CopiglitNL COPYRIGHT DEPOSm Home Games FOR ( OLD ^ISri:> YOUNG. BY MRS. CAROLINE L. SMITH. iAUNT CARRIE.) BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK: LEE, SHEPARD AND DILLINGHAM. 1873. GrV/¥ Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, Br LEE AND SHEPAED, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Electrotyped at the Boston Stereotype Foundry, No. 19 Spring Lane. CONTENTS. AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE GIRLS. PAGE PAGE Dolls 3 1 Hints for Dressing Small Dolls. 12 Paper Dolls 4 Shoes and Boots. . 13 How to make a Rag Doll. ... 5 Ermine Muff. 14 To make Dancing Dolls. .... 8 Devices with Dolls 15 To make Foreign Dolls 10 [ AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE BOYS. Flower Frames 17 i Hints on raising Eggs and Poul- Boxes 17 try 18 GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. Hand Shadows 24 Paper Shadows on the "Wall. . . 25 Dance, Thumbkin, Dance. ... 26 Flower Dolls 26 Chain of Dandelion Stems. ... 27 Pat a Cake 28 Little Puss went to Market. . . 28 Buy my Geese 29 Card Houses 29 The Feather Dance 30 Melon Seed Birds 30 MUSICAL GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. Twine the Garland, Girls and Boys 31 The Cradle of Love 32 Magical Music 32 Hunt the Fox 33 The Swiss Peasant 33 Fingers and Thumbs 36 Uncle John 39 Winding the Horn 39 Musical Fright 39 iii GAMES FOR CHILDREN FROM FIVE TO TWELVE. Soap Bubbles Take Care Puss, Fuss in the Corner Threading' my Grandmother's Needle Mother Goose. • You are nothing but a Goose. . . Rush or Grass Wreath with Flowers Hunt the Ring Here T Bake, here I Brew. . . . Chasing the Deer Hold Fast and Let Go I Spy "Fly Away Sparrow Push Pin My Canary Bird The Bouquet. . . • Presto ! Change The Old Game of Honey Pots. . Copenhagen The Pillow Game 54 Clap Out and Clap In 54 Buzz 55 Twirl the Trencher 66 The Old Soldier. 57 The Queen and her Attendants. 58 The Bewildered Knight 59 Alphabetical Compliments. ... CO Lady Fair 61 The Wizard of the East 62 To bring a Person down upon a Feather 63 He can do little who can't do this 63 How do you like it? When do you like it ? And where will you put it ? 64 The Apparent Impossibility. . . 65 The Turned Head 65 The Bird Catcher 66 Questions and Answers 69 FORFEITS. GAMES OF MEMORY. " Le Jardin de ma Tante." ... 81 I A Good Fat Hen. . . . One Old Ox 82 J Play-Ground Rhymes. GAMES FOR OLD AND YOUNG. Blind Man's Buff. 89 Shadow Buff. 90 Blind Man's Wand 91 Lawyer 91 Consequences 92 Rhyming words and Pantomime. 93 Statuary 94 Put in a Word 95 Proverbs 96 Game of Characters 96 Sneezing 97 Traveller's Alphabet 98 Mind your P's and Q's 99 Ready Writer 100 The Dwarf 101 Fashionable Dinner 102 Exhibition of the Modern Giant. 104 Shadow at Command 105 Brother, I am robbed 107 Comical Concert 108 Chinese Shadows 109 Fox and Geese 110 Stage Coach Ill Menagerie 112 Quaker Meeting 113 Resemblances 113 Initials 114 Game of Photograph 116 Magic Numbers 117 Pencil Sketches 122 Puzzle Drawings 122 Magic Wand 123 Rhyming Game 124 TliePost 125 Crumbo 126 Game of Buried Cities 127 Watcli-word Game 129 Post-Office 131 Game of Twenty Questit)ns. . . 131 Alphabet Game 134 Arithmetical Puzzle Game. . . 135 Family Newspaper 136 An Impossibility. 137 A Simple Little Puzzle 138 The Giantess 138 NEW GAMES. Matadore 139 1 Gronunets. , NATURAL MAGIC. Mysterious Pendulum 143 Chemical Feat 144 Magic Pictures etched by the Company 144 A Borrowed Shilling in a Worst- ed Ball 145 Dancing Spectre 146 Winged Sixpence 147 Handwriting on the Wall. ... 148 THE SYBIL. Fiat of Fate 150 | Fate Box. Flower Fate 153 1 MUSICAL GAMES, OR HOME DANCING. Pop goes the Weasel 155 Ugly Mug 155 Lancers 157 Le Prince Imperial Quadrille. . 160 Common Cotilou 162 White Cockade 163 Ninepin Dance 164 Basket Dance 164 Waltz and Polka Quadrille. . . 164 Caledonian Quadrillps 165 Sir Ro?er De Coverley, or Vir- ginia Reel. 166 March Quadrille 177 CONTENTS. HEAD-WORK. Conundrums 169 Enigmas.Charades, and Riddles. 171 Double Acrostic Charades, and Cross-word Enigmas. . . . 176 Puzzles 179 Arithmetical Problems 181 Squaring Words 182 ANSWERS TO HEAD-WORK. Conundrums 184 Engimas, Charades and Riddles, 186 Double Acrostic Charades, and Cross-word Enigmas. ... 187 Puzzles 188 Arithmetical Problems 189 Squaring Words 190 HOME a^MES. ^ttittstmtnls for f ittle iirk 1.— DOLLS. Give your girls a number of substantial dolls to play with, and pieces of cotton cloth, calico or muslin-delaine, ribbons, &c., with which to make dresses ; and do not buy elegantly dressed dolls, which can be used only on great occasions. We will tell you how a little girl we once knew played dolls. Her first doll was a " rag baby," that her aunt made and dressed for her, like a real child. She had even a night-dress and cap. She would amuse herself by hours together, dressing, undress- ing, and singing it to sleep ; she would have it in her arms every night. As she grew older, she carefully treas- ured all bits of finery, and everything she could manufac- ture into clothing for her doll. A little girl lived near, and they used to visit daily with their dolls. Christmas always added to their treasures, and they finally conclud- ed to join forces, and commence a baby-house on a large scale in a spare room. They had a parlor, dining-room, bed-rooms, kitchen and pantry, all completely furnished, 3 4 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. and a dozen nice dolls. Every leisure moment was spent in this baby-house. They had regular washings and ironings. They had little tubs and flatirons of their own. They baked bread, cookeys,and ginger-cakes, for their mother's cook would good-naturedly show them how to mix and make wee bits of loaves. A thimble was often used as a cookey or biscuit cutter. Such plays give girls a taste for domestic employments, and aid them in becoming good housekeepers ; and good housekeeping is always a desirable, and sometimes a very necessary accomplishment. They would often " play school," and in asking ques- tions, and answering for their dolls, the lessons they were taught at school were more firmly impressed on their minds. If they had birthday parties, company was always invited at two ; and their " party " (that is, refresh- ments) were served at half-past four in winter, and five in summer. Beaux they did not think of. If little boys joined them, they were their playmates, and no more. They always took their dolls, and after playing simple games they would resort to them as their chief amuse- ment. 2.— PAPER DOLLS. These cheap dolls are a great blessing to all children. The poorest child can afford to buy them. We advise all parents to buy freely such dolls for their children, and teach them to cut and arrange the painted dresses ; do not do it yourself; it may be easier than to patiently AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE GIRLS. O teach your child the way it should be done ; but you will never regret it in after years, as it will teach her how to use her scissors well — a necessary accomplishment for every young lady. Paper dolls, sent in quantities Christmas or New Year, to all places where poor little children are cared for, afford them much pleasure in a cheap way, besides teaching them the use of the scissors. 3._H0W TO MAKE A RAG DOLL. Dolls of the present day are quite works of art, and afford great scope for successful adornment. In making and cutting out dolls' clothing, a young girl acquires a skill with her needle which will be invaluable to her in future years. But the doll that little children care for b AMERICAN HOME BOOK. most is a rag doll, and we will give some directions how such a doll can be made. Materials required : A good stout piece of white cotton ; as many rags as you can procure, or cotton wool ; a strong needle and thread, red, dark, and light brown, and blue thread. A small piece of glazed linen, and an old white kid glove might be made useful. Take a piece 6f paper and cut out in it the patterns annexed, as large or as small as you please. Then fold your cotton double, and pin the paper patterns on to it ; cut them out in the cotton. (If you desire a large doll, some older friend can enlarge the patterns given according to any size you prefer.) Sew them closely all around, except at the bottom of the first pattern, No. 1, and the top of the legs, No. 2. (It would be well to have them stitched by a sewing machine, as it is very necessary to have them tightly stitched.) Then if you use rags to stuff them with, cut the rags up into fine shreds ; cotton wool is the best to use, but rags are cheaper. Stuff the body well and evenly, making it round and in good shape by stuffing. You must cut your doll out larger than you intend it to be when finished, because the stuffing takes up the material and makes it smaller. Leave enough unstuffed cotton at the bottom to enable you to stitch it neatly together. Next stuff the legs, leaving a space at the top for you to stitch it together there also ; stuff the feet first, by pushing the stuffing in with a long stick or knitting needle ; some persons stitch the end of the foot to resemble toes. Next stuff the arm, and stitch it at the top. The hand is often made of kid cut from an old white glove, shaped and stitched on to the arm. No. 3 ; some persons make both arms and hands of glazed linen. AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE GIRLS. 