same solemnity. The fact that they must not smile makes it very difficult to refrain. 10. The penance of a pilgrimage to Rome is another old favourite. The penitent announces his intention, and, going around to each of the company, begs for something to take on his journey. Every one must give him something-the more cumbersome the better. When he has collected them all, he may be relieved, but not before. 12. The person whose forfeit is called is sent into exilei. e., banished to the part of the room the most remote from the rest of the company, with whom he is forbidden to communicate for five minutes unless he can repeat "Bandy-legged Borachio Mustachio Whiskenfusticus of Bagdad, boldest, bravest of bandits, beat down a bumble-bee at Balsora." A good way to impose the collection of forfeits is to supply every boy with a bag of peanuts or hickory nuts and every girl with one of beans or clothes-pins, each bag containing a like number. When a forfeit is incurred a nut, bean or clothes-pin is given up, and the one who at the end of the game has the most nuts, beans, or pins left is accounted the winner of the game-and perhaps of a prize. This is appropriate for any game like “Yes and No," in which a failure does not impose banishment from the competition. CHAPTER XI Catches and Riddles CATCHES I. A QUESTION OF FOREST LORE O be repeated rapidly: T "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" "If a woodchuck could chuck, a woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood." 2. A Frenchman's report of Hamlet's famous soliloquy~ To be repeated after one hearing. "To was or not to am, To were or is to not, To shall or not to be!" 3. Betty Botta bought some butter. "But," she said, "this butter's bitter, "But a bit o' better butter Will but make my batter better." So she bought a bit o' butter A PERSONAL PUZZLE Put down the year in which you were born, to which add 4, then add the age which your next birthday will make you, provided it comes before January first, otherwise your age at your last birthday. Multiply result by 1,000, and deduct from this 693,423; substitute for the figures, corresponding letters of the alphabet: A, for 1, B for 2, C for 3, D for 4, etc. The result will give the name by which you are popularly known. This arrangement is for the year 1904. For each succeeding year add 1,000 to the amount to be deducted. Thus for 1905 deduct 694,423, for 1906 695,423, and so on. GENERAL SAPT This catch is simply a matter of memory and attention, but it is surprising how few persons are able to follow its directions to a successful issue. Sometimes a dozen persons will make the attempt in turn, and everyone be tripped up on some point omitted. The leader sets the example, and, telling the players to watch carefully that each in turn may do as he has done, he raises his wine-glass held between his thumb and forefinger, saying, “I drink to the health of General Sapt." He takes one sip and sets the glass upon the table with a marked tap of the glass on the wood, strokes his moustache with the right forefinger, then on the opposite side with the forefinger of the left hand, taps the table once with each forefinger, stamps once with each foot, bows once, and rises and reseats himself once. Next, he raises his glass held between thumb and two fingers, exclaiming, "I drink to the health of General Sapt, Sapt," He sips twice from the glass, sets the glass down, tapping the table with it twice, smooths his moustache twice in succession with two fingers of the right hand, then twice with two of the left, taps the table with two fingers of the right hand, then two taps with two of the left. He stamps twice with each foot, bows twice, rises twice from his chair, and then resumes it. This is repeated, doing everything in threes, then in fours. The one who makes no mistake is entitled to applause. ARTISTIC REFLECTIONS Seat a person at a table and place before him a mirror. Give him pencil and paper and request him to draw the following design while looking in the glass: Hold a sheet of paper over his right hand so as to hide it entirely from his sight. It will be found surprisingly difficult to draw the diagonal lines. Another test may be to write his own name while looking in the glass. GEORGE CANNING'S RIDDLE |