Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-12-05
SOME HOME oAMIs AND row TO
d Az THEM

co sS o.issd bs.ssssI faaS Hsiss.
SOME NOME GAMES AND HOW TO
PLAY THEM.
The long evenings are With 40, and
now u the time when the home circie
and friends draw up their chair: and
sxpect 10 be amused. Books will not
always satisfy every member OF . fam
ilv; some Of them must Be- up and doing,
and Il generally ends In all Joining IN
for some good game. AZ . chiIdreut
party there 10 also call for games, and
: supply ID needed TO cult the various
llttle fancies and whlms, the prevalent
desire for change, and to meet the ex.
clamation, "Lets play something else"
TOO often the little folks are mixed up
n to the different games, and tho dig
folks can seldom help them out; 90 one
says one thing and one another, with .
result not always succcssful.
The games am going 70 tell you
about land some OF you may know
them) REQUIRE no preparation, with the
exception Of one. Memorize them, and
you win be popular wherever you 70,
whether you live In snowy Canada, and
your nelghbors gather from miles
around, ut some popular house, and an
pounce their intention Of staying the
day; or whether you live in Jolly Texas,
where life goes happily and heartily
along or In California among the warm
and true-hearted westerners; or among
the more dlgnined, sedate and evenly
balanced people Of the East; for, mark
my words, n an occasion arises when
amusement ID required, you will notice
that most of those present cit looking
blank. "what shall we playr' ID the
question asked. ''Oh, do think OF
something!" says some one whose
brains have evaporated; and all proceed
to think, and It frequently ends with
thinking, and all 20 away regrettlng
the pleasure switch might have been"n
some Of them had known some good
games.
For "Dumb Crambo" half the party
are sent out Of the room; those remain
Ing select q word, aud (for example) II
ID announced to the banlshed party that
It rhymes with the word ..slate."
Those out must decide on . rhymlng
word, say ''hats" aud come Ia the room,
expressing by pantomime, ~ nearly NJ
they can, what they think the word 10.
II Il IL not the right word those 10 shake
their heads, and the party 60 out again
and decide upon another. They come
10 again, aud point to the "grate." still
Il IA wrong. In they come, patting
their heads for "pate." Again they try,
each with piece Of string and a pin,
making signs for something to put on
their fshlng-lines, meaning "bait. Az
last they walk In with dinner "plate,"
the right word, and those who were 10
20 out, and the game proceeds ~ with
the previous party"
For "IIunting the Whistle" It IL nee
essary to select q good victim, some one
who knows nothing Of the game; IL pos
sible, n pompous or sedate old or young
gentleman or lady, or q bashful young
man. While all cluster around. talking
and laughing, some one With deft fn-
gers must with ssfety-pln fasten to
the back of the mans coat or the
woman's dress, small whistle attached
to a string, so that II will hang. All
the others take their seats, In two rows,
facing, with narrow aisle between, the
hunter starts down the aisle, and some
one SCUM IL the whistle. The one who
Is hunting II turns around to see where
the noise comes from, and by that time
some one on the other line leans forward
and blows the whistle which IL fastened
on the victim. All are pretending to be
passing something, aud the unhappy
hunter Jumps from one to the other,
thinking he has found Il, while sudden
ly Il sounds behind him again. IL IL
immense fun for all but the unfortunate
one. The gentleman helped to play
Il on get hot and cross; and as he was
habltuslly cool and collected, II was
something to see him In that state.
Finally ne declared there was more than
one whistle, and sat down, with u
thump, on chair, to mop his stesming
face. Like rubber ball he jumped up
again, to look ut the chair, and then,
amid shouts of laughter, found the
cause Of all his trouble nicely fastened
behind him.
"Shadow Bur- IL the only game that
requires little preparation. Hang q
white sheet at the end of the room, and
turn out all lights except q candle,
which place on small flve-o'clock table,
at some distance from the sheet. Move
the furniture aside, reservlng q low seat
for the guesser, just In front OF the cur
tain, facing L.; the performers pass
separately back Of the guesser, between
the light aud the sheet, 30 that their
shadows will fall upon 1t. Some one
stalks across the room throwing a
shadow Of very strange bonnet u
newspaper twisted up), and the one
seated In front must try to guess whose
form Is going past. Let some walk
bent over, some llmping, etc.; In fact.
on the spur OF the moment all sorts OF
queer shapes and positions Will be
thought Of. When the right person Is
guessed, he takes the place In front OF
the curtain, and the game goes on
Demorest's Family Magazine.