,made ,easy ,series ,,entertaining ,,made ,,easy ,,by ,,emily ,,rose ,,burt #aiai ,acknowledgment is made to ,woman's ,home ,companion1 ,the ,ladies' ,home ,journal1 ,farm and ,fireside1 and the ,designer for their courteous permission to reprint certain material in this book4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,,socials ,,and ,,parties ,a ,,smiles ,,social ,,an ,,aviation ,,meet ,a ,,mock ,,canteen ,a ,,progressive ,,march ,,party ,,an ,,autumn ,,leaf ,,dance ,a ,,harvest ,,home ,,party ,a ,,nutty ,,party ,,for ,,october ,a ,,may ,,pole ,,party ,,for ,,children ,,outdoor ,,affairs ,a ,,bacon ,,bat ,a ,,children',s ,,daisy ,,party ,a ,,hawaiian ,,porch ,,luncheon ,a ,,watermelon ,,frolic ,a ,,japanese ,,garden ,,party ,a ,,commencement ,,picnic ,a ,,progressive ,,motor ,,party ,,birthdays ,,and ,,other ,,anniversaries ,a ,,bachelor ,,supper ,,mother',s ,,birthday ,,tea ,a ,,pussy ,,cat ,,party ,a ,,girl',s ,,birthday ,,luncheon ,,the ,,wooden ,,wedding ,,the ,,tin ,,wedding ,a ,,mock ,,wedding ,a ,,silver ,,wedding ,,shower ,a ,,cape ,,cod ,,luncheon ,,announcements ,,and ,,showers ,a ,,little ,,bird ,,told ,,me ,,luncheon ,a ,,happiness ,,tea ,a ,,hello ,,party ,,an ,,apple ,,shower ,,an ,,old ,,rose ,,shower ,a ,,kitty ,,shower ,a ,,camp ,,fire ,,shower ,a ,,one ,i ,,love ,,shower ,,an ,,indian ,,summer ,,shower ,a ,,christmas ,,tree ,,shower ,,weddings ,,summer ,,wedding ,,decorations ,,the ,,table ,,decorations ,,menus ,,for ,,the ,,buffet ,,luncheon ,,the ,,favors ,,two ,,summer ,,weddings ,a ,wild ,rose ,wedding ,a ,field ,flower ,wedding ,,outdoor ,,weddings ,an ,orchard ,pageant ,a ,wedding on the ,lawn ,,fall ,,weddings ,a ,blue and ,gold ,fall ,wedding ,oak ,leaves and ,cosmos ,,three ,,winter ,,weddings ,a ,christmas ,wedding ,a ,rainbow ,wedding ,a ,colonial ,wedding ,,introduction ,it is fun to entertain--if you don't make hard work of it4 ,and why make hard work of it when there are ways to entertain easily8 ,besides you know that the more easily you do it1 the more successful you'll be1 and there's hardly a woman in the world--is there8--who wouldn't like to be known as a good hostess4 ,but1 says one of you1 ,i haven't the knack4 ,and another says1 ,i haven't the time or money4 ,and yet another1 ,oh1 ,i never have any ideas4 ,nonsense6 ,it's not a question of knack or money or ideas4 ,all you need is to know the secret1 and it's an open secret at that6 ,first1 ask yourself what you mean by a successful hostess4 ,your answer will be1 ,one whose guests have so good a time that they want to come again4 ,sure enough6 ,the secret is out then--entertaining successfully is giving the guests a good time4 ,more easily said than done1 you say4 ,what must ,i do to give the guests a good time8 ,and the answer to that is in a nutshell4 ,make your entertainment fit the folks to be entertained4 ,you wouldn't1 for instance1 think of inviting your grandmother's friends in of an afternoon in honor of the old lady's birthday and playing stagecoach or blindman's buff4 ,and if you have your ,sunday ,school class of lively boys in for the evening1 you won't expect them to play paper and pencil games from eight to ten4 ,it's really just a matter of common sense coupled with some imagination and forethought to choose the right kind of entertainment4 ,along with choosing the right variety of amusement1 remember that folks generally like the simple things best and if there's a touch of originality in addition1 you've won their hearts4 ,for you see you've made them feel that you took the trouble to plan something different in their honor4 ,because it's different1 it isn't necessarily hard to prepare--there are lots of novelties in decoration1 amusement and eats that are perfectly simple and inexpensive4 ,they are what help to make entertaining easy1 in fact4 ,and just at this point you see comes in the reason for the writing of this little book4 ,it aims to make entertaining easy by suggesting plans that are simple and a little out-of-the-ordinary to fit the most frequent occasions when you wish to entertain or perhaps must do so4 ,special care has been taken to consider time and expense1 but at the same time to bring in a touch of the unusual4 ,don't miss the fun of entertaining because you've always thought it hard work6 ,this book has been prepared to show you how easily1 after all1 it can be done4 ,and may you have the reward of joy and satisfaction that comes with successful hospitality6 ,,socials ,,and ,,parties ,perhaps you're appointed chairman of the social committee of your young people's church society of or some club4 ,or maybe you want to entertain for a friend who is visiting you so that she may meet your circle of friends4 ,anyway it's up to you to plan an evening's amusement for a big crowd of people4 ,if it's a mixed crowd--young and old and in-between 7as church socials often are7--you need one kind of plan2 if it's a bunch of young folks1 or a school class party1 or something for the children1 you need other plans4 ,but the secret of all good times for big crowds is to choose entertainment that draws the individuals together in some kind of comradeship1 gives them all something in common1 and puts them on a friendly footing4 ,a ,,smiles ,,social ,on the door of the parish house as well as in the post-office window appeared a poster adorned with a big smiling face--the kind made by drawing a circle and putting inside of it two eye dots1 a nose line1 and a cheerful curve for a mouth4 ,beneath it the invitation urged everybody to come to a ,smiles ,social1 wearing a smile and bringing an extra one in the pocket4 ,admission1 one smile4 ,the parish house parlors were decorated with all the laughing or smiling pictures that could be found by the committee in charge4 ,mona ,lisa was there with her inscrutable smile1 ,the ,laughing ,cavalier1 as well as less famous characters1 such as smiling girls on calendars and magazine covers4 ,an amusing display of newspaper cartoons also filled one portion of the wall space4 ,smilax was appropriately enough used for trimming4 ,at the door was stationed a smiling admission collector1 who insisted on an entering smile from everyone4 ,the extra one was not demanded at this point4 ,with such a beginning and the gallery of smiles about the room to break the ice1 the social was assured of the success that followed4 ,the first stunt tried was called ,throwing ,smiles1 not a new amusement but always a fun-maker4 ,one person starts the game by smiling broadly and then pretending to wipe off the smile and throw it to somebody else4 ,as soon as it lands on the next person's face1 that person must in turn wipe it off and fling it at a third player4 ,as soon as a smile is supposedly wiped off1 the owner of it must maintain a perfectly sober expression4 ,the company was in screams of laughter before this game had gone very far4 ,another amusing game for a large number which goes under various names was called on this occasion ,the ,smile ,factory4 ,the company is divided into two groups which line up opposite each other4 ,someone is appointed to stand between the two lines with a man's soft hat in hand4 ,if upon being tossed in the air1 the hat lands right side up1 one group has to laugh while the opposite one remains absolutely sober4 ,when the hat lands upside down1 the first group remains solemn and the other group laughs4 ,a member of either side who fails to follow this rule goes over to the opposite side4 ,the side which wins all the members of the other side is announced victorious4 ,the old-fashioned game of ,poor ,pussy was also played because the point of it is trying not to smile4 ,the younger folk will enjoy it4 ,you may remember that a ring is formed and the person within the ring who is it1 kneels before someone in the circle and mews or purrs appealingly three times successively4 ,each time the person confronted must answer sternly or calmly ,poor ,pussy1 never smiling4 ,in case of a smile or a laugh1 this person takes the place of ,poor ,pussy4 ,midway of the evening the extra smiles brought to the social were asked for4 ,jokes and funny rhymes or sayings were read in turn4 ,if various persons dislike the publicity of such a procedure1 all the smiles may be collected and presented by two or three clever persons in the form of a minstrel show4 ,this can be called ,smiles in ,black and ,white4 ,the popular song ,smiles was in order as well as the older favorite1 ,pack up ,your ,troubles in ,your ,old ,kit ,bag and ,smile1 ,smile1 ,smile4 ,the following conundrum was also propounded3 ,what is the longest word in the ,english language8 ,the answer is ,smiles because there's a mile between the first and last syllables4 ,humorous recitations and others relating to smiles were given by some good readers4 ,just before the refreshments came a smile-measuring contest4 ,all stood in line and grinned broadly while a girl with a tape measure took account of each one in turn4 ,the winner received as a prize a grinning little china darky4 ,the refreshments were enough to make everyone smile--they consisted of pink lemonade and ginger cookies with features marked on them in white icing4 ,the most conspicuous feature was of course the grin4 ,,an ,,aviation ,,meet ,try this plan for recruiting attendance at your next church social4 ,it would also fill the bill for a jolly midwinter school party4 ,the invitations are made to look like tickets of admission2 the men's of red pasteboard and the girls' of blue4 ,they read this way3 ,admit ,two ,to an ,aviation ,meet ,in the ---- ,church parlors ,friday evening ,february #ba #h o'clock ,each member who receives a ticket must make a point of inviting somebody else1 and should conduct the guest personally to the social4 ,the hall or assembly rooms may be decorated with ,american and ,allied colors1 and it would be appropriate and effective to suspend in each window a trio of toy balloons1 red1 white1 and blue in color1 respectively4 ,miniature airplanes hung overhead at intervals down the length of the room would add realism4 ,in different places on the walls fasten conspicuously large posters boldly lettered with the program of events1 as follows3 #a4 ,,tests3 ,ground work ,control ,balance #b4 ,,flights #c4 ,,stunts ,,and ,,tricks3 ,hands ,up ,spiral ,reverse speed ,low speed ,spin ,nose dives ,loop the loop #d4 ,,air ,,races #e4 ,,arrival ,,of ,,air ,,mail ,to promote fun1 put up a few placards featuring certain well-known members in some of the events4 ,for instance3 ,see ,charlie ,hays loop the loop6 or ,mildred ,brown's control is wonderful6 ,a good leader can make this program go off well by calling on volunteers for the various contests4 ,sometimes people like better to take part in teams4 ,the first test1 which is called ground work1 is a hopping stunt4 ,the contestants hop on one foot to a given goal1 and the one who does it most easily and gracefully and holds out best is declared victorious by the judges4 ,blue ribbon badges are pinned on the successful persons4 ,next comes control1 which turns out to be facial control under difficulties4 ,no matter what the funny1 teasing1 or pseudo-insulting remarks or performances of the onlookers1 the contestants must retain calm and unmoved expressions as they stand in line4 ,balance proves who best can poise an apple on the head and walk across the room4 ,all the balancers start at the same moment1 and the first successful ones are awarded the blue ribbon4 ,balancing peanuts on a knife blade and carrying them thus from one end of the room to the other is another way to execute the test4 ,when it is time for flights everybody is handed a paper aviation cap to put on4 ,then paper and pencils are passed and all are invited