Home Fun

Or—

Question—What is your age?

Noun—Cigar.

Verse.

Jack’s Going Strong

“Jack” is a piece of firewood, held in the flames until its tip glows. It is then passed from hand to hand among the players. Each says, as he receives the smoldering torch, “Jack’s going strong.” The aim is to get rid of “Jack” before the spark dies. The player, who is obliged to own that “Jack is dead,” is compelled to pay a forfeit.

“Jack” should be a long stick, held out at arm’s length, so that, if he falls by accident, he will not burn holes in party dresses. The floor should be without a carpet. There is much fun and excitement to be gleaned from this simple game, as no one wishes to have “Jack’s” corpse on their hands.

Name Divinations

This is a clever puzzle game, which seems to the beholder to be steeped in magic and mystery. In order to discover the name or birthplace of a person, the following table of five columns is necessary:—

The manipulator shows the table to the individual whose name he wishes to discover, asking him to point out the column or columns that contain the initial letter. A glance at the table will show that if it is in only one column it must be the top letter. Should it be found to be in more than one, it is discovered by adding the first letters of the columns in which it is stated to be, the sum supplying the alphabetical position of the letter. For example, take the name Elizabeth.

Elizabeth glances at the table and looks for the columns in which her initial letter occurs. It is obvious that she must be careful not to overlook its repetition. She informs you that it is to be found in columns 1 and 3. Now, the columns mentioned are topped by the letters A and D, which are the first and fourth letters of the alphabet. Add these together and you get 5. E is the fifth letter. In case you forget it, write it on a slip of paper. The next letter, Elizabeth informs you, occurs in columns 3 and 4. These are headed by D and H = 4 + 8 = 12. The twelfth letter is L. Columns 1 and 4 contain I, headed by A and H = 1 + 8 = 9. The ninth letter is I. Z is found in columns 2 and 4 and 5, headed by B, H and P = 2 + 8 + 16 = 26. The twenty-sixth letter is Z. The next letter exists only in column No. 1, therefore it is A. The next letter exists only in column No. 2, therefore it is B. The next letter exists only in columns 1 and 3. The top letters of these, A and D = 1 + 4 = 5. The fifth letter is E.

T is found in columns 3 and 5. Top letters D and P = 4 + 16 = 20. The twentieth letter is T.

H occurs in column 4, therefore it is the top letter, H.

Result—Elizabeth.

Wizard Photography

The wizard, who possesses a confederate, is banished from the room. During his absence the latter produces a piece of paper, and declares his intention of taking a photograph of any individual among the company upon it, in such a manner that it shall be visible to the wizard alone, who, upon examining it closely, will call out the name of the original.

Naturally every one considers that this must be quite an impossible proceeding, and for that reason every one becomes very curious and watchful, making up his mind to discover the trick.

The confederate fixes upon one of the company, poses her to his satisfaction, tells her not to look grave, &c., just as professional photographers do, and when she is quite ready and gazing at the sheet of paper, which is held out in the manipulator’s left hand, he passes his right over it, snaps his fingers, and tells her that the wonder is accomplished.

He hastens to wrap the “plate” in his handkerchief, and, calling in the wizard, hands it to him, retiring to a seat where the latter can observe him without appearing to do so. The wizard, looking very mysterious and wise, bids the company maintain an unbroken silence, while he unwraps and examines the “plate.”

His confederate, meanwhile, imitates as nearly as possible the position of the original of the photograph.

Should she cross her feet, toss back her hair, rest her chin on her hand, or perform any other trivial action, the confederate does the same, quite naturally so as not to rouse any suspicion or notice. All attention being concentrated on the wizard, his actions will not be observed by any one save the manipulator, who is led by the position he assumes to guess the individual whose likeness on the “plate” is supposed to be visible to him alone.

Few would realize, until they try the game, the wonder and admiration of the guests, for the wizard who successfully achieves his purpose, and the means employed, are seldom, if ever, discovered.

