This may be played by any number, each taking a letter as it comes to her turn. Any mistake or hesitation incurs the penalty of a forfeit. She that begins may say,
A. I love my love with an A, because he is Artless—I hate him with an A. because he is Avaricious. He took me to the sign of the Anchor, and treated me to Apees and Almonds. His name is Abraham, and he comes from Albany. […]
L. I love my love with an L, because he is Liberal. I hate him with an L, because he is Listless. He took me to the sign of the Lion, and treated me to Lobster and Lamb. His name is Lewis, and he came from Lansingburgh.
[…]
U is omitted.
[…]
X, Y, and Z, are always omitted, as it is impossible to find proper words beginning with those letters.
Leslie, Eliza. The American Girl’s Book: Or, Occupation for Play Hours. Boston, MA: Munroe & Francis, 1831. 93. https://books.google.com/books?id=WO0XAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA93
The omitted letters actually aren’t impossible, but the choices for some of the types of words are quite limited.
I love my love with a U, because he is Unique. I hate him with a U, because he is Unlucky. He took me to the sign of the Umbrella, and treated me to Umeboshi and Upside-down cake. His name is Umberto, and he came from Unionville.
I love my love with an X, because he is Xenial. I hate him with an X, because he is Xenophobic. He took me to the sign of the Xylophone, and treated me to Xaver Suppe and Xinomavro grapes. His name is Xander, and he came from Xenia.
I love my love with a Y, because he is Youthful. I hate him with a Y, because he is Yokelish. He took me to the sign of the Yak, and treated me to Yam and Yogurt. His name is Yorick, and he came from Yakima.
I love my love with a Z, because he is Zestful. I hate him with a Z, because he is Zany. He took me to the sign of the Zebra, and treated me to Zwieback and Zeppole. His name is Zachary, and he came from Zanesville.