7 Now sew the bottom of your body to the top of the legs. This will enable your doll to bend and sit down. Then stitch the arms to the body. To make the head, cut out two shapes, first in paper, then in cotton or linen, like Figs. 4 and 5. Take one of them and work on to it, in light brown thread, the nose, eyelashes, and eyebrows, as in pattern 4. Stitch' the hair with darker brown thread. Then stitch in the mouth in two red lines of thread, and the eyes of blue ; sewing silk is often used in the place of thread. To make this easier you may get some friend to draw the features for you, or what will look still bet- ter, coax some artist friend to paint the face for you. Then sew the two shapes of No. 4 and 5 together, leav- ing the neck open to stuff the head, and gather in the large round part of the head as you sew it. When it is stuffed quite full, sew it to the body, and Dolly will be ready to dress. Some sew a piece of brown or black silk over the back AMERICAN HOME BOOK. part of the head to represent hair and conceal the seams. But a baby's cap can be made to hide all imperfections, and look more tasteful. The joints will be covered in dressing. 4.— TO MAKE DANCING DOLLS. These dolls, when well printed and prettily dressed, are welcome gifts to little dwellers in the nursery, as well as nice contributions to a fair. To make them you must have a large sheet of thick card- 1. This string is attached to the tie of the legs also, and moves hoth. board, some fine twine, paints, &c. The body and limbs are cut out as in the pattern here given, but of a much larger size. Then the limbs are tied to the body as shown in the pattern, very loosely. A long string AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE GIRLS. attached to the middle ties will, when pulled, make the doll dance. She must be dressed in a full, light, ballet-dancer's costume, setting well out, and not much lower than the knee, just covering the joint in the cardboard. A wreath of flowers can be fastened on to the head. , The clothes are sewed on to the cardboard body, and will not, of course, bear removal. The shoes should be painted on the feet. If you prefer, you can make a boy doll (dressed as a Turk) in the same manner, but the ballet-girl dolls are much easier to make, and look better. The arms and the legs are fastened to the body by loose strings passing through eyelet-holes made in each, and tied at the middle of the back. (See back view of figure). A long string or narrow ribbon fas- tened to the horizontal strings, will, when pulled, move all the limbs at once. A Highlander makes a good dancing doll. His legs should have the cross gaiters painted on them, and his kilt must be stiiFened a little, so that it may not impede the free movements of his limbs. The common paper Harlequin is far inferior to these dressed dolls ; but the faces and hair should be nicely painted in water colors. If the little manufacturer is not able to draw, and can- 2 10 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. not persuade any older person to paint the dolls' faces, you can take a head from some fashion-plate photograph or engraving, and paste on to the body. But of course the head must correspond with the body. 5. — FOEEIGN DOLLS. It is amusing to dress a number of dolls in the cos- tumes peculiar to each nation. To do this quite correctly, good pictures should be consulted, that the national dress may be faultlessly represented ; but a few hints, perhaps, may be useful. The Norwegian feasant may be attired in a blue merino jacket, with red braid sewn at the edges, and five or six bars of the same put across the breast ; brown striped trousers fastened under the knees, white stock- ings and brown shoes. He should have a flat, red skull- cap, made either in crochet with red wool, or in paper covered with merino or velvet. The Norwegian peasant girl should have her hair plaited with narrow red braid in two long tails, a fijU white chemise with sleeves. This waist can be fastened at the throat and wrists with large silver beads to repre- sent buttons, and a low bodice of red cloth or merino, with broad shoulder-straps (no sleeves). Her dark petticoat must be short and full, and edged with red braid, and her shoes and stockings black. The dress of a German peasant girl is very pretty. A brown merino skirt edged with two rows of red braid, a low, red bodice, laced in front with black silk or cord, a AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE GIRLS. 11 white chemisette and sleeves, and a red cap with a black band tied under the chin, a white apron with a gauffered frill round it, blue stockings, and shoes with buckles. The dress of the Italian women varies greatly in dif- ferent parts of Italy. A Roman woman's holiday dress would be a scarlet or black velvet bodice, laced in front "and embroidered with gold silk ; a red or blue stuff petti- coat, yellow or green sleeves, and white chemisette, and a square of linen folded several times over the crown of the head, with ends hanging down over the shoulders by way of a cap. She must have necklace and earrings, made of gilt and beads, to represent her jewels. A Russian woman^s dress would be pretty for a doll. Give her a crimson cotton or silk skirt, with a low bodice of the same, with broad straps over the shoulders, a white chemisette and sleeves, earrings, and a head-dress made of paper or pasteboard, in the shape of a peacock's tail spread out, and covered with gold and silver cloth, or of some pretty color, — green or rose-pink, and gold, — ornamented with pearl beads, with colored ribbons fas- tened to it and hanging down behind. Colored stockings and very smart shoes of cloth of gold or embroidered silk. The Russian men wear sheep skins with the wool inside, short indigo-blue trousers, very wide, and tucked into their long boots, reaching to the knees, flat caps and huge beards. These might be made of tow or knitted worsted unravelled ; rough cloth used for overcoats could imitate the sheep-skin caftan. In summer they dispense with the sheep-skin garments, and only wear pink shirts and trousers. 12 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. We could enumerate many more pretty costumes, but if any more are desired, directions can be easily obtained from those who have visited different countries. 6. — HINTS FOE DRESSma SMALL DOLLS. Small dolls, made entirely of china, are rather trouble- some to dress, because the arms are generally fastened to the sides as far as the elbow. • The best way is to make a skirt of ribbon, rather wider than the whole length of the doll, and gather it close under the arms ; the skirt being longer than the doll, and the ribbon stiff, the doll will stand upon it, and the naked feet will be concealed. Tie a piece of narrow china or satin ribbon over the body, crossing it in front over the chest, and again over the back, finally tying it as a sash, with long ends. For rather large dolls, a piece of lace should be put across the body first, and the ribbon over it. The china dolls, with pretty painted boots, and hair dressed in nets, &c., must of course have short petticoats, and drawers of cotton or fine cambric, and skirts of ribbon, with or without lace over them. The body should be of lace and ribbon crossed, or made as a berthe. A pretty frock can be made of two strips of embroidery edging, put on, one above the other, as a double skirt, and a nar- rower piece of the same for the body. For a baby's dress for a china doll three inches long, a strip of cam- bric four or five inches long by ten wide will be required. Make it up in one piece, gather it round the neck, and trim mini? that and the arm-holes with narrow lace ; AMUSEMENTS FOR, LITTLE GIRLS. 13 trim the skirt with the same round the bottom and down the front. Put another piece of the lace over the front of the body, and tie a narrow ribbon round the waist and across the chest ; tie up the sleeves at the shoulder with bows of the same. A short under petticoat of cambric will be required. A little boy's dress can be made of trousers of scarlet merino or flannel, and wind a strip of the same material over the shoulders and arms down to the eiuows. This will give the effect of a frock body with short sleeves, when the pinafore is put on, which should be a plain brown linen blouse, tied in round the waist with a piece of scar- let braid, and edged round the wide arm-holes with nar- row broderie Anglaise or crochet. Tiny shoes can be made of a scrap of kid or morocco, or stout silk or ribbon. 7. — SHOES AND BOOTS. We often hear little girls wishing they had a pattern to make shoes for their dolls. We will give an illus- tration of two different shoe patterns. The shoes require no explanation. They look best made of morocco or kid, with soles of fine leather. For the boots, cut the toe pieces of cloth or velvet, to the shape of Fig. 2 ; join the short sides, marked a and &, to the toe piece, and the long side e to the sole round the heel. Cut a strip of kid, fig. 3, and put round the heel, over the cloth. Sew up the front, and put small beads to represent buttons ; or turn down, and herring bone the edges, and lace them up with a piece of black 14 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. silk or narrow braid ; leave out short ends of the braid at the top, and put tassels of black silk. 8.— ERMINE MUFF. A GOOD imitation ermine doll's muff can be crocheted. Make a chain of fine white worsted, of twenty stitches, rather tightly worked ; join, and work about twelve AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE GIRLS. 15 rounds in plain double crochet ; fasten off tightly and draw up the ends. Line the muff with cotton wadding and silk, and finish it with a rosette or bow of ribbon at the ends. Tie in ends of black worsted at regular dis- tances over the muff, to represent ermine. It may be made also in shades, two rounds of each shade, or with a scarlet centre and two rounds on each side in white. Pretty muffs and tippets can very easily be made, and even cloaks for dolls, out of nice cotton flannel with a long nap ; cut them in the right shape and make them up with the nap side out ; then take black paint, and with a brush paint in little spots to resemble the black ends on ermine. 