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 The Lady Series
THE GILLIGHAM COLLECTION

DAISY LANDISH
 Copyright © 2022 by Daisy Landish
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a
book review.

Editing by Rachael Lammie

Cover by Daisy Landish
 About the Author

Daisy Landish is a romance and contemporary fiction author living in the UK,
whose clean and sweet novellas have tugged at readers’ heartstrings across the
pond and beyond. When she’s not writing love stories, Daisy spends her time
reading, hiking at dawn, and riding into the sunset on her horse, Rosebud.

Join Daisy’s Newsletter for updates and giveaways!

www.daisylandishromance.com
 Also by Daisy Landish
Clean Regency Romance
The Lady Series - The Allington Collection
The Lady Series - The Gillingham Collection
The Lady Series - The Blackmore Collection
Clean Contemporary Romance
Love on Spruce Island
Second Chance
Cherry Tree Island
The Wedding Trio
The Science Fair Trilogy
Clean Contemporary Western Romance
Counting on the Cowboy
Focusing on the Cowboy
Cozy Mysteries
Jane and Kennedy Daniels Mysteries
Pine Grove Mysteries
Annie Archer Paranormal Mysteries
Clean Holiday Romance
The Yuletide Thief
Grounded at Christmas
Stranded for the Holidays
Christmas Surprise
 Contents
Rescuing The Lady
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue

Advocating for The Lady

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue

Catching The Lady

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
 Epilogue

Beholding The Lady

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue

Loving The Lady

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue

Retiring with The Lady

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Rescuing The Lady
THE LADY SERIES BOOK SEVEN
 Foreword

Dearest Readers,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading all about the
Allingtons and their adventures in matrimony.
As The Lady Series continues, you’ll be introduced to a new
family, the Gillinghams.
They are an odd bunch with varied interests that I think you’ll
find as fascinating as I.
Best,
Daisy
 Chapter One

