The Portland daily press., 1889-08-08

IL is simply fiat ring, about an eighth of
an inch thick, with two hicks on opposite
sides. Such circle can be easily cut out of
apiece of cigar-box wood. As the central
hole need not be cut the making of such a
dusk will not occupy more than ten minutes.
In fact, large penny. nicked with file,
VIII answer every purpose, to begin with.
The strange thing about the ring top Is
that It'll spun with the legs. the hands hav-
Ing very little to do with it,
A piece Of string about yard long has its
opposite ends tied together, and into 1t are
slipped the legs to about the level of the
shoe-tops.
The legs are then kept apart In cats
CRADLE fashion. and the top being placed up
right in the centre, has the string put in
each nick, and it is twisted round and round
until the string will twist no more. The legs
are then pressed apart, the string UNFINISHED.
ana the ring is shot out, and sent rolling
along the floor straight and true for tremen-
douS distances.
The game Il played by two or. more, who
stand at opposite ends of the room, and fir
Ing together, attempts to strike each other ON
the way, the top going farthest before the
collision being the winner of the course.
Kings three or four inches in diameter can
thus be sent trundling at high speeds and
with astonishing accuracy of aim, the essen
tials being that the string should be round
and not cling to the hicks, and the ring
should not be too large to prevent its slip.
ping off readily
OF course they can be shot by the hands
as well as the feet, and anything circular.
duly nicked, such as curtain rings, canister
lids, box tops and toy wheels, can be pressed
into the service, due regard being paid to the
fact that the heavier the material the greater
The m0mpnfnm and fha for ho
straighter 1t will go.
A Novel kaleidoscope.
From dealer in chemists materials you
can buy short piece of common glass tube.
The size is not important, but good size is
piece three-quarters Of an inch in diameter
and six inches long. 1t may be much larger,
II you wish, and should not be any smaller.
Ii the ends are rough or ragged, scatter so me
sand on smooth stone and gently rub the
ends OF the tube in the sand on the stone to
grind them down smooth. Then get piece
OF black cloth and wrap it round the tube
Gut OIL the ragged ends and paste the cloth
to the glass with little mucilage. Then
wrap the tub In thick brown paper to cover
tne cloth, and paste it down smooth
l.. rms Is the kaleidoscope. Make pinhole
In sheet OF paper and hold this over one
and look towards the sky out of the window
through the tube The hole in the paper
Will appear as bright spot in the dark tube.
ana, II it Is the centre, will surrounded BY
three brilliant white rings. All the figures
seen In this kaleidoscope are circular, but
they are quite as pretty as in the most ex-
pensive kind. Hold the tube over some
mowers, bundles Of colored worsteds, etc.,
ana the most charming patterns will be seen
IN II. BY placing two pieces of colored cloth
or paper together in bright light and look
ing at them through the tube, the combi-
nation OF the colors may be studied in great
variety of graceful forms.
=, Inc theory of this kaleidoscope is that
the rays of light entering the open end are
reflected at the side and thrown to the OPP
posite side, only to be reflected again, and
perhaps once more, till they reach the eye.
The eye sees all the reflections at once.
When the paper with the pin-hole is placed
before the tube, or the tube is pointed at the
open sky three rings are seen, because the
rays of light, entering from every direction,
are reflected in all directions and they
appear to be Joined together in circle.