9._ DEVICES WITH DOLLS. Very pretty pincushions can be made with dolls, mak- ing the skirt into a pincushion, placing the body inside and stuffing it with bran. Then the doll can be dressed in any fancy style desired, as a nun, as an old woman, with an apron with pockets for a thimble, the apron forming a needle book, and a pair of scissors for a cane. Old market-woman, a basket fastened to the arm, to hold thread or thimble. Or a doll can be placed on a large, round toilet cushion, opening as a box. Dolls' heads can have a stopper fitted into the neck, and the stopper put into a bottle for perfume. The bottle covered with a skirt, with a red riding-hood cloak fastened to the head. 16 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. ^nmsemtnte for little ^ogs. If boys desire a hammer, nails, boards, &c., do not deny them. When a baby girl commences to play with a doll, a baby boy will pound, or pretend to hammer nails, or drive horses. It is useless to attempt to make boys love quiet sports. Set aside some spare spot in your house, where noise will not disturb your household, or, what is better, build a little work-room especially for their use. It will be money well invested. Thus, by early cultivating their tastes, and by giving them employ- ment, seed may be sown which will yield an abundant harvest. Mothers ! do not, by yielding to your over-sensitive nerves, stupefy your boys. If they are good for any- thing, they must and will make a noise. It is better to let them have a place of their own, but you should fre- quently inspect their work or play, and let them see you are interested in all they do. If they make you a flower frame, praise it, and if they show a taste for mechanics, suggest to them other useful articles to be constructed, such as boxes, silk-winders, &c. When you make pres- ents, give them tools. Encourage them also, by judicious AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE BOYS. ' 17 rewards, to keep their room neat and their tools in order. The following simple directions for making a few use- ful articles may be of service to boys who like to exercise their mechanical ingenuity. 1.— FLOWER FRAMES. Simple frames are made by taking two long, narrow strips of wood, and several small ones of different lengths, and nailing the latter to the longer ones at equal distances apart ; or a still better way is to make holes in the long strips and insert the ends of the short ones. When they are finished paint them green. These frames can be made in the form of a partly-open fan. A square frame can easily be made. The prettiest frames are made of willows, wire, or rattans. Take strips of wood and burn or bore holes through them at equal distances. Then insert the wire, or rattan, or willow, and twist them around in different forms, fastening the ends firm ; then paint or varnish them. 2.— BOXES. Pretty boxes can be made of any common wood, by simply staining them with asphaltum varnish. Then varnish with several coats of copal. After they are well dried, take some pumice-stone and polish them. If necessary, varnish carefully once again. Your common 18 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. pine wood will then be turned into black walnut, tigbly polished. Picture frames, brackets, little book-racks, stands, crickets, and even sleds and wagons can easily be made by an ingenious boy, and stained in this manner or painted. Your sisters can ornament them with leather work made to imitate carved wood. If you are puzzled in making any of these articles, go to any workshop and the workmen will tell you how to make them, if you speak properly to them. Never say, my dear boys, you have nothing to do. 3. — HINTS ON RAISING EGGS AND POULTRY. We advise our young boy friends, if they have any leisure time, to raise hens. We hope their friends will not object. Build your own hen house. Buy your hen feed, besides the refuse of the house, and purchase an account- book in which you can keep account of the eggs, and the hens you raise, and all you spend. Sell your eggs to your parents (as we trust they will consent to purchase both hens and eggs) when you desire to sell. It is a good lesson to teach boys how to trade. A lady skilled in the science of farming, and all domestic duties, has kindly written the following article on " Hens," which we advise our readers not to pass by. " There are good profits to be made in this line of business. Many a boy or girl could save enough in a few years to partly educate one's self. AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE BOYS. 19 Various are the fancy breeds now offered in the mar- ket, and some of them are very desirable. The light Brahma Pootras, mixed with the White Leghorns, make a fine cross ; they are good layers, not too much inclined to set, are not as clumsy as the Brahmas, and are excel- lent to eat. The Dorkings and Black Spanish are far superior to the common fowls one often sees. Three hens and a rooster are a good beginning for a poultry yard, though more can be as easily cared for, and the profits will be larger. It is said that each hen will pay a profit over and above her feed, of one dollar per annum. With extra care, she can be persuaded to make even a larger dividend. Poultry requires warm, sunny quarters, with glass win- dows, with wired protections. The roosts should be washed over with kerosene every month or so, to kill all lice and parasites ; the smell of it being as obnoxious to these minute pests as it is to us. Plenty of sand and gravel should be provided, also lime, charcoal, and bits of mortar. If hens are not able to collect the essentials for their shells, the eggs will drop without the covering nature has intended for them. Wood or coal ashes are good for them ; bone meal is much to be desired. Place a pan of it in your hennery, and see how they will crowd round it. Some or all of these carbonaceous substances are absolutely needful. Variety is the spice of our life, it is said ; it surely is in hens' food. If you feed your biddies on corn or on oats every week in the year, they will not return you a good interest. But give them hominy one day, oats another, buckwheat in the hulls another, screenings from the grist-mill at another time, and soon 20 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. you will witness the good effects of variety. Each heu will commence laying as soon as possible, to prove to you how much she enjoys the daily food you so wisely pro- vide for her comfort. Pure water is also required ; keep the pan as clean as you can, and have water always in it. All the slops of the house can be fed to the hens with good advantage. Keep an old kettle, and request " Bridget " or " Dinah" to turn into it all the potato parings ; odds and ends of every description ; even tea and coifee grounds do not come amiss. Mrs. Hen is not fastidious in her appetite ; she welcomes the savory mess. If to it you add all the soap grease, she will add greatly to your store of eggs. Poultry in a wild state subsists greatly upon worms, grubs, &c. ; shut up and domesticated, they require animal food to thrive well, as much as you need beef, mutton, and lamb to develop your muscles and tendons. Fat of all kinds is very advantageous to hens, and if it is melted and mixed up with boiling hot food, during the winter months, no hen fed with it can help laying eggs. She has to do it. Soap and oil-cake furnish excellent food. Beef's and hog*s liver, chopped fine, are as good to them as fat angle-worms. The boiled food should be given at noon, every day during the cold weather, and at least once a week add to it a tablespoonful of cayenne pepper. This is the best hen tonic known ; it stimulates the laying propensities. If it is very cold weather give the pepper twice a week. If poultry is fed according to these directions, eggs are as certain as roses in June. Good nests should be provided ; old nail casks make AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE BOYS. 21 quite good ones. A handful of. lime or ashes should be scattered at the bottom, then soft hay placed in it. The advantage of these nests is, that two hens cannot lay at once in them, and they are too deep for the hens to eat their eggs convenientl3^ , A hen learns this most objec- tionable habit from accidentally breaking an egg^ then tasting its contents ; she appreciates the delicacy, and Avill soon devour all she lays. If a hen has formed this habit, cut off her head ; she is fit only for " pot or pie." Never give the hens broken egg-shells ; eating them teaches them to eat their eggs. Far better to keep them to settle coffee grounds ; they are invaluable for that purpose. When a hen desires to set, let her take up her quarters to suit herself ; put china eggs under her for a day or two, to jadge if she really intends to do so, or is " only play- ing," as the children say. If she keeps quiet, then place under her from thirteen to fifteen of the latest eggs laid ; if all were laid in one day, so much the better, they will all hatch in one day. If possible, remove her from the hennery ; this can be done when she is setting on china eggs, and if she remains there, then give her the eggs she will hatch. If left in the hennery she will be disturbed by other hens. Instinct teaches all fowls to hide their nests. She should be well fed and have access to plenty of v/ater. In three weeks she will proudly exhibit her downy brood. For the first day the chickens require no food. Nature has provided it in the egg-shells. Boiled Indian corn pudding is the best food for them ; the meal, if not boiled, should swell over ni":ht in water. Kaw meal swells in a 22 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. chicken's crop, and will kill it. Many chickens die from being fed upon meal hastily stirred up and thrown to them. This is an all-important part of chicken feeding. Shorts well scalded can be alternated with the meal. Bits of bread softened in milk is good for them, bat curded