E loise Gillingham could be accused of many things, but she

would never be accused of not fully enjoying life. She loved life,
and she always brought her love of life to wherever she went
and whomever she was with. She loathed the winter because it was
so colourless and stark, and she could often be heard huffing and
puffing through the drafty halls of her father’s grand home whenever
she was cooped up for any lengthy period of time indoors.
Spring was always Eloise’s favourite time of the year when the
flowers came out and the colours of nature popped. She could often
be seen running down the hills with her long blonde hair flying
behind her, running as if trying to catch up with something elusive,
just beyond her grasp. All of this created much exasperation on the
part of Eloise’s governess, Miss Catherine Tomlins, who’d been
tasked with running after her wayward charge, often failing to catch
up.
Eloise found pleasure in everything. Even in the French lessons
she was subjected to in preparation for being a ‘proper’ lady, a role
she had prepared for and had been reminded of over and over again
for the whole sixteen, nearly seventeen, years of her life thus far.
Since her mother’s death, Eloise and her three younger sisters
Penelope, Virginia, and Anna, and her brother, Andrew, had been
effectively raised by their governess, their heartbroken father never
having remarried.
Mama and Papa’s marriage had been a marriage borne out of
convenience that grew into one of love. For the first ten years of
Eloise’s life, she had been privileged to witness her parent’s great
fondness for each other first-hand. When her dear mother had died
six years ago, Eloise had only just turned ten, while Penelope had
been eight, Virginia six and Anna four.
Mama had died giving birth to Andrew. In her own way, Mama
had fulfilled the great duty of every English wife, to give her
husband a son and heir to continue the family legacy. However, the
fulfilment of that duty had come at a very great cost. Mama’s death
had been hard on all of them as a family. Time healed all wounds,
and eventually, they had learned to move on and be whole again. All
except Papa, who seemed so lost in his grief, so much so that he
could barely look at Andrew, even now, six years later.
Not everything was maudlin though, by any stretch of the
imagination. The sorrowing family had their share of good times
growing up. Now, Eloise was just about to celebrate her seventeenth
birthday and she was finally coming out. In just one month, she and
her friend, Evelyn Chatsworth, would both be presented at court.
The girls had shared long excited discussions about the event and
what it might mean for them going forward. They both knew that it
was the grand event of every notable English girl’s life. And while the
prospect thrilled them, it was all somewhat daunting, even terrifying,
especially for Eloise who was expected to navigate these perilous
waters without a mother to steer her through safely. Not that she
was facing the season without any support whatsoever. Lady
Chatsworth had already seen too much of Eloise’s wardrobe and was
prepared to shepherd both girls throughout the season. Even so,
Eloise dreamed about her presentation night after night. Sometimes
the debutante ball would be everything she had ever dreamed of.
Sometimes, it would be a disaster.
Raising herself up from her pillow after one such night of fitful
sleep, Eloise yawned and stretched, deciding to get out of bed early
and face the day rather than try to rest further.
“Well, it shouldn’t be so hard,” she consoled herself. In last
night’s dream, the presentation had been disastrous where Eloise
had tripped and fallen flat on her face. “Men have certainly done
tougher things than stand before a sovereign to proclaim they were
now ripe for marriage.”
She rang for her maid, Polly, so that she could dress and prepare
herself for the series of lessons that would follow throughout the
course of the day.
Polly helped Eloise into her corset, pulling the cords tightly while
her mistress held the bedpost firmly for support. “Polly, do you think
me ready for my presentation?” Eloise mused, as her maid deftly
tied the ribbons and helped her with her gown.
“Aye, my lady. I reckon you can cope with any challenge that
comes your way.”
Eloise smiled fondly, certain that she could do no wrong in Polly’s
eyes. Theirs was an unusual relationship, being friends more so than
mistress and servant.
Despite arising early, Eloise took her precious time preparing
herself that morning, but she eventually had to trudge her way to
her classroom where her governess, Miss Tomlins, was waiting for
her, looking impatiently at the clock. “Good morning, Miss Tomlins,”
she greeted the woman with a curtsey, hoping to look more awake
than she felt.
“Oh, good morning, my dear. How fare ye this fair day?” her
governess replied breezily.
They both laughed at Miss Tomlins’ weak attempt at humour and
settled in for the day. They went through several French verbs and
some arithmetic before they settled down for a fifteen-minute break.
“Just a month more before the grand event of the season,” Miss
Tomlins observed.
“Oh, don’t remind me, I feel so nervous, I fear that I might faint
before the Queen and all her ladies.”
“Don’t be silly, child. You are going to make a most marvellous
debutante. You are so beautiful, just like your mother, God rest her
soul. And I daresay, you will be bound to catch the eye of a
handsome Duke within a week.” Miss Tomlins sighed. “Imagine! You
will be a Duchess and live in an even grander house than this one
and live happily ever after.”
 “Oh, you and your fairy tales, Miss Tomlins. I want that too,
provided I do not obliterate the said Duke’s toes with my bad
dancing first,” Eloise added with a grin.
Miss Tomlins’ eyes were now as round as saucers. “I know full
well you have been taking dancing lessons all these years!”
Eloise made a face. “Oh, you know full well how far from London
we are. The dancing I have been taught would have been more
appropriate in my mother’s day. I have yet to be introduced into the
mysteries of the waltz, or any other type of dancing I wish to do,
anyway.”
“The waltz is becoming more accepted,” Miss Tomlins said with a
frown. “It is quite likely you shall encounter it in London. We must
get you a teacher at once because you must not embarrass the
Gillingham name. I will put the matter before your father later
today.”
They laughed together while they discussed some more about
practising for the ball before finally returning to their lessons. Three
more hours were spent on philosophy, music, and history before
retiring for the day.
After such a long day, Eloise wanted nothing more than to sleep.
But she was requested by her father to make an appearance at
dinner, and so make an appearance she must. Which also meant
dressing for it too. She rang for Polly again to attend her for the
preparations. As Polly brushed Eloise’s long blonde hair, Eloise
wondered to herself silently why the English must be so rigid and set
in their ways. As far as she was concerned, she would wear her
most comfortable clothes to the dining room, put her feet up on the
table, and eat with her fingers like the Americans. Or at least, that’s
what she had been told.
She pictured doing those very things in front of her father and his
stiff friends and started laughing so hard that Polly had to put down
her brush and wait for the giggles to cease. It took some time.
Eloise silently imagined Lord Aldridge choking on an olive, and Lady
Pelbrook simply dying of shock at such an ungainly sight.
Polly smiled, shaking her head. She bent over the ribbons to sort
through which one would best match Eloise’s dress, that she might
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
out of the room. After you have announced the trick and have left
the room, your assistant (who of course acts as if he were
disinterested) takes a pencil, and when some one names the card he
writes it on the paper and folds it up. For example, we will say that
the four of diamonds was named. When he has finished writing the
name of the card, he, in an offhand way, places the pencil on the
table, so that the point would indicate four in an imaginary clock, he
of course sitting opposite to six. The paper is then folded and placed
in a casual way on the opposite side on the table, in a section which
we will designate as diamonds. These sections may be like this:
diamonds at the top of the imaginary clock, hearts at the right, clubs
at the bottom, and spades at the left. The face of the clock can be
imagined to be about a foot or so round. You may now be called in
by anybody, and upon entering, you must, to make the trick
effective, take up the paper, and hold it to your forehead as if in
deep thought. Of course you have taken in at a glance the entire
situation, and in a most mysterious way, name the card. In case a
court card is named you will understand that a jack is eleven, a
queen twelve, and if a king is named, the pencil is not laid down, the
paper only being left to indicate the suit. Now some are bound to
name the joker. In that case your assistant simply places the paper
on top of the pencil or uses some other arrangement agreed upon.

A Horse Race. Each man in the party receives a little bag

containing one hundred beans. Each woman adopts the name of
some horse. Strips of tape or paper are fastened at one end of the
room farthest away from where the races are to begin. All attached
ends are on the same line. The loose ends are held by the women
on the other side of the room, armed with scissors. The men bet
their beans on the outcome of the race. At a given signal, each
woman begins to cut the tape, the one to reach the end of her
strand quickest being the winner. The narrowness of the tape obliges
the women to work with extreme care, as well as quickly, for if the
strand is cut before reaching the end, the “horse” is disqualified.
When the first entries have been raced, if there are more women
than strips, more come forward for another “heat,” and so on until
all have competed. The man winning the most beans in all the races
wins the prize, and each lady who comes out ahead receives
something in appreciation of her dexterity.

A Jam-eating Contest. For this, thin slices of bread are spread

with jelly or jam and placed upon a small plate at the edge of the
table. Those who enter the contest must have their hands tied
behind them, so that they are obliged to eat their bread and jam
without touching it with a hand. The one who succeeds in disposing
of his slice first receives a prize.

A Potato Race. Use peach-baskets for the goals. Potatoes,

apples, or oranges are laid three feet apart in rows for the gathering
contest. Each one must be picked up and carried on a spoon to the
basket at the end of the row.

