For this two very long cloaks must be made of black cambric. Two tall boys are necessary to play the giant's part, as in the cut given, where one is perched on the shoulders of the other, and wears a high hat with a feather in it.

This is one way; but a simpler one is to make the giant on the same plan as the giant's wife. In this case a long cane is taken, and a piece of lath eighteen inches long is fastened about five inches from the top. The person who is to play the part of the giantess first puts on a long skirt. An old bonnet is tied firmly on the end of the cane, and the black cloak just below it; the piece of lath holding it out, and representing the shoulders. A large blanket-shawl can be used instead of the cloak, the ends of either hiding perfectly the head of the player. The cane must be held firmly; and the giantess, as she walks in to the room, can look for a nail in the wall; then stoop down to the keyhole in the door, at the same time lowering the cane ; then rise very gradually, standing finally on tiptoe, and slowly raising the cane, till the bonnet is as near the ceiling as possible. The giant's hat can be managed in the same way, and this one made a little speech, telling where he and his wife were born, and how they happened to grow so tall, all the time shortening or lengthening, so that the children screamed with laughter. Then in a minute both had gone behind the curtains. There was another little rustle, and then out walked The Elephant

For this, two boys are needed, who must stand as shown in the cut, one boy representing the hind, and the other the fore legs. A thick quilt or comfortable must be doubled three or four times, and laid on their backs. Over this throw a very large gray blanket or travelling-shawl, twisting one end to imitate the trunk, and the other more tightly for the tail. Two black buttons may be pinned on for eyes, and two long paper cones for tusks. A third person must lead in the elephant, and must lecture on its wonderful intelligence and its great gentleness, proving the latter quality by lying down, and letting the elephant walk over him. This can be made very funny by bright players. Many other animals are possible, a rhinoceros and hippopotamus among them, their skins being well imitated by the gray blanket or shawl. As the elephant was led out, the children sat wondering what it could be, till suddenly one of them remembered the forfeits. There was no time to redeem many; but there was great laughing over some of them, and I have put them, with many others which could have been used, in a chapter by themselves.

And now came something they had not expected, - a magic-lantern exhibition, very simple, because all the pictures had been made at home. A large sheet was pinned against the curtains of the deep window, and the lantern put on a high table in the back of the room. The gas was lowered to just a point; and one of the children who gave the party came forward with a pointer in her hand, and took charge of the little exhibition.

Fig 20.

First came the House that Jack Built, as shown on the slides below; her little sister standing in the shadow, and

Fig. 21.

Fig. 22.

repeating, as the figures appeared upon the sheet " This is Jack," "This is the House that Jack Built;" and so on to the end. Then it was the little brother's turn, and he shouted " Little Miss Muffet! " in great glee. How they all laughed when the big spider appeared, and little Miss Muffet ran away! Now I will tell you just how to make these slides for yourselves. Get from a glazier strips of clear glass sixteen inches long, and of a proper width for the lantern in which they are to be used. Place the glass in the lantern, with the lamp lighted ; mark the top, bottom, and sides of the glass at the outer line that will appear upon the round field of light cast upon the wall: this is for a guide to the size of picture that can be used. Cut from old picture-books, or from tracings made upon ordinary plain paper, the picture desired. In the pictures given here, the lines are to be followed in cutting, and care must be taken not to cut across the paper farther than the lines extend. Paste the pictures upon the glass at the same level, facing toward the front outer edge of the slide, and fill in the ground, grass, etc., with a brush dipped in varnish mixed with black paint.

Fig. 23.

If a movable scene is desired, the object to be moved must be placed upon a separate slide, from the one used for the stationary object. This is shown in "Little Miss Muffet," who appears upon one end of the slide, eating her curds and whey : upon the other end, ready to be shown as soon as the spider hangs before her, she is "running away." Upon a second and narrower slide is the spider, who, by drawing in the second slide, can be made to appear while Miss Muffet is seen sitting still. These paper figures of course appear as black shadows upon the light field, entirely without color. (See cuts given.)

Fig. 34.

Fig. 35

To produce, instead, outline figures in light upon a dark ground, the glass can be covered with a coating of paraffine, so thin as to be transparent, the glass laid over the figure it is desired to trace, and the paraffine removed in the outline by means of any smooth point. If the paraffine be found too thin to obstruct the light sufficiently, give the glass a second thin coating, through which the lines traced will show, and remove it in these lines.

If you can draw the figures yourself, a simpler method still is to cover the glass with white castile-soap, and draw through it with a smooth point. Common asphalt-varnish I laid on in two thin coats, with a brush three-quarters of an inch broad, and traced through in the same way, gives the most satisfactory results, as the lines will be smooth, and give a perfect outline.

For home pictures it is decidedly best not to try to color the slides, as it is very difficult work, and colored slides are not at all expensive; though, for home amusement, black or white answers almost as well. Dolbear's book on magic-lanterns, to be had of any bookseller, gives full directions for every variety of slide.