The Missing Ring

A plain curtain ring is threaded through a piece of tape or ribbon, knotted at the ends. The guests form a circle round a central figure. The ring is passed swiftly along through hands gripping the tape, while the master of ceremonies counts one, two.

At three, all fists must be threaded by the tape and perfectly motionless, and the man in the center, who is permitted to observe the circuit of the ring, is called upon to say which person has possession of it. Should he guess rightly, he changes places with the individual.

Apples and Nuts

Mix a number of hazel nuts and apples together on a table removed from the wall; hand a teaspoon and table knife to each of the guests. Bid them, at a given signal, move to the table, with the knife in the right hand, the spoon in the left, and scoop up one apple and one nut. This is no easy matter on a smooth surface, for the probability is that the fruit and nuts will roll to the floor.

When they are secured they must be conveyed to a dish at the other end of the room. He who performs this feat successfully the most times wins, and the apples and nuts are awarded him as a prize.

Amiable Dog

The party is divided into two lines. The first player begins by saying, “Our little dog is amiable.” The first player on the opposite side must answer quickly with another adjective beginning with the same letter thus, “Our little dog is artful.” Meanwhile, the first player counts ten. If in that time his opponent fails to respond he is obliged to go over to the opposite rank. Other letters of the alphabet may be used. The side that gains all the “men” wins.

CHAPTER LX
PARLOR TRICKS AND PUZZLES

Tangrams

One of the oldest and most fascinating puzzles comes, like so many quaint things, from the Far East where, over four thousand years ago, a learned Chinaman named Tan made the invention which forty centuries have been unable to improve or alter. Worthy of a civilization that invented Chess, Tan’s puzzle has lived on unchanged through the ages, affording amusement and thought to men of such ability as Napoleon, who, during his exile on St. Helena, used to spend hour after hour with the little black geometric figures.

Take a perfect square of stiff cardboard of any size, say five inches, and see that the angles and sides are true. Now, very carefully mark it off according to the dotted lines in Fig. 1, which may be explained thus. ABCD is the square. Rule a line from B to C, and mark off M and H halfway between B and D and C and D respectively, and join M and H. Find G the midpoint of MH and join AG. Mark K and F, midpoints of CE and EB respectively, and join KH and FG. Having thus marked out the card, take a very sharp knife and cut the cardboard along the dotted line. You will then have the seven pieces as shown in Fig. 2, which are numbered for convenience sake. Having colored these pieces dead black with India ink on both sides, you are ready to start the great Tangram Puzzle.

All these seven pieces must be fitted against each other, never overlapping, in order to make the figures of men, beasts, houses, or the like.

Take for example Fig. 3, which shows the original Tan presenting the puzzle. Fig. 3a shows how the good gentleman can be fitted together, as the numbers designate which pieces are to be placed against each other.

The individual in the cocked hat who appears in Figs. 4 and 4a, is another example of how the pieces are to be put together; similarly the depressed cat in Figs. 5 and 5a, or the lady in Figs. 6 and 6a, who is holding her skirts up so high as she crosses the street. Figs. 6b and 6c show a gentleman apparently tired of life.

These seven pieces can be so disposed as to make hundreds of figures, giving scope for boundless ingenuity and skill.

A good winter evening competition can be arranged by making several sets of Tangram pieces, and distributing one set to each member of the party. The name of some familiar object should then be announced (for example—horse—cat—washerwoman), two minutes being allowed for construction, and points given to the best Tangram.

A variation can be introduced by taking a well-known nursery rhyme or fairy tale, and asking each person to make a Tangram to represent a different subject in the tale. Supposing “The Farmer’s Boy” to be the rhyme, one person would make the figure of that youth, to another would fall the horse, to a third the dog, and so on. As in the former case a prize might be awarded to the most successful manipulator of the little black pieces.

A Scissor Trick

Ask one of the ladies, who naturally knows all about scissors, to do the following trick. Holding the hands with palms upward, hang a pair of scissors on the little fingers, as shown in Fig. 7. The fingers should then be slightly bent so that the scissors stick upright as in Fig. 8; next ask her to turn the hands round rapidly back to back when the scissors will make a complete revolution, and should finally point upward again. But it is just at this point that the trick comes in, for the fair lady will find that instead of the scissors pointing up to the ceiling, they are directed down to the floor! (Fig. 9.)