Guessing Contests. A pumpkin, a large ear of yellow field-corn,

a pint of peanuts in the shell, a pound of pecans in the shell, a
basket of apples, one chrysanthemum, a large bunch of Malaga
grapes, and a bough of oak leaves are the requisites for this
entertainment. These same articles may serve as decorations for the
room during the evening. The game is to guess the number of parts
of each one of the list, for instance:
How many grains on the ear of corn?
How many seeds in the pumpkin?
How many grapes in the bunch?
How many pecans in a pound?
How many petals on the chrysanthemum?
How many peanuts in a pint?
How many leaves on the oak bough?
How many apples in the basket?
Of course, the answers have actually been obtained beforehand,
except in the case of the chrysanthemum, which is counted after the
company have guessed.

A Phonograph Concert. The removal of a large screen exposes

a most extraordinary contrast. It consists of a large square packing-
box, the open side being set across a doorway leading into another
room. On top of the box is fastened a clothes-wringer and a
megaphone, while a curtain conceals the part of the doorway not
hidden by the box. The record is a narrow slip of paper, yards in
length, which is inserted between the rollers. The crank is turned
and the record announced amidst a grating noise peculiar to
phonographs. A person behind the scenes, with his head in the box,
drawls out the subjects of the records, making the scraping noise by
rubbing something rough against a tin can. The people who are to
do the feats on the phonograph are in the room behind the curtain
and, as their turns come, stick their heads into the box and shout
through the megaphone, which is sticking out of the hole bored
through the box.

To Lift Fifteen Matches with One. On a match place fourteen

other matches so that one third of the match, with its phosphorus
tip, will be in the air and the other end resting on the table. These
ends should point alternately right and left. If one is asked to lift
them, holding only one extremity of the lower match, it seems clear
that the fourteen matches on top will fall to the table by the force of
gravity. Here is a way to render the operation feasible. Above the
matches and along the angle formed by the interlacement, place one
last match. They can now be lifted safely by the extremity of the
under match. The matches will take an oblique position, embracing
the upper one within their angle as though they were possessed of
jaws, and will remain without further support just as long as you
wish. By preference, employ the largest matches you can find.

A Donkey Party. Each one tries, blindfolded, to pin a tail to a

donkey drawn on a sheet. The prize is given to the one who comes
nearest to pinning it in the right position.

The Dwarf Exhibit affords one of the most amusing

entertainments, and will cause wonder to your friends as to where
you got “him.”
Two persons play the dwarf, a third acting as the exhibitor, who
should prepare beforehand a humorous speech, setting forth the
history and accomplishments of the dwarf, which will be told later.
To arrange and dress the dwarf, place a table in a doorway
between two rooms, and cover it with a cloth or a curtain that will
reach to the floor on the side farthest from the audience. Or the
table may be placed entirely in the room next to that in which the
audience is seated, the edge of it reaching to the doorway, so that
the curtains between may act as a screen while you are getting the
dwarf ready.
One person stands behind the table and places his hands on it.
These, with his arms, form the feet and legs of the dwarf. Over his
arms should be drawn a pair of boy’s trousers, and on his hands
should be a pair of shoes. The trousers should be drawn down until
they reach the heels, like a man’s. This completes the lower part of
the dwarf.
The second person stands behind the first and passes his arms
around his shoulders. By putting a coat over the arms and buttoning
it down the figure of the first impersonator and then throwing a cape
around his neck so arranged as to cover the head of the person
behind, you will complete the dwarf’s dress.
Of course, you may have to improvise a jacket to fit, or you may
dress the dwarf fantastically, as a Turk, or woman, for instance, but
the means of doing so will suggest themselves readily.
The hands of the second person act as the hands of the dwarf,
and as the latter makes his appearance they raise his hat when he
bows to the audience. The exhibitor then begins his history, which
can be made very ludicrous; and he should recite the various
accomplishments of the dwarf, including dancing, and even his
ability to suspend himself in the air without support.
 The dwarf should then be invited to entertain the audience, and
he should begin by making a little speech, in either a thin falsetto or
a heavy bass voice, assumed, of course, to add to the grotesque
effect. The second player makes gestures to the speech, which in
themselves will create a laugh.
Then the dwarf should begin to dance. The hands of the first
performer do this, and all of a sudden, in the middle of a quickstep,
they both are lifted from the table and remain suspended in the air
for a quarter of a minute. Then they drop to the table again, and the
dwarf appears to be exhausted with this unusual effort.
In making his parting salute to the audience the dwarf astonishes
them all by putting both feet to his mouth and throwing kisses with
his toes.

Stick-and-Pea Amusement. A box of toothpicks and a pint of

dried peas will furnish excellent amusement for children on a rainy
day. Soak the peas until they can be pierced with a toothpick.
Tables, chairs, boxes, figures, letters, etc., can be made by sticking
the toothpicks into the peas.

An Introduction to the Doll Family. If you straighten a

hairpin, then bend one end of it until it resembles a shepherd’s
crook, and hang it on the edge of a table, it will swing back and
forth many times like the pendulum of a clock. The slightest touch
sets it in motion, and if you have just the right angle to the crook it
will sway back and forth many times.
Suppose you fix several hairpins in this fashion and set them all to
swinging at once. It will much resemble a lot of very slender
gentlemen bobbing up and down in stately, graceful bows. Very well;
suppose we have some real gentlemen to bow to us. Get two or
three old magazines and look through the advertising sections. You
will find lots and lots of figures of all kinds, men, women, and
animals; some of them just the size you want. Cut out some of these
very carefully, selecting those just a little longer than your bent
hairpins.
Now thrust a hairpin through one of the figures and hang the
bent end of the hairpin on the edge of a table; or, better still, a big
book whose cover overlaps the leaves inside. Blow gently at the
figure and it will answer by bowing most politely, bobbing back and
forth in the funniest way you can imagine. Now fix the rest of the
figures in the same way and you will have one of the most amusing
collections of dolls that ever was. Whenever you blow at them, they
all will nod and bow at once, but no two will move alike, for the
shapes of their figures will all be different, and the different ways in
which their weight or centre of gravity inclines them will cause the
various motions.
Just try it with some of your little friends and see what fun these
odd little actors will make for you.

