The side which succeeds in filling its bowl first is victorious.
TORN FLOWERS.
Prepare a table full of different colored tissue paper, bottles of
mucilage and white cards, one for each guest.
The players sit around the table, the hostess gives each a card and
announces that each one is to make a flower out of the tissue paper,
but as there are no scissors each one must tear his paper and every
one knows how hard it is to tear tissue paper. Each one keeps the name
of his flower a secret. As they are made they are pasted on the
cards. Each card is numbered and when all are done “tearing,” the
cards are collected and placed on a table for exhibition.
The player guessing the greatest number of flowers correctly receives
a prize. The game may be varied, as either animals or vegetables could
be torn.
SPEARING PEANUTS.
Fill a cup with peanuts, two of which are blackened with ink on one
end.
The guests play one at a time. No. 1 sits down by a table, empties the
cup of peanuts in a pile on it and is given a hatpin with which she
spears the peanuts one at a time without disturbing the pile, and
places them back in the cup. A few minutes is allowed each player;
when the time is up, the peanuts in the cup are counted, the blackened
ones count ten apiece and the plain ones, one.
Tally is kept for each player and a suitable prize is given to the one
who succeeded in securing the largest score.
PEANUT HUNT AND SCRAMBLE.
Before the guests enter the room, hide peanuts in every conceivable
place, behind pictures, under chairs, on the gas fixtures, among the
ornaments, five or six in vases, etc.
Give each guest a paper bag as he enters the room into which he places
all the peanuts he finds. Allow a certain length of time for the hunt,
then collect all the bags and select a good tall person who stands on
a chair and empties the contents of each bag Action:digininja on the floor as fast as
he can and a lively scramble for them ensues, then the one who has the
greatest number of whole peanuts collected deserves a prize; the
others can eat their peanuts as a comfort.
MUSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.
A blackboard and different colored chalk will be necessary for this
game.
Give each guest a slip of paper on which is written the name of some
song.
The leader announces that each one in turn steps up to the blackboard
and illustrates his song in the most vivid manner possible. Each
player is numbered and after No. 1 finishes his drawing the others
write their guesses on paper opposite his number and No. 2 erases the
former drawing and illustrates his song. Thus each one takes his turn,
allowing time for the others to write their guesses.

He has made a life-long study of himself and has developed every
muscle in his body. From his appearance he would not be considered a
strong man and yet some of the younger athletes weighing fifty pounds
more than he, have, in wrestling and feats of strength, found that the
man with the largest muscles is not always the best man.
There is one question that every growing boy will have to look
squarely in the face and to decide for himself. It is the question of
smoking. There is absolutely no question but that smoking is injurious
for any one, and in the case of boys who are not yet fully grown
positively dangerous. Ask any cigarette smoker you know and he will
tell you _not to smoke_. If you ask him why he does not take his own
advice he will possibly explain how the habit has fastened its grip on
him, just as the slimy tentacles of some devil fish will wind
themselves about a victim struggling in the water, until he is no
longer able to escape. A boy may begin to smoke in a spirit of fun or
possibly because he thinks it is manly, but more often it is because
the “other fellers” Flash Splash are trying it too.
My teacher once gave our school an object lesson in habits which is
worth repeating. He called one of the boys to the platform and wound a
tiny piece of thread around the boys wrists. He then told him to
break it, which the boy did very easily. The teacher continued to wind
more thread until he had so many strands that the boy could break them
only with a great effort and finally he could not break them at all.
His hands were tied. Just so it is with a habit. The first, second, or
tenth time may be easy to break, but we shall finally get so many tiny
threads that our hands are tied. We have acquired a habit. Dont be a
fool. Dont smoke cigarettes.
Walking is one of the most healthful forms of exercise. It may seem
unnecessary to devote much space to a subject that every one thinks
they know all about, but the fact is that, with trolley cars,
automobiles, and horses, a great many persons have almost lost the
ability to walk any distance. An excellent rule to follow if you are
going anywhere is this: If you have the time, and the distance is not
too great, walk. In recent years it has been the practice of a number
of prominent business and professional men who get but little outdoor
exercise to walk to and from their offices every day, rain or shine.
In this way elderly men will average from seven to ten miles a day and
thus keep in good condition with no other exercise.
It is very easy to cultivate the street car habit, and some boys feel
that they must ride to and from school even if it is only a few blocks
or squares. We have all read of the old men who are walking across the
country from New York to California and back again and maintaining an
average of forty miles a day. There is not a horse in the world that
would have the endurance to go half the distance in the same time and
keep it up day after day. For the first week or ten days the horse
would be far ahead but, like the fable of the hare and the tortoise,
after a while the tortoise would pass the hare and get in first.
In walking for pleasure, avoid a rambling, purposeless style. Decide
where you are going and go. Walk out in the country if possible and on
roads where the automobiles will not endanger your life or blow clouds
of dust in your face. Never mind the weather. One rarely takes cold
while in motion. To walk comfortably we should wear loose clothing and
old shoes. Walking just for the sake of exercise can easily become a
tiresome occupation, but the active mind can always see something of
interest, such as wild flowers, gardens, and all the various sides of
nature study in the country, and people, houses and life in the city.