milk is the best of all ; chickens can be raised for six weeks or more on nothing else. The whey can be fed to the hogs. The coops for chickens should have a sunny aspect. If placed under cherry or plum trees, they will help you to a large crop of fruit, by devouring all the embryo worms, and chasing the " millers " and moths, which are much sought after by them. They will devour the bugs on melons, cucumbers, and squashes ; while they are small they are capital assistants in the kitchen garden, but when able to use their rakes, i. e., claws, they must be penned up. Last year we raised sixty chickens without the aid of one hen. A warm box was prepared with soft leaves and hay; it had a sliding door, and was placed inside a large slatted pen. Every night the chick- ens were put into the box and fastened up tight ; air- holes were bored through the upper part of the box, so they need not suffocate. Thus tended, no cat, or more odoriferous prowler, could approach them. The neigh- bors lost their chickens, but ours prospered daily. They were let out every day to run in the garden until they became nuisances, then they took a daily walk at 5 P. M. and returned to their quarters at 6 P. M., ready for their cosey bed. Now every boy and girl who reads this, can go and do likewise. The hens and rooster are the needed elements AMUSEMENTS FOR LITTLE BOYS. 23 for the business ; then a few edgings from the saw-mill, and pounds of nails from the hardware merchant's, to commence operations. To be sure daily care is requisite. They cannot be fed one day and neglected the next. They must be looked after and cared for three tiines each day. An account-book is needed to keep the accounts. Set down each day the eggs you have collected, keep a regular statement of the expense of the food, also of the first outlay in the hen pen, and stock in trade. Mark the day when each hen is set, the chickens she hatches. By so doing, a child can learn a needed lesson in keeping accounts, in punctuality, order, and method — lessons which may be ** far above rubies" to him all his life through." S. O. J. 24 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. §mtB fax f ittle Cljilktn. A Book of Amusements would be imperfect if it had not a portion set apart for the younger children of the family. We think all our youthful readers will agree with us, that their games should have the precedence, as the older children in a family are often at a loss how to amuse their younger brothers and sisters ; therefore we trust this section of our book may be useful to them, ^ 1.— HAND SHADOWS. In the evening, when shadows can be cast on the wall, nothing pleases little children more than hand shadows. The shadow of a fox's head, made by simply clasping one hand over the other, has been so often illustrated we will only refer to it. If the second and third fingers, of the clasped hand, are kept moving towards each other, it will look as if the fox was eating. It is so difficult to give verbal directions for producing hand pictures, we will give two illustrations to our young readers. One a human head, the other a rabbit ; try and copy the position GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 25 of the hands given, and thus cast the shadows of these objects on the wall or paper of the room. An ingenious boy or girl can form other objects by frequent practice. We need scarcely say that the shadow artist must stand between the lamp and the wall. 2. — PAPER SHADOWS ON THE WALL. These are made by getting a head or figure, either sketched or printed, and cutting out all the light portions of the face. These form nice pictures of light and shade held at the wall with the light behind them. Even the common cuttings of dogs, horses, cows, &c., cut by children of ten years old, cast very amusing shadows'. We have seen fretful children of two years old enter- tained for hours in this way. 3 26 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 3.— DANCE, THUMBKIN, DANCE. This is a game by which an older person can amuse a number of little children. It is played by holding up the hand, and bending thumb and fingers in the following manned : First, put the thumb in motion, singing in a lively tone, " Dance, thumbkin, dance ! " Then keep the thumb still, and move the four fingers, singing, " Dance ye merry men, every one, for thumbkin he can dance alone." Then move the fore finger and sing " Dance, fore man, dance ! " Then move all the fingers, singing, " Dance, ye merry men, for fore man he can dance alone." Then keep the second finger in motion, singing, " Dance, middle man, dance ! " Then move all the fingers, singing, " Dance, ye merry men, every one, for middle man he can dance alone." Then in the same manner repeat the process with the two other fingers, calling the third finger " ring man," and the fourth finger " little man," When these changes are done rapidly, it entertains even babies. '4. — FLOWER DOLLS. Little German children make dolls of flowers ; per- haps American children would like to do the same. There are many small, round seed pods on a stem, such as poppies ; take them before they are ripe, in the green state ; cut them off", with a piece of stem left on for the body. Take the leaf of the scarlet poppy, or the petu- nia, or any flower-leaf, and fasten it (or several of them) GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 27 with the fibre of a leaf, round them, thus making a handsome skirt. Then gather the calyx, or green cup of the carnation, or any flower, and make a cloak; push through the stem either a pin, wire, or stick, to form the arms. Your little flower-maiden will be formed. Fus- chias that fall off the stems are pretty to arrange as' dolls. Their dresses are all formed ; cut off the stamens so that the flower will stand on its leaves ; mark the top with eyes, nose, mouth, and even hair, with a pen, and pass a pin, wire, or stick, through for arms. These an- swer the place of paper dolls, and we know they will amuse little children. 5. — CHAIN OF DANDELION STEMS. To make a green chain of links, you must gather a great many dandelions, and nip off their flowers. You will lind that the stem is hollow, and that one end of it 28 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. is smaller than the other. Push the small end into the larger end of the stem or tube, and you will have a green ring any size you please to make it. Then put another stem through the r5ng, and join it by pushing the narrow- end into the wide one again. 6. — PAT A CAKE. This is most truly a baby's pastime. A baby of six months can be taught all the motions of this nursery game. Clap the hands together, saying, " Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man ; that I will, master, as fast as I can ; " then rub the hands together, saying, " Roll it, roll it ; " then pick the palm of the left hand with the fore finger of the right, saying, " Prick it, and prick it ; " then throw up both hands, " Toss it in the oven and bake it." " Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man ! Bake me a cake as fast as you can ; Roll it and prick it, and mark it with T. ; Toss it in the oven for Thomas and me." 7. — LITTLE PUSS WENT TO MARKET. This also is a common nursery game. Touch the thumb, saying, *' This little puss went to market ;*' touch the fore finger, saying, " This little puss staid at home ; '* then the middle finger, " This little puss had new milk ; " the fourth finger, " This little puss had none ; " the little finger, " This little puss cries, Miaow, miaow." GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 29 8.— BUY MY GEESE. The little finger is doubled over the second finger, the middle finger over the fore finger, and twisted, resting them on the thumb. You then ask, " Will you buy my geese?" If they say "Yes," suddenly untwist your fingers,* and exclaim, " O, dear, they have all flown away ! " 9.— CARD HOUSES. Take a pack of cards and first build a Virginia fence, either around the top of a table or around a space on the floor. This can be done by making cards stand in and out, resting on each other. If a boy is playing, and he has some little soldiers, he can form a camp within the circle by making tents, that is, by putting two cards together, touching at the top, and spreading at the bottom like a real tent. Then arrange his soldiers, either in order of drill, or standing in front of the tents, o^ as sentinels-. A little girl or boy can build, with these tents, what they can call houses, barns, summer-houses, or any thing they please, by placing cards standing around the tents, and rest other cards on them and the tent to form a roof. If the children have any dogs, horses, cows, men, and women, of wood or tin, they" can be arranged around to look like a farm. 30 AMEKilCAN HOME BOOK. 10.— THE FEATHER DANCE. Let the mother or an elder sister collect the little ones in a circle ; then take a feather or a ball of thistle-down, and toss it into the air, telling the children to keep it up without allowing it to fall. They must blow gently, or it will fly so high it will be difficult to reach ; neither must they send it outside the circle, or it will be difficult to get it back ; let each child blow in turn, and watch it carefully. The one who lets it fall must either have a feather placed in her hair, or some penalty must be exacted, appropriate to amuse even the youngest. A child of two years old can play this game. 11.— MELON-SEED BIEDS. String watermelon seeds in the form of a diamond, thus : Take five threads and a large needle, tie the threads together at the end in a knot ; then pass them through a single seed, then thread two seeds, then three, then four, then five, then four again, then three, then two, then one. Tie the ends together, and leave them twisted three or four inches long. Stick a feather at one end for the tail ; a little stick or bit of wood for a beak. If you pull the string up and down, they look like two birds flying, and will amuse a baby. MUSICAL GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 31 ITusial §mmB for f ittle Cljilkm. These games are always popular with little children, and we think they give grace and ease to their motions. 