behind him, facing in the same direction that he does. The catcher
should be not less than ten feet in front of the first couple.

The catcher calls, "Last couple out!" when the last pair in the line
runs toward the front, the right-hand one on the right side of the
double line, and the left-hand one on the left side, and try to join
hands in front of the catcher. The catcher may not chase them before
they are in line with him, and may not turn his head to see when or
from where the runners are coming. They should try to gain their end
by varying the method of approach, sometimes both circling far out
beyond him on either side, or one of them doing this and the other
running in close toward the lines.

[Illustration diagram: LAST COUPLE OUT]

If the catcher succeeds in catching one of the players before that
player can clasp hands with his partner, these two, catcher and
caught, form a couple and take their places at the head of the line,
which should move backward one place to make room for them, and the
other player of the running couple becomes catcher. If neither be
caught, they are free; _i.e._ out of the game.

In the Scotch and Swedish forms of this game, the title is
"Widow" or "Widower," the catcher supposedly taking the part of
the bereaved one and trying to get a mate. It has been
suggested that the game has descended from old methods of
marriage by capture.

LAST MAN

_10 to 60 players._

_Schoolroom._

This is a schoolroom adaptation of the game usually known as
"Three Deep," or "Third Man." It is one of the most interesting
and popular schoolroom games.

One player is chosen to be runner and another chaser. The remaining
players are seated. The game starts with quite a distance between
runner and chaser. The first object of the game is for the chaser to
tag (touch) the runner. Should he do this, they immediately change
parts, the previous chaser having to flee instantly for safety with
the previous runner, now chaser, after him. The greatest sport of the
game comes in, however, in the way the runner may save himself at any
time from being tagged by the chaser by standing at the rear of any
row of seats and calling "Last man!" As soon as he does this, the one
sitting in the front row of that line of seats becomes liable to
tagging by the chaser, and must instantly get up and run. As soon as
he has left his seat, the entire line moves forward one sea