This is the occasion for you to show how really clever you are, and by bearing the following hints in mind it will prove a very easy matter.

When the hands are in the position of Fig. 8, take care that the rings of the scissors are passed over the last joints of the little fingers only, so that a complete revolution can take place between the palms of the hands and the fingers themselves. To bring the scissors upright will then follow in the natural course of events.

Blowing through a Bottle

Can you blow hard enough to make your breath pass right through a thick glass bottle? The majority of people will say “No,” and dare you to perform the task. It is really very easy.

Take a large round bottle or jam jar, and place a lighted candle behind it, as in Fig. 10. Now stand so that the bottle or jar is interposed between yourself and the light, and blow. The flame will be extinguished at once!

There is scarcely need to tell your surprised friends that the shape of the bottle has really caused your breath to follow the curve of the two sides, unite at the back, and blow out the light.

A Safe Bet

Lay a dime, or a dollar if you feel so inclined, upon the palm of your hand, and promise to give it to whoever can brush it off with an ordinary clothes brush, as shown in Fig. 11. The only condition you need make is that they shall brush towards the tips of the fingers and not to one side.

You need have no fear of the result, and can feel quite assured that your money is as safe as if it were in your own pocket. Whatever the explanation may be, the fact remains that no amount of brushing will move the coin the hundredth part of an inch on your open palm.

Do not touch the Coin

Place a dime upon a polished table and ask one of your friends to pick it up without touching either the coin or the table.

A glance at Fig. 12 shows how the trick is done. Slightly curve your hand so that it almost touches the table, and blow steadily upon the table at a distance of about five or six inches. The force of your breath passing beneath the coin will carry it into your hand.

Quis Separabit?

If there happen to be a newly-married couple amongst your friends, the following little trick may cause them a blush of happiness.

Get them to fold their hands, as shown in Fig. 13, in such a way that the wedding-ring finger of the left hand, and the corresponding finger of the right hand, are doubled inwards as far as the second joint, and the knuckles of those joints press firmly against each other.

Now, tell them to separate their two thumbs, as in Fig. 14, while you say, “Parents and children may be separated!” Then let them do the same with the two forefingers, remarking, “Brothers and sisters may be separated!” The same performance may be repeated with the two little fingers, and you remark, “Even lovers may be separated!” Finally, let them try to separate the two middle fingers, when they will find they cannot get them apart. Whereupon you state emphatically, “But husband and wife can never be divided!”

Stick no Bills

Take a piece of coarse brown paper, the coarser the better, and warm it steadily before the fire. Now draw it rapidly a dozen times between your arm and your body, as in Fig. 15, so that it receives a good friction upon each side. Now press the paper against the wall, and you will find that it remains as firmly stuck as though a whole pot of the best paste had been used for the purpose.

A Mighty Voice

A prophet is never without honor but in his own country, and few of your acquaintances will believe you to be such a wonderful person that with a single shout you can break a glass. Yet it is very easy to convince them.

Take an ordinary wine-glass, and hold it by its foot firmly to the table. Make the glass ring with a touch of the finger (it will probably sound a rather low note). While the glass is yet tingling, raise it rapidly to your mouth, and shout the same note that it rang full into the bowl with all your force. The chances are ten to one that the glass will shiver to pieces.

The reason of this phenomenon is the vibrations caused by the tingling are so suddenly increased by the strength of your voice that the glass is unable to bear the strain, and therefore breaks.

A Genuine Match

It is surprising how universal is the law of love! Even two plain pieces of wood are unable to resist the impulses of the great passion.

Take out the bottom of a match-box, and split it into two pieces. Double over the ends at about a quarter of the way up, as in Fig. 16. On one piece make the rough sketch of a girl, and upon the other a similar drawing of a man, and then place the pieces together, as shown in the illustration.

