FAMILY FUN

New Zealand Tablet, 30 July 1908, Page 38

FAMILY FUN

Old Man of the Woods Game Has Flavor of Mystery.— One of the company gets himself up to represent the old man of the woods. The rest take the /names of various animals — • such as lion, tiger, leopard, and so on. The players seat themselves around the room, and the old man, standing in the centre, tells them that some of their number have committed a crime and he is about to question' them in order that he may discover the guilty ones. He then begins : ' Now, Mr. Lion, where have you been hunting, and what have you eaten to-day?' ' I hunted in the forest and caught an antelope.' ' Then you are twice guilty and must pay two forfeits,' says the old man. And the lion must pay his forfeit without being told the crime he has committed. The old man passes on to a polar bear. ' Where did you hunt and what have you eaten?' he asks. ' I hunted in the water and had a fine fish to eat. 1 The polar bear is pronounced innocent. The secret of the game is that no animal may bring in the letter ' o ' either in his hunting round or the food he eats. ' Forest ' and ' antelope ' both have an ' o ' in them, so the lion has to pay two forfeits, while ' water and .' fish, having no 'o ' the bear was declared innocent. The fun is for the old man to keep the secret of ' guilty ' or ' inno- ' to himself and let the player try to solve the puzzle and where the catch comes in.

How does a big railway time table resemble human life? — It has many * ups ' and 'downs.'

What is that which is often brought to the table, always. cut, but never eaten? — A pack of cards. Which is more valuable, a pound note or a" sovereign? — A

pound note, because when you put it in your pocket you double . it, and when you take it out you see it in creases. Why is the conundrumist like a dog's tail? — Because he is

bent on being waggish. '■ ' How many insects does it take to make a landlord? — . Ten-ants. ; ' Why, is a nearly burned out candle like a country in Ireland? — Because it is Wicklow. '