to take flights of fancy4 ,these1 it may be explained1 may be rhymes1 romances1 or the biggest lies that can be recalled4 ,a flight of oratory may also be offered4 ,a committee of three appointed on the spot promises to report on the winners at the close of the evening4 ,if preferred1 a program of poems and short1 comic1 exaggerated stories may be prepared beforehand1 and fill in this space with apparent impromptu4 ,the stunts and tricks follow in detail3 #a4 ,hands ,up4 ,only one person knows the stunt and she quite mystifies everyone who presents himself and obeys her1 till some one guesses the secret or she finally tells it4 ,she begins by ordering her student on trial to raise one hand and keep the other at his side while her own back is turned4 ,upon turning around she is able to specify the hand which was raised4 ,the secret is1 of course1 that the hand which hangs at the side1 because of its position1 becomes redder than the raised hand4 ,at a glance she notes the difference in color and so knows which hand has been raised4 #b4 ,spiral4 ,this is a good mixer4 ,all are asked to form in line1 one behind another1 each one's hands on the shoulders of the person ahead4 ,the leader then starts the line winding around and round the room into a spiral and then unwinding it--the well-known gymnasium class stunt which carried through in a sprightly way is bound to make everybody feel better acquainted4 #c4 ,reverse ,speed4 ,any number line up for a backward race4 ,they go as fast as they can backward to an appointed goal4 #d4 ,low ,speed4 ,any number may enter4 ,this is a slow race1 that is to say1 all contestants progress as slowly as possible to a certain goal4 #e4 ,spin4 ,a supply of children's tops is provided and the ability to spin them properly is demonstrated4 ,a few musical tops among them will add to the hilarity4 #f4 ,nose ,dives4 ,this is a stunt which will probably appeal most to the boys or the more adventurous girls4 ,it consists of pushing apples or peanuts along given chalk marks on table or floor by means of the nose only4 #g4 ,loop the ,loop4 ,to those who know how to tie different kinds of knots1 the announcement of this contest gives a chance to show what they can do4 ,the air races are of two sorts3 the hot air race and the balloon race4 ,in the hot air race the contestants are timed as to the number of words each can say in three minutes with the eyes shut4 ,for the balloon race several strings are stretched from one side of the room to the other1 and the same number of toy balloons is supplied4 ,the object is for the contestants to blow their respective balloons across the room1 following as nearly as possible the courses of string4 ,the choice of different colored balloons makes for interest and consequent rooting4 ,the arrival of the air mail is heralded by the entrance of someone dressed in aviator's garments--warm helmet1 goggles1 gloves and all--carrying a mail sack 7if real1 a new one3 but an imitation one suffices74 ,the aviator then proceeds to take out numerous packets which he hands to the guests as far as they go4 ,there should be at least half as many packages as persons present4 ,each bundle is marked ,owner unknown4 ,find another to share this4 ,the explanation is that each recipient of a parcel must immediately seek a partner and1 upon doing so1 open the parcel4 ,enough sandwiches for two are revealed4 ,meanwhile1 hot coffee or chocolate is being passed by pretty waitresses with ,japanese fans stuck in their hair airplane-wise4 ,the evening may end with a musical flight1 or1 in other words1 a rousing sing4 ,a ,,mock ,,canteen ,for one boy who wanted to entertain a few of the fellows who had been in camp with him1 his hospitable sister planned a jolly supper party which undoubtedly owed its success to its homeiness4 ,certainly its friendly informality accomplished much more than any large outlay in money could have done4 ,there were to be half a dozen boys1 so five other girls were invited to make an equal number of girls and men4 ,to begin with1 the hostess passed around to the girls slips of paper and duplicate slips to the men4 ,each slip contained the name of some article of food for supper and the man and girl who drew duplicate slips were thus delegated to prepare that particular dish together4 ,when all had matched up partners they repaired to the kitchen1 a big old-fashioned room with plenty of space for all of them4 ,the hostess and her partner did no cooking1 but announced that they would manage this cafeteria4 ,while all the others were in the kitchen1 they arranged on a side table in the dining-room stacks of tin trays1 knives1 forks1 spoons1 and paper napkins4 ,over it they posted a bulletin board in good imitation of a real cafeteria4 ,there were listed on it the five dishes which were being prepared and as a joke a number of others--quite impossible to cook at such a time1 as roast beef1 mince pie1 frozen pudding--all of which were then heavily crossed off in black ink4 ,when the cooks had finished their tasks 7and the cheerful uproar that accompanied their occupations may be easily imagined7 the food was arranged on a long kitchen table4 ,thereupon each person1 after possessing him or herself of a tray and the required silver and scanning the menu posted1 passed on and pretended to select from the counter4 ,in reality1 of course1 everyone took everything1 and received a check from the hostess with a punch against some stunt written on it4 ,the menu as prepared read as follows3 ,scalloped salmon ,fruit salad ,lettuce sandwiches ,chocolate pudding with whipped cream ,tea or coffee ,two tables were left bare in the dining-room and the company chose seats where they wished4 ,a great deal of additional fun was gained upon finding that someone had surreptitiously set up a placard on one of the tables reading ,reserved for ,ladies4 ,over the cold water faucet was a sign reading ,water and glasses were grouped near it4 ,after supper the various stunts registered on the checks and some rollicking songs filled the remainder of a merry evening in which there had been absolutely no chance for stiffness from beginning to end4 ,these were some of the stunts3 ,for the ,men #a4 ,show in five different ways how reveille affected your friends4 #b4 ,give an imitation of a lady and her pet ,peke4 #c4 ,go around the room without touching your feet to the floor4 #d4 ,do a ballet act4 #e4 ,dig a trench 7in pantomime74 #f4 ,sing a ,mother ,goose rhyme through your nose4 ,for the ,girls #a4 ,give a military salute to every man in the room in turn4 #b4 ,choose a partner to walk around the chimney with you ten times4 #c4 ,count to fifty1 substituting the words ,oh1 fudge6 for fives and every multiple of five4 #d4 ,pretend to eat a bunch of grapes4 #e4 ,represent your favorite movie actress till the others guess her correctly4 #f4 ,flirt in three different ways4 ,a ,,progressive ,,march ,,party ,a group of high school friends1 a social club of boys and girls1 or a church society of young people will enjoy giving the following party in ,march4 ,send out invitations written on cards reading as follows3 ,march is the month of all the year ,when lamb and lion do appear1 ,when pussy willow comes anew ,and ,march hare scampers into view4 ,if you would meet these creatures four ,and maybe several others more1 ,then come prepared for work and play ,to ,grangers' hall1 ,march first1 the day4 ,on the invitation cards1 tiny hares1 lions1 lambs1 or sprays of pussy willows can be outlined or traced by means of carbon paper from pictures4 ,the guests upon arrival draw from a basket containing tiny toy or cracker lions1 lambs1 rabbits and cats1 whichever kind of favor they wish4 ,according to the favor each one draws1 the guests take their places respectively at the ,march hare table1 the lion table1 the lamb table1 or the pussy willow table4 ,each table is marked by a distinguishing centerpiece3 at the ,march hare table is a plaster rabbit1 at the lion table1 a toy lion2 the lamb table has a woolly lamb on wheels1 and the pussy willow table1 a bunch of pussy willows or a stuffed cat4 ,the fun is now ready to begin1 for with the implements and materials provided at each table the guests are required to produce a facsimile of the animal for which the table is named4 ,different materials are provided at each table1 so there is no monotony1 as the guests progress from table to table after half an hour's stay at each one in turn4 ,modeling clay is the medium in which the ,march hares are to be done1 and no implements except fingers are supposed to be used1 though if a boy slyly makes use of his jack-knife1 there are no embarrassing questions asked4 ,the lions are to be carved from potatoes with the aid of little kitchen vegetable knives1 and the lambs are to be fashioned from cotton wool1 matches1 and mucilage4 ,at the pussy willow table the guests must show how expert they can be at cutting cats1 free hand1 from flannel4 ,beads for eyes1 and floss and bristles for whiskers1 are also furnished4 ,prizes are given for the best and the worst specimen at each table4 ,a rabbit's foot charm1 a small reproduction of the ,barye lion1 or the well-known ,perry picture of a lion1 a ,dresden-china lamb or shepherdess1 and a pussy-cat plate1 pincushion1 or paper weight are suggestions for first prizes1 and four little tin horns painted green may be given as booby prizes to the four greenhorns who have the worst showing4 ,,an ,,autumn ,,leaf ,,dance ,in the fall1 after school has opened1 some class often likes to give a reception to the entering class4 ,an autumn leaf dance in ,october is the prettiest kind of one to have4 ,decorate the school hall with branches of scarlet and yellow maple leaves1 or deep red and russet oak boughs4 ,for the dance programs make covers from water-color paper cut and painted to look like oak or maple leaves4 ,the inside pages can be of thin white paper in the same shape4 ,attach little red pencils4 ,plan one autumn leaf dance in which each girl receives a wreath of autumn leaves from her partner4 ,for refreshments have orange or raspberry ice with vanilla ice-cream1 and serve it on plates covered with leaf-shaped paper doilies4 ,a ,,harvest ,,home ,,party ,a ,,red ,,ear party is what they called it in the invitations4 ,it was the opening party of the year in the high school and the seniors planned it4 ,the cards they sent out said3 ,oh1 this time o' the year ,you'll recall the red ear 7,it will never go out o' date72 ,so the members of twenty ,have planned fun a-plenty ,at a regular ,harvest ,home fte-- ,you're invited6 ,the school hall was delightfully decorated emphasizing the autumn colors4 ,bright tawny leaves banked the platform where the orchestra sat1 and along the side walls globes of red and orange balloons glowed among the soft tans and browns of cornstalks4 ,from the ceiling1 myriads of red and orange paper lanterns swayed brilliantly4 ,the dance programs were red ears cut from cardboard1 and tiny red pencils dangled from them4 ,some of the names of the dances to excite curiosity were3 ,the ,corn ,stalk ,the ,scarecrow ,skitter ,farmerettes ,fancy ,popcorn ,waltz ,orchard ,one-step ,pumpkin ,pie ,walk ,red ,ear ,dance ,harvest ,home ,revue ,the ,corn ,stalk was in the nature of a grand march--everybody stalking stiffly round and round in time to the music1 which ended in a rollicking one-step4 ,then followed the ,scarecrow ,skitter4 ,a dilapidated old cornfield character in all the crudity of flapping black was brought in and established in the center of the floor4 ,in his shabby hat fluttered a handful of rusty crow feathers1 and the feature of the dance was for each boy to secure one of them in passing for his partner4 ,the poor old fellow was nearly torn to bits in the process4 ,the ,farmerettes ,fancy was another name for ladies choice4 ,all the girls were given tiny toy rakes1 hoes1 spades1 or other farm implements which they used as favors in choosing partners4 ,for the ,popcorn ,waltz1 the favors were popcorn chains for the boys to hang around their partners' necks4 ,there was a temptation to devour these adornments as well as to use them for decorative purposes1 and on the whole they were a source of much fun4 ,the orchestra at intervals in this dance made use of some contrivance which sounded like corn popping briskly over the fire4 ,a shower of snowy white confetti from the balcony still further emphasized the popcorn idea4 ,in the ,orchard ,one-step the boys were asked to pick peaches4 ,the girls stood behind a high screen and thrust their right hands above it4 ,the boys reached up1 touched the peaches they chose and thereupon the girls thus designated one-stepped away with their partners4 ,instead of a cake walk1 a ,pumpkin ,pie ,walk was announced4 ,the contestants could indulge in just as crazy1 funny or pretty dance steps as they liked4 ,the reward to the most original1 entertaining and clever couple was a big pumpkin pie4 ,then came the ,red ,ear ,dance4 ,everybody was blindfolded and asked to pick an ear of corn from a big basket4 ,when vision was restored the girl holding the red ear 7an ordinary ear with a red crepe paper wrapping7 was acclaimed queen of the carnival1 and was presented with a bouquet of red roses4 ,during the dance a red glow by means of special lighting arrangements filled the hall4 ,the ,harvest ,home ,dance came just before supper1 and lived up to its name1 in that paper costume caps designating fruits and vegetables were given out and worn1 so that the whole room seemed to be filled with the harvest4 ,tomato1 carrot1 corn1 apple1 wheat1 squashes1 grapes1 popcorn1 watermelon and blackberry were all represented4 ,the supper dance occurred midway in the evening1 and the other novelty dances described were interspersed before and after it4 ,the supper consisted merely of peach ice cream with sugared popcorn on top1 served on grape leaves1 nut macaroons1 tiny pumpkin tarts and fruit punch4 ,,costume ,,hats ,,for ,,the ,,red ,,ear ,,party ,tomato3 ,turkey red crepe paper or cotton skull cap with pointed green paper calyx and green upstanding stem of wire covered over with paper or cloth4 ,carrot3 ,orange crepe paper or cloth conical cap4 ,this may be made on heavy paper or cardboard foundation4 ,characteristic lines may be marked on the carrot4 ,corn3 ,green paper or cloth toboggan cap falling gracefully to one side ,with a long green or gold-colored silk tassel4 ,apple3 ,little round bowl-like cap of glossy red paper with a brown stem of paper-covered wire4 ,wheat3 ,a wreath of natural or artificial wheat ears4 ,squash3 ,cardboard or stiff paper cut to make a crook neck effect1 covered with yellow paper4 ,grapes3 ,a graceful floppy green hat of straw or paper with a crown entirely made of artificial or real grape bunches--blue or purple as desired4--,a filet of green ribbon with a real or artificial bunch of grapes depending on each side to hang over the ears4 ,popcorn3 ,a close-fitting little toque covered with tiny pieces of cotton batting to resemble popped corn4 ,watermelon3 ,a crescent-shaped hat to be worn broadside suggesting a slice of watermelon from green paper border 7fitting on hair7 to pink center dotted with tiny bits of black court plaster to suggest seeds4 ,blackberry3 ,close-fitting little black quilted or puffed bonnet to tie under chin4 ,a ,,nutty ,,party ,,for ,,october ,a girl who wanted to give an inexpensive jolly little party in honor of a visiting friend in ,october issued invitations to a nut gathering4 ,at the top of each correspondence card which served as an invitation1 she glued half an almond shell upon which a face was marked in ink4 ,below this nut head the rest of the figure was drawn in ink on the card1 and the inscription read3 ,pretend you're a squirrel for once ,and join my nut-gathering stunts1 ,friday1 ,october the eleventh at half-past eight4 ,the first amusement of the evening was introduced by suspending from the chandelier in the center of the room a cocoanut decorated with a comical face and a pointed paper cap perched on top4 ,each person from a distance of ten feet was allowed three throws at this cap with a little light rubber ball1 the object being to knock ,mr4 ,cocoanut's cap off4 ,the best marksman won a prize4 ,this first nut stunt caused so much fun that no one wanted to be lured away to a ,nut ,exhibit4 ,ten varieties of nuts were represented by pictures or objects and little slips of paper and pencil were distributed for recording guesses4 ,the display was as follows3 #a4 ,a bit of butter on a plate #b4 ,a stout1 old-fashioned stick #c4 ,a can of canned peas with indicating label #d4 ,a single pea #e4 ,a map of ,south ,america with the outlines of ,brazil especially prominent #f4 ,a picture of typical ,english stone or brick wall #g4 ,a can or cup of cocoa #h4 ,a photograph of ,hazel ,dawn1 the movie star #i4 ,a beetle specimen 7dead or alive7 #aj4 ,three ears of corn arranged to form the letter ,a ,answers #a4 ,butternut #b4 ,hickory nut #c4 ,pecan nut #d4 ,peanut #e4 ,brazil nut #f4 ,english walnut #g4 ,cocoanut #h4 ,hazel nut #i4 ,betel nut #aj4 ,acorn ,the winner of this contest also had a prize4 ,of course a nut party would hardly be complete without a peanut hunt and there was also a peanut race in which the object was to transfer the peanuts from one end of the room to another on the blade of a table knife4 ,in still another peanut contest the object was to pitch ten peanuts into a narrow-necked jar at a distance of about twelve feet4 ,to choose partners for refreshments a basket of ,english walnuts was passed1 each little nut with a painted face and a paper cap of some sort4 ,blue sailor caps1 soldier caps1 ,red ,cross nurse head-dresses1 ,scotch ,tam o' ,shanters1 babies' bonnets1 girls' gay garden hats1 were all represented4 ,there were only two of a kind1 and the two individuals who selected them were of course partners4 ,in addition each nut proved to be only a hollow nut shell2 in one was a conundrum1 in its mate the answer4 ,the refreshments were nut-bread sandwiches1 peanut butter sandwiches1 hot cocoa1 cocoanut macaroons1 vanilla ice-cream with chocolate nut sauce1 and peanut brittle4 ,a ,,may ,,pole ,,party ,,for ,,children ,one teacher planned a very happy ,may party for her little boy and girl pupils4 ,there was no chance to set up a big ,may pole out-of-doors for the children to wind1 but her idea turned out to be more original and maybe even more jolly4 ,there were eighteen children included in the party1 which was held in the park4 ,on arriving1 each child was given a little peaked paper cap of bright colored tissue paper4 ,the boys liked these as well as the girls did1 although they found them harder to keep in place on their heads4 ,as soon as the children had donned their caps1 three of the tallest children were appointed to help teacher4 ,this helping consisted in marching proudly out from behind a screen of bushes1 carrying three gay little ,may poles1 decked with flowers and colored paper streamers4 ,they had been made by swinging a barrel hoop from a broomstick handle1 by means of a number of ribbon-like strips of cloth4 ,of course the hoops were wound with the cloth1 and besides that were trimmed with apple blossoms and lilacs4 ,from the rim of each hoop the cloth strips hung straight down for two or three feet4 ,the colors on the ,may pole matched the colored caps that the children wore4 ,there proved to be just fifteen streamer1 and each child was allowed to pick out a streamer to correspond with the color of the cap worn4 ,thus a little girl with a pink cap would pick out a pink streamer2 a little boy with a green cap1 a green streamer1 and so on4 ,the children who held the ,may poles were then asked to stand at some distance apart out in the open space of the park1 and each little group of five danced round and round1 and back and forth1 holding and twisting their colored streamers4 ,somehow this amused them almost all the long spring afternoon4 ,different children took turns holding the ,may poles and sometimes they would even form a procession and hippity-hop around the park4 ,they paraded down ,main ,street for a little way1 but came back to the park in time to play ,drop the ,handkerchief1 ,hide and ,seek1 and ,tag1 before refreshments were served4 ,they were perfectly delighted1 of course1 with strawberry lemonade1 brown bread sandwiches1 and little frosted cup cakes1 which their teacher's mother had made and on which she had outlined in pink candies the individual initials of the children4 ,,outdoor ,,affairs ,out-of-door entertaining is perhaps the easiest kind of all--if you live in the country or the near-country4 ,anything elaborate in the arrangements would be quite out of keeping and there's something about being outdoors that takes away constraint4 ,that's probably why outdoor parties1 because they are simple and natural1 bring people together in a spirit of good fellowship and are certain of success4 ,children especially love them and young people always find an evening garden party entrancing4 ,one of the jolliest kinds of outdoor parties is a bacon bat4 ,it may be a breakfast or a luncheon or a supper1 but there is always bacon and an open fire4 ,now that automobiles are so abundant1 the possibilities for motor picnics and progressive motor parties are many and various4 ,a ,,bacon ,,bat ,a girl who lived in the country and had some city friends visiting her gave them the time of their lives at a bacon bat4 ,she telephoned around to some of the young people and invited them to appear about five o'clock in picnic clothes4 ,the hike wouldn't be long1 she announced4 ,at the specified time a jolly bunch assembled to squabble good-naturedly over the various packages and bundles assigned to them to be carried4 ,under the hostess's direction they betook themselves via footpath and trail to a stone-walled pasture spicy with sweet fern4 ,long toasting switches were readily cut by the boys from the trees in the vicinity and wood was collected for two fires4 ,over one the coffee was set to boil1 and over the other the young folks proceeded to toast bacon4 ,rolls were provided in which to insert the crisp juicy morsels after toasting1 and each person ate his or her own bacon sandwiches broiling hot without further ceremony4 ,cucumber pickles and mustard proved popular accompaniments and the coffee was appreciated--drunk from tin cups4 ,there followed some huckleberry turnovers and homemade cookies1 but on top of the bacon and rolls they were almost superfluous4 ,instead of bacon1 chops1 steak1 or ,frankfurters may be roasted1 as well as corn in season1 but bacon is the least messy to eat4 ,following the supper came stories and songs around the bonfire till late in the evening4 ,the city guests enjoyed it all because to them it was so great a novelty4 ,for the hostess it was a much easier way to introduce her guests to her friends than a more formal affair would have been4 ,a bacon bat is especially fun in spring or fall1 but is also very enjoyable on the beach in summer vacation time4 ,a marshmallow roast in the evening is first cousin to a bacon bat4 ,a ,,children',s ,,daisy ,,party ,let the children make the invitations they send out for their own daisy party4 ,on heavy water color paper they may draw and cut out simple outlines of daisies--about ten petals around a center which is then colored yellow with crayons4 ,each petal may hold one or two