If you pour a few drops of water over the joints of the two pieces of wood, you will find that the two figures slowly and surely rise up to meet each other, and will eventually press their two faces closely in a long kiss. They may be some time about it, but then pleasures delayed are always doubly enjoyable!

The Dying Fish

Cut a piece of deal into a prism about four inches long, and color two of the sides black or dark blue, painting the remaining side white. Sharpen one end into a small triangular point, and paint two eyes and a mouth thereon, so that the completed figure appears as in Fig. 17.

Now, if you put this in a basin of water very heavily salted, you will find that the fish floats quite naturally, as in Fig. 18, whilst if you place him in a basin of plain fresh water, he will immediately turn on his back and float dead, with the white side uppermost, as in Fig. 18a.

This is caused by the greater density of the salt water acting upon the prism.

New-laid Eggs

Here is a very handy method of discovering whether an egg is fresh or not.

Pass an elastic band around the egg, and hang it upon a wire, as shown in Fig. 19. Twist the egg and band round several times, and then release it, when the band will rapidly untwist with the egg. If the latter be quite fresh, it will stop almost immediately, but if it happens to be rather older than is desirable, it will twist and untwist, reversing several times before it finally comes to rest. This applies to eggs which have been boiled—indeed to any egg that is “set.”

A Will-power Test

This is scarcely a trick, as it really serves to prove which of two persons has the stronger will-power.

Place a door-key between the pages in the middle of a book in such a way that the handle projects an inch or two, as in Fig. 20. Pass a piece of string round the book, and draw into a tight knot, so that the key is held firmly in its place.

Now, let the persons who desire to test the strength of their wills support the book by the ring of the key resting on their extended forefingers, as in the illustration. If one person wills the book to turn from right to left, and the other wills it to turn in the opposite direction, it will be found that the book obeys whichever party is possessed of the stronger will.

There is yet another way of testing this strange example of personal magnetism.

Let one of the parties (preferably he of the stronger will) think of some name, Mary, for instance. Informing nobody else of the name he has chosen, let him repeat the alphabet very slowly, when it will be found that, as he arrives at the first letter, M, the book will give a slight turn, and will behave in a similar way for all the other letters of the name. If both parties know the name, the book will turn much more readily, as a result of the united forces of their wills.

The Magic Repeater

This is an interesting example of some strange agency at work amongst us.

Make a running noose at the end of a piece of fine thread, and pass it securely round a quarter, as shown in Fig. 21. Taking care that the thread passes over the tip of the thumb, support the thread from your hand, in the manner shown in the illustration, in such a way that the quarter is hanging within a wine-glass or tumbler. Take care also to keep the hand perfectly steady, and await results.

For a few seconds the quarter will oscillate, but it will soon become quite still. Then, actuated by no motion of your hand, it will begin to swing to and fro like a pendulum, and will finally strike one of the sides of the glass.

Counting the number of times it thus makes the glass ring, you will find that the number corresponds exactly with the nearest hour to the time of day. For instance, at 11:20 there would be eleven rings, whilst at a quarter to twelve there would be twelve.

The cause of this phenomenon can be left to scientists to decide.

The Obliging Banana

It is rare that one can get a fruit so obliging as to peel itself, but upon certain occasions a banana will put itself out of the way to render this favor.

Cut off one end of a banana, and with a knife just start ripping up the skin on the four sides in the usual manner.

Now take an empty bottle, put some methylated spirit inside, and drop a lighted match to ignite the spirits. As soon as the flame has died out, place the prepared end of the banana in the mouth of the bottle, and you will find that the banana is slowly drawn inside, peeling off its skin as the fruit disappears (Fig. 22).

The reason for this condescension on the part of the banana is simple. As soon as the bottle begins to cool from the heat of the flames, the air is contracted inside, a vacuum is caused, and the fruit is sucked into the bottle.

The same trick can be performed with a water bottle and a shelled hard-boiled egg.

The Smoker’s Fancy

Although most ardent smokers will admit there is little pleasure in smoking in the dark, there are few who will not be surprised at the following trick.