1.^ a TWINE THE GARLAND, GIRLS AND BOYS." A LINE of girls and boys take hold of each other's hands ; while one stands perfectly still, the others dance round her, winding and stopping, winding and stopping, until they are formed into a knot ; while they are form- ing this knot, they sing, to the tune of Yankee Doodle, — " Twine the garland, girls and boys, Twine the garland, girls ; Twine the garland, girls and boys, Twine the garland, boys." Then they gradually untwist in the same manner, singing, — " Untwine the garland, girls and boys, Untwine," &c., — simply saying untwine in place of twine. 32 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 2. — THE CRADLE OF LOVE. All the little boys and girls except two, take partners and stand opposite to each other, as in a contra-dance. The two who. are left out, join hands and attempt to dance between the couple at the foot ; the couple join hands and enclose them ; these prisoners are not allowed to escape till each has turned round and kissed the one behind her. In this way they dance through every couple in the set. This game is very pleasing when performed with ease and animation. ^3. — MAGICAL MUSIC. This is a very popular game. The children sit around the room, while some older person plays the piano for them. They can decide who shall go out of the room first by some play-ground rhyme. The one whose lot it is, goes out of the room. During her absence some- thing is either hidden or altered in the room, or the players decide that the absent one shall do something, as kiss her sister, make a courtesy, dance, sing, &c. Then they call in the child who is outside the room. She may ask, " Is it something to find, something to alter, or something to do?" She is told which it is, and the music begins directly. When she is near finding, alter- ing, or doing the thing decreed, the music is loud and triumphant. When she moves away from the thing hid- den or altered, or does not guess what she has to do, the music is very soft and low. MUSICAL GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 33 It is by listening to the music that the player is guided in performing the task imposed on her. 4. — HUNT THE FOX. Take partners, and stand as in a contra-dance. The child at the head is the fox ; her partner the hunter. At a signal, she starts and runs or dances down the line, her partner following ; she can pass through the line as she pleases, the players standing far enough apart to allow her to pass easily. The hunter must follow the exact course of the fox ; if he varies, he must pay a for- feit. When the fox is caught, the first couple goes to the foot, and the next couple goes through with the same. It adds to this game to keep time to some merry tune, like Fisher's Hornpipe. This game is often played on Thanksgiving evening, by old and young. 5. — THE SWISS PEASANT. The children of Switzerland have their round dance also, greatly resembling our Mulberry Bush. We give it here. The air is very pretty, and may be soon learned, if an elder sister or " mamma " will play it two or three times over on the piano. At the words, " So does the peasant sow his barley and wheat," the little players pretend to scatter seed. At "So dqes the peasant reap his barley and wheat," the children make the motion of reaping. 34 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. At " Thrash his barley and wheat," they wave their arms for flails. At " Sifting the wheat," they pretend to shake a sieve. At " How he rests," the little players all throw them- selves on the turf, or carpet, if in a room. At " Would you know how he plays," they all dance and jump about. i ■3;- E^r It- Would you know how does the pea - saut, Would you a^ -t:- ^ —in 0t . J -1- — 1 f3- -H- — f^- -^ know how II ^ does the peasant, m Would yoi I know how ^oes the » -s- ^^i^— —^- — ?- ^ i«_ _^_ fi z. . ^•S h — #— -4- =?= 1-0- — ) — r . ~t~ =F~ Ill =t= =t pea - sant Sow his bar - ley and wheat. H i Look ! 'tis so does the peasant Sow his barley and wheat. MUSICAL GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 35 Would you know how does the peasant, Would you know how does the peasant, Would you know how does the peasant Reap his barley and wheat? Look ! 'tis so does the peasant Reap his barley and wheat. Would you know how does the peasant. Would you know how does the peasant. Would you know how does the peasant Thrash his barley and wheat? Look ! 'tis so does the peasant Thrash his barley and wheat. Would you know how does the peasant. Would you know how, does the peasant. Would you know how does the peasant Sift his barley and wheat ? Look ! 'tis so does the peasant Sift his barley and wheat. Would you know how rests the peasant. Would you know how rests the peasant, Would you know how rests the peasant When his labor is done ? 36 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. Look ! 'tis so rests the peasant When his labor is done. "Would you know how plays the peasant, "Would you know how plays the peasant, Would you know how plays the peasant When his labor is done ? Look ! 'tis so plays the peasant When his -labor is done. Children can play this game without music if they prefer. 6. — FINGERS AND THUMBS. fe=1- :1=1-- One finger, one thumb keep moving, n tt 1 1 1 1 One finger, one thumb V ttJ.f A., jj J J J ! J 1 1 ■#5K tf 1 ■ -• 4 S *" J J J O keep moving, One finger, one thumb keep moving. Gee — "O up. Gee I, Gee O, Two fingers, one thumb,keep moving, &c. Three [fingers, one thumb,] keep moving. Three, &c. Four [fingers, one thumb,] keep moving. Four, &c. Five [fingers, one thumb,] keep moving. Five, &c. Six [fingers, one thumb,] keep moving. Six, &c. MUSICAL GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 37 Seven [fingers, one thumb,] keep moving. Seven, &c. Eight [fingers, one thumb,] keep moving. Eight, &c. Eight [fingers, two thumbs,] keep moving. Eight, &c. Eight [fingers, two thumbs, and one arm,] keep moving. Eight, &e. Eight [fingers, two thumbs, and two arms,] keep moving. Eight, &c. Eight [fingers, two thumbs, two arms, and one foot,] keep moving. Eight, &c. Eight [fingers, two thumbs, two arms, and two feet,] keep moving. Eight, &c. Eight [fingers, two thumbs, two arms, two feet, and your head,] keep moving. Eight. &c. The words in brackets must be sung on one note, as in chants, and each line must be repeated three times, as arranged under the above notes. The person selected to commence this game must arrange all the players in a circle, either seated or standing, as he directs. Each must follow the motions of the leader, and join him in singing. When the leader is ready to commence the game he must clap his hands. He then begins to move his fore finger and thumb, and sings the words as ar- ranged at the beginning of these directions. All the ' motions he makes must correspond with the words he sings, and each player must imitate his motions, and con- tinue them through the game. All the fingers, thumbs, arms, feet, and heads in the room will soon be in mo- tion. The efiect of this game is quite laughable. The persons joining in this play can recite the words without singing, if they prefer. i 38 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 7.^ UNCLE JOHN. All the children who joia this game must stand in a circle, holding each other's hands, and as they walk or dance around, they sing the following words : — " Uncle John is very sick. What shall we send him? A piece of pie, a piece of cake, a piece of apple dumpling. "What shall we send it in ? In a golden saucer. Who shall we send it by ? By the king's daughter. D-o-w-n, down." Then all must kneel down as quickly as possible, and rise up at once ; the one who is the last to kneel, must, when they all rise, whisper to some one a girl's or boy's name, and then all join in the circle, the one who knelt last facing outwards. Then they all repeat as follows, making use of the name whispered : — " J B , so they say, Goes a courting night and day ; Sword and pistol by his side, M L-* — shall be his bride. She has sparks, one, two, three, I can tell who they be, — Joel, Toel, half a day, Exel, Toel, turn away." All again commence to sing, " Uncle John is very sick," &c. ; this continues until each one faces outwards in turn, or they are weary of it. MUSICAL GAMES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. 39 8. — WINDING THE HORN. The players form themselves into a file, while some young lady plays a march on the piano. A leader is chosen. He commences marching ; all follow, keeping exact time to the music, gradually winding up into the form of a horn, until the leader or captain is so closely wound about he cannot proceed any farther. The music then suddenly changes to quickstep, and the captain quickly turns about, those behind taking care to follow exactly in his steps, and unwind the horn, marching quickly as before. 9.