Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium by Jessie Hubbell Bancroft (bearly read books .TXT) 📖

Many of the things described in the previous section of this chapter may be used as forfeits.

Forfeits are used in many games as a penalty for failure, and may be an occasion for much merriment. The usual method of collecting and disposing of the forfeits is for each player when he fails, to deposit with some one person designated for the purpose some article which shall serve to identify him when the penalties are assigned. This may be a ring, some small article from the pocket, a bonbon, a pebble, or flower, a bit of ribbon, or other ornament of dress.

When the game is over, the forfeits are redeemed. For this purpose one player is chosen as the judge, who is seated. Behind him stands a player who takes one article at a time from the pile of collected forfeits, holds it over the head of the judge so that he may not see it, and says, "Heavy, heavy hangs over thy head."

The judge then asks, "Fine or superfine?" (meaning, boy or girl?)

The holder answers, "Fine," if a boy, and "Superfine," if a girl, and adds, "What must the owner do to redeem it?"

The judge then pronounces sentence. Part of the sport of this imposing of penalties for forfeits is the ignorance of the judge as to who is the owner of the forfeit.

The following penalties are appropriate for the paying of forfeits, and many of the feats previously described are also suitable.

The practice of forfeits is prehistoric, and is thought to have originated in the custom of paying ransom for immunity from punishment for crimes. As used in games of later years, the main object has been to make the offender ridiculous.

AFFIRMATIVE, THE.—A player is required to ask a question that cannot be answered in the negative. The question is, "What does y-e-s spell?"

BLARNEY STONE.—The player is required to pay a compliment to each person in the room in turn.

BLIND WALTZ.—Two players are blindfolded and told to waltz together.

CHEW THE STRING.—Two bonbons are wrapped in paper and tied each to a piece of string six yards in length. These are placed on the floor at a distance from each other, the free end of each string being given to one of the two players who are assigned to this penalty. At a signal, each player puts his piece of string in his mouth, and with hands behind back chews rapidly at the string, trying to get it all into the mouth. The one who first gets to his piece of candy is rewarded by having both pieces.

CONSTANTINOPLE.—The player is required to "Spell Constantinople, one syllable at a time." As soon as he gets to the letter "i," all of the other players shout the following syllable, "No!" The speller naturally thinks that he has made a mistake, and commences again. Each time that he gets to the letter "i," the same cry of "No" is made, and the poor victim may become very much confused, and doubt his own memory as to spelling before he discovers the trick.

CORDIAL GREETING, A.—This penalty is imposed upon two players at once. They are blindfolded and led to opposite corners of the room. They are then told to go toward each other and shake hands.

CRAWL, THE.—The player is required to leave the room with two legs and come back with six. He does this by bringing a chair with him when he returns.

DANGEROUS POSITION, A.—The player is required to sit upon the fire. This is done by writing the words "the fire" on a slip of paper, and then sitting on it.

ENNUI.—The player is required to yawn until he makes some one else yawn.

FOOTBALL.—A ball the size of an orange is made of crumpled paper. It is placed on the floor, and the player is required to stand at a point three times the length of his foot from the ball. From this point he is required without bending the knees to kick the ball out of the way.

FORUM, THE.—The player is required to make a speech on any subject assigned by the judge.

FOUR FEET.—The player is required to put four feet against the wall. He does this by placing the feet of a chair against the wall.

GRASSHOPPER.—The player is required to hold one foot in his hand and hop on the other around the room.

HAND-TO-HAND.—A player is given some small article to hold in each hand, such as a flower or lead pencil, and required to stretch both arms at full length sideways, the right arm to the right and the left arm to the left. He is then required to bring both articles into one hand without bending shoulders or elbows; or, to state it differently, without bringing the hands any nearer together. This may be done by placing one of the objects on a table with one hand, turning around, and picking it up with the other hand.

HAYSTACK.—A player is required to make a pile of chairs as high as his head, and then take off his shoes and jump over them. (Jump over the shoes.)

HOTTENTOT TACKLE.—The player is required to cross the arms and grasp the left ear with the right hand and the nose with the left hand. He is then suddenly to release the grasp and reverse the position of the hands, grasping the right ear with the left hand and the nose with the right hand. This should be repeated several times in quick succession.

