How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy bookBeard, Lina
General
How to amuse yourself and others : $b the American girl's handy book
Beard, Lina
Amusements -- Juvenile literature; Handicraft -- Juvenile literature
A treacherous divan can be provided by removing the top of a low, flat
packing-box, and putting in its place brown wrapping-paper, tacking
it down around the edges of the box. With a piece of drapery thrown
over it, entirely concealing the box, and sofa pillows placed upon it,
leaning against the wall, the divan looks exceedingly comfortable and
inviting. But woe unto the person who mistakes appearances for reality,
for to attempt to sit upon this seeming substantial couch is but to
break through and sit upon the floor instead.
The box used for the divan should not be more than twelve inches high,
so that the fall will be only funny, not dangerous.
The next diversion may be a
=Noah’s Ark Peep-show.=
Make the peep-show of a box about two and a half feet long and one
foot and a half high. Remove the top and both of the end-pieces (Fig.
1). Cut from pasteboard a slide to exactly fit the box, and place it
in the middle, thus cutting off the view from either end, as shown in
Fig. 1. Make a curtain in two pieces, and tack them around the upper
edge of the box, letting them meet at each end. Stout pieces of twine,
stretched across the openings at the ends of the box, will serve to
attach the drapery at these points.
[Illustration: Noah’s Ark Peep-show.]
Almost any kind of material will answer for this purpose, provided it
is not too thin and is of some bright hue, for the peep-show should be
made to look as gay as possible. Place the box upon a high stand, and
so arrange it that a strong light will shine down into it, making the
interior, from end to end, perfectly light.
From a list, previously prepared, of the animals supposed to be on
exhibition, read the first two, and invite two persons, a girl and a
boy, for instance, to look into the peep-show. We will suppose that
the first animals on the list are the raven and the dove. Inform your
would-be audience that you have two of Noah’s special pets to show
them; that from the girls’ point of view will be seen a raven, and
from the boys’, a dove. When taking their places at the box, one at
each end, the two spectators must part the curtain, and, putting their
faces between, hold the drapery together under their chins. This is to
keep the remainder of the company from obtaining a glimpse into the
wonderful show before their turns arrive.
When all is ready, and the two wondering faces are hidden between the
folds of the peep-show curtains, with the words, “Behold the pretty
dove, and the mischievous raven,” remove the slide, and expose to the
astonished gaze of each spectator a companion’s familiar face at the
opposite end of the box. Of course, upon retiring from the show, its
secret must be kept, otherwise the joke will be spoiled for those whose
turns are yet to come.
Before the next two take their station at the box, replace the slide
and pretend to rearrange the show, to divert the suspicion that the box
is empty.
=The Supper=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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