Second Sight. This cannot fail to make a hit, providing the rule
is not generally known by the audience.
Take a piece of paper and write on it the figures 1,089. Fold this
paper and ask one of your spectators to place it in his pocket
without looking at it. Now ask another spectator to think of three
figures (a). He having done so, get him to write them upon another
piece of paper. Now ask him to write the same figures under the first
row, only in reverse (b) order. Subtract the smaller from the larger
(c). Now reverse the remainder (d) and your total will be the answer
on the piece of paper in the first spectator’s pocket. For instance:
(a) Number thought of 621
(b) Result of reversion 126
——
(c) “ “ subtraction 495
(d) “ “ second reversion 594
——
(e) “ “ addition 1,089
 The Blind Feeding the Blind. Spread a sheet on the floor, and
having blindfolded two players, seat them on the floor facing each
other. Give to each a spoon and saucer containing some dry food
such as ground pop-corn or wheat grains and let each attempt to
feed the other.

An Amateur Vaudeville. For the entertainment of a large

number of people, an amateur vaudeville program meets every
requirement, and does so in a unique manner.
If you go over your list of friends and acquaintances, you will find
among them many a clever person who has some talent which can
be utilized in preparing the program; this one can dance, that recite,
another sings coon songs, some do “cake-walks,” some play, others
sing, one can tell an Irish story or a Dutch one, or perhaps perform
a feat of legerdemain, and so on, until your program is filled.

The Elusive Coin. Set a coin upon the edge of a table, and,
closing one eye by the opposite hand (that is, the left eye closed by
the right hand and vice-versa); attempt to knock it off with the
forefinger of the disengaged hand.
You will find that your judgment is at fault, and that, in nine cases
out of ten you are dabbing away at nothing but thin air.
To do this effectively, you should stand at arm’s length from the
coin, and you will be surprised at your apparent bad judgment.

Novel Paper-Cutting. A long strip of paper is shown to the

audience; it is then rolled up into cylindrical form, a few cuts are
made with a scissors, or if the paper is not too thick, it may be torn
with the fingers. You make a twist or two, and the audience are
surprised to see what a good resemblance to a “fir tree,” five or
more feet in length, makes its appearance in the performer’s hands.
This is managed in the following way: Cut a strip of paper about
nine feet long and eight inches wide; to increase the effect, the strip
of paper can be made up of three or four short lengths of different
colored papers pasted together. Roll the paper up into a cylinder of
about 1¼ inches in diameter, then with a pair of scissors make cuts
through the cylinder from one end, to halfway down its length.
These cuts should be at small, equal distances from each other
around the roll. Then bend over into horizontal position each piece
of loose paper to form the branches of the tree, pull out from the
centre of the top in the same way as for the familiar barber’s pole;
the tree will then be complete.
To thoroughly grasp the idea, the instruction should be carefully
followed with scissors and paper in hand.

The Mysterious Remainder. A mother of several children

amused them frequently by the following simple puzzle. It was a
never-failing source of entertainment and a delightful mystery. She
never told the secret. Had she done so, much of the charm would
have been lost.
“Think of a number.”
Perhaps some one would think of four.
“Double it.”
The child thought, but did not say eight.
Perhaps she would say, “Add six to it.”
“Divide it by two.”
“Take away the first number you thought of and the remainder
will be three.”
Sure enough, four from seven does leave three; the children were
much puzzled to know how mother knew. The next thing was always
a request to try it again.
Suppose 1000 was chosen.
“Double it,” was the order.
“Add ten to it,” was the next command.
“Divide by two.”
“Take away the first number thought of and the remainder will be
five.”
One might think of six, another of eleven, another of twenty. The
result was the same. Mother could always guess right.
 When the children grew older they were surprised to learn that
mother did not know the number thought of at all. They learned for
themselves that the remainder was always half of the number
added.

Home Field-Sports. (a) One-Yard Dash. This race consists in the

attempt to push a penny a distance of one yard across the floor by
means of the nose.
(b) Tug of War. A raisin is tied firmly in the middle of a long piece
of twine, and each contestant takes a firm hold of one end of the
twine in his mouth, and begins to chew this string for the raisin. No
one is allowed to use his hands.
(c) Standing High Jump. Three doughnuts are suspended in a
doorway about four inches above the mouths of the jumpers. The
contestants with hands tied attempt to take a bite. One bite from the
doughnut wins a prize.
(d) Hurdle Race. The contestants take seats and thread six
needles. The one who gets through first is the winner.
(e) Drinking Race. Each contestant is given a glass of water, which
is to be absorbed by means of a spoon.
(f) Bun Race. Two poles are set up at a good distance apart,
connected with a clothesline, from which are suspended strings of
different lengths, according to the height of each boy, and a bun is
tied to each string. The boys line up, hands tied behind their backs,
and at the signal each tries to eat his bun. The constant moving of
the line caused by their efforts makes it almost impossible to get a
bite. Soon a boy gets a hold with his teeth, gets his bun on the
ground, and, with his hands still behind, finishes the bun and gets
the prize.
(g) Cracker-eating Contest (for girls only). Girls choose sides and
line up facing each other. Each girl has a cracker which she is to
chew and swallow as quickly as possible. The side which has a girl
able to whistle first wins the prize.
(h) Rainy-Day Race. This race is run by several girls. They stand in
a line with a closed satchel in front of each one, in which is a pair of
rubbers, a pair of gloves, and also an umbrella. When “three” is
counted, they open the satchels, take out the rubbers, put them on,
take out the gloves, put them on, open their umbrellas, take the
satchels and walk (not run) about one hundred feet to a line. Here
they lower the umbrellas, take off their gloves and rubbers, put
them in the satchels, close them and return, carrying the satchels
and having the umbrellas closed. The first one back to the starting
point wins. Other additions may be made.