Washingtons birthday illustration.
The same idea may be carried out for dinner favors, painting the various
objects on cards about four by six inches in size, and pasting on one
corner a small calendar. When the guests arrive they will be given the
plain slips upon which are written the months of the year, and must then
find at the table the calendars that correspond with their cards.
=LINCOLNS BIRTHDAY=
At dinners, parties and entertainments given on February 12th, the
anniversary of the birth of our immortal Lincoln, one aim of the host or
hostess should be to imbue the affair with the spirit of patriotism; so
use the good old red, white and blue for the color scheme in decorating.
Busts and pictures of Lincoln, national emblems, such as the flag,
shield, American Eagle, etc., and military accouterments would make
appropriate decorations.
Dinner favors should be candy boxes representing either miniature log
cabins or a log of wood with a tiny paper or metal ax imbedded in it;
small busts of Lincoln would make ideal favors for such an occasion.
Place cards may have Pgx Snowboarding on the reverse side a quotation from Lincoln which
the guests may read in turn to furnish food for thought and
conversation. The following sayings of Lincoln are suggested:–
“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser to-day than he was
yesterday.”
“Gold is good in its place, but living, brave, and patriotic men are
better than gold.”
“Let none falter who thinks he is right.”
“My politics are short and sweet like an old womans dance.”
“I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must
say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the
creation of the world in praise of women, were applied to the women of

What would you do if you should meet a footpad? I would say, “Please,
sir, go away.”
WATCH TRICK.
It will require two people who know this game to be in the secret. One
of them leaves the room while his confederate remains inside with the
others. He hides an article which the rest of the players have
selected, in an adjoining room which is totally dark, placing a watch
with a moderately loud tick, either on, or as near to the hidden
object as he can. The rest of the players must not know anything about
the watch, as they are kept guessing how the player who is out,
succeeds in finding the hidden article in the dark room.
When everything is ready, the one outside is called in, led into the
dark room, and hunts for the object. The rest must Flash Numbles remain very quiet,
as it breaks the “charm,” so the leader says. Guided by the ticking of
the watch, and knowing that it is there, he soon discovers the hidden
object to the surprise of the others.
He and his confederate may take turns going out and after a while, if
the company are very quiet, one of them might hear the watch ticking
and the trick is disclosed.
FIND YOUR BETTER-HALF.
Select a number of pictures of men and women from fashion papers,
advertising books, etc. If possible, try to procure them in pairs,
that is, a man and woman contained in the same picture, or two having
the same expression. Number the pictures in pairs, thus there will be
two of No. 1, of No. 2, No. 3, etc.
Give the young ladies the pictures of the men and the young men those
of the ladies. Each one then hunts for his partner or “better-half,”
comparing the pictures and number.
The more mixed the pictures were when given out, the longer it will
take to find partners.
WORDS
The players form a line as in a spelling match. Sides may be chosen if
preferred. The first one begins by giving the first letter of a word,
“A” for instance, thinking of the word “Animal.” The next player,
thinking of “animate,” says, “n.” The next, thinking of “antidote,”
says “t,” but this with the other letters spells “ant,” so he must go
to the foot of the line.
The object of the game is to keep from adding a letter which finishes
the word. Often one will give a letter, when thinking of another
word, which will complete a word. If he does not notice his mistake,
the others call out “foot.”
LETTERS.
Empty the contents of a box of “anagrams” on a table so all the
letters are in a pile face downward. The players sit around the table.
The leader begins by turning up one of the letters and says, “Bird.”