words of the invitation1 thus3 ,will--you--come--to--our--daisy--party- -on--,saturday--at--three8--,betty and ,john4 ,of course there should be some outdoor games1 and a good one to play is ,daisy in the ,dell4 ,for this the children form in a circle1 joining hands1 and one is chosen to be daisy-picker4 ,the daisy-picker runs around the outside of the circle1 chanting3 ,daisy in the ,dell1 ,daisy in the ,dell1 ,i don't pick you1 ,i don't pick you1 ,i do pick you4 ,the child whom the daisy-picker touches upon reaching1 the last word must try to run entirely around the circle and back to his place before the daisy-picker catches him4 ,if he succeeds1 he need not be it2 but if he is caught1 he must be the daisy-picker4 ,are ,you a ,daisy8 is another jolly game4 ,the players stand in a line facing one child1 who is chosen to be it4 ,this child asks each one in turn the question1 ,are you a daisy8 ,each child answers by naming the flower he chooses to be4 ,thus one may say1 ,i am a rose2 another1 ,i am a pansy4 ,if any child chooses to say1 ,i am a daisy1 he is immediately chased by the questioner1 and if caught1 he must take the place of the questioner4 ,the game then proceeds as before4 ,one rule is that a child must not repeat the name of a flower that another child has given4 ,a game that is based on the ,mother ,goose rhyme1 ,rich ,man1 ,poor ,man1 ,beggar ,man1 ,thief1 etc41 is called ,rich ,man1 ,poor ,man4 ,one child is chosen to whisper to each of the players some word of the rhyme4 ,the named children then stand in a circle1 and another child who is it may call for any character in the rhyme that he wishes2 the child who has been given that name must respond by saying ,here1 and then running away4 ,for instance1 the one who is it may call for lawyer1 and the child to whom that name has been whispered calls out ,here1 and is immediately chased by the leader4 ,if he is caught within a reasonable length of time1 he is it1 and the former leader drops out4 ,this should be played until only two are left4 ,the refreshments carry out the daisy idea1 and should be served outdoors1 either on the piazza or on the lawn4 ,the centerpiece at the supper-table is a big bunch of daisies1 and each child has a place-card on which is painted or drawn a daisy face1 the petals forming a cap frill4 ,the sandwiches are bread and butter1 and some good-to-eat daisies can be made from hard-boiled eggs1 by cutting the whites petal-shaped1 and by mixing the yellow with salad mayonnaise to form the centers4 ,marguerites and little cakes frosted in yellow and white may be served with vanilla ice cream4 ,a ,,hawaiian ,,porch ,,luncheon ,one woman entertained her club at their last meeting of the year with a little porch luncheon4 ,hawaii had been one of the subjects of study1 so the ,hawaiian note was dominant throughout4 ,each guest was welcomed with a lei1 the ,hawaiian paper flower garland which signifies friendship4 ,hung about the neck1 these decorations excited much fun4 ,the ,hawaiian features of the refreshments were ,hawaiian pineapple salad and little imitation volcanoes which were in reality cones of vanilla ice-cream in the center of which holes had been scooped and then filled with hot caramel sauce1 which of course overflowed the sides in true lava fashion4 ,the favors were tiny dolls1 each dressed in a short bright-fringed paper skirt1 orange1 green1 blue or pink1 to match the color of the lei which each lady had already received as a souvenir4 ,during the luncheon the hostess played several ,hawaiian musical selections on her phonograph4 ,if any of her friends had owned or played a ukelele1 doubtless the plaintive music would have been a feature4 ,a ,,watermelon ,,frolic ,when watermelons were ripe and plentiful1 big pink posters cut oval with a painted border of green and black lettering on the pink startled the village with the notice of a watermelon frolic4 ,they read3 ,do you like watermelon8 ,anyway ,be sure to come to a watermelon party on the local fairgrounds next ,tuesday evening ,admission #be cents ,this entitles you to see the minstrel show ,proceeds for the ,epworth ,league of ---- ,church ,long plank tables on wooden horses were improvised for serving the watermelons which were contributed by the members of the society4 ,some of the men acted as carvers of the melons1 and the girls served the portions1 which were sold for ten cents each4 ,the grounds were lighted with strings of electric lights in pink and green paper lanterns4 ,besides the main attraction there were several booths and side shows1 arranged country fair fashion1 which drew well4 ,one was labeled ,,the ,,watermelon ,,patch4 ,for this1 real watermelon vines had been obtained from somebody's garden and placed naturally on the ground4 ,to the vines were tied any number of artificial melons made of green paper stuffed with cotton wadding which concealed tiny favors4 ,on payment of ten cents any person had the privilege of picking a melon4 ,the prize inside was supposed to be worth the fee4 ,at another booth1 watermelon cake was served at five cents a slice4 ,the secret of this was that in making a plain cake the batter had been colored with pink sugar and sprinkled with raisins4 ,the cake was then baked in a round tin and when sliced resembled the pink of watermelon filled with black seeds4 ,as it was sweet corn season1 and as corn is also typical of the ,south1 there was a hot corn vender1 who sold steaming ears straight from kettle to buyer4 ,one feature of the evening was a watermelon contest among the boys4 ,volunteers were called for and lined up at a table4 ,they were then supplied with large wedges of melon and at the sound of the referee's whistle the race began4 ,the prize was a whole watermelon4 ,there was also a watermelon hurdle race4 ,the course was laid out with big watermelons and time was kept for each hurdler4 ,the main attraction of the evening1 however1 was the minstrel show4 ,on a raised wooden platform sat the performers with blackened hands and faces4 ,they wore grotesque garb and each one fingered a guitar1 mandolin1 or banjo4 ,first they gave a number of well-known ,southern melodies such as ,old ,black ,joe1 ,swanee ,riber1 ,dixie1 ,massa's in de ,cold1 ,cold ,ground4 ,some whistling numbers were much appreciated and ,my ,alabama ,coon1 with its humming and strumming1 proved a great success4 ,as a special item of their musical program they sang a parody of ,apple ,blossom ,time called ,it's ,watermelon ,time in ,dixie4 ,the watermelon frolic was a great success and is recommended to any organization in town or country at watermelon time as a fun--and funds--producing social4 ,parody ,when ,it's ,watermelon ,time in ,dixie#a ,after ,when ,it's ,apple ,blossom ,time in ,normandie 7,sing with appropriate motions7 ,repeat3 ,when it's watermelon time in ,dixie ,land#a ,ah wants to be ,right dher#b you see ,in dat dear old melon patch ,to eat a batch6 ,when it's watermelon time in ,dixie ,land ,dat's de time of all de year ,when ,ah grin#c with cheer from ear to ear ,watermelon's jes' ,,grand666 ,footnote #a3 ,sway heads and bodies ,footnote #b3 ,jerk thumbs backward over shoulder ,footnote #c3 ,grin broadly--stretch hands from corners of mouth to ears4 ,a ,,japanese ,,garden ,,party ,a girl who wished to entertain for a visiting school friend one evening in midsummer sent out invitations to a ,japanese ,garden ,party4 ,she wrote them on the pretty little hand-decorated place-cards which are to be found in most shops now4 ,the ,japanese writing paper which comes in rolls is another possibility for them4 ,she had a wide porch and a big lawn which she decorated for the occasion with strings of pink1 yellow and green ,japanese lanterns with electric bulbs inside4 ,settees and wicker chairs were scattered in cosy groups through the shrubbery1 and there was a faint odor of burning incense4 ,for entertainment there was dancing on the porch to the tune of a phonograph and a program of ,japanese music1 including some selections from ,butterfly and ,the ,mikado4 ,a clever reader gave one of the ,hashimura ,togo stories1 and also the hostess had arranged some artistic tableaux in ,japanese fashion4 ,when it was refreshment time1 cunning little girl friends of the hostess appeared in ,japanese kimonos1 hair done high and stuck full of tiny fans or flowers4 ,they bore ,japanese lacquer trays with tiny sandwiches 7filled with preserved ginger71 cherry ice and rice wafers4 ,a wee ,japanese flag was stuck in each portion of cherry ice4 ,the favors were wee ,japanese doilies which the guests were bidden to hunt for under a certain group of trees4 ,while doing so1 a sudden surprise shower of seeming cherry blossoms covered them with pink and white petals4 ,these were really confetti petals obligingly scattered by the nimble little waitresses perched in the branches above4 ,a ,,commencement ,,picnic ,instead of giving the usual banquet and reception to the seniors1 the juniors in a small school might well plan an outdoor picnic and supper4 ,it has the possibility of being jollier than the regulation affair1 and is certainly less expensive4 ,individual invitations may be sent out to the senior class--quite unusual and mysterious invitations--for each one may consist of a colored feather quill with a message written on a slip of paper wrapped about the end4 ,this reads3 ,greetings from the ,tribe of ,twenteequas ,to the ,tribe of ,nyneteenwas3 ,will the ,tribe of ,nyneteenwas ,smoke the pipe of friendship ,round the camp-fire of the ,twenteequas ,on the sixteenth day of the ,moon of ,roses ,one hour before waysawi 7sunset78 ,one of the ,twenteequas will act as your guide4 ,as soon as the two classes have gathered at the picnic ground1 the juniors1 already decked in head bands of ribbon in their own class colors1 may present the seniors with similar ribbons4 ,the boys may have feathers stuck in theirs--if they don't object to head bands4 ,the chief of the ,twenteequas may announce the first stunt as a ,hunt for ,game1 and all must hunt in pairs1 matching partners by means of selecting1 blindfolded1 colored beads from a basket4 ,pasteboard bows and arrows are supplied1 and everyone is told to return at the summons of a beaten tom-tom4 ,the couples then scatter into the surrounding woods1 and hunt for animal crackers which have previously been hidden by a committee of juniors4 ,the prize for the couple getting the most game might be an animal toy4 ,next1 volunteers to ,run the ,gauntlet may be called for4 ,the others form in two parallel lines facing each other1 armed with pieces of chalk4 ,the victims must run down between the lines to a goal at the end1 while the cruel ,indians on each side reach out to put a chalk mark on them4 ,the victim who gets the least chalk marks is permitted to select five of his tormentors to perform a series of stunts1 previously planned by the junior entertainment committee4 ,appropriate ones are these3 #a4 ,give an ,indian war whoop4 #b4 ,do an ,indian war dance4 #c4 ,give ,indian names to five people here4 #d4 ,make a speech in sign language4 #e4 ,tell an ,indian story4 ,supper should be eaten around a big camp-fire1 and should consist of coffee cooked over the fire1 nut-bread sandwiches1 cold chicken and potato chips1 and chocolate ice-cream under individual miniature tepees of brown paper4 ,paint on each tepee in black some symbol apparently mysterious but in reality characteristic of the owner4 ,thus1 a girl with a beautiful voice and a talent for singing may have a quaint bird on hers2 an athlete1 a pair of ,indian clubs2 a domestic science girl1 a bowl and spoon or a kettle1 and so on4 ,redskins and ,palefaces complete the menu1 ,palefaces being cookies