— MUSICAL FRIGHT. This is an admirable game for in-doors, as it affords exercise and laughter for all ages. A young lady is requested to take her place at the piano ; some chairs are placed down the centre of the room, b'dX!k to back, just qfie less in number than the players. Suppose there are twelve children to play, you place eleven chairs, ten back to back, one extra. Then the twelve children dance hand in hand round the chairs in time to the music. Suddenly, sometimes in the middle of a bar, always just when least expected, the player lifts her hands off the piano. Everybody must then attempt to get a seat, and as there are only eleven, one will, of course, be left out. She or he is then out of the game, and must sit down and watch it. Then a chair is taken away, ten being left. 40 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. The dancers resume their dance as soon as the music begins ; the moment it stops they try to get a chair, and one is, of course, again left out ; then another chair is taken away, and the dance resumed. The game goes on, losing a dancer and a chair each time, till two dancers and one chair only are left. Then the two dance wildly round the chair, and when the music suddenly stops, one sits down, and the other is " out " like the rest. Sometimes, at a little party, to make the game more exciting, the mamma gives a box of candy to the one who last gets a chair, sufficient for her to distribute to her companions. GAMES FOR CHILDREN FROM FIVE TO TWELVE. 41 §mi^ for Cljilken from Jfih to %Mk. 1. — SOAP BUBBLES. This is a favorite amusement for children. A basin or bowl full of foaming soap-suds, very thick, and a short pipe, or even a good sized straw, are all you require. If you use a straw or quill, split the end into four, as deep as your nail is long, and soak it in water before you use it. If you cannot make your bubble as large as you wish, do not dip it again into the suds by way of improving it, for the moment it touches them it will burst. When the bubble is formed, shake your pipe or straw, and it will float, a glorious ball of light, with rainbow colors, on the air ; if it is not inclined to rise, blow it gently. 2. — TAKE CAEE. A FLOWER-POT is filled with sand or earth ; a little stick with a flag is placed in it. Every child playing has to remove a little sand from the pot with a stick, with- out upsetting the flag, crying at the same time, " Take 4 42 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. care." The one who upsets the flag pays a forfeit. It becomes an anxious matter when the sand has been removed several times. 3. — PUSS, PUSS IN THE CORNER. This is a very simple game, but lively and amusing. In each corner of the room or by four trees, which form nearly a square, a little girl is stationed ; another one stands in the centre who is called th^ Puss. At the words, " Puss, puss in the corner ! " they all start and run to change corners ; and at the same time the one in the middle runs to take possession of the corner before the others can reach it. If she succeeds in reaching a corner first, the one who is left out must take her place. If a child remains the centre puss three or four times, they sometimes agree she shall pay a forfeit. 4. — THREADING MY GRANDMOTHER'S NEEDLE. This game has been played by little children for more than a hundred years. The players take hands in a long line. The children on the right hand sing or chant, — " Grandmother's eyes are grown so dim, Her needle she can't fill." The two at the extreme end of the line chant in rej^ly ; GAMES FOR CHILDREN FROM FIVE TO TWELVE. 43 "Our eyes are very bright and good, Thread it for her we will." Then the first singers raise their arms very high, and the last singers dart under them, the whole line twisting through till the first players are at the bottom of the line. Those who were originally at the end of it then raise their arms, and recommence the rhyme, and the players who began the song thread the needle in their turn. 5.— MOTHER GOOSE. This is a new and amusing game for little children. One among their number must be chosen to take the part of " Mother Goose," and she must arrange her forces in a line, and place a cricket in the centre of the room. She then leads off, clapping her hands and dancing slowly, saying, " Hi, diddle, diddle, the cat's in the fiddle." All must follow her, saying and acting exactly as she does, on penalty of a forfeit. She then imitates the mewing of a cat, and all imitate her. She then repeats, " The cow jumped over the moon," and *' Mother Goose " runs and jumps over the cricket, all the others following her. Again they pass round the room, singing, " The little dog laughed to see the sport." Suddenly she stops and laughs heartily, each one imitating her, and away they go again, singing, " The dish ran away with the spoon." " Mother Goose" then claps her hands as a signal for all to run, and off they start, she after them ; if she suc- ceeds in catching one, she cries out, " Here is Mother Goose ! " and all assemble round her, and the play com- 44 AMEKICAN HOME BOOK. mences again. If played in the open air, it is well to have some post or tree as a goal, and if "Mother Goose " does not catch some one before it is reached, she has to act her part again. 6. — uYOU ARE NOTHING BUT A GOOSE." This play cofisists in telling a story for the amusement of little children, and at the same time drawing figures on a slate or paper in illustration of it. For instance : " An old man and his wife lived in a little cabin. I will draw it with my pencil, so that you may know it. There it is (here make a picture of the cabin). This cabin had a window, which I will make thus (here put in the window). Near the window was a projecting door, like this (here put in the door). On the side opposite the door was a road, bordered on one side by a hedge (draw the road and hedge). This road terminated in a large pond (mark out the pond), and herbs grew round it (mark them). One night some robbers came to the far- ther end of- the pond (make some marks for robbers). The old woman heard them, and told her husband to get up and see what was the matter. The old people walked down to the side of the pond (make marks for the old people on the side of the pond). Each of them held out a hand to caution the other to keep silence (mark the hands). But they did not hear anything, for the robbers had taken fright and had run away. After standing out in the cold for a long time, the old man said to his wife, ' Go along back to the house ; you ar§ nothing but a GAMES FOR CHILDREN FROM FIVE TO TWELVE. 45 goose.' " At this point you hold up your paper, and it will be seen that you have made a picture of a goose. The subjoined cut illustrates the progress of the picture. O ©=^ 1. 1. To let down. 2. A part in singing. 3. Is language. 4. Part of a chain. 5. A tree. 2. My first and second are both in hollow ; My third and fourth are both in follow ; My fifth and sixth are both in Spain ; My whole is a town in Maine. 3. Hard it is to hold me captive, Subject to your whims control; Give me food, at least, in plenty, Or my death is on your soul. HEAD-WORK. 177 (1.) When it's our neighbor's, We take it up in fun ; When it's ours only, We, grumbling, wish 'twere done. (2.) I love cold, cold loves me ; From touch of heat I flee ; And, sore weeping, cease to be. (3.) Two legs set on four legs, Jogging far and near. (4.) A little bit of charcoal, That ladies value dear, 4. An English maid, so fair and full of grace. All heaven seems smiling in her sunny face ; A Spanish lady, stately, proud, and grand, Princes would vie to kiss her jewelled hand. (1.) From care and trouble, when we seek to flee. Our worn and tired frames we rest on thee. (2.) Hail, Muse, with love's sweet rose and myrtle crowned, And dance with perfumed footsteps o'er the ground. (3.) What we are taught in life's hard, cruel school, And all must learn, rich, poor, or wise, or fool. (4.) Named for Jewish patriarch of old, In speech and council sage, in action bold. (5.) Fortress and palace of the Moorish kings, (6.) Each crumbling stone of love, war, glory, sings. 5. Long did her sad eyes court a mother's joy ; At length, past hope, she clasped her promised boy. 178 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. (1.) The mountain quakes, fire flashes from its peaks. (2.) Dead falls the liar, while arraigner speaks. (3.) Weeping and wailing did thy streets affright. (4.) She in the temple writed day and night. (5.) How oft poor Juda saw the Syrian foe, Her fields stripped naked, and her towns laid low. 6. The robe half woven, and the veil half wrought, The wreath scarce budding, and the rite unsaid, Her lover called her ; when his side she sought, The King of Terrors met her in his stead. (1.) You promised peace, but oft bestow disquiet. (2.) Wild justice named, but justice ran to riot. (3.) A turn oft agreed, never yet defined. (4.) The spendthrift's Nemeses that lags behind. (5 ) A queenly name, a saintly name, a homely name, also. In every land, in every tongue, in every book 'twill show. 7. My first is in daisy, but not in rose ; My second's in treatise, but not in prose ; My third is in kicks, but not in blows ; My fourth is in ankle but not in toes ; My fifth is in lines, but not in rows ; My sixth is in nothing, and yet in nose ; My seventh's in choosing, in choosen, and chose ; My whole is an author that every one knows. 8. My first is in wish, but not in hope ; My second's in line, but not in rope ; HEAD-WORK. 17& My third is in floor, but not in ground ; My fourth is in lost, but not in found ; My fiffh is in rill, but not in stream ; My sixth is in sea, but not in seen ; My last is in monkey, but not in toy ; My whole is a name which belongs to a boy. 4. — PUZZLES. 1. Add five strokes to these six marks I I 1 1 I I, and make nine. 2. Why is this I 3 gone? 3. Four people sat down one evening to play ; They played all that eve, and parted next day. Could you think, when you're told, as thus they all sat. No other played with them, nor was there one bet ; Yet when they rose up, each gained a guinea, Tho' none of them lost to the amount of a penny ? 4. Look through the alphabet, and try If you the letter can descry. Which, added to those placed below, A small poetic verse will show. H n 1 d t w e z s t h u g 1 m X y w 1 , Thulvesttht, thulvestthwl; R n 1 d a k s y n z h 1 1 w t n e Slst, sslemn, sundsalne Smurnful, nnelvestg, Rfyuzhtinghwltknw. 