Take a skipping-rope whenever you go for a country frolic. One treat
will be given through clover blossoms. Each player should gather enough
of these sweet-scented flowers to make three fair-sized bouquets, when
these are made, put them in a convenient and cool place.
Take turns turning the rope; as soon as one girl is through skipping,
she should exchange with one that has been turning. In that way nobody
is tired.
Enter the rope according to height, the shortest player should go
first. As soon as the rope is in even motion, all the players excepting
the one to skip, should say, “One, two, three,” the moment “Three” is
said, whoever is to skip must enter or lose her turn. Should she trip
before skipping eight times she must give her successor a bouquet, on
the contrary, should she skip five times without a break, her successor
must present her with a bouquet. No one may be allowed to skip more
than fifteen times, as too much rope skipping is injurious.
These rules must receive strict adherence. When all have had
opportunity to skip three times, the game is finished. The winner is
the one who has received the most bouquets.
Another game requires ten players, two turning and eight skipping. In
this game those who turn cannot be relieved, but must turn until the
game is concluded.
This time the tallest player is the first to enter, the others stand
according to height, one directly back of the other. As soon as the
rope is in steady motion, the first player starts, skips once, runs
out and around to a rock or tree previously decided on, where she is
safe, the second immediately enters the rope, after the first one runs
out, the point being for the second one to tag the first before she can
reach her destination. The third player, however, enters the rope as
the second has run out, and is trying just as hard to tag the second,
as the second is to tag the first, and so on, each rapidly following
the one before, and thus this game keeps steadily on until all have
been through the rope three times.
Whoever has been tagged is out of the game, and can no longer play;
this decides who are the winners.
It now becomes the duty of all who have played, to gather quantities
of clover or other field blossoms, enough to trim the rope from one end
to the other. In this form the pretty flowers are taken home, and used
for dining-room decoration. Festoon the mantel, or wind it around the
chandelier, allowing the ends to drop low towards the table.
As only one person can have this rope of flowers, decide which one, by
counting out.