My Book of Indoor Games | Page 9

indeed, the materials may be already in the house.
First you must fix a couple of supports on each side of the room, taking care that they are screwed firmly into the wall, and also taking care not to damage the paper.
If you are a neat workman, you will find on taking out the screws that the two small screw-holes on each side will scarcely be noticed, as of course the supports must be fixed near the ceiling.
You must then put up your curtain-pole, which should be as thin as possible, so that the rings may run easily. A cheap bamboo pole is the best.
Two wide, deep curtains are required; very likely the nursery curtains may be suitable.
On to these curtains you sew a number of small brass rings, which you can buy for about 20 cents a dozen, or even less. The rings should be sewn on the curtains, as you see in the illustration, right across the top, and from the extreme top corner of the curtain, slantingwise across to the middle.
The top rings are passed along the curtain-pole, a string (marked in the illustration A1) is sewn on to the curtain, and threaded through the rings until it reaches A2. It is then threaded through the rings on the pole until it reaches A3, when it is allowed to fall loose.
The same arrangement is gone through with string B. The bottom of the curtain must be weighted with shot, or any other weights that may be convenient.
When the curtain is to be raised, the stage manager and his assistant stand on each side of the stage with the strings ready in their hands, and at a given signal--the ringing of a bell is the usual sign that all is ready--they each pull a string, and the curtains glide to each side, and may be fixed to hooks, put up on purpose.
When the curtain is to fall, the two in charge of it must simply loosen the strings and let them go, and the weights cause the curtains to fall to the center.
All sorts of useful and ornamental "properties" may be made at home for a very small cost. Cardboard, and gold and silver paper, and glue go a long way toward making a good show.
Swords, crowns, belts, gold-spangled and gold-bordered robes can be made from these useful materials, and look first-rate at a distance.
An old black dress with little gold stars glued or gummed to the material would make an excellent dress for a queen. The swords or belts must first be cut out in cardboard, then covered with gold or silver paper.
To make a good wig, you should shape a piece of calico to fit the head; then sew fire shavings or tow all over it. If you wish for a curly wig, it is a good plan to wind the shavings or tow tightly round a ruler, and tack it along with a back stitch, which will hold the curl in position after you have slipped it off the ruler. These few hints will give you some idea of the very many different costumes which can be made by children out of the simplest materials.
[Illustration: THE CURTAIN CLOSED]
[Illustration: THE CURTAIN OPENED]
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THE GAME OF CAT
The person who is to play the part of Cat should stand outside the door of the room where the company is assembled. The boys and girls, in turn, come to the other side of the door and call out "miaou." If the Cat outside recognizes a friend by the cry, and calls out her name correctly in return, he is allowed to enter the room and embrace her, and the latter then takes the place of Cat. If, on the contrary, the Cat cannot recognize the voice, he is hissed, and remains outside until he does.
[Illustration]
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LIVING PICTURES
Living pictures are very amusing if well carried out, and even with little preparation may be made very pretty or very comical, whichever may be desired. It is perhaps better to attempt comical ones if you have not much time in which to arrange them, as the costumes are generally easier to manage, and if you are obliged to use garments not quite in keeping with the characters, it does not matter much; indeed, it will probably only make the audience laugh a little more.
The great thing in living pictures is to remain perfectly still during the performance. You should select several well-known scenes either from history or fiction, and then arrange the actors to represent the scenes as nearly as possible.
Simple home living pictures are a great source of fun, and many a wet afternoon will pass like magic while arranging scenes and making dresses to wear. Newspaper masks, newspaper cocked hats, old shawls, dressing-gowns, and sticks