180 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 5. Procure six cards, and having ruled them as in the following diagrams, write in the figures neatly and legi- bly. It is required to tell the number thought of by any person, the numbers being contained in the cards, and not to exceed 60. How is this done? 3 13 5 15 7 17 9 19 11 21 1 23 5 14 28 52 47 6 15 29 38 53 7 20 30 39 54 13 21 31 44 55 12 22 36 45 60 4 23 37 46 13 25 37 49 27 39 51 29 41 53 31 45 55 33 43 57 35 47 59 9 14 28 42 10 15 29 11 24 30 12 25 31 13 26 40 8 27 41 47 3 14 26 38 50 6 15 27 39 51 7 18 30 42 54 10 19 31 43 55 11 22 34 46 58 2 23 35 47 59 43 44 45 46 56 57 58 59 60 13 17 22 28 18 19 20 25 31 53 59 21 16 27 49 '55 60 33 38 44 34 39 45 51 57 35 36 41 47 53 59 37 42 48 54 60 32 43 49 55 41 23 24 30 52 26 48 40 46 52 29 51 50 56 54 30 50 56 57 58 58 These cards, copied on to six separate c^rds, could be HEAD-WORK. 181 used in fortune telling. A child could declare by these she could tell the ages of any person present, if the per- son will select the card with the age upon it. 6. First draw a square and divide it into four parts. Then made six marks in the first square, and say they represent six pigs, for you pretend to describe a farm- yard you once saw. In the next square make six more marks to represent cows, in the next square six more marks for horses, and the last square represent donkeys. 7. Place eight counters or coins, as in the diagram below : ®(D(D©®®®(D It is then required to lay-them in four couples, remov- ing only one at a time, and in each removal passing the one in the hand over two on the table. 5.— ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS. 1. How many changes can be given to seven notes of a piano ? That is to say, in how many ways can seven keys be struck in succession, so that there shall be some diiference in the order of the notes each time ? 182 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 2. An old man married a young woman ; their united ages amounted to one hundred. The man's age, multiplied by four and divided by nine, gives the wo- man's age. "What wevQ their respective ages ? 3. The sum of four figures, in value will be Above seven thousand nine hundred and three ; But when they are halved, you'll find very fair, The sum will be nothing, in truth I declare. 4. Two drovers, A and B, meeting on th« road, began discoursing about the number of sheep they each had. Says B to A, " Pray give me one of your sheep, and I will have as many as you." " Nay," replied A, '* but give me one of your sheep and I will have as many again as you." Required to know the number of sheep they each had? 5. To five and five and fifty-five, The first of letters add ; It is a thing that pleased a king, And made a wise man mad. 6. — SQUARING WORDS. FIRST SQUARE. 1. A SHORT poem. 2. The former governor of Algiers. 3. And an important member of the human body. HEAD-WORK. 183 SECOND SQUARE. 1. The repose of Nature. 2. The truant. 3. That which tempted him to play truant. 4. The place he searched for blackberries. • 5. The places where he sought birds' nests. THIRD SQUARE. 1. A. 2. A father. 3. A changeful gem. 4. That which we hope you will grow. "We have only selected a few examples of different kinds of trials of wit, hoping our young readers will strive to surpass them. 184 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. %mbm U §m)iMQxk l._ CONUNDRUMS. 1. The lily will wither aud fade away, The rose from its stem must sever, The shamrock and thistle will decay. But the stars will shine forever. 2. One is missed from heaven, the other is mist from earth. 3. To let you go through. 4. One is of the canine, and the other of the feline species. 5. lie can't cZ^gest {die just) yet. 6. Conundrum. 7. He is crusty. 8. The cat'll eat it (the cattle eat it). 9. She sows tares while the husbandman sleeps. 10. Because it cannot be used till it is drawn. 11. " It's silvered o'er with care." 12. It took him forty days and nights to find Ara-rat. 13. There is no parting there. ANSWERS TO HEAD-WORK. 185 14. S. X. (Essex). 15. Pharaoh who made a ruler of Joseph. 16. They need carrying out. 17. When spring opens the leaves, and autumn turns them. 18. Because they drop the line. 19. When they show pistils (pistols) and stamens (stay men). 20. Because he was the son of Hamilcar (A milker). 21. Because he belonged to the Barca family (Barker). 22. Philip the great (fill up the grate). 23. Asbestos (As best horse). 24. One is a jews harp (Jew sharp), the other a jewel (Jew well). 25. Because it was a patois (pat war). 26. Tautog (taught hog). 27. Because we are always glad when he leaves. 28. Because he cannot go a step-/a^Aer (farther). 29. Rosewood (rose would). 30. It was in the days of Noah, before you and I were born (in the day of no a, before u and i were born). 31. When he makes a poke r (poker) and shove 1 (a shovl). 32. It is because an heiress has an i, and a hare has none. 33. Attenuate (at ten you ate). 34. One is the sale of effects, the other the effects of a sail. 35. Because all must give it up. 36. Cat-sup (catch up). 13 186 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 37. A hypocrite neat, Can best count her feet (counterfeit), And so, I suppose, Can best count her toes. 2. — ANSWERS TO ENIGMAS, CHARADES, AND RIDDLES. 1. Cry-no-line. 2. I-dol. 3. A man holding a leg of mutton ; a dog jumps up and runs away with it. 4. Mar-mar. 5. Sparrow-hawk. 6. Fare- well. 7. Rat-tan. 8. Newbury-port. 9. S-toe. 10. The kine that bore the ark. 1 Samuel vi. 10, 12, 14. 11. Bath sheba. 12. Flash. 13. The bowels. 14. A spermaceti candle. 15. A bed. 16. Railway-train. 17. Childhood. 18. Conundrum. 19. Woodbox, boxwood. 20. Looking-glass. ANSWERS TO HEAD-WORK. 187 21. Latin. 22. Man ; who crawls in infancy, walks erect in man- hood, and supports his steps in age with a cane. 3. ^ANSWERS TO DOUBLE ACROSTIC CHA. RADES AND CROSS-WORD ENIGMAS. 5. Ash. 1. 1. Lower. ' 2. Alto. 3. Lingo. 4. Link. Lalla-Rookh. 2. Hollis. 3. Bird. Seed. B 1. Business. s I 2. Ice. E R 3. Ride. E D 4. Diamond. D 4. Bella. Donna. B 1. Bed. D E 2. Erato. O L 3. Lesson. N L 4. Lincoln. N A 5. Alhambra. A 5. Sarah. Isaac. S 1. Sinai. I A 2. Ananias. S R 3. Rama. A A 4. Anna. A H 5. Havoc. C 188 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 6. Bride. Death. B 1. Bed. D R 2. Revenge. E I 3. Idea. A D 4. Debt. T E 5. Elizabeth. H 7. Dickens. 8. William. 4. — ANSWER TO PUZZLES. 1. NINE. 2. Because it is D parted (departed). 3. Four merry fiddlers played all night To many a dancing ninny ; And the next morning went away, And each received a guinea. 4. The letter O inserted thus, before and after the consonants : — " 0, on old towers, thou gloomy owl. Thou lovest to hoot, thou lovest to howl. " Or on old oak, your hollow tone. So lost, so solemn, sounds alone. So mournful no one loves to go, Or of your hooting howl to know." 5. Request the person to give all the cards containing the number he has fixed upon, and then add all the right ANSWERS TO HEAD-WORK. 18h hand upper corner figures together, which will give the correct answer. For example : Suppose 10 is the num- ber thought of, the cards with 2 and 8 in the corners will be given, which makes the answer 10. 6. In the last square you must only make five marks, and then ask the one you are talking to, to count and see if all are right ; if you do it carelessly, and he is off his guard, he wdll probably say, " One of the donkeys are wanting." You then must slyly say, " If you'll jump in, all will be right." Such simple " sells" often cause a good laugh. 7. Place 4 on 7, 6 on 2, 1 on 3, 8 on 5, 5 on 2, 3 on 7, 8 on 6, 4 on 1, &c. 5. — ANSWERS TO ARITHMETICAL PROBLEMS. 1. 7x6x5x4x3X2x1, result is 5,040, the num- ber of changes. 2. The man's age was 69 years and 12 weeks. The woman's, 30 years and 40 weeks. 3. The four figures are 8 8 8 8, which being divided by a line drawn through the middle, become §^oo- The ' sum of which is eight Os, or nothing. 4. A had seven, and B had five sheep. 5. This puzzle has yet no answer. I trust some of the readers of this book will be able to send us a correct answer, as there is a way to solve it. 190 AMERICAN HOME BOOK. 6. — ANSWERS TO SQUARINa WORDS. 1. - 2. 3. ODE NIGHT SPOT DEY IDLER PAPA EYE GLADE OPAL HEDGE TALL TREES List of Books Recently Published BV LEE & SHEPARD, 149 Washington Street, Boston. EUROPEAN TRAVEL. OVER THE OCEAN, OR SIGHTS AND SCENES IN FOREIGN LANDS. By Curtis Guild, editor Boston Commercial Bulletin, i vol. Crown 8vo. Price, $2.50. This bright and vivacious book of foreign travel has received the most flattering encomiums from the press all over the country. The New York Tribune says : — "Guild's choice of topics is excellent ; the interest of his descriptions never flags. No virtuous American with the hope of a Parisian heaven before his eyes should fail to remember this volume while packing for the voyage." The New York A Ibion says : — " This is certainly a collection of some of the most perfect pen-pictures of Sights and Scenes in Foreign Lands we have ever read." Rev. H. W. Bellows says, va. ^?: Liberal Christian: — "It is one of the best books of foreign travel ever published in this country." Rev. Edward Everett Hale, says: — " I read it with constant interest — and I read but few books of traveL" AN AMERICAN WOMAN IN EUROPE. The journal' of two weeks' sojourn in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Ger- many. By Mrs. S. R. Urbino, author of "The Princes of Art." i2mo. Cloth. $1.50. The Providence Press says : — " A pleasant gossip with an intelligent person who has just returned from Europe, and all the little details of daily Hfe, combined with the cost of every- thing, is given with an ease and grace which is charming." The Phila. Jotcrnal of Commerce says : — "A remarkably pleasant and chatty book of travel." The Chicago Commercial says : — "A pleasant break in the monotony of stories of European trips. " She tells you the best and cheapest way to travel, the shortest and pleas- antest routes, the best sights to see, the best hotels to live in, and just how much it costs to travel, see, or live in the far countries she describes." NEW AND ATTRACTIVE PUBLICATIONS OF LEE & SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS AND BOOKSELLERS, B O S T o isr. LEE, SHEPAED & DILLINaHAM, New York. "A Grand Success." THE AMERICAN GIRL ABROAD. By Miss Adeline Trapton. Illustrated. $1.75. " A bright, merry-hearted girl, ' off on a ^ood time,' and she and her readers are decidedly of the opinion that the journey was a great success." — Liberal Christian. "A delightful Book, original and enjoyable." THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER. By Sophie May. Illus- trated. 