It is necessary that two only of the party should have a knowledge of
this game, and then "wonderment" is sure to be the result.
The two players agree that a certain word shall be regarded as a
signal word. As an illustration, imagine this word to be "and."
One of the players asserts his belief that he is gifted with second
sight, and states that he is able to name, through a closed door, any
article touched by any person in sympathy with him, notwithstanding
the said person may attempt to mystify him by mentioning a lot of
other articles. He then chooses his confederate, as being one with
whom he may be in sympathy, and goes outside.
The player in the room then proceeds to call out, perhaps, as follows:
Table, Rug, Piano, Footstool and Chair, Lamp, Inkstand. He then places
his hand on the back of a chair and asks: "What am I touching now?"
the answer will, of course, be "Chair," because the signal word "and"
came immediately before that article.
If the players are skillful there is no need for the trick to be
discovered.
* * * * *
"MOTHER, MOTHER, THE POT BOILS OVER"
A number of children choose one of their number to be "mother" and
another to be the witch. One child represents the pot, and the others
are named after the days in the week, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc. If
there are too many children they might be called after the months.
The mother first names the children, next she takes the pot and
pretends to put it on the fire. She tells the eldest daughter that she
is going to wash, and that she must take great care of her brothers
and sisters while she is away, and on no account to let the old witch
into the house. She is also to look after the dinner and see that
the pot does not boil over. The mother then goes away, and the eldest
daughter pretends to be very busy.
The child who is supposed to be the witch knocks at the door, and asks
if she may come in and get a light for her pipe. She must pretend to
be very old and walk with a stick.
"Come in," says the eldest daughter; "what do you want?"
"To light my pipe at your fire."
"Very well, but you must not dirty the range."
"Certainly not; I'll be very careful."
While the eldest daughter pretends to look on the shelf for something,
the witch puts her dirty shoe on the range, catches hold of Monday
(the youngest child) and runs off with him. The child who is the pot
now makes a hissing noise and pretends to boil over. The daughter
calls out:
"Mother, mother, the pot boils over."
"Take a spoon and skim it."
"Can't find one."
"Look on the shelf."
"Can't reach."
"Take the stool."
"The leg's broken."
"Take the chair."
"The chair's gone to be mended."
"I suppose I must come myself."
The mother comes in from the washtub, drying her hands.
"Where's Monday?" she asks.
"Please, mother, some one came to beg for a light for her pipe, and
when my back was turned she took Monday."
"Why, that was the witch."
The mother pretends to beat the eldest daughter, tells her to be more
careful another time, and goes back to the washtub. The game then goes
on as before, and each time the witch comes she takes away a child,
until at last even the eldest daughter is taken. The pot boils over
for the last time and then the mother, finding all her children gone,
goes to the witch's house to find them, when this conversation ensues:
"Is this the way to the witch's house?"
"There's a red bull that way."
"Then I'll go this way."
"There's a mad cow that way."
But the mother insists upon going into the witch's house to look for
her children. The witch generally hides the children behind chairs.
The mother stoops over one child: "This tastes like Monday," she says,
but the witch replies: "That! it is a barrel of pork."
"No, no," says the mother, "it is my Monday, and there are the rest
of the children." The children now jump out and they and their mother
begin to run home; the witch runs after them, and whoever she catches
becomes witch, while the witch becomes the eldest daughter.
* * * * *