with white icing and features marked in candies1 and ,redskins being apples4 ,toasting marshmallows over the fire and singing school ditties and old favorites will end this unique party delightfully4 ,a ,,progressive ,,motor ,,party ,a group of girls who lived in the country gave a delightful farewell party for one of their number who was to move out of town to another part of the world4 ,they called it a ,progressive ,rainbow4 ,at four o'clock one ,saturday afternoon they all met at one of the homes4 ,the porch was decorated in a red color scheme4 ,a row of red ,japanese lanterns hung from the roof all around4 ,red cushions were scattered about in the chairs and on the steps1 and a jar of crimson rambler roses adorned the table4 ,everybody sat about and gossiped for a little while1 and then fruit cocktails1 to which strawberries gave the touch of red1 were served4 ,a tray of red ribbon streamers was passed1 and each girl pinned one on her blouse1 as the beginning of her rainbow badge4 ,the guest of honor found with her favor a package tied with red tulle1 which she was requested not to open till the end of the afternoon4 ,after this1 two automobiles1 owned by members of the group or their families1 whisked the party along two miles of fresh country road to the home of another girl in the group4 ,little tables had been set on the lawn with a bouquet of old-fashioned marigolds in the center of each one1 and a toy orange balloon tied to the back of each chair by a long string4 ,here were served jellied orange soup in cups1 and saltines4 ,the girls received orange-colored favor ribbons to pin next to their red ones1 and the guest of honor received another prize packet1 this time tied with orange tulle4 ,from there they all jumped again into the waiting cars and were transported to the home of a third girl for the third course4 ,this time it was served in the dining-room1 which was decorated with yellow snapdragons4 ,a basket of them filled the center of the table1 and at each place was a scalloped shell containing deviled crab meat garnished with lemon quarters and accompanied by tartar sauce4 ,cubes of hot yellow cornbread were delicious with the crab4 ,again the passing of the yellow ribbons to the girls and the presenting of the yellow-tied package to the guest of honor were the signals for leaving to go to the next house4 ,the automobiles quickly took them there1 where the main course of the dinner was to be eaten4 ,maidenhair ferns were lovely in a green bowl on the table1 and tiny wood ferns were scattered over the white tablecloth4 ,the menu consisted of broiled chicken1 fresh green peas1 small boiled potatoes with parsley1 and rye rolls4 ,by this time the girls were getting interested in their rainbow of ribbons1 to which the green was now added1 and the guest of honor received her fourth package1 green-tied4 ,motoring to the salad course1 the group found the dining-room lighted by blue candles1 though the guests were begged not to feel blue4 ,ragged robins were arranged as a centerpiece1 and fluttering blue tissue butterflies marked the places4 ,the salad was prunes stuffed with peanuts in hearts of lettuce1 served with ,french dressing and ,dutch cheese balls4 ,by the time the sixth stop was reached the sun had set and the moon was coming up1 so that the girls sat on the veranda in the moon-light and sipped grape-juice ice to the music of romantic ditties4 ,lavender streamers were added next to the blue ones1 and their badges were complete4 ,as they finally drove up to the last house1 they were greeted by a rainbow of tulle which arched the entrance to the porch4 ,with their fluttering rainbow ribbon badges and the armful of rainbow packages belonging to the guest of honor1 they felt very much at home with the rainbow1 and the guest of honor was not even surprised to be asked to seek the pot of gold at the foot4 ,in the yellow pottery jar which she discovered were as many gold nuggets as there were girls1 and each nugget was a little gilt-paper-wrapped joke for the trip4 ,the real1 sure-enough farewell gifts to keep were in the packages progressively received1 and there was a jolly time opening them under the rainbow4 ,,birthdays ,,and ,,other ,,anniversaries ,birthdays you particularly wish to celebrate happily and successfully4 ,there's your mother's birthday or your brother's or your little son's or daughter's birthday or the birthday of the popular president of your special club4 ,then there are the various wedding anniversaries that call for suitable recognition1 especially the five1 ten1 and twenty-five year ones4 ,besides these there are countless other events that you want to commemorate pleasantly in some way afterward4 ,these various occasions offer fascinating possibilities for the most delightful of social affairs4 ,a ,,bachelor ,,supper ,when ,i was a bachelor ,i lived by myself ,and all the bread and cheese ,i got1 ,i put upon the shelf2 ,the rats and the mice1 they made such a strife ,i was forced to go to ,london to buy me a wife4 ,the streets were so broad and the lanes were so narrow ,i was forced to bring my wife home in a wheelbarrow4 ,this old ,mother ,goose rhyme was the keynote of a bachelor supper which one girl gave for her brother and a few of his friends on his birthday4 ,the centerpiece on the table was an arrangement of bachelors' buttons and at every place was a tiny toy wheelbarrow filled with candies1 a wee dressed-up dolly dame perched atop of each load4 ,the rhyme also furnished the reason for the first course1 which was most suitably bread and cheese1 only the bread was in the form of buttered rounds of toast and the cheese was a delicious ,welsh rarebit1 accompanied by coffee or gingerale4 ,ice-cream in cantaloupes with a chocolate mouse nibbling at the rind followed1 to be eaten with those most delicious of all cookies--home-made hermits4 ,,mother',s ,,birthday ,,tea ,a pleasant way for a daughter to entertain for her mother is to give a little informal afternoon tea1 asking the mother's friends and their daughters and thus making it a kind of mother and daughter affair4 ,send out the invitations on your calling card1 writing your mother's name at the top4 ,if your mother likes surprises1 arrange the party to be one if possible1 but if she is like most mothers she will prefer to know what's going on and so be prepared4 ,the rooms should be decorated with flowers of the season4 ,the country girl will find it easy in spring1 summer1 or fall4 ,during the afternoon a little program of previously arranged mother songs1 lullabies and readings by some of the guests may agreeably interrupt the chat4 ,tea1 sandwiches and little cakes may be served in the dining-room from a festive birthday table4 ,the centerpiece may be a bowl of pink roses--to match in number the years of the guest of honor4 ,candles from under rose-colored paper or silk shades may light the room1 and if desired each guest may be presented with a miniature band-box covered with rose-sprigged paper or chintz--filled with wee pink and white candies4 ,a ,,pussy ,,cat ,,party ,when ,billy's mother decided to give him a birthday party1 she pounced upon the pussy cat plan1 partly because pussy-willows are still flourishing in ,april1 but mostly because she knew that kittens and cats are favorites with nine and ten year olds4 ,the invitations were folded kitty-cornered and inside of each appeared a fat fuzzy little gray puss taken from a real pussy-willow branch4 ,puss had pen and ink ears1 whiskers and tail1 and likewise a tiny red-painted fence post upon which to sit4 ,the first game was a good romp at ,puss-in-the-,corner4 ,that was followed by the foolish but funny ,poor ,pussy4 ,while the children were still in a circle for that1 ,billy's mother explained a new game4 ,it was called ,kitty ,kitty and was carried out on the lines of ,spin the ,platter4 ,in every child's ear ,billy whispered the name of some sort of cat1 as for instance1 tiger1 yaller1 green-eyes1 double-toes1 maltese1 ,angora1 black and white1 gray4 ,he then occupied the center of the circle and spun a tin pieplate4 ,as he did so he called out one of the names he had assigned and counted rapidly out loud up to ten4 ,thus1 ,green-eyes1 one1 two1 three1 four1 five1 six1 seven1 eight1 nine1 ten4 ,the child who had been given the name green-eyes was supposed to jump up and snatch the pie tin before ,billy had finished counting to ten4 ,if green-eyes failed1 then he had to take ,billy's place4 ,billy1 too1 of course1 had a pussy cat label4 ,another circle game that was fun was called ,pussy's ,prowlings4 ,it was on the order of stage-coach4 ,billy's mother told the story of a kitty's wanderings and before she started to tell it1 she whispered to each child the name of something which was to appear in the story4 ,for instance1 she gave out haymow1 milk dish1 mouse hole1 catnip4 ,every time she mentioned any such name in the process of telling the story1 the child who had it was expected to rise from his chair1 turn around three times and sit down again4 ,when the words pussy's prowlings were mentioned1 all the players jumped up and exchanged seats4 ,the story teller also tried to get a seat1 and if she succeeded the child who was finally left without one had to continue the story4 ,,pussy',s ,,prowlings ,once there was a ,,pussycat named ,,blinky who said to herself one day1 ,i'm tired of ,,milk to drink and ,i'm oh1 so hungry for ,,mouse4 ,i must go on a ,,mouse hunt4 ,so ,,blinky stole out of the red ,,brick ,,house where she lived very happily with the ,,jones ,,family4 ,she pattered down the back ,,doorsteps where her ,,milk ,,saucer was set and she scampered along the winding ,,path to the ,,barn4 7,that's the way ,,pussy',s ,,prowlings began47 ,up the ,,ladder to the ,,haymow she crept and through the heaps of sweet clover ,,hay to a ,,hole ,,in ,,the ,,wall4 ,there ,,blinky knew lived a ,,mouse4 ,so she crouched close to the ,,mouse ,,hole1 as still as still could be and watched1 and she watched and she watched and she watched4 ,but that ,,mouse must have been away from home or else very busy down in its ,,hole1 for it never once stuck its little ,,nose out4 ,and when ,,blinky had watched there in the ,,haymow for three long1 long hours1 she was so hungry that she couldn't watch for that ,,mouse a single minute more4 ,she thought of the ,,milk ,,saucer by the back ,,doorsteps and she said to herself1 ,if ,i can't have ,,mouse1 ,,milk won't taste so bad after all4 ,so ,,blinky made her way back through the heaps of ,,hay and scrambled down the ,,ladder to the ,,haymow and ran along the winding ,,path to the back ,,doorsteps4 ,and there1 sure enough1 was a ,,saucer full of ,,milk all ready for her to drink4 ,so ,,blinky lapped it up very hungrily and was perfectly happy6 7,and that's the way ,,pussy',s ,,prowlings ended47 ,the next game was called ,hunt the ,mouse4 ,billy had hidden a chocolate mouse somewhere in the room and the children were asked to be kitties and try to find it4 ,whenever anyone came very near the hiding place1 ,billy miaowed loudly1 or if everyone was very far from it1 ,billy would mew only faintly4 ,the kitty who found the mouse kept it for a reward4 ,in another room the children had a chance to hunt for those mittens which the naughty kittens once lost4 ,many tiny red paper mittens were scattered throughout the room and were much more easily found than the mouse4 ,the supper table delighted the children4 ,in the center of it sat a big stuffed toy cat surrounded by chocolate mice1 and at each child's place a tiny white plush cat with the child's name on a paper tied to the neck had been placed4 ,such toys can usually be bought in five and ten cent stores4 ,pussy-willow