After the meal the girls brought out the summer sports. First was a game of "Beach Ball." The guests formed a circle and were numbered 1, 2, 1, 2, and so on around the circle. The players numbered 1 became one team and had a blue beach ball; those numbered 2 were the opposing team and were given a red ball. Jane explained that the balls were to be passed to team members only. This meant that each player threw the ball past the person standing next to him and into the hands of his own team mate immediately beyond.



At a signal the balls were started off in opposite directions. The balls had to make three complete trips around the circle to finish one race. The balls changed directions after each race; that is, the team of players after passing its ball three times around to the right for the first race, passed it three times around to the left for the second race, and around to the right again for the last. The team winning two out of three races was declared champion.

Large colored balloons can be substituted for beach balls. This game is lots of fun whether played on a beach or at a beach party in your amusement room.

A game of "Horseshoe" is always good on the beach. In place of driving stakes into the sand the girls used a child's game of horseshoe, with the stakes on metal standards and hard rubber horseshoes. These rubber shoes are really much harder to throw than the kind Old Dobbin wore.

Nevertheless, the same rules applied game was fifty points. Ringing the stake counted three points. If the player made a ringer with both shoes he was credited with six points. Points were awarded also for position. The nearest one to the stake scored one point. If both nearest belonged to the same player he got two points.

A combination of one ringer and one shoe nearest the stake counted four points. Only one player scored in a turn. If both players made ringers each canceled the other. If the horseshoes of opponents were equidistant from the stake no points were awarded for either of the players. First play in the next turn was given to the member of the winning team at the opposite stake.

For the golf enthusiasts the next game on the program was "Clock Golf." Jane drew on the floor, with chalk, a circle fifteen feet in diameter, and numbered it around its circumference like a clock face. She then placed a tin can, about four inches in diameter, in the center of the circle. So that the balls would roll into the can she fitted a wide sloping cardboard collar around the can. Then she gave each guest a golf stick and let him or her choose a position at some number on the clock face. The winner was the one who "holed out" in the smallest number of strokes.

After this, everyone except one of the girls seated themselves in a circle. This one girl left the room. While she was gone someone paid her a compliment. Upon her return to the room, Jane told her, "Mary, someone has said that you were a very excellent skipper. Who was it?" Mary had three guesses to learn the identity of her admirer. If she guessed correctly, that one left the room. If she didn't guess her admirer, she chose someone else to leave. After this game of "Compliments," the club members had a good old songfest, remembering particularly the songs they had sung together last summer on the beach.

At going-home time it was almost hard to remember to don storm coats and galoshes, the illusion of a summer beach party had been so strong.