Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-18
CHRISTMAS EVE NJ

Merry Entertainment for = Holiday
Party of Young People.
A very amusing game Is the woodseller,
and 1t is capable of several variations in
GLIDING the 'ever-popular forfeits. Any
number Of persons may join In the game.
The person who starts the game writes
the name Of some kin Of wood on q paper,
and folds the paper so that no one can see
the word written upon It. He then goes
around, an the rest OF the players being
seated, and says:
Il have a load of wood to SELL"
Each person in turn asks:
What kindT"
The answer is:
Find out"
Then the person mentions one kind, and
( it happens to be the wrong one, the wood
,eller goes to the next, and so on, until 1t
8 finally guessed right. When the right
one is named the one naming II becomes
woodselrer.
All who make mistakes must pay q for
felt, to be redeemed at the end Of the game.
Those who name a wood twice pay. The
list OF woods is a long one, but the best
known ones are the very ones that the play
ers are most apt to overlook In naming them.
A clever person can make much fun by the
manner Of calling out his wares and another
by witty rejoinders.
Definitions 10 another interesting round
game suitable for young folks, and their eld-
ers need not disdain to Join in. The leader
gives to each a slip of paper, on which he
or she writes the word given to define. and
the definition OF 1t according to the idea of
the writer.
Each player in turn has the right to give
a word and all these words are written down
hef0ra thu deHphtioua ara vrtffau Thu nh.
tect is to allow each one liberty in defining
q word to be epigrammatic, poetioal. ideal or
imaginative.
In one game the word wind" was de-
fned as rude boreas-blustering ~roarer,"
1.-The fan Of nature" "a bellows that stirs
up great flies" and "the sailors friend and
enemy" the champion kisser," etc. A pen
was defined as "a loss to one goose and no
gain to another" 1.-THE servant of thought
1.-The cause of many a lawsuit"
There Is no limit to the wise and witty
and foolish things one may ind in these
definitions.
When they are all written and each slip
signed they are folded and put In a vase
and the best reader Is chosen to read them.
The best ones entitle the writer to q prize.
After a game Of this kind, which requires
concentrated thought, Q more lively one
may be played. A good one for this pur-
pose Is where the company present tries TO
keep a feather In the air. For this game
u: requires a small, light feather, preferably
white. All present sit In a circle. One
blows the feather up into the air, and 1t 10
the duty of each to try to keep Vt from fall
ing and resting anywhere. 1t Is not easy
to do this. as the most of the blowers begin
to laugh. The one who let's It fall must
pay a forfeit and any one on whom it falls
must also pay a forfeit.
The Game of Telegram.
Have you ever played "telegrams?"
1t Is a game for a crowd Of young or old,
or both. Not a very deep or intricate game,
nor yet a particularly elevating one. but,
nevertheless. full Of jolly. mirth- provoking
qualities.
To carry out the idea properly slips Of
yellow paper should be handed to each par
ticipant and pencils provided for them.
Each one Is to write thirteen different letters
at the top Of their slip. That Is, any thir.
teen from the alphabetical twenty-six, but
without repetition. For instance, one might
| write:
B. G. X. L, M. T. E. W. c. s. H. o. R.
Another:
A. B. C. D. e. F. G. H. I. J. X. L, M,
and so on.
The siips are then to be passed along to
righthand neighbors. who must make an
understandable telegram OF thirteen words,
using the characters at the top of the slips
handed them. for the first letter Of each
word. To thoroughly illustrate. take the
hrst example given above. Here is a speci-
mon Telegram from it.
Better go Kingston late Monday. Try
express Willie Candy soldier. HOPE orders
rushing
Note the fragmentary sentences, such a.
are generally employed in correspondence OF
this sort. The possibilities for good -humored
fun In the compiling Of kilograms" among
a crowd Of friends are endless. But, Of