The Gentlemen Nurse-maids. It is best to have several ladies,

who know the trick, to dress the dummies, as it is too long a task for
one.
When the gentlemen are seated, carefully blindfold each one, and
request him to double up his right fist. Upon the back of the fist
mark the eyes, nose, and mouth of a face with a burnt match or a
little water-color. Tie around this a doll’s cap, or a lace frill or muslin
ruffle, and fasten around the wrist a full white apron or skirt. Bend
the left arm to lie across the waist, and put the right fist into the
inner bend of the elbow, drawing the apron down over the right
arm, and each of the blindfolded gentlemen will appear to be
tenderly nursing a young baby. Have blindfolds removed.

New Year’s Resolutions for Others. The simplest

entertainments are often the most successful. The literary efforts are
sometimes desirable, but for a really enjoyable, social time, the
following is sure to be a success. This should be arranged on New
Year’s eve. Resolutions for improvement in conduct for the coming
year are then in order. Supply your guests with pencil and paper. A
party invited to see the old year out is quite sure to be an intimate
one. For the resolutions, have each guest write a set of them for
some one else in the party. This may be decided by inviting each one
to write of his neighbor or by writing the names on paper and letting
each one draw his subject. They are to be collected and read to the
company. The writer is at liberty to sign any name to his resolutions.
 Can You Draw a Watch-face? Some people have the happy
faculty of seeing what they look at, others go through the world
blindly. We may look at a familiar object numberless times, and yet
be ignorant of many of its striking characteristics. An amusing little
test of this faculty can be arranged. There is no object with which
we should be more familiar than the face of a watch, yet when we
attempt to reproduce it, we will be astonished at our ignorance.
Have prepared squares of cardboard with pencil attached. If it is
designed to use them as souvenirs, one side may be decorated, and
the date and occasion written on it.
Provide one of these for each guest, and when you are ready for
your entertainment request each of the company to draw on the
blank side, the face of a watch as he can remember it. It is well to
furnish something to use as a guide for the first circle, as that has
very little to do with the memory of detail, and only rarely is one
able to draw even an imperfect circle. Allow all the time required,
and when the papers are collected, a committee can judge on the
merits, if it is designed to give a prize.

The Endless Thread. The joker is seen walking about, until

some one observes a piece of white cotton thread sticking on the
back of his coat. Of course, the unfortunate individual is asked
whether he has been sewing his buttons on, etc., being generally
laughed at, until some one attempts to remove the piece of cotton.
Then the laugh is turned, for, as the obliging gentleman pulls the
cotton away from the joker’s coat, so does it become longer until
some hundreds of feet have been extracted. The amusement is then
brought to a climax by the gentleman turning round and drily
remarking, “Well, I never! You had better start putting that back
now!”
Before entering the room, the party that is going to play the joke
should provide himself with a reel of white cotton. Without breaking
the cotton, two or three feet must be unwound and threaded
through a needle, which must be passed through the centre of the
back of his coat. Then the reel should be deposited in his inside
breast pocket, and the coat put on; afterwards pulling a little of the
cotton through the garment to see that the reel works properly; the
needle, of course, being removed, and the cotton being cut until
only two or three inches project through the coat at the back. Now it
will appear that the cotton is only sticking to the nap of the coat, but
as soon as any one pulls, the reel will revolve and allow the thread
to be dragged out until the supply is exhausted.

The Telltale Glass. Procure an ordinary glass tumbler, and invert

it on the table. Then request anybody present to lend you a penny.
Placing the coin on the top of the glass, you leave the room, telling
the company at the same time, that if a person will take the penny
and conceal it, you will tell them, when you return, which person has
it.
Some one having concealed the coin, you make your appearance,
and request each one round the table to place his first finger on the
glass, one after another, and not all at once. This done, you take up
the glass, and place it to your ear, remarking at the same time that,
by the aid of the sound which you hear, you will be able to tell which
person has the coin. Then you listen for a second or two, put down
the glass, and turning to the person who has the coin, make some
remark, such as “Mr. ——, please give me the penny.” Whereupon
the person addressed produces the coin and hands it to you.
How you got to know who possesses the coin will seem
remarkable to the company, you having been out of the room when
the coin was taken off the glass and concealed.
This is how it is done: when you tell the persons to place their
fingers upon the glass, your confederate, who is one of them, must
place his on after the person who has the coin.

Pairing Ten Half-dimes. Place ten half-dimes in a row upon a

table. Then taking up any one of the series, place it upon some
other, with this proviso, that you pass over just ten cents. Repeat
this till there are no single half-dimes left.
 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 half-dimes.
Place 4 upon 1, 7 upon 3, 5 upon 9, 2 upon 6, and 8 upon 10.

