Next was a circle game with one of the QT ranch hands on the outside of the circle. He tapped one of the Bar-B hands on the back and said, "Good Morning." The Bar-B boy answered, "Good Morning." The QT lad said, "Have you seen my calf?" The Bar-B boy asked, "How is it dressed?" The QT rancher then described a boy in the circle. As soon as the "calf" recognized himself or the Bar-B boy knew who was being described, both began to run outside the circle, the Bar-B boy trying to catch the calf before it got back to its place in the circle. When this happened the calf had to go into the center of the circle, which was the corral, where he remained until the end of the game.



Whether or not the calf was caught, the Bar-B rancher became the next questioner outside the circle. The questioner did not chase. When he had described his calf he stepped into the place left by the Bar-B rancher whom he had just questioned. There was no escape from the corral. Players who were caught remained in the center until the end of the game.

Good cowhands must be good horsemen and have good balance. Lacking horses at this party, Tom substituted a broomstick balance. A bridge was made by laying a broomstick on the seats of two chairs a slight distance apart.

With the aid of a cane the contestant seated himself on the broomstick and crossed his legs. When he was nicely balanced he endeavored to remove with his cane two handkerchiefs that were hung on the back of the chair behind him. Three falls were allowed before he was declared a loser.

The hands from the two ranches took turns trying this balance game. The ranch with the most winners of course won the relay.

"Fetch and Carry" was a bit different in the way of relays. Two players, the first and second, in each team joined hands. When Tom said, "Go!" they ran to the goal line across the room. The first remained there while the second hurried back and joined hands with the third player. These two ran to the goal, and the second player remained while the third returned for the fourth. The ranch that first transferred all its members to the goal line won the race.

Boys always like to test their muscles, so we chose "Hand Push" for a living-room challenge. Two boys, from the two ranches, stood facing each other with their toes touching. They had their palms also touching on a level with their chests. In this position each pushed the other's hands until one was forced to step back. The player who forced his opponent backward was the winner. As soon as the boys saw this game, nothing would do but all must try it.

For refreshments Tom led his ranchers into the big kitchen where his mother had set out a hearty lunch for hungry cowhands. The only light in the room was furnished by a flickering barn lantern set in the middle of the table.

The dishes were tin, the table was bare. The fare was simple but hearty and, followed by strawberry shortcake and tall glasses of milk, satisfied even the hungriest rancher. By curfew time, the lads picked up their guns and bade Tom a hearty good night with a "Thank you for lots of fun."