The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-05
AIDS FOR ENTERTAINERS.
New Games by Which a Hostess May
Be Sure to Please Her
Guests.
Those Involving the Element OF
Chance are Always the
Most Popular.
st,fr Dignity ls Cast Upon the Winds and
General sooiabiitty IL Increased
In Proportion.

written for The HELENA INDEpEND ENT.
rYOW MANY A HOSTESS is SERI-
~ ously puzzled over the amusement
III she shall offer her guests when her
invitations saw neither dancing nor cardss
Unless the affair is to be n crush reception
some provision for pleasure 10 absolutely
necessary, doubly necessary when people
are hidden to hospitality during tho I'M
happy process of paying debts" In the
latter case careful sitting of elements is
impossible, and the hostess brings together
an unassorted number of young and old,
friends and strangers, bores and bored.
To mingle all these people in harmony
there is nothing equal-in the opinion of
such women az Mrs. Sherwood-to a jolly
game which contains a decided spice of
chance. Most of the new and popular
games now on the market have connected
with their framework a modified roulette
wheel.
This wicked little spinner is, however, 80
games like Nellie bly,. Worlds Fair, Penny
Post. etc, that the hostess would not
dream of calling than gambling games
Silly games most of them, but they are
intended only to make people throw away
their dignity and enter into the spirit of the
sport. All these games entail the giving OF
prizes; prizes in all shapes, sizes and de-
grees of magniicence, limited only by the
po%cketbook of the host. What the prizes
shall be must be left to the good taste OF
the Rivers. Mrs. Sherwood says they should
not be too expensive.
A game which is selling rapidly is Ring-a-
Peg, an Improvement of Iiddledewinks.
On a circular board are a number of little
pegs. Rings of bone are to be snapped over
these by small squares of oelIuloid. The
game is 200 points. A ring snapped upon
the outer circle of pegs counts i've, second
circle ten. central peg fifty, etc.
II ia useless to turn your back upon a
game like this with q furtive effort to save
your dignity. When statesmen have gone
wild over pigs in the Clover" and politi-
clans have brooded hopelessly over the
"Spider and the Fly" ordinary people had
better suocumb to their instincts and 60 in
to win.
The Worlds Fair" is new and quite edi-
flying in the amount of information it con-
veys. II is played upon u bird's-eye view
of the exposition grounds. where every
building is faithfully reproduced and whore
routes are laid out from one to the other.
Upon these stopping places are marked.
and the counters are moved over the num-
Der of them shown by the spinning indica-
tor. In front OF each building ia printed
the word ENTER" and here the traveller
must lose one turn. Should one of the
players be forced to move to the spot al
ready occupied by another player he is
seized and placed in the house of deten-
tion,' where he must lose d turn at the
wheel. After touring the grounds the first
man out by the gate marked exit wins
the game and the prize, and a comforting
his own merits at all. There is also the
penny postman," a hurrying leaden figure
who starts and stops with the indicator.
Somehow, this system reminds ne of
Sammy's.
Instead of counters the players use tiny
postal cards addressed to any number on
the cross streets of the postman's beat. But
the postal system is decidedly faulty con-
corning it's delivery. for if the postman
isn't fortunate enough to be stopped at his
number he is forced to wander back and
forth upon the street until some lucky turn
brings him exactly to his destination. The
first player who disposes of his five ~postals,
which are his share, of course wins the
prize.
Still another game, which differs mater
tally from the other two only in being per-
pendicular instead of horizontal. is the
''princess in the tower" she is a be-
leapuered damsel at a window, guarded on
the next story by two warriors, whose dag
gers cover one of the pegs by which aspir-
ing knights on the ground floor are to climb
to her relief. If the all powerful indicator
brings a knight to this particular peg,
down he must 90 and begin again. If the
number of his upward steps take him safely
by the dagger before he pauses, the maiden
and the prize are his-if he can reach them
ahead of his rivals climbing up on the other
side of the board.
A somewhat livelier game which has to dc
with Wall street is Bulls and Bears"
Upon tho board is u large circle and
around it are the names of ~favorite stocks
Erie, Lake Shore, corn and wheat. Now
the players choose a BANKER. who divides
the money among the others. reserving halt
as price of the contracts. Each player puts
his contract on the red or blue section OF
the stock in which he chooses to speculate
The red half indicates rise" the blue
''falI'' in stock. Each speculator spins the
star and makes q gain when the word OF
the point of the star is the same as that OF
the section containing his contract and {
loss when the words are different, and ht
must pay the banker. Thus, if tho stal
point ~''fall,' as fall b, rests upon a section
of Lake Shore, the Spectator in the stool
paws the banker $500. AS soon as n playcI
is unable to pay his losses he drops out O!
the game and a settlement may be effected
This is done in a very business like fashion
and the winner is called the king of tht
bulls and bears.
There are dozens of such games rs these
for sale, but they are ali on the one prin-
ciple of chance.
ACROSS the Continent" and "Nellie Bly,
do not differ greatly from tho World
Fair"
"Corkette' is like Ring IL Peg" exoep'
that the snappers strike a cork. on the to,
of which is a little ball. II the ball an6
cork fall in a certain direction somethin.
ia added to or taken from the score of tn,
PLAYERS. The game requires a good dea
of manual skill and will be played thi'
winter.
.,Shutfiette' is n progressive game played
usually by five or six tables. Upon a larR'
round board is marked five circles which
are divided into sections by radiatins
lines.
In the first circle ia so. In alternating
spaces of the next is %; in the next Is
then 10 and last B.
If a disk is mapped upon a space i,
which 10 marked a number, the player add
that to his score. If "a disk IS knocked
from a number the player adds the amour
to HIS score, and it Ia taken from the scor,
of his opponent.
PLAYERS failing to score place a red sta
on the tally; players scoring. Il blue one
md thus the winner OF progressive shut
fette is determined.
Lotto and letters are being revived thi
winter.
The strange fascinating games Of plan