Modification.—­Read several verses and require the paper to be passed up the lines and back as many times as are necessary to write down all of the verses read, using the same method used in the other race.  The team first getting all of the verses written, wins.  Those who cannot add the right word to the verse must write their surname in every time the paper passes them.  Forfeits can be required from them whose names appear above a certain number of times on a sheet.  If the group is very large increase the number of teams.

The above games are supposed to be played after the reading of Longfellow’s poem—­“The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”.

CHAPTER IV

AN INDOOR SPORTS FAIR

They are still talking about the Indoors Sports Fair that the Welfare League of Ashton gave last spring, and ranking it as the best thing the town ever did to raise money for their united welfare funds.

When the doors were opened on the first night it was not surprising to see a crowd all ready to push in and enjoy the sports prepared for them.  No admission was charged, but each sport, exhibit and event had its price plainly marked in black on a bright blue sign at the entrance.

That first evening it seemed as if the golf course was patronized as freely as any of the sports.  It took up one large corner of the hall, where a miniature nine-hole course had been laid out on dark blue denim.  The “holes” were marked out with rings of white paint, and there were a few hazards of sandbags and a very low brick wall.  For the most part it was a putting game, a putter being handed to the player after he had paid his admission to the “caddie” at the turnstile gate.

They say the boys had the time of their lives at the baseball diamond, and some of their fathers too, to judge from the receipts.  Back on a large piece of canvas Bill Simons had “dashed in” with cold water paints a baseball diamond, with trees in the background and bleachers on each side, all in a queer perspective which didn’t hurt the game any.  In the curtain Bill had cut holes just a little larger than a baseball, so that throwing the ball through these holes was not any bush-league business.  On the diamond he had marked under the holes, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, and Home Run at the plate.  Back of the plate were two holes quite close together, one marked Strike and the other Ball.  Two holes in the outfield and two “over the fence” were also arranged in pairs to make pitching difficult.  Regular baseballs were sold, four shots for a nickel.  The ruling of the game was simple:  Three strikes out, four balls a chance to try first base, or one of the “over the fence” holes for a home run; after first base, second and third had to be hit successively before a home run could be scored, and to make it harder there was a “grounder” hole near third base which put one out of the game; balls which merely struck the curtain were counted as fouls, four fouls being out.  Back of the curtain Bill had hung an old mattress against which the balls bounded to the floor.  This was covered with a black cloth to make the holes in the diamond visible.