Deceptive Heights. (a) Ask a person, or several persons, to

point out with a finger or walking-cane, on a wall, above a table,
about what he supposes to be the height of an ordinary hat. You will
find he will place his mark about a foot above the table. Place the
hat under it, and he will find, to his surprise, that the space
indicated is more than double the height of the hat.
(b) The height of a common flour-barrel is just the length of a
horse’s face, and much merriment may be made by asking the
company to mark their idea of the height of a flour-barrel upon the
wall. In nine cases out of ten the mark will be several inches, or
even a foot, too high.

Slang. The players may be young or old and of both sexes. They
are given pencils and paper and asked to write down all the slang
words they can think of in five minutes. When the time limit is
reached the hostess collects the papers, and reads the names and
the list of slang words aloud.
This is where the fun commences. Imagine a quiet little mouse of
a woman having the following expressions to her credit: “Soak him,”
“Chase yourself,” etc. Imagine a dignified old gentleman writing the
following: “Put out his lamps,” “Me for the dreamy eyes,” etc. In one
case, a lawyer seemed to be right at home, and at the end of the
five minutes had a list of thirty expressions. But the prize
unexpectedly went to a little lady who could think of only one word
of slang. In presenting it, the hostess said, “You have used the best
English, and the best slang.”
The lawyer, whose list of slang was the longest, received a booby
prize. The point, of course, is that the least slang is the best.

Observation Contest. Have on tables and pinned on curtains,

etc., quantities of small objects. Provide pads for all and let each
have three minutes to observe each table, each part of the room,
etc., and then five minutes to note down in another room all that
she remembers to have seen. This is great fun. The prize should be
given to the one with the keenest power of observation.

The Bargain-Counter Game. The Christmas bargain-counter is

a charming fireside game for Christmas night that will amuse and at
the same time instruct the nursery children. The bargain-counter
may be the nursery table set in front of the fireplace or hearth. On
the counter are laid as many as one likes of the toys which the
children received from tree and Christmas stockings. One child is
chosen to take charge of this play toy shop, and a second child
leaves the room after looking carefully first at all the toys on the
counter to determine their names. While this child is absent from the
room a third child selects and hides one of the toys. When the
second child returns he must try at one guess to say which of the
toys was sold during his absence. If he guesses successfully he may
be the next toyman. To make the game more difficult two or more
toys may be hidden. Another and slightly more difficult way of
playing the bargain-counter game is to have the toyman change the
positions of the toys while the child is out of the room. The child on
returning must rearrange them, if he can, in exactly the same
positions. They may be scraps of color instead of toys. Red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, and violet ribbons, balls or Christmas tree
candles may be laid out in the order of the rainbow colors. While
one child is either blindfolded or outside the room, the child in
charge of the colors removes one from sight or alters the color order,
and the other child must guess the hidden color or restore the
rainbow order on his return.

The “Thirty-five” Trick. An envelope, handed to any person in

the company at the outset, contains a slip of paper, bearing the
number 35. This is kept in the person’s pocket until the close of the
trick; or the number 35 can be written on the inside of a trick slate,
or elsewhere, for production in due course.
The performer now goes around with a slip of paper, which he
hands to some one, with a request to place any single figure
thereon. This done, he gives the paper to a second person to place
another figure under the first, and so on to as many persons in
succession as necessary. As each figure is written, he secretly adds
all together until the total reaches 26 or over; when this is the case,
he stops calling for more figures and, retaining the paper, remarks,
“That will do, thank you, but I would like to place this gentleman’s
initials on the paper for the purpose of identification.” The initials are
given and written on the paper by the performer, who at the same
time takes the opportunity thus afforded of placing another figure, to
make the sum total 35, at the foot of those already written. This
done, the paper may be handed to any person to add up the sum,
for the simple reason that the trick cannot now fail. Of course no
one ever thinks of checking the number of figures on the paper with
the number of persons who wrote them. The envelope containing
the slip of paper is now opened, and the two amounts compared.

An Ink Shock. Cut a piece of black paper to imitate spilled ink.

Lay it flat on a white table cover. Beside it, place an upset dry ink
bottle. This will shock the mistress of the house.

Reading from Folded Papers. For this trick, you enlist the
service of a friend. Each one is given a slip of paper and told to write
on it a question. Fold up well and drop into a hat. Mix them up, and,
holding the hat over your head, pick out any paper, and without
unfolding it, answer the question, doing the same with the rest.
In order to do this, you must know your friend’s question, and as
you collect the papers, slip it under the band inside the hat. When
performing, take any slip, but answer your friend’s question first.
Now open, to prove yourself right, and thereby see another
question. This is answered while the next is held, and so on until the
last, when all and the one in the hat are mixed and left for the
audience for investigation.

Blind Man’s Buff with Dominoes. Sit opposite another player,

each placing his right foot on the other’s left. Turn the dominoes
face down and the game now begins. Of course each one must look
at his domino before he plays it, but he does not show it to the
other. The pressure of your foot on his shows the number with which
you begin, without the possibility of a blunder, although playing the
dominoes face downward. He now counts the movements of your
foot, which indicate the number he is to match. He then presses
your foot with the number you are to match. This is continued until
all the dominoes are played. When the game is finished, turn the
dominoes over to show that the numbers have been played with
perfect exactness.