sprays laid flat on the tablecloth decorated the table gracefully4 ,the napkins were the paper ones which feature black cats at ,hallowe'en4 ,little ramekins of creamed chicken pleased the children4 ,with the chicken1 ,billy's mother served kitty-cornered sandwiches of brown bread filled with cream cheese and chopped nuts4 ,there was hot cocoa too1 and for the last course individual molds of chocolate blanc mange with whipped cream and a candied cherry on top4 ,needless to say there was a birthday cake which was brought in ablaze with candles and set before ,billy to cut4 ,each guest received a souvenir chocolate mouse and was ready to declare upon departure at six that the pussy cat party had been1 oh1 so jolly6 ,a ,,girl',s ,,birthday ,,luncheon ,once a mother gave a little birthday luncheon for her daughter who was a freshman in high school4 ,it pleased the fourteen-year-old and her friends because of the novelty in decorations and menu4 ,the class colors were green and white1 so that scheme was used throughout4 ,in the center of the table was a green bowl with a few paper narcissi arranged in a flower holder1 ,japanese fashion4 ,around each plate was a wreath of smilax--any small green vine would do perfectly well--and above each plate a tiny green candle burning in a wee holder4 ,the place-cards were tied to the handles of the holders4 ,glass dishes of lime drops and wintergreen candies added to the general green and white effect4 ,the menu consisted of fruit cocktail with a sprig of mint atop of each portion1 followed by a second course of chicken la ,king generously sprinkled with capers1 and accompanied by hot rolls and olives4 ,then came hot chocolate with a marshmallow floating in each cup and milestone salad1 which consisted of oblongs of cream cheese into which numerals cut out of green peppers were pressed4 ,the milestones stood erect on fresh lettuce leaves and were served with ,french dressing4 ,after that a birthday cake was borne in ablaze with fourteen green tapers and set before the little hostess to cut4 ,great was the fun when the fortune favors1 baked in the cake1 were found by the guests4 ,pistachio ice-cream accompanied the cake1 but vanilla ice-cream or a green gelatine dessert would be equally fitting4 ,the favors were little green vanity bags made from ribbon by the fourteen-year-old's mother4 ,,the ,,wooden ,,wedding ,an informal evening party is perhaps the jolliest way to celebrate the fifth wedding anniversary4 ,after everybody has arrived1 try a wooden smile contest4 ,there will be any number of humorous attempts1 but few will be wooden4 ,the contestant who smiles most woodenly may receive as a prize a gaily painted wooden jumping jack or any other wooden toy4 ,the next amusement can be a progressive one1 consisting of putting together at tables wooden puzzles of all sorts1 including jig-saw puzzles4 ,puzzles make good prizes for this contest4 ,one of the carefully packed wooden boxes of candy is another possibility4 ,another occupation that is appropriate and fun-making is a pea and tooth-pick contest4 ,wooden tooth-picks and dried peas soaked up are provided4 ,each person is then assigned to construct one member of a tooth-pick wedding party properly4 ,the tooth-pick persons when finished should form in a parade down the center of the library table4 ,a light buffet supper or simply ice-cream and coffee may be served in the dining-room4 ,decorate the table with a central wooden bowl containing some simple flowers such as daisies1 honeysuckles1 snapdragons1 nasturtiums1 or whatever flowers are in season4 ,there may be wooden candlesticks with candles to match the color scheme and small wooden plates and bowls for candies and nuts4 ,serve the ice-cream on wooden plates covered with lace paper doilies1 and give as favors tiny wooden household articles such as dolls' rolling-pins1 clothespins1 barrels1 washtubs1 spinning wheels1 and the like4 ,,the ,,tin ,,wedding ,the tenth wedding anniversary has many possibilities for fun4 ,an informal social evening or a dinner followed by some jolly stunts are in order4 ,in any case1 arrange for the dining table a centerpiece of a shiny tin funnel filled with bright garden or wild flowers surrounded by a frill of lace paper to represent an old-fashioned1 formal bouquet4 ,use tin candlesticks with bayberry candles for illumination and scatter tiny new patty pans with crinkly edges over the table to hold candies and nuts4 ,the salad may be served on shiny tin plates covered with lace paper doilies1 the ice-cream in individual patty pans1 and the coffee or punch in tin cups4 ,at each place put a tiny funnel bouquet1 a miniature of the central one or else some tiny tin toy4 ,tin whistles for everybody would promote the hilarity4 ,the old-fashioned game of ,spin the ,platter would be good to start the entertainment of the evening4 ,then may come a tin minute paper and pencil contest to see who can write the most words beginning or ending with ,,tin in the allotted ten minutes4 ,ten reel years of married life may next be shown4 ,this feature is simply a series of movie-like pantomimes showing humorous events1 real or imaginary1 in the life of the host and hostess--given1 of course1 by their friends4 ,a tin band concert will also provide a good time4 ,those who are in the band perform on instruments contrived from kitchen utensils or the tin noise-making novelties which can be obtained in the shops4 ,a ,,mock ,,wedding ,a mock wedding is a funny way to celebrate one of the numerous early wedding anniversaries1 especially if a group of young married women friends want to join in a surprise4 ,the bride may be invited to a chum's house and presently the procession may appear before her4 ,the bride should have a cheesecloth or mosquito netting veil with dried orange peel to hold the folds in place1 and she should carry a bouquet of white chicken feathers tied with white tape--the shower part can be little bows of rags4 ,the bridesmaids might all wear the cheapest of farmers' hats1 with huge bunches of goldenrod or asters on them or else such things as little kitchen utensils sewed on the front in place of flowers4 ,bouquets of burdock tied with colored cretonne would be attractive for them1 or possibly as a substitute for the conventional shepherds' crooks they could carry umbrellas with big bows on the handles4 ,a third suggestion for the bridesmaids is that they carry grape baskets filled with none too choice outdoor flowers and weeds4 ,there should be a flower girl1 of course1 who can wear an abbreviated costume4 ,her hair should be in ringlets with a big ribbon tied around her head1 and she may carry a market basket filled with scraps of paper1 or flowers if you prefer1 to scatter in front of the bride4 ,the ring bearer may carry a curtain ring on a sofa cushion4 ,at the ceremony1 of course1 you must omit all the really solemn parts1 but you may let someone make up some questions for the minister to use4 ,for instance1 he may say to the mock bridegroom1 ,do you promise to obey this woman8 ,instead of saying1 ,i will and ,i do1 they may say1 ,i wilt and ,i doth4 ,for a wedding breakfast1 you might serve creamed codfish in heavy crockery1 and follow it with helpings of cream of wheat either cold or hot1 which can be served to resemble ice cream in little paper cases4 ,there should be a wedding cake which may be only ginger-bread1 and some kind of grotesque motto may be inscribed in the frosting4 ,a ,,silver ,,wedding ,,shower ,a little group1 girlhood friends of more than twenty-five years standing1 recently planned a pleasant shower for a popular friend1 the president1 as it happened1 of their fortnightly sewing club1 on her silver wedding anniversary4 ,none of the ladies was rich and the gifts were planned to cost not over fifty cents each4 ,many of them were less than that4 ,silver fittings for a work basket were chosen and included a silver needle case1 a silver thimble case1 a silver hem gauge1 a unique tatting shuttle1 a little silver ripping knife1 a cunning strawberry emery with a silver hull and a wee wax cherry with a silver stem4 ,the gifts were wrapped in white tissue paper1 tied with silver cord with a tiny shining bell inserted in the center of each knot4 ,they were presented in a lovely sweet grass sewing basket1 which in turn was wrapped and tied with silver ribbon4 ,this was not given1 however1 till the close of the afternoon's sewing1 which had gone on as usual1 though there was an atmosphere of ill-concealed expectation4 ,simple refreshments were brought in and served in buffet style4 ,home-made ice-cream was passed in little ice cups which had as decorations around the rim a circlet of glittering silvery tinsel4 ,silver ,cake and bonbons in silver wrappings accompanied the ice cream4 ,last of all1 the shower was borne in on a silver tray and set before the surprised guest of honor4 ,a little rhyme explained this turn of events to the delightfully mystified recipient3 ,because of many a happy hour ,with you1 well spent1 we give this shower1 ,just to remember in a way ,with love1 your silver wedding day4 ,as an amusing little contest each lady was asked to write down ten things she had learned in the last twenty-five years4 ,the replies made good reading and furnished plenty of conversation till home-going time4 ,a ,,cape ,,cod ,,luncheon ,in remembrance of a happy two weeks spent in a little bungalow on ,cape ,cod1 one of the girls of the bunch gave a quaint luncheon for the others during the year following4 ,the invitations bore a tiny spray of bayberry sketched in one corner and read like this3 ,may the bayberry dip and the odor of pine ,at this little reunion luncheon of mine1 ,bring back all our fun in the house by the sea1 ,where we were as jolly as jolly could be4 ,on the luncheon table homespun runners were used1 crossed in the center where a brown wicker basket filled with the gray green of bayberry branches1 brightened by the orange of bittersweet1 stood on a mat of fragrant pine4 ,green bayberry dips in the simplest of low tin candlesticks lighted the table and at each cover the place-card was a little outline map of ,cape ,cod with the situation of the summer camp conspicuously marked4 ,the menu consisted of clam cocktails1 codfish cakes and tiny pots of baked beans1 hot steamed brown bread cut in small round slices1 blueberry tarts1 and coffee4 ,the favors were wee bayberry waxes for the sewing basket1 each with a bit of a bayberry twig peeping from its top4 ,,announcements ,,and ,,showers ,how shall ,i announce my engagement8 ,the engaged girl we have always with us1 and the next step after the engagement is the announcement of it4 ,most girls like to have some kind of little social function to break the news to their special circle of friends4 ,usually a mother or a sister or a chum does the entertaining1 though a girl herself may perfectly well plan and carry out such a party4 ,there are several sorts of affairs which may serve as a setting for an announcement4 ,a favorite kind is a luncheon for a group of girl friends4 ,even less work is an afternoon tea and to that a girl's men friends may be asked also1 though it's really easier to have girls only4 ,another kind of announcement party is the evening affair to which both men and girl friends are invited and at which the announcement should be sprung as a total surprise as in all other announcement affairs4 ,after the engagement is known1 immediately the friends of the bride-to-be begin to think of showers for her4 ,one friend or a group of friends or her club may be hostesses and give such an affair4 ,there are different ways of planning them4 ,for instance1 they may be appropriate to the month1 like a ,christmas ,tree ,shower in ,december or an ,indian ,summer ,shower in ,november or a ,rainy ,day ,shower in ,april4 ,or they may take as keynotes the engaged girl's special likes1 as in the case of an apple shower1 a kitty shower or an old rose shower4 ,and then again1 they may be just plain1 ordinary1 handkerchief showers1 or linen showers1 or kitchen showers1 with an original touch somewhere4 ,a ,,little ,,bird ,,told ,,me ,,luncheon ,at a recent engagement luncheon the announcement was made in a unique way4 ,a large wooden embroidery hoop was hung from the ceiling over the table and in the ring perched a gaily painted wooden parrot1 the kind that rocks back and forth when touched4 ,from the parrot streamers of colored baby ribbon led to the different places1 and tied to the ends of the ribbons were tiny notes in envelopes4 ,these on being opened showed the names of the engaged couple and a short rhyme reading thus3 ,a little bird told me ,a very nice thing1 ,that ,randolph gave ,sally ,a diamond ring4 ,the refreshments followed somewhat the parrot color scheme1 with halves of grapefruit garnished with cherries1 chicken la ,king1 pimento1 walnut and cream cheese salad1 orange ice1 and little cakes with colored frosting4 ,small celluloid parrots perched on the rims of the glasses were appropriate souvenirs4 ,a ,,happiness ,,tea ,sing a song of sixpence1 ,a pocket full o' rye1 ,four and twenty bluebirds ,baked in a pie2 ,when the pie was opened ,the birds began to sing1 ,about a certain couple here ,who have some news to spring4 ,thus did one girl announce her engagement in the month of ,may4 ,she had asked twenty-four of her best friends to come to a bluebird tea one ,saturday afternoon1 and nobody suspected her secret1 although they did remember that the bluebird stands for happiness4 ,the party was held out on the hostess's big porch1 which was decorated with jars of pink and white apple blossoms4 ,everybody had a very good time dancing to the music of the phonograph until it was time for the tea to be served4 ,the waitresses were ,betty's two little sisters1 who wore as insignia big blue bows on their hair and cunning little aprons made of bluebird cretonne4 ,the tea was iced and served with lemon and mint in tall glasses4 ,the sandwiches were tiny and round and filled with pink strawberry jam which made them seem like delectable apple-blossom petals4 ,betty happened to have bluebird plates and she used paper napkins with a bluebird motif4 ,after the sandwiches came little pink and green and white frosted cakes and last of all the surprise4 ,it appeared to be a great pie with bluebird heads peeking through the crust4 ,in reality the crust was just brown paper touched up with a bit of water color paint and pasted across the top of a big open pan4 ,the bluebirds soon showed what they were when the guests in turn pulled them out of the pie by means of the narrow white ribbon attached to each one4 ,they were really flat pasteboard bluebirds and served as the excuse for the rhyme announcing ,betty's engagement4 ,as a souvenir each guest had a tiny bluebird ,may basket filled with pink and white ,jordan almonds4 ,small square boxes formed the foundations of the ,may baskets1 the sides were then covered with bluebird crepe paper and the corners tied with wee blue bows4 ,little cut-out bluebirds hung from the slender handles and bore the names of the individual guests4 ,when they said good-by1 the guests all declared that they had had a bluebirdy time1 which in other words meant that ,betty had planned very happily4 ,a ,,hello ,,party ,the invitations to this party read as follows3 ,hello6 hello6 hello6 ,a party's on the wire2 ,and you must surely go ,or else arouse my ire6 ,friday evening ,eight o'clock ,the affair was planned by one girl to announce the engagement of a chum1 and of course the object of the party was not revealed in the invitations4 ,all kinds of jolly games were played to pass the evening1 and one pleasant feature was ,a ,telephonic ,conversation by ,mark ,twain rendered by a good reader4 ,the telephone was the keynote of the evening and played a prominent part in the table decorations4 ,a big blue paper bell such as one sees in front of telephone booths hung over the center of the table4 ,beneath it was a low bowl of forget-me-nots of which the guests did not see the significance till later4 ,the candles were white with blue bell-shaped shades1 and at each person's plate as a favor stood one of the tiny glass telephones seen in candy stores1 full of candies4 ,the place-cards each bore a mock telephone number1 such as ,sing #abcf1 ,circle #fcbj1 ,joke #eaef1 ,shiver #icae1 ,groan #bca4 ,the menu was mostly white and served on blue dishes4 ,it consisted of chicken patties1 hot rolls1 cream cheese and white grape salad1 and vanilla ice-cream in blue frilled paper cases4 ,toward the end of the ice-cream course the hostess asked the guests to announce their telephone numbers1 in turn4 ,whereupon1 each person was requested to rise from the table and act out his number4 ,this was comparatively simple and made everyone quite hilarious4 ,when it came the turn of the hostess1 she said that her number was ,springit #db4 ,the two 7#b71 she said1 were ,elizabeth and ,john1 and this was the time she had chosen to spring the announcement of their engagement4 ,another way in which the announcement could be made is to prepare telephone messages of the news and tie them to the ends of blue ribbons hanging from the tongue of the bell4 ,the hostess may announce that the bell tolled when the guests are allowed to open and read their messages4 ,,an ,,apple ,,shower ,a girl who was very fond of apples in every form1 so much so that all her friends knew about it1 was given a clever shower after she became engaged4 ,the invitations were cut in apple shape and tinted a little with red and green water colors4 ,the following verses voiced the plan of the party and notified the guests3 ,invitation to a ,shower ,apples1 apples everywhere ,will doubtless make up half the fare ,on ,elsie's future menu pad1 ,as they are ,elsie's greatest fad4 ,so if you'd keep that fact in mind ,in shower presents--'twould be kind2 ,send it to me the day before ,and come on ,saturday at four4 ,january the twentieth ,at ,mary's house4 ,the first amusement of the afternoon was an apple-guessing contest1 the names of different varieties of apples to be guessed from literal definitions1 thus3 ,the ,royal ,apple--4 ,king4 ,after that there was an apple-peeling contest in ,hallowe'en fashion and each girl threw the peeling over her left shoulder to discover the initial of her future husband4 ,immediately following this1 the hostess1 with the help of one of the other girls1 brought in a big bushel basket apparently filled with huge rosy apples1 and set it down before the guest of honor4 ,when the green ribbon around the stem of each make-believe apple was untied1 the red crepe paper opened out1 disclosing1 in wrappings of soft cotton1 a variety of gifts for the apple-loving girl4 ,there was an up-to-date corer and a plate for baking apples1 a fat plush apple pincushion for the kitchen1 a red apple bank with a slit for savings1 one of the beautiful ,wallace ,nutting photographs of a ,new ,england apple tree in full pink and white bloom1 an artistic brown basket for apples to be kept on the buffet or used for the breakfast table1 and a delightful fruit bowl with an apple border4 ,one girl had contributed a little booklet of choice apple recipes1 a jar of apple butter and another of home-made apple sauce4 ,one artistic member of the group had stenciled a crash table runner for the porch table with a conventional apple design in yellow and orange and green1 and another girl put the same design very decoratively on a round box of painted tin4 ,two of the prettiest gifts were a cunning sports handkerchief with a cluster of apples stamped in one corner1 and a smart flat silk hat ornament in the shape of three apples4 ,before the happy bride-to-be had finished exclaiming over her gifts1 the hostess served buffet refreshments that were as pretty as they were delicious4 ,there were little individual molds of pink apple tapioca1 topped with whipped cream and accompanied by small home-made cakes1 frosted uniquely4 ,each one had in the center of its white icing a miniature apple bough as a decoration1 made from two red maraschino cherries1 two leaf-shaped pieces of green angelica and a bit of citron4 ,as a surprise for each girl1 the hostess had provided a tiny bunch of apple sachets1 easily made from scraps of apple-colored silks4 ,i like apples more than ever now that ,i've begun to see their possibilities1 the guest of honor declared4 ,,an ,,old ,,rose ,,shower ,for a girl who was very fond of everything rose-colored1 her friends planned an old-rose shower on ,valentine's ,day4 ,as a result1 among the gifts were rose-colored silk stockings1 a rose-flowered silk party bag1 an old-rose boudoir cap1 slippers to match1 and towels with old-rose initials4 ,each gift was wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with old-rose ribbon1 and they were all presented on a big tray1 the bottom of which was rose-flowered cretonne under glass4 ,the refreshments were raspberry ice and tiny cakes frosted in rose and white1 and each guest carried away as a favor a wee glove handkerchief with an old-rose border4 ,a ,,kitty ,,shower ,it sounds odd1 but the engaged girl for whom it was given was so very fond of pussy cats that her chum knew that a kitty shower would just exactly suit her4 ,the invitations1 written on cats cut from heavy paper1 read this way3 ,since ,elizabeth ,ann is so fond of the kitty ,don't you agree that 'twould be a great pity ,if we missed a good chance now for making a hit ,by each bringing her some kind of a kit8 ,the bride-to-be suspected nothing when she was asked to a kitty luncheon at her chum's house4 ,the table had as decorations a centerpiece of pussy willows and yellow tulips1 and the candle shades were made of yellow parchment paper with black silhouettes of cats running around them4 ,at each girl's place was a tiny china cat with a yellow ribbon bow on its neck to which was tied the place-card4 ,there was no attempt to carry out the kitty idea in the menu1 but it was yellow throughout4 ,the first course was grapefruit1 then followed scalloped oysters garnished with lemon slices1 chicken and mayonnaise salad1 individual baked custards1 and sunshine cake4 ,upon withdrawing from the table1 it was announced that ,pussy was in the well1 and forthwith a deep cylindrical waste-basket trimmed with pussy willows was brought in and set before the guest of honor1 who was requested to be the one to pull pussy out4 ,with a dawning understanding of the meaning of this1 the bride-to-be reached in and drew one by one from the waste-basket the kits which had been placed there for her4 ,each one was tied with yellow ribbon and had a black cat pasted on it4 ,the gifts were all very clever4 ,there was a traveler's sewing kit1 a small blacking kit1 a wee laundry kit for motoring1 a handy kit containing baggage tags1 rubber bands1 and the like1 an emergency kit with safety pins and threaded needle for her handbag1 a guest towel with a cross-stitch kitty on one end1 a cream pitcher and sugar bowl with a kitten border1 a quaint kitten door stop1 a painted wooden kitten twine holder1 a pair of ,angora skating gloves1 an odd little sewing apron with linen cats appliqued on the corners1 and a knitting bag of cretonne which pictured ,puss-in-,boots prominently among other ,mother ,goose ,people4 ,when the excitement of the shower was over1 a guessing contest was played1 each answer being a word in which the syllable