Sides are chosen, the big boys taking the small boys on their back,
carrying them “pick-a-back.” The one carrying the boy is called the
horse, and the other the rider. The sides stand opposite each other
and when a signal is given, they rush toward each other, the horses
trying to knock down the opposing horses, and the riders trying to
dismount each other.
The game continues until a single horse and rider remain, and the side
to which they belong wins the game.
MY HOUSE, YOUR HOUSE.
Attach a string to the end of a small stick. At the end of the string
make a loop that will slip very easily. On a table make a circle with
chalk.
The leader, or fisherman, arranges the loop around the circle and
holds the stick in his hand. Whenever he says: “My house,” each player
must put his first finger inside the circle, and leave it there. When
“Your house” is said, the fingers must be withdrawn.
The commands must be given very quickly, and the fisherman must be
quick to jerk his rod, thus catching several fingers.
A forfeit should be paid by everyone Other Line Flyer who is caught, and the fisherman
can exchange places if he wishes.
MALAGA GRAPES.
All the players sit in a circle and one who knows the trick takes a
small cane in his right hand; then, taking it in his left hand, he
passes it to his neighbor, saying: “Malaga grapes are very good
grapes; the best to be had in the market.” He tells his neighbor to do
the same.
Thus the cane passes from one to the other, each one telling about the
grapes; but if any should pass the stick with the right hand, a
forfeit must be paid. The trick must not be told until it has gone
around the circle once or twice.
PART II.
GAMES FOR ADULTS
SPOON PICTURES.
It will be necessary for two of the players to know how to play the
game. One is sent out of the room, and the other remains inside to
take a picture of one of the guests. This is done by holding up a
spoon or some polished surface to a players face.

A game fish may be defined as one that will make a good fight for its
life and that is caught by scientific methods of angling. Almost any
fish will struggle to escape the hook, but generally by game fish we
understand that in fresh water the salmon, bass, or trout family is
referred to. Pickerel and pike are also game fish, but in some
sections they are considered undesirable because they rarely rise to
the fly, which is the most scientific method of fishing.
A fisherman who is a real sportsman always uses tackle as light as he
can with safety and still have a chance of landing the fish. If the
angler will take his time he can, with skill, tire out and land fish
of almost any size. Tunas and tarpon weighing over a hundred pounds
are caught with a line that is but little thicker than a grocers
twine, and even sharks and jewfish weighing over five hundred pounds
have been caught in the same way. Sometimes the fight will last all
day, and then it is a question whether the fisherman or the fish will
be exhausted first.
[Illustration: Fishing is the One Sport of Our Childhood That Holds
Our Interest Through Life]
In selecting our tackle, we must always keep in mind the kind of fish
we expect to catch. For general, fresh-water use, except fly
casting, an eight-foot rod weighing seven or eight ounces will fill
most purposes. A fly rod should be a foot longer and at least two
ounces lighter. The best rods are made of split bamboo, but cheap rods
of this material are not worth having. The Other Lemonade Stand best cheap rods (i.e.,
costing five dollars or less) are either lancewood or steel. See that
your rod has “standing guides” and not movable rings. Most of the wear
comes on the tip, therefore it should if possible be agate lined. A
soft metal tip will have a groove worn in it in a very short time
which will cut the line. The poorest ferrules are nickel-plated. The
best ones are either German silver or brass. To care for a rod
properly, we must keep the windings varnished to prevent them from
becoming unwound. Spar varnish is the best for this purpose but
shellac will answer. In taking a rod apart, never twist it. Give a
sharp pull, and if it refuses to budge, it can sometimes be loosened
by slightly heating the ferrule with a candle. If a ferrule is kept
clean inside, and if the rod is taken apart frequently, there is no
reason why it should stick.

