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THE following games are extremely interesting and amusing, and are so simple that they may be easily understood and attempted.

In playing forfeits, it is well for the person demanding the forfeit not to be too extreme in his or her demand.

The Tidy Parlor Maids.

TWO LADIES.

FIRST LADY.-Shal! we dust the drawing-room ornaments, Belinda?
SECOND LADY.-Yes, Lucinda.

[They go round, and, with a feather brush, dust all the gentlemen in the room. If either the maids or the gentlemen laugh, the person so offending must pay a forfeit.]

Botanical Questions.

ALL THE LADIES AND ONE GENTLEMAN.
GENTLEMAN.-How many pretty noses goses
To make a bunch of roses?

The question is asked of each lady, who answers

I suppose two noses

Make a bunch of roses.

These words must be spoken with perfect gravity. Any one laughing is obliged to repeat them until he or she can do so gravely.]

Selling Adonis.

ONE LADY AND ONE GENTLEMAN.

The gentleman must stand on a chair in the centre of the room, while the lady-auctioneer, pointing to him, says: "Adonis for sale!" She must then enumerate all his qualities, charms, and attractions. The company then bid anything they please for him-such as a red-herring, a tea-kettle, a curb-bridle, a magic-lantern, the old grey goose, a lump of sugar, etc. The bidding is to go on till one bids a pound of soft-soap, when the lot is taken to him by the auctioneer. No one is to laugh on pain of paying a forfeit.

The Anxious Mother.

ONE GENTLEMAN AND FIVE LADIES.

A gentleman, in a cap and shawl, is seated with daughters before him, sitting in a row, when he instructs them, by example, how to smile, simper, look bashful, languishing, sing, titter, and laugh. A bright and lively gentleman can make this game a source of great amusement.

Poor Puss.

ALL THE LADIES AND ONE GENTLEMAN.

The gentleman goes round and says to each lady, "Poor Puss," to which she must gravely answer, "Me-ew! Me-ew!" Whoever laughs or smiles must pay The fun lies in the fact that one or more will find it impossible to refrain from laughing.

a forfeit.

Magic Music.

FOUR GENTLEMEN.

They must be seated in a row, and throwing themselves back in their chairs, must all snore in different keys; the Dead March in Saul being played over three times as an accompaniment. Any one who laughs is to be punished at the discretion of the company.

Malle. Potoloski and Her Dancing Bear.

ONE GENTLEMAN AND ONE LADY.

The lady, holding the gentleman by a string or ribbon, makes him dance or perform whatever antics she chooses, he being obliged to obey her orders. Laughing is to be punished by a forfeit.

The Musical Duck.

ONE GENTLEMAN AND One Lady.

The gentleman chooses any lady who can sing, and she is to sing, to any air she pleases, the words "Quack! quack!" using no other words, and singing the air correctly.

Miss Ann and Jane Smith's Tabby Cats.

Two GENTLEMEN AND ALL THE LADIES.

The ladies all remain in their places, and two gentlemen in shawls and bonnets or caps go round, one with a saucer of milk, the other with a teaspoon, with which she gives a sip of milk to each, saying, "Take that, my pretty puss!"' to which, after taking it, "puss" must gravely answer "Mew." Laughter must be severely punished.

The Horrid Man.

ONE GENTLEMAN.

He must go round and pay a bad compliment to every lady in the room, whe is to answer, "You horrid man!" Any one who laughs is to pay a forfeit.

The Rebuff.

A LADY OR GENTLEMAN.

The lady or gentleman go and perform a sneeze to each of the gentlemen, if a lady, and vice versâ. The answer is to be: "I'm not to be sneezed at." No one must laugh under penalty of paying a forfeit. Those who can command their gravity must indeed have a rare control over themselves.

Pat a Cake.

Two GENTLEMEN-LADIES ad lib.

The two gentlemen sit on low stools, patting each other's head. The ladies dance round three times, singing—

Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man,
Make it and bake it as fast as you can;
Make it, and bake, and mark it with B,
The letter for Beauty, then give it to me.