Induce a cigarette devotee to have his eyes bandaged, and make him moisten the ends of two cigarettes. Having lighted one of them, allow the victim to have a few whiffs and then take it out of his mouth and replace it by the unlighted cigarette. Continue changing the cigarettes in this manner for a few minutes, and you will presently find that he is quite unable to tell which he has in his mouth, and is quite at a loss to know whether he is puffing away at the lighted “cig.” or not.

The Mysterious Bands

Take a full sheet of a large newspaper, e.g. the first and last pages (which make one sheet) of a paper like the New York Times, and cut three straight strips (a, b, c) about three inches wide, as shown in Fig. 23. Now join the ends of these strips in the following manner in order to make three loops.

In the strip a bend round D, and paste it on to the under side of E.

Make a loop of b in a similar manner, but giving the strip a half turn, and pasting the under side of F to the under side of G.

In the third strip this twist is replaced by a full turn of the paper, so that H is pasted on the under side of N, as in the first instance.

When making these bands it will be quite easy to conceal from the spectators the twists you have given to the paper; and, indeed, the success of the trick depends upon this part of your preparation not being observed.

Now comes the exhibition of the trick. Cut each of the loops into two, in the direction of the dotted lines in Fig. 24, when the following astonishing result will be obtained.

The band a will be cut into two equal loops, as in Fig. 24a, the loop b will turn into one large loop twice the size of the original as in Fig. 24b, whilst the loop C will be transformed into two links of a chain, as in Fig. 24c.

It need hardly be remarked that the twists given to the original bands are responsible for this strange result.

Sold Again

Get some one to take a nickel out of his pocket, and, without showing it to you, ascertain the date of the coin, and then turn it face upwards on the palm of his hand. You will now remark that “you can tell the date.”

Appear to scrutinize the coin very attentively, and then, with the utmost importance, tell the owner of the penny the actual day of the month, and smile complacently at his indignation.

Simple Subtraction

If you have fifteen matches and remove six, how can you obtain a remainder of ten?

Arrange the matches as in Figs. 25 a, b, and c, and ask a friend the above-mentioned question.

When he gives it up, remove the six matches marked A, B, C, D, E, and F, and you will have the result shown in Fig. 26.

A Tricky String Puzzle

Take a piece of string about a yard long and tie the ends together, making a loop. Passing this loop through the ring of a key, hang it upon the extended thumbs of a friend, as in Fig. 27. The strings are crossed. The trick is to remove the key without taking the string from the other person’s thumbs.

To understand the diagrams it will be necessary to remember the following explanations of the letters used in Fig. 28.

A and B are the hands of the person just described whose thumbs bear the string.

C and D are your own hands, left and right respectively.

E is the hand of a third person who holds the key.

F and G are the two sides of the loop.

Begin by catching the string F on your little finger of C and G on the little finger of D, as in Fig. 28. Now transfer the string from the little finger of C to the thumb of B, and thus free your hand C.

Between the forefinger and thumb of B you must take the string G between the key and A.

Now catch this part you have taken round the thumb of B, slip the string from the little finger of D, and when E pulls the key, it will come quite free from the string (Fig. 29).

A Sure Eye

Stick a sharply-pointed knife, preferably with a heavy handle, into the lintel of the door, or into a wooden beam upon the ceiling. Then ask for some one with a sure eye to mark the exact spot on the floor by putting a cent upon it, where the knife will drop when displaced.

This is easily done in the following manner. Take care that the knife is very lightly stuck into the wood, so that it will fall at the slightest touch.

Fill a glass with water, and raising it to the knife immerse the handle to the height of an inch or so. Then watch where the drop of water, which will fall when you remove the glass, strikes the ground, place the cent upon the spot, and you will find that the knife will fall upon that identical place.

“That is the Man”

Fold a piece of paper into four, and cut a pointer out of it, as shown in Fig. 30. Now run a needle through a cork and balance the pointer on its tip, as shown. Place an inverted tumbler over the whole contrivance (Fig. 30a).