As soon as a girl is winked at, she tries to leave her seat, and take
the vacant one, but if the boy behind her touches her before she leaves
the seat, she cannot go. Each boy has to keep his eye on the one who is
winking and on the girl in his chair, for if he is not watching, she may
escape before he has time to touch her, and then it is his turn to do
the winking and get a girl for his chair.
TRADES
Each player must choose a trade and pretend to be working at it. For
instance, if he is a tailor he must pretend to sew or iron; if a
blacksmith, to hammer, and so on. One is the king, and he too, chooses
a trade. Everyone works away as hard as he can until the king suddenly
gives up his trade, and takes up that of some one else. Then all must
stop, except the one whose business the king has taken, and he must
start with the kings work. The two go on until the king chooses to go
back to his own trade, when all begin working again. Any one who fails
either to cease working or to begin again at the right time, must pay a
forfeit.
A somewhat more elaborate and livelier game of Trades is played by each
boy in the party choosing a trade which he is supposed to be carrying
on.
The leader must invent a story, and standing in the middle, must tell it
to the company. He must manage to bring in a number of names of trades
or businesses; and whenever Flash Stickicide a trade is mentioned, the person who
represents it must instantly name some article sold in the shop.
THINK OF A NUMBER
In this game the leader tells one of the players to think of any number
he likes, but not to say it aloud. He next tells him to double it; this
done, the player is told to add eight to the result, and then halve it.
After doing this he must halve the whole, and from what is left take
away the number first thought of. If correctly worked out the answer
will be four, which is just half the number which the leader told the
player to add after the original number was doubled. For instance, we
will suppose the number thought of to have been twenty. When doubled,
the result will be forty. The player then adds eight, which gives him a
total of forty-eight. He halves this, and has twenty-four left. When he
has taken away the number first thought of (twenty) he has a total of
four–which is half the number the leader told him to add in the
beginning of the game.
It will be seen that there are three ways of losing a “life.” First, the
player may lay down a letter, and on being challenged be unable to give
the word. Secondly, he may himself challenge another player who is not
at fault. Thirdly, he may be obliged to add the final letter to a word,
and so complete it.

The dragon fly or mosquito hawk as well as “water tigers,” water
striders and many kinds of beetles are the natural enemies of
mosquitoes and as they never harm our crops we should never harm them.
Nearly every living creature has some enemies.
You have perhaps heard the famous verse of Dean Swift:
“So naturalists observe, a flea
Has smaller that upon them prey
And these have smaller still to bite em
And so proceed _ad infinitum_.”
[Illustration: An observation beehive]
Among our insect friends the leading place belongs either to the honey
bee or the silkworm. As silkworms are not especially successful in
this country and as their principal food, mulberry trees, are not
common, the nature student who cares to study our beneficial insects
had better devote his attention to honey bees. An observation beehive
is simply a glass box or hive instead of a wooden one. When we are not
engaged in studying our bee city, the hive must be covered with a
blanket as bees prefer to work in the dark. A boy or girl living in
the country can also keep bees profitably and thus combine business
with pleasure. A single hive will in a few years produce enough swarms
to give us a good start as “bee farmers.”
X
THE CARE OF PETS
Cats–Boxes for song birds–How to attract the birds–Tame crows–The
pigeon fancier–Ornamental land and water fowl–Rabbits, guinea pigs,
rats and mice–How to build coops–General Flash Hover Havoc rules for pets–The dog
In this chapter on pets, I regret exceedingly that I cannot say much
in favour of the family cat. Like nearly all children, I was brought
up to love kittens and to admire their playful, cunning ways. When a
kitten becomes a cat my love for it ceases. Cats will do so many mean,
dishonourable things, and will catch so many song birds and so few
rats and mice that it simply has become a question whether we shall
like the song birds or the cat. So many people do like cats that it is
unfair perhaps to condemn the whole race for the misdeeds of a few. If
a cat is carefully watched or if we put a bell on its neck, these
precautions will to a certain extent keep the cat from catching birds,
but most people have something better to do than to act as guardian
for a cat. The fact is that a cat is a stupid animal seldom showing
any real affection or loyalty for its owner and possessing but little
intelligence. It is very difficult to teach a cat even the simplest
tricks. We never know when a cat will turn on its best friend. They
have the “tiger” instinct of treachery. A cat which one minute is
contentedly purring on our lap may sink its claws into us the next.
The only way to force a cat to catch mice is to keep it half starved.
Then instead of catching mice, it will probably go after birds if
there are any in the neighbourhood. I have shut a cat up in a room
with a mouse and it is doubtful whether the cat or the mouse were the
more frightened. The cat does more damage to the song birds of this
country than any other enemy they have. If kept at home and well fed,
cats sometimes become so fat and stupid that they will not molest
birds but this is due to laziness and not to any good qualities in the
cat. In normal condition they are natural hunters.