The Tipsy Polka.

The set stand up and dance, the music constantly changing time. player must keep time, and maintain his gravity under penalty of paying a forfeit.

Confidences.

THE WHOLE COMPANY.

This game is an amusing illustration of how a tale gains in telling. A lady must whisper to her next-door neighbor (i. c., the person sitting by her) an account of something which one of the gentlemen present has said or done. The listener repeats it, in a whisper also, to the lady or gentleman seated by her; and thus it is whispered from one to the other all round the room, till it reaches the last person, who repeats it aloud. It will be found, no doubt, that, either through mistake or playful malice, it has gained considerably in its passage round the circle.

Then a gentleman has to do the same, choosing one of the ladies present as the heroine of his tale, and this "confidence" is repeated all around the room tili it reaches the last person, as before. Example of the game:

First Lady whispers "Mr. Smith has just told me that he saw a gentleman this morning smoking a cigar outside an omnibus, who looked just like a gorilla."

Second Lady whispers" Mr. Smith saw a gentleman on an omnibus just like a gorilla, and he was smoking a cigar."

Fourth Gentleman (a little deaf)-"Smith saw a gorilla this morning, as he was smoking a cigar on the omnibus with a gentleman."

Fifth Speaker-"Mr. Smith saw a gorilla on an omnibus this morning. He was smoking a cigar with another gentleman."

Sixth Speaker "Mr. Smith saw the gorilla to-day. It was on an omnibus, Speaker-"Mr. with its keeper, and it was smoking a cigar."

Seventh Speaker-" Smith saw Monsieur de Chaillu this morning with his gorilla on an omnibus. They were both smoking cigars."

Eighth Speaker "Smith saw Mons. de Chaillu this morning on an omnibus ; he had two gorillas with him, who were smoking cigars."

Ninth Speaker-"Smith sat by De Chaillu and his gorilla this morning on the omnibus, and the gorilla actually smoked a cigar with him."

Tenth Speaker-“I have just heard, with much surprise, that Smith travelled on an omnibus this morning with Monsieur de Chaillu and his gorillas, and that Smith gave the monkeys a cigar. The two monkeys smoked as well as Mr. Smith can."

Eleventh Speaker-"Smith went on a 'bus this morning, and by his side were De Chaillu and his gorillas. Smith gave them a cigar, and the two monkeys smoked together."

Twelfth Speaker (repeats aloud)-"I have just heard Smith called a monkey by Miss Brown-since the story comes originally from her. It seems, that she says, that Smith went on an omnibus to-day with Monsieur de Chaillu and the gorilla; that Smith gave the gorilla a cigar and took one himself; and that the two monkeys, i. e., I suppose, Smith and the gorilla, smoked together!"' Mr. Smith bows his thanks. The first lady repeats verbatim her whisper, to the amazement of the circle.

The Divination of the Elements.

AN OLD SCOTCH GAME.

A row of soup-plates is put on the table. One plate holds water, another earth, another air—i. e., it is left empty; in another is a pistol.

Any lady wishing to learn her future fate is taken from the room and blindfolded; the plates are moved and change places meantime. Then she is led to the table and told to put her hand on a plate, whichever she chooses. If she puts her finger in the water, it is a sign that she will marry a sailor, or take long voyages; if she touch the earth, she will be a stay-at-home, or marry a civilian, either a merchant or a professional man; if she touches the empty or air-plate, she will live single, "free as air;" if she touches the pistol, she will marry a soldier.

This funny divination can be adapted to gentlemen by making the water represent a fair and ickle wife or long voyage; the earth, a dark and domestic wife, with a landed inheritance; the air, or empty plate, old bachelorhood; the pistol, a quarrelsome wife, etc.

Another and prettier way of playing this game is by arranging three soupplates on a side table covered with a cloth. In one is clean water; in another dirty water; in the third, earth.

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