“My Aunt Has Arrived from Paris.” A circle is formed, all

kneeling on the floor. The leader says to the one on his right side,
“My aunt has arrived from Paris,” and the one addressed, asks the
question, “What did she bring you?” The leader answers, “A pair of
scissors,” and at once imitates the opening and shutting of the
scissors with two fingers. This same question is asked, answered,
and imitated by each one around the circle.
The leader again says, “My aunt has arrived from Paris,” and the
one addressed asks, “What did she bring you?” The leader, still
keeping up the scissors motion, says, “A fan,” and at once imitates
fanning with the other hand. This goes around the circle as before.
The leader then announces in the same way, “A Japanese doll,”
and imitates by bowing his head backward and forward, which goes
around the circle. Then a rocking-horse is announced by the leader,
and is imitated by moving the body up and down, all the while
remaining on the knees. This also goes around the circle.
Finally in the same manner the leader announces a cuckoo, and
immediately gives the imitation of a cuckoo, which is also done in
turn around the circle. All five imitations are to be kept up
continuously by each one until the players are exhausted. The one
holding out the longest is the winner.

Surprising Strength. Just lightly put the tips of your fingers

together. If you invite any one to separate them by taking your
wrists and trying to draw them apart in a direct line with each other,
they will be surprised to find that no amount of strength will avail
them at all, as the thing is really almost impossible.
Place your clenched fists one upon the other, and ask some one
to separate them by pushing them aside. They will be quite unable
to do so, although you are exerting your strength but little against
them.
Let them, however, approach you with the forefingers only, and
give a sharp rap at your knuckles in opposite directions. You will find
in this case that you are quite powerless against this, and cannot
keep your fists together at all.

Card-passing Contest. Divide the players equally and seat

them in two rows facing each other. The leader of each row is
provided with a pack of playing cards. At a given signal, each leader
passes one card to the next person, who in his turn gives it to the
next person, and so on down the line until the last one drops it on
the floor beside him.
The side that gets the last card on the floor first wins the game.
The cards may be passed to the right on each side, moving in
opposite directions.

A Cobweb Tangle. Have as many balls of twine as there are

players. Starting at a given point, fasten each end securely. Starting
from this point, wind the twine in every conceivable place, wherever
you care to have the players go; under tables, around chairs, door-
knobs, upstairs, and anywhere that can be made difficult without
doing any injury to the surroundings. When the winding is
completed, fasten the string to a small round stick about three or
four inches long. All this should be done before the guests arrive, as
it takes some time to do it. When ready for the game, have the
guests draw the sticks and then proceed to wind the twine until they
arrive at the end. The one arriving there first wins a prize.

A Novel Masquerade. Each gentleman receives a printed card

asking him to call at the house of a lady who is to be his partner for
the evening. The ladies change places with one another, so that
when the gentlemen call for them, they will not be in their home but
in the home of one of the other ladies. As the ladies are masked and
do not have to talk, the gentlemen never find out their mistake until
all are unmasked.

Hit the Bag. A bag about the size of a person’s head, or larger if
desired, made of tissue paper, or other very thin paper, containing
candy, is suspended from the ceiling by a string so that it will be
about six feet from the floor. A person is blindfolded and a cane, or a
stick about the length of a cane, is placed in the person’s two hands,
allowing the farther end to touch the bag. The performer is then
requested to take three steps backward and then turn around three
times, alone. When this is done, he is requested to take three steps
forward, strike three times and break the bag. The cane can have
only a perpendicular motion. Each one tries the same, until the bag
is broken, when all present scramble to see who will gather the most
candy.

A Pretended Illusion. Place three coins on a table, coins 1 and

2 being only a short distance from each other, while the coins 2 and
3 are more than double the distance apart. Now point out to a
spectator that a curious optical illusion can be observed by placing
one eye on the level of the table edge and looking along the line of
the coins. The spectator having done so, ask him which two coins he
considers are the farthest away from each other and to point them
out. He will probably point out coins two and three. You immediately
point to the coins 1 and 3, and say you consider these coins are the
farthest away from each other.

Dancing Fairies. Most of you have seen the smooth, round

beans called “magic beans.” They were brought to this country
several years ago from the East Indies, and were a great curiosity
until their secret was discovered.
First get a half-dozen or more of the dancing or “magic” beans.
These are now sold in most of the large Japanese stores.
Cut out a half-dozen of tiny paper dolls. They must be made so
that they are light, and so that their feet can be pasted securely to
both sides of the bean. Cut out skirts of tissue paper which will cover
the dolls’ legs and hide the beans without touching them. When
these are made so that they will balance well, place them upon a
heated plate and soon every little fairy will begin to dance in a
mysterious way.

Describing a Lady’s Costume. When the guests arrive, have

them all meet in one room. Every gentleman is presented with a
card on which is written the name of some lady present, and the
hostess announces that each gentleman must talk five minutes to
the lady whose name his card bears. The reason for the
conversation is not divulged. At the end of the appointed time, the
ladies withdraw, and then the men are told to each write out a
description of the dress the lady wore, the color of her eyes, of her
hair, the fashion of wearing it, etc., etc. The ladies are now admitted
and each one stands out, while a description of herself and costume
is read aloud.

The Wonderful Hat. Upon a table place three pieces of bread,

or any other eatable, at a little distance from each other, and cover
each with a hat. Take up the first hat, and, removing the bread, put
it into your mouth, letting the company see that you swallow it.
Then raise a second hat and eat the bread which is under that, then
proceed to the third hat in the same manner. Having eaten the three
pieces, ask any person in the company to choose which hat he
would like the three pieces of bread to be under, and when he has
made his choice of one of the hats, put it on your head and ask him
if he does not think they are under it.