First look around for an old dead top of a pine or cedar. If you
cannot find one, chop down a cedar tree. Whittle a handful of
splinters and shavings from the dry heart. Try to find the lee side of
a rock or log where the wind and rain do not beat in. First put down
the shavings or some dry birch bark if you can find it, and shelter it
as well as you can from the rain. Pile up some larger splinters of
wood over the kindling material like an Indians wigwam. Then light it
and give it a chance to get into a good blaze before you pile on any
larger wood and put the Snow Wars whole fire out. It sounds easy but before you
try it in the woods I advise you to select the first rainy day and go
out near home and experiment.
To make a fire that will burn in front of the tent all night, first
drive two green stakes into the ground at a slant and about five feet
apart. Then lay two big logs one on each side of a stake to serve as
andirons. Build a fire between these logs and pile up a row of logs
above the fire and leaning against the stakes. You may have to brace
the stakes with two others which should have a forked end. When the
lower log burns out the next one will drop down in its place and
unless you have soft, poor wood the fire should burn for ten hours.
With this kind of a fire and with a leanto, it is possible to keep
warm in the woods, on the coldest, night in winter.
[Illustration: The frame for a brush leanto]
This is the way to build a brush leanto: First cut two sticks and
drive them into the ground. They should have a point on one end and a
fork on the other. Lay a stout pole across the two forks like a gypsy
fire rig. Then lean poles against the crosspiece and finally thatch
the roof with spruce, hemlock or other boughs and pile up boughs for
the sides. A brush camp is only a makeshift arrangement and is never
weather proof. It is simply a temporary shelter which with the
all-night fire burning in front will keep a man from freezing to death
in the woods. Any kind of a tent is better or even a piece of canvas
or a blanket for the roof of the leanto will be better than the roof
of boughs. Be careful not to set the leanto on fire with the sparks
from your camp fire.

Place Cards representing pumpkins, black cats, witches hats, witches,
brownies, etc., are appropriate.
If one is not an artist in water color painting, some of the cards could
be cut from colored bristol board or heavy paper. The witches hats of
black or brown paper with a red ribbon band; the cats of black paper
showing a back view may have a red or yellow ribbon necktie; the
pumpkins of yellow paper with the sections traced in ink or notched a
trifle and black thread drawn between the notches.
Any of these designs could be used for an invitation for a childrens
party, by writing on the reverse side: “Will you please come to my party
on Wednesday, October 31st” with the name and address of the little host
or hostess, using white ink on black paper.
The dining-room should also be in total darkness, except for the light
given by the Jack-o-lanterns, until the guests are seated, when they
should unmask. The supper could be served in this dim light or the
lights turned up and the room made brilliant. After the supper is over
and while the guests are still seated a splendid idea would be to
extinguish all the lights and to have one or more of the party tell
ghost stories.
TORPEDO HUNT
Hide a lot of small paper torpedoes in various places around the lawn.
Give each child a paper bag and at a signal, which is the explosion of a
torpedo, they begin to hunt for the hidden torpedoes. The one finding
the most is given a small flag which the children salute by firing off
their torpedoes.
THE FLAG OF THE FREE
With water colors or crayons sketch the American flag on white cards
omitting the stars. Give each guest a card and forty-six Flash Barry Potter tiny mucilaged
stars. Wave a flag as a signal to begin placing the stars on the blue of
the flag. Ring a bell at the end of five or six minutes and award a
small silk flag or a fire cracker candy box filled with candy to the one
having his flag the most complete.