my, it serves to
give them further time to make good their escape, as the others have
to wait to overthrow the knight's sticks in their turn. In no case are
you allowed to take away your enemy's sticks. If the lovers are
overtaken, the rivals have to fight, and meanwhile the father once
more carries off and imprisons the damsel."

Counting-Out Rhymes

To decide who is to begin a game there are various counting-out
rhymes. All the players stand in a circle, surrounding the one who
counts. At each pause in the rhyme (which occurs wherever a stroke has
been placed in the versions which follow) this one touches the players
in turn until the end is reached. The player to whom the last number
comes is to begin. This is one rhyme:--

Eena-a, | deen-a, | dine-a, | dust, |
Cat'll-a, | ween-a, | wine-a, | wust, |
Spin, | spon, | must | be | done, |
Twiddlum, | twaddlum, | twenty-one. |
O- | U- | T | spells | out. |

Others:--

Intery, | mintery, | cutery | corn, |
Apple | seed | and | apple | thorn; |
Wine, | brier, | limber | lock, |
Five | geese |in | a | flock; |
Sit and sing | by a spring |
O- | U- | T | and | in | again. |

One-ery, | two-ery, |
Ziccary | zan; |
Hollowbone, | crack-a-bone, |
Ninery, | ten; |
Spittery | spot, |
Must | be | done, |
Twiddledum, | twaddledum,
Twenty-one.

Ring | around | a ring-pot, |
One spot | two spot | three spot | san |
Bob-tailed | winnie-wack | tittero | tan |
Ham | Scram |
Fortune | man |
Singum | sangum | Buck! |

Daisy Chains

The old way of making a daisy chain is to split one stalk and thread
the next through it up to the head, as in this drawing. That is for
out-of-doors. If you are using the chain for decorations indoors, it
is perhaps better to cut off the stalks and thread the heads on
cotton; but there seems to be no great need to use daisies in this way
at all.

[Illustration: DAISY CHAIN]

An ivy chain is made by passing the stalk of one leaf through the
point of another and then bending it round and putting it through the
point of its own leaf, the hole thus made being used for the stalk of
the next, and so on, as in this drawing.

[Illustration: IVY CHAIN]

Flower Show

A flower-show competition is an excellent garden game. A handkerchief
on sticks forms the tent. Underneath this is a bed of sand in which
the flowers, singly or in groups, can be fixed. Some one can