INSIDE AND OUT.—The player is required to kiss a book inside and outside without opening it. He accomplishes this seemingly impossible task by taking the book out of the room, kissing it there, coming back, and kissing it again inside the room.

JINGLES.—The player is given two pairs of rhymes and required to write a verse of four lines ending with the prescribed rhymes. This same forfeit may be imposed on several different players at once, an added interest arising from comparison of the finished verses.

KNIGHT OF THE RUEFUL COUNTENANCE.—This requires two players, one who is assigned to be the knight and the other to be the squire.

The squire takes the knight by the arm and leads him before each lady present. The squire kisses the hand of each lady in turn, and after each kiss carefully wipes the knight's mouth with a handkerchief. The knight must display his grief at the loss of so many opportunities by preserving throughout an unsmiling countenance.

LITTLE DOG TRAY.—The player is required to crawl under the table on all fours and bark like a dog.

LITTLE GERMAN BAND, THE.—Three or four players are told to imitate a little German band, each being required to represent a certain instrument, and all to join in rendering some popular air, which should be assigned.

LITTLE SUNSHINE.—The player is required to walk around the room and bestow a smile on each person in turn.

LUNCH COUNTER.—An apple is suspended at head height on the end of a string from a chandelier or portière pole. The delinquent player is required to walk up to the apple and take a bite from it without help from the hands. For obvious reasons, only one person should be allowed to bite at an apple.

MOODS.—The player is required to laugh in one corner of the room, to sing in the second corner, to cry in the third, and to whistle or dance in the fourth.

NEGATIVE SIDE, THE.—The player is required to answer "No" to a question put to him by each member of the company in turn. This may be made very funny if he be required, for instance, thereby to express dislike for his favorite occupations or friends.

PILGRIMAGE TO ROME, A.—The judge announces that the player who is to redeem this forfeit is about to make a pilgrimage to Rome, and requests that each member of the company give him something to take on his journey. The pilgrim is then required to pass around the room while each person, in turn, presents him with some article, the more inappropriate or difficult or cumbersome to carry the better. These may consist, for instance, of a small chair, a sofa pillow, a house plant, a big basket, a lunch consisting of a nut, etc. These must all be carried at once, and when all have been collected, the pilgrim must make one entire round of the room before laying any of them down.

SAFETY POINT.—The player is required to put one hand where the other cannot touch it. He does this by placing the right hand on the left elbow, or vice versa.

SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR.—Two players are required to stand upon an open newspaper in such a manner that they cannot possibly touch one another. They will find the solution of the problem in placing the newspaper over the sill of a door, and then closing the door between them.

SPOON FOOD.—Two players are blindfolded and seated on the floor, each with a large towel or napkin pinned around the neck like a bib. Each is then given a bowl filled with corn meal or flour, and a spoon. When all is ready, the two players are told to feed each other. This forfeit makes as much sport for the rest of the company as for those engaged in its performance.

THREE QUESTIONS.—The delinquent player is sent out of the room. While he is gone, the remaining players decide on three questions, to which he must reply "Yes" or "No" before he knows what the questions are. When he returns, he is asked if he will answer the first question with "Yes" or "No." Having made his choice, the question is then repeated to him, often resulting in much laughter from the incongruity of the answer. The other questions are answered in the same way.

TIDBIT.—The player is required to bite an inch off the poker. He does this by holding the poker about an inch from his face and making a bite at it.

TOAST OF THE EVENING, THE.—The player is required to propose his or her own health in a complimentary speech about himself or herself.

UMBRELLA STAND.—A closed umbrella or a cane is held upright on the floor by pressing on the top of it with the forefinger. The player is then required to release his hold, to pirouette rapidly, and snatch the umbrella before it falls to the ground.

VERSE LENGTHS.—The player is required to repeat a verse or jingle, stating the number of the word after each word. For example:—

"Yankee, one, Doodle, two, went, three, to, four, town, five," etc.

WALKING SPANISH.—The player is given a cane or closed umbrella. He rests this on the floor, places both hands on top of it, and then rests his forehead on the hands. While in this position, he is required to turn around three times, then suddenly stand with head erect, and walk straight ahead.

ZOO, THE.—The player is required to imitate a donkey or any other animal.

10 to 60 or more players.

Playground; gymnasium.

This is a game for very little children, and with a little suggestion as to the exercises or movements to be illustrated by the "lassie," may be the source of some very good exercise as well as a