Mirror-Drawing. To carry out this test you will need a sheet of

paper, a mirror about the width of the paper, a pencil, and another
sheet of paper or a large card or book.
Lay the paper flat on the table. Then prop up the mirror opposite
you and the paper so that it is at right angles with the paper and
reflects it. You may stand the mirror against a pile of books if it has
no standard of its own. After you have done this, take the extra
sheet of paper in your left hand and hold it so that it is between
your eyes and the piece of paper which is lying on the table. You
must hold the piece of paper in your left hand so that you cannot
see the paper lying on the table, except in the mirror.
You are now ready to begin drawing, first announcing what you
intend to draw. It should be some simple object, represented by
some few straight lines, such as a kite, a box, or a square, with a
straight line going from each corner diagonally across. You draw with
your right hand, holding the paper with your left, so that you cannot
see what progress you are making except in the mirror. Watch the
mirror all the time until the drawing is completed.

The Dancing Skeleton. Get a piece of board about the size of a

large school slate and have it painted black. The paint should be
what is known as a dead color, without gloss or brightness. (A large
school slate would answer the purpose.) Sketch out the figure of a
skeleton on a piece of cardboard and arrange it after the manner of
the dancing sailors and other cardboard figures for sale in toy stores,
so that by holding the figure by the head in one hand and pulling a
string with the other, the figure will throw up his legs and arms in a
very ludicrous manner.
Make the connections of the arms and legs with black string and
let the pulling-string be also black. Tack the skeleton by the head to
the blackboard. The figure, having been cut out is of course painted
black, like the board.
Now to perform: Produce the board showing only the side upon
which there is nothing. Request that the lights may be reduced
about half, and take position at a little distance from the company.
With a piece of chalk make one or two attempts to draw a figure;
rub out your work as being unsatisfactory; turn the slate; the black
figure will not be perceived; touch the edge of the cardboard figure
with the chalk, filling up ribs, etc., taking care that nothing moves
while the drawing is progressing. Then manipulate with the fingers.
By pulling the string below the figure it will of course kick up its legs
and throw about its arms, to the astonishment of everybody.

Pitching Cards at a Hat. Borrow a gentleman’s hat and try to

throw a pack of cards from a distance of two or three feet, throwing
the cards in one at a time.

Peanut Guessing. Fill a dish with peanuts, and let each one
guess how many are contained in it; the one who guesses nearest
wins.

Peanut Shelling. Give each contestant ten peanuts, and at a

signal let all begin to shell them, removing also the inner skin. The
one who finishes first, without breaking a kernel, wins. If one breaks
into more than the two natural divisions of the nut, another peanut
must be shelled in its place.

Peanut-rolling. Place peanuts across one side of the room at

interval of about three feet. Give each contestant a toothpick. At a
given word they all commence to roll the peanuts across the room
with the toothpicks. The one who first gets his peanut across the
room is the victor. Another row of contestants then take their places
in the same way. After all are through the victors in the different
contests have a final contest.

The Peanut Hunt. Peanuts are previously hidden in every

conceivable place in the rooms to which the guests have access. The
finder of the greatest number receives a prize.

Progressive Peanut Party. This is played exactly as all other

progressive games. Arrange tables to seat four, choose partners, and
provide score cards.
In the centre of each table, place a bowl containing one hundred
peanuts in the shell, and lay a long, new, common hat-pin at each
place. At the head table have a bell. Before being seated to play,
each guest is to have the right hand securely tied down to the side
by a ribbon or fancy cord. When ready to commence, a player rings
a bell at the head table, and all begin to spear nuts from the bowl;
when the bowl is empty at the head table, the bell is rung and all
count to see how many nuts they have, the two having made the
best score, progress, first replacing the nuts into the bowl ready for
the next game; the cards are then punched according to the score
and the game proceeds.
Five hundred may be the score limit, the one who first gets the
five hundred winning; or it may be decided to have the game end
when the players at the head of the table return to that table, or at
least two of them.

Your Friends in Black. There are various advantages about a

silhouette party. It admits of no small amusement, for occasionally
the queerest object may be twisted to fit a name. The first thing to
do is to prepare a list of your guests and find for each name
something that will represent it. Set the wits of the entire family at
work, for on this task two heads are infinitely better than one.
The longer time you have for the “rebusing” of the names the
more entertaining the list will prove. Do not leave out a friend
because at first it seems almost impossible to picture his name. The
same license is allowed for a rebus as for poetry, and a point may be
stretched to make the drawing fit the name, although it is not best
to leave too much to the imagination.
For the mechanical part of the work provide ragged-edged cards
of various sizes. One name will demand a long, narrow card for its
representation; another name, a square card. The best surface for
this purpose is a heavy, water-color paper which is neither smooth
nor rough. Do not cut it. Crease it in such lengths as you wish to
use, then tear it with a very blunt paper-knife. This gives an
excellent ragged edge. Take the designs you have planned to use
and trace them over black carbon copying paper on each card,
leaving a generous margin. Sketch no detail except the mere outline
of a figure. Fill a pen with India ink and go very carefully over the
outline. Allow it to dry; then with a rather stiff, small sable brush
dipped in the ink fill in the silhouette till it is perfectly black and
even. Allow it to dry, and add in one corner the number which
corresponds with the list. There is a good deal to learn in the
adaptation of a design for a silhouette. If a human figure is chosen
let it generally be in profile. As a rule, a full-face figure, either in an
animal or a man, is almost meaningless unless it is full of action.
When the silhouettes are completed, they should be pinned up in a
conspicuous place, so that they may all be seen and examined easily
and prizes awarded to the most successful guessers.