“I see,” Uncle Steve began, “that this is a Good Luck party.  So each of you write the words ‘good luck’ at the top of your paper.  Have you done so?  Good!  Now, I hope you will all of you have all good luck always, but if you can’t get it all, get part.  So try your hand at it by making words of four letters out of those two words you have written.  Use each letter only once,—­unless it is repeated, like o in ‘good.’  However, that’s the only one that is a repeater, so use the others only once in any word you make.  The words must be each of four letters,—­no more and no less.  And they must all be good, common, well-known English words.  Now go ahead, and the best list takes a prize.”

How the children scribbled!  How they nibbled their pencils and thought!  How they whispered to each other to ask if such a word was right!

Marjorie was quick at puzzles, but she didn’t think it would be polite to take the prize at her own party, so she didn’t hand in her list.  Neither did Kitty nor King.  So when the lists were handed in, Uncle Steve rapidly looked them over.

“The longest list,” he announced, “contains ten words.”

“Oh, dear!” sighed Hester.  “Isn’t that just my bad luck!  I had nine.”

“So did I,” said several others, but it was Tom Craig’s list that had ten, so he received the prize.  His list, as Uncle Steve read it out, was:  Cook, loud, duck, cool, cold, lock, look, dock, clod, gold.  The prize was a box of candy made in the shape of a four-leafed clover, so it was really four boxes.

Tom generously offered to pass the sweets around at once, but Uncle
Steve advised him not to, as supper would be served pretty soon.

The children all liked the game, and clamored for a repetition of it, but Cousin Jack said it was his turn for a game now, and if they’d all stay at the tables, he’d give it to them.

“This is my own game,” he said, “because it is called jackstraws, and my name is Jack.  I am not a man of straw, however, as you’d soon find if you tried to knock me over!  The game is almost like ordinary jackstraws, but with slight additions.”

Then there were passed around bunches of jackstraws for each table.  They were just like ordinary jackstraws, except they were of different colors, and a little card told how to count.  White ones were one; red ones, two; blue ones, five; silver ones, ten; and gold ones, twenty.  Then one marked Good Luck counted fifteen, and another, marked thirteen, counted twenty-five.  This proved that thirteen was not an unlucky number!

It’s always fun to play jackstraws, and the children went at it with a zest.  Midget, at the next table, was not surprised to hear Hester complaining, “Oh, you joggled me!  That isn’t fair!  I ought to have another turn!  I never have any luck!” Marjorie smiled across at her, and, seeming to remember the condition of the basket exchange, Hester tried to smile, and succeeded fairly well.