1.50. "So lovable and so genuine that she takes one's heart by storm," — Ifew York Republican. "A Book every Girl will be delighted with." SALLY WILLIAMS, THE MOUNTAIN GIRL By Mus. Edna D. Cheney. Illustrated, f 1.50. " Mrs. Cheney's stories have all the charm of romance, and better than that, a power to do good by their wholesome unobtrusive teachings." " Another of the Girlhood Series." ONLY GIRLS. By Miss Virginia F. Townsend, Author of " Deering Farm," " Daryll's Gap," &c. Illustrated. $1.50. Miss Townsend is a charming writer, and this one of her very best productions. Lee 6r» Shepard^s Recent Publications. NEW JUVENILE BOOKS. THE DICK AND DAISY SERIES. Bj Miss Adelaide F. Samuels. Four vols. Illustrated. Per vol., 50 cts. "A very pretty box of small books for the juveniles. There are four vol- umes,.,of a hundred pages each. We have first the Early Days of Dick and Daisy, 'Adrift in the World ; ' their City Life, ' Fighting the Battle ; ' their Proteges, 'Saved from the Street;' and their Reward, or ' Grandfather Mil- ly's Luck.' This is a charming collection, written by Miss Adelaide F. Sam- uels, of whom, judging from these volumes, the world will hear more here- after. " — A merican Baptist. SINGULAR CREATURES ; Being studies and Stories from the Domestic Zoology of our Parish. By Mrs. George CuppLES, author of " Driven to Sea," &c. i6mo. Illus- trated. Cloth. $1.50. The London papers thus speak of the authoress : — " Of the miscellaneous articles, none are more charming than those by Mrs. Geo. Cupples. . . . Her stories are for all readers, whether few or many years old." — Londoii Times {The Thunderer). *' Mrs. Geo. Cupples, who is already very favorably known as the writer of any number of capital stories for juveniles, has succeeded in this instance in producing a charming story." — Scotsman. "Wft shall be mistaken if these well-written stories do not commend them- selves to the good judgments of our readers." — I^ew Monthly Magazine. " Very interesting, and will afford many hours of amusement. " — Observer. ^^'^^Tj charming and attractive." — Lotidon Record. " Nicely and freshly written, perfectly healthy in tone, and remarkable for a pleasant flow of hmnan kindness." — London Illustrated News. THE AMERICAN HOME BOOK of Indoor Games, Amuse- ments, and Occupations. Bj Mrs. Caroline L. Smith (Aunt Carrie). i6mo. Illustrated. $1.50. "In compiling this 'American Home Book,' the author has admirably suc- ceeded in mingling both work and play, and such amusements have been selected, together with directions for useful and ornamental work, as can be recommended to our young readers. Among its contents are : Amusements for little boys and girls, musical and other games for little children, games of memory, games for old and young, new games, material magic, head work, answers to head work, amusements for Christmas holidays, Christmas, ven- triloquism, gardening, flowers, house and home arts, the toilet, home reading the sick room, directions for making bread, yeast, &c." — Eagle, Pittsfield, Lee fip* Shepard's Recent Publications. WORTHY PARTICULAR ATTENTION. PENS AND TYPES. Hints and Helps to all who Write, Print, or Read. By Benjamin Drew. i6mo. Cloth. $1.50. " ' Pens and Types ' is the title of a little book by Benjamin Drew, con- taining such hints and guides for people who write for the press, and printers, as long experience in the work of proof reading has taught him to be essen- tial. There are two classes of people who never properly prepare their man- uscript for publication — those who do not know how to do it, and those who do not care whether they do it or not. The former may be benefited by these hints ; the latter are incorrigible. " — Boston A dvertiser. BEHIND THE BARS. i2mo. Cloth. $2.cx). "We have read it with no little interest. It treats of a class of persons who, incapable of judging for themselves, should be the more carefiilly and tenderly looked after by their relatives, friends, and the State ; and should not be confided to institutions, without continuous scrutiny and attention. We have heard of some sad delinquency on the part of those to whose care such sufferers have been committed." — Methodist Protestant. " Many works upon the treatment proper for insane patients have been pub- lished ; but never, we believe, until now, has one been produced so well cal- culated by its details to promote the essential benefit of those whose state so strongly appeals to the liveliest sympathies of mankind." ART ; Its Laws and the Reasons for Them. Collected, con- densed, and arranged for General and Educational Pur- poses. Bj Samuel P. Long, Counsellor at Law, Student of the English Royal Academy, and Pupil of the late Gilbert Stuart Newton, R. A. i2mo. Cloth. With Steel Engravings and Wood-Cuts. $3.00. Hon. George B. Emerson, in a note to the author, says : — " I believe that any person who shall carefully read it would so understand the principles, and have his eyes opened to the beauties of art, that he would never look upon a picture, a statue, or a noble building, without more interest and a higher power of appreciating and enjoying it." TILESTON'S HAND-BOOK OF THE ADMINISTRA- TIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. i6mo. Flexible. With Photographs of the Presidents from Washington to Grant. $1.50. Large paper copies (limited), $2.50. "From this excellent beuinning to the conclusion, the book is replete with the most interesting information. Each Administration receives its fair share of outline. When there have been messages or proclamations of importance, they are given either fully or in well-chosen extracts. Especial attention has been given to Mr Lincoln, and indeed, an epitome of the \var is thus pre- sented. Besides a history in brief of each President and his policy, we find lists of the different Cabinets, and an analysis of contemporaneous history. The style is clear and concise ; and the book forms an entertaining and usefui manual. If the reader could remember its contents, he would be well in* formed as to the entire history of this country." — Philadelphia Age. NEW PUBLICATIONS OF LEE <5r» SHEPARD. "One hundred and twenty Selections." MISCELLANEOUS READINGS IN PROSE AND VERSE. By Prof. L. B. Monroe. $1.50. " Some of the best thing's of current literature may be found gathered here." — Boston Advertiser. " For Social Amusements." SOCIAL CHARADES AND PARLOR OPERAS. By M. T. Calder, Author of "College Ned," &c. 16mo. Cloth, 75c; fancy bound, 60c. *' These charades and operas, prepared for- private representation, hav been received with great favor by those requiring exhibition pieces." Underwood's American Authors. HAND-BOOK OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. Intended foi the use of High Schools, as well as a Companion and Guide for Private Students, and for General Readers. (American Authors.) By F. H. Underwood, A. M. Crown 8vo. Cloth. $2.50. It is confined to American authors, and includes the most prominent writers in the three periods which cover our entire national history. Underwood's British Authors. HAND-BOOK OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. Intended for the use of High Schools, as well as a Companion and Guide for Private Students, and for General Readers. (British Authors.) By Francis H. Underwood, A. M. Crown 8vo. Cloth. $2.50. Mr. Underwood's Biographical Notices, which precede the selections from prominent authors, are admirable in construction, gems of literary work, attractive and valuable. The Young Voyagers again. YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD. By Oliver Optic. To be completed in 6 volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. 1. UP THE BALTIC. 2. NORTHERN LANDS. 3. CROSS AND CRESCENT. A librai*y of romantic travel and adventure. NEW PUBLICATIONS OF LEE 6- SHEPARD, Sophie May's K"ew Books. LITTLE PRUDY'S FLYAWAY SERIES. By Sophie Mat. To be completed in* 6 volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., 75c. 1. LITTLE FOLKS ASTRAY. 2. PRUDY KEEPING HOUSE. 3. AUNT MADGE'S STORY. 4. LITTLE GRANDMOTHER. " There are no more popular books than those written by Sophie May. All the Sabbath schools indorse them, and all the good, kind parents buy them for their children." Prof. De Mille's Books. THE YOUNG DODGE CLUB. By James De Mille. To be completed in 6 volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., f 1.50. 1. AMONG THE BRIGANDS. 2. THE SEVEN HILLS. " Prof. De Mille is one of the most versatile writers for the young of the day. His stories abound in fun, adventure, and information." A Favorite Series. THE B. 0. W. C. STORIES. By James De Mille. 6 volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. 1. THE B. O. W. C. 2. THE BOYS OF GRAND PRE SCHOOL. 3. LOST IN THE FOG. 4. FIRE IN THE WOODS. 5. PICKED UP ADRIFT. 6. THE TREASURE OF THE SEAS. By a Pleasing "Writer. DICK TRAVERS ABROAD. By Miss Adelaide F Sam- uels. 4 volumes. Illustrated. Per vol., 50c. 1. PALM LAND. ^ . r. ?t» 'OQ 2. THE LOST TAR. ^^ " 3. ON THE WAVE. \ 4. LITTLE CRICKET. By the author of " Dick and Daisy Series." iiHimSl LP 020 237 521 2 ■ ->1 V-M