CHEERY FAMILIES.

Any number may play. The game is played with a pack of fifty-two cards. The cards being shuffled and cut, are dealt one at a time face downwards to each of the players in rotation, until the pack is exhausted. Each player should then take up his cards and arrange them in Families, as near as possible. The names of the families are as under, and consist of the man, his wife, son, and daughter :—

The player to the dealer's left has the right of playing first, and if he has a complete family he puts them face downwards on the table in front of himself. He should then try and complete another family, by asking any player he likes for any card which he requires to complete a family.

If the player asked has not the card, he says, " Not at home," and it then becomes his turn to call from any player a card which may help him to make up one of his families.

A player must not ask for a card unless he has at least one of the family so asked for; and any player holding the card called for is bound to give it up. A player receiving the card successfully asked for, has the privilege of again asking any player for a card, and keeps on doing so until he is refused.

The game proceeds in this manner until one player has completed all his families and has no card left, and he wins the game.

POOL CHEERY FAMILIES.

Another way of playing the game is by each player contributing a certain number of counters to form a pool.

The game proceeds as above ; but directly a player completes a family, he places the cards face downwards in front of himself as a "trick.” The game goes on in this way till all the families are completed, when the player who holds the largest number of tricks receives half the pool.

He then has the right to ask any other player for a whole family ; and if he does not hold it, the right of asking then passes to him.

The game proceeds in this way until one of the players gets all the families into his own hand, when he is entitled to the remaining half of the pool.