“Oranges and Lemons,
  Say the bells of St. Clement’s;
  You owe me five farthings,
  Say the bells of St. Martin’s;
  When will you pay me? 
  Say the bells of Old Bailey. 
  I do not know,
  Says the big bell of Bow. 
  Here comes a chopper to light you to bed! 
  Here comes a chopper to chop off your head!”

At the word “head” the hand archway descends, and clasps the player passing through at that moment; he is then asked in a whisper, “Oranges or Lemons?” and if he chooses “oranges,” he is told to go behind the player who has agreed to be “oranges” and clasp him round the waist.

[Illustration]

The players must be careful to speak in a whisper, so that the others may not know what has been said.

The game then goes on again, in the same way, until all the children have been caught and have chosen which they will be, “oranges” or “lemons.”  When this happens, the two sides prepare for a tug-of-war.  Each child clasps the one in front of him tightly and the two leaders pull with all their might, until one side has drawn the other across a line which has been drawn between them.

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MUSICAL CHAIRS OR GOING TO JERUSALEM

This game must be played in a room where there is a piano.

Arrange some chairs, back to back, in the center of the room, allowing one chair less than the number of players.  Some one begins to play a tune, and at once the players start to walk or run round the chairs, to the sound of the music.

When the music stops, each player must try to find a seat, and as there is one chair short, some one will fail to do so, and is called “put.”  He must carry a chair away with him, and the game goes on again until there is only one person left in, with no chair to sit upon.  This person has won the game.

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THE TRAVELER’S ALPHABET

The players sit in a row and the first begins by saying, “I am going on a journey to Athens,” or any place beginning with A. The one sitting next asks, “What will you do there?” The verbs, adjectives, and nouns used in the reply must all begin with A; as “Amuse Ailing Authors with Anecdotes.”  If the player answers correctly, it is the next player’s turn; he says perhaps:  “I am going to Bradford.”  “What to do there?” “To Bring Back Bread and Butter.”  A third says:  “I am going to Constantinople.”  “What to do there?” “To Carry Contented Cats.”  Any one who makes a mistake must pay a forfeit.

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THE FAMILY COACH

This is a very good old game, and is most amusing if you can find some one who is a good story-teller.

The players sit in a circle and every one, except the story-teller, takes the name of some part of a coach or its equipments; for instance, door, step, wheels, reins, box-seat, and so on.