The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-10
Amusements to Take the Place Of
Gay and Frivolous Parties
and Balls. !
Ready Wit Soon Acquired by the
Active Employment of
the Brain.
The "story Play"-The "secrctary"-The
"TrayelIer's Tonr"-"Frefercnces'--The
"Blind Abbot"-Eortune Telling.

Written for TIE HELENA INDEPENDENTLY
Certainlv there ia no amusement Tor a
town or country house whore the people
lille to stay at home 80 perfectly innocent
and amusing as the games which require a
little brain.
It is a delightful feature of our modern
civilization that books are cheap and mat
the poets are read by everybody. Ihat
would be a barren house where we did not
fnd Scott. Byron, Goldsmith, Longfellow,
I'ennyson. Browning, Bret Hsrte ana Jean
1ngelow.
Therefore. there would be little emnar-
r.ssment if we ask tho members of the
circle around the evening lamp to write a
parody on Evangeline, Lady Glare Vere de
vara or the Heather Chinee. This result is
amusing.
Among games requiring memory n at
~tention we may mention Gross Purposes
.'Ths Horned Ambassador" II love my
love with an A. the Game OF the hing
(arithmetical>, The Deaf Man. 1.-The
Goose's History sStory Play" which eon-
sists in putting 4 word into a narrative 50
cleyerlv that it will not readily be guessed
although several may tell different starles
with the word repeated. The beat way TO
play this is to have some word which Is nov
the word, like ''aInbassauor" (f the word
30 banana for instancel, SO ~ thus w.
beating "ambassador'' the listener may be
bafled. Tie Dutch Concait, My Lays
Toilette. "scheLe eazade's kansom" are
also very good.
This last deserves 4 description. Three
Of tbs company sustain the parts Of the
.rI4,x, +b, yiris ANIL thaH rriNpRSa. The
sultan takes his seat at the end 81 the room
and the vizler then leads the princess before
him with her hands bound behind her. The
yjzier then makes an Hbsutd proclamation
that the princess having exhausted ;l her
stories is about to be punished unless 4
sufficient ransom be Offered. All the est OF
the company then advance in turn ana pro
pose enigmas which must be solved by the
sultan or vizieT, sing the first versa OF a
song, to which the yizier must answe. with
this second verse or reclte any We'll known
piece Of poetry in alternate lines with the
vizler. E'arfeits must be paid either by the
company when successfully encountered by
the sultan and vlzier, or by the vlzler
when unable to respond to HIS OPP
ponents, and the game goes on till
the forfeits amount to any speci-
fed number on either side. Should tho
company be victorious and obtain the
greatest number of ~forfeits the princess ia
released ana GhP vlzler has to execute all
the penalties that may be imposed upon
him.
If 0 sherwise, tho princess is led to exeeu-
ton. For this pnrnose she is then seated
on a low stool. The penalties for the for
feits, which should be previously prepared
are written on slips Of paper and put in /
basket, which she holds il nor hands and
behind her. The owners Of the %forfeits ad
vance and draw each q slip Of paper. A
each person comes forward the princes;
guesses who it is, and. if right, the person
must pay an additional forfeit. the penalty
for which is to be oxacted by the princes:
herself. When all the penalties have beer
distributed the hands and eyes Of the prin-
cess are released, and she then superintends
the execution of the various puniahments
that have been allotted to the company.