A back drawing-room with folding doors makes a very nice theater for acting charades.  Almost anything may be used for dressing up—­shawls, anti-macassars, table-cloths, handkerchiefs, cast-off dresses, or a dressing-gown.  The latter is a very useful garment in representing an old gentleman, while tow or white fire shavings make excellent wigs.

The great thing in a charade is to try and puzzle your audience as much as you can.  You must choose a word of two or more syllables, such as “Bagpipe.”  First you must act the word “Bag,” and be sure that the word is mentioned, though you must be careful to bring it in in such a way that the audience shall not guess it is the word you are acting.

Next comes the word “Pipe,” and this must be brought in in the same manner.  When you have acted the two syllables, you must act the whole:  “Bagpipe.”

Before beginning the charade, you should arrange who is to bring in the charade word or syllable.  You must also settle what you are going to say, or at least, what the act is to be about.  Let every scene be well thought out and be as short as possible.  You must be as quick as ever you can between the acts, for all the fun will be spoiled if you keep your audience waiting.  If you have no curtain or screen, the actors must simply walk off the stage at the end of the scenes.

To act charades well, one requires a little practice and plenty of good temper, for, of course, only one or two can take principal parts, and therefore some of the children must be content to take the smaller ones.  It is a good plan to take it in turns to play the best parts, and if the elder children are kind and thoughtful, they will try to make some easy little parts, so that their younger brothers and sisters may also join in the fun.  Here we give you a very simple charade, the words of which you may learn, and then act, after which you will very likely be able to make up charades for yourselves.

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THE “BAND-BOX” CHARADE

SCENE 1:  A STREET

This can be made by placing a row of chairs with open backs near the wall facing the audience; a child is stationed behind each chair, and, looking through the open back, pretends to be looking out of a window.

BAND

First Child behind chair.—­Oh! dear, how dull our street always is.  I declare nothing nice ever comes this way.

Second Child.—­No, I quite agree with you.  Why, I haven’t seen a “Punch and Judy” for months.  I wish my mother would go and live in another street.

Third Child.—­Never mind, let us go out and have a game.

(Enter five or six children—­or a lesser number, if more convenient—­carrying toy musical instruments.)

First Child.—­Hurrah!  Here comes a German band.  Come along, children; let’s go and listen to it.