The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-10-23
PLAYED With Letters.

A new game, which affords a good
deal of amusement to many people and
also imparts considerable instruction to
the young in the formation of words, is
| played in the following manner with the
letters of the alphabet: Half dozen
sets of all the letters of the alphabet is
provided, each letter on a small piece of
pasteboard or wood One player then
gathers all the letters before him on the
table and the other players set around
the table, as at cards. The player who
has all the letters then turns them face
downward and proceeds to deal them
out one by one to the others, beginning
with the player sitting at his right hand
and continuing around the table in or
der.
AS he deals a letter out he turns it's
face up, SO that all may see that it is
m" for instance. The next player goes
on 90" suppose, and he quickly sees
that his letter, joined to the IN re-
ceived by the first player, will form the
word no" He announces that fact and
claims the m" This is surrendered to
him and he forms the word ''no' on the
table in front of him and must leave it
there undisturbed until some other
player gets letter, which added to the
word no. will form some other word.
Suppose, for instance, that the third
letter dealt out is a W. Then the
owner of the "w'' may claim the word
mr. adS J., 10 / ~
now" The fourth letter up may be a
W and the owner of now breathes a
sigh of relief as he thinks he will hold
on to his word, and for little while
anyway, for the now and the ''y''
don't seem to make anything Perhaps
several letters follow, out of which no
combination can be made which will
spell a correct word, until some one gets
an IS" This letter. in connection
with now" will spell ''snow,'' but if the
lucky owner of the 50 is sharp enough,
he will also claim the ''y'' from his other
rival and spell snowy"
The examples given here are simple
Words as they show more clearly to
young minds how the game may be
played easily; but when number of
letters have been dealt out the most
skIllful spoilers may find scope for their
abilities, and many are the combina-
lions which will escape the notice of all
who are gathered around the table, for a
time, until some one discovers them, as
If by accident, and then the wonder will
a +
One player may not claim for another
any letter or letters which have been
worked up into word without taking
that whole word and using it all, though
It's letters may be entirely transposed.
to make a different word The range of
words may wander over half dozen
languages if the players so agree and
then the game become difficult enough
for Boston blue-stocking or college
professor
The winner of the game is the PLAYER
who has the most complete words spread
out on the table in front of him when
the dealer has turned up the last letter
be has in his pile. Long words count no
more than short words, and if two plav-
ers tie" they set to work breaking up
their long words into short ones and this
disposes of the tie nine times out of ten.
For large number of PLAYERS a large
number of letters is. of course, required.
but two people will often play the game
for half an hour before exhausting half
dozen complete alphabets.
Charles E. Johnson. of Union. Mon
roe county. W. Va, has made an assign
ment. His debts are SIS, 900, which his
property will not pay, it is said, even if
it is sold on favorable terms.
1t is stated that Mr.. Thomas R. Bal
lentine. wealthy trucker, has sold his
farm of $50 acres near Norfolk to the
Norfolk and Western Railroad, for $500.
600.