cat figured4 ,this very jolly afternoon ended with a really hilarious game of ,puss-in-the-corner4 ,a ,,camp ,,fire ,,shower ,a jolly crowd of young people who had been camping together a great deal gave a lively shower to two of their number who were announcing their engagement4 ,the affair took place in the city in the winter time and was very informal4 ,after the bunch had gathered1 someone suggested that they play charades1 one of their favorite diversions4 ,the engaged persons were chosen to sit with the hostess before the open fire and pretend they were in camp4 ,the word selected was not made known to them1 however4 ,the others all retired into the next room and came back shortly1 wrapped in raincoats and sou'westers1 each one carrying a knobby package4 ,shower6 they shouted in chorus1 throwing their bundles at the group by the fire4 ,the parcels contained all kinds of camp conveniences4 ,there was a camp kit containing knives and forks and spoons1 a collapsible drinking cup1 a thermos bottle1 a pocket compass1 an electric flashlight1 a folding mirror1 a pocket corkscrew1 a folding camp grate1 a folding camp stool1 a folding alcohol stove with a pot1 and a pocket camera4 ,the engaged couple were taken entirely by surprise1 for they had supposed the party to be only one of many sociable evenings which the crowd were in the habit of having4 ,the refreshments were reminiscent of camp and were served on wooden plates around the fire in picnic fashion4 ,the menu consisted of hot bacon and roll sandwiches1 dill pickles1 coffee1 and marshmallows toasted over the flames4 ,a ,,one ,i ,,love ,,shower ,the invitations were made of white water color paper cut in the shape of daisies1 with centers tinted yellow4 ,scattered over the petals were the following lines3 ,one ,i love1 two ,i love1 ,three ,i love ,i say1 ,come and see if this is true ,on ,st4 ,valentine's ,day4 7or ,friday next1 ,i pray7 ,on all the invitations but the guest of honor's was added3 ,in honor of ,marion's engagement4 ,please send your remembrance to me the day before4 ,this direction was put on so that the gifts could all be wrapped in advance by the hostess in white tissue paper1 tied with yellow baby ribbon and a big artificial daisy tucked into the knot4 ,piled on a tray they were brought to the surprised little bride-to-be on the afternoon of the party4 ,the entertainment fulfilled the promise of the invitation in this way3 ,a large paper daisy with many petals was hung against the wall and each guest was given a pointer and asked to select a petal at random4 ,on the back of each petal was written a little fortune rhyme somewhat on the order of this one3 ,five6 he loves--good pumpkin pie1 ,so learn to cook it--thus say ,i4 ,the refreshments were served in buffet style in the dining room4 ,in the center of the table was a blossoming pot of marguerites4 ,there were individual daisy salads1 formed by little mounds of chicken salad covered with yellow mayonnaise and surrounded by a fringe of petals cut from the whites of hard-boiled eggs4 ,with the salad simple bread and butter sandwiches were eaten4 ,as a second course1 frozen custard in paper cups with borders of white paper petals was served with squares of angel cake1 frosted in yellow1 and squares of sunshine cake1 frosted in white4 ,the principal feature1 however1 and the final one1 was the favor pie4 ,a big imitation daisy was made from a round basket1 by covering the top with yellow paper and surrounding the edge with as many petals as there were guests4 ,each guest was asked to pull a petal from the daisy1 and in so doing drew from the basket a tiny doll dressed like a rich man1 poor man1 beggar man1 thief1 doctor1 lawyer1 merchant or chief4 ,the girl whose fate was already assured had been guided to choose a particular petal and her favor doll proved to be dressed in the garb of her fianc's profession4 ,,fortune ,,rhymes ,,for ,a ,,one ,i ,,love ,,shower #a4 ,if you'll only wait a while ,some one nice will make you smile4 #b4 ,you will have to choose between ,walking or a limousine4 #c4 ,if you only ,,only knew ,who was thinking much of you4 #d4 ,at a motion picture show ,from the screen your fate you'll know4 #e4 ,something nice you'll sure know ,in about a week or so4 #f4 ,don't despise ,hazel eyes4 #g4 ,far across the briny sea ,comes thy lover now to thee4 #h4 ,your career you'll surely ship ,and substitute a wedding trip4 #i4 ,a dance1 a ride1 a moonlit lawn1 ,your heart will be completely gone4 #aj4 ,one--two--three-- ,the third it will be4 #aa4 ,beware1 beware the eyes of blue ,or they'll surely capture you4 #ab4 ,your intellect will meet its equal1 ,happy though will be the sequel4 #ac4 ,a word1 a smile1 a bow1 ,married in a year from now4 #ad4 ,try a smile ,for a while ,to beguile4 #ae4 ,you will travel far away ,sixteen years from yesterday4 ,,an ,,indian ,,summer ,,shower ,for the girl who is to be married in the winter1 an ,indian ,summer ,shower might be given some ,november evening4 ,the cards of invitation can have a little brown ,indian wigwam painted in one corner1 or cut out of brown paper and pasted on2 or the invitations can be written on pieces of white birch bark1 if you happened to have gathered and saved any from the summer vacation4 ,paper imitation of birch bark might also be used4 ,put all the gifts1 wrapped in brown tissue paper and tied with gay ribbons1 in a toy wigwam which you can make with three sticks and a piece of brown burlap4 ,when the right time comes1 the engaged girl is led up to the wigwam and asked to receive the gifts4 ,if there is a small brother or cousin who can be dressed up in an ,indian suit to hand out the presents1 so much the better4 ,the hostess may make this any kind of shower she wishes4 ,after the wigwam has been sacked1 it would be fun if you could sit around the open fire to pop corn or toast marshmallows and play the ,indian ,summer game of ,pipe ,dreams4 ,each girl writes out an imaginary dream of the bride's future4 ,the dreams are read by the hostess1 and then each dream paper is consigned to the fire4 ,the refreshments ought to be very simple1 and may consist of hot chocolate and little chocolate cakes1 cone-shaped to simulate wigwams1 or they may be merely apples1 nuts1 popcorn1 and sweet cider4 ,serve the nuts and apples in ,indian baskets4 ,a ,,christmas ,,tree ,,shower ,for the bride who announces her engagement in ,december1 a ,christmas tree shower might be given ,christmas week4 ,send out cards of invitation in the shape of small ,christmas trees1 or else paste or paint little evergreen trees on white cards4 ,ask the guests to bring something small enough to be hung on a little ,christmas tree4 ,the bride should be asked to come a little later than the others1 so that they may have time to hang their gifts on the tree4 ,the tree may be as elaborate as you wish to make it4 ,where trees are hard to procure1 a cunning little one on a table is quite large enough4 ,it can be decked with gold and silver hearts and candy kisses1 and on its branches should hang the shower gifts1 prettily wrapped and tied4 ,when the bride arrives1 she must strip the tree4 ,among its treasures may be ,english walnut shells1 gilded and tied together1 with fortune verses inside4--,the hostess provides one of these for each guest4 ,the refreshments may consist of sandwiches cut in the shape of ,christmas trees and filled with green pepper and cream cheese2 caraway cookies cut in the shape of ,christmas trees2 and hot chocolate1 with a sprig of evergreen tied by a tiny bow of red to each cup-handle4 ,this affair could be planned specifically as a handkerchief1 hosiery or kitchen shower4 ,,weddings ,following naturally on the engagement announcement and bridal showers come the wedding plans4 ,if the bride's house is small1 a church wedding may be the solution for her1 or else she may plan a house wedding with just a few chosen friends and relatives present4 ,very often1 if a church wedding is planned1 there is a reception afterward at the bride's home4 ,if only a few guests are invited to it1 a wedding breakfast or dinner may be served1 but if a large number of people are asked1 buffet refreshments are sufficient4 ,according to the different seasons of the year1 the weddings may take on varying characters4 ,spring1 summer1 fall and winter weddings1 indoor and outdoor weddings1 all have their own special charms4 ,,summer ,,wedding ,,decorations ,every girl can have a pretty wedding--especially if she lives within reach of the free woods and fields or in a place of gardens and shrubbery4 ,wild roses and wild clematis vines with ferns from the woods are lovely in a country church where festoons and garlands are often needed to adorn the bare walls4 ,banks of black-eyed ,susans with outdoor ferns1 bowers of snowy dogwood in season and the fluffy wild pink azalea are very decorative1 and so are the spring and early summer shrubs3 syringa1 deutzia1 flowering almond and ,japanese snowball4 ,mountain laurel1 with its exquisite pink flowers and glossy green leaves1 lends itself particularly to church decoration4 ,ropes of the leaves may be looped from the roof to the side walls2 and the blossoms massed in the front of the church make a fitting background for a bride and her pink-clad attendants4 ,in the ,south1 ,cape jasmine1 in the ,far ,west1 the golden ,california poppies and carnations1 are beautiful to use4 ,of course1 nothing is lovelier than roses--pink and white--and should they prove scarce they can be successfully supplemented with pink and white peonies1 especially for church decoration purposes4 ,meadow rue in great misty clumps as it grows1 arranged with tawny field lilies and dark green wood ferns1 is remarkably striking in a church4 ,at one home wedding1 big loose bunches of feathery grass1 buttercups1 daisies1 and clover in brown earthern jars filled the corners of the living-room1 and in the bay window1 where the ceremony took place1 tall graceful sprays of ,queen ,anne's lace arranged with plenty of green1 made an artistic background4 ,glass vases filled with it stood on the window sills and on the floor1 the tops of the floor bouquets hiding the window receptacles4 ,in the dining-room a bowl of pink and white clover occupied the center of the table and there were window boxes of the same sweet flower4 ,,the ,,table ,,decorations ,whatever color scheme is used in the other parts of the house1 an entirely different one may be carried out in the dining-room4 ,some suggestions for simple table decorations in various colors follow3 #a4 ,large low bowl of blue and pink forget-me-nots in the center of the table1 with candle shades of white1 painted with forget-me-not sprays4 #b4 ,garden basket or glass basket of yellow roses and honeysuckle with graceful sprays of honeysuckle vines trailing to the corners of the table1 yellow candle shades4 #c4 ,old-fashioned bouquet of garden flowers in old-fashioned vase--snapdragons1 lark-spur1 coreopsis1 babies' breath1 mignonette--old-fashioned stiff little artificial bouquets in white lace paper for favors4 #d4 ,hanging basket of pink and lavender sweet peas and smilax over the table1 with smilax reaching to the corners of the table and caught with pink and lavender tulle bows4 #e4 ,wood maidenhair ferns and pink garden roses1 tiny ferns scattered over the tablecloth1 and rose-colored candle shades4 #f4 ,wild clematis vines from ceiling over table to four corners1 and low bowl of wild roses in center beneath sprays4 #g4 ,bachelors' buttons and mignonette in the center of the table connected with small baskets of mignonette at the corners of the table by ribbon matching the blue bachelors' buttons1 tied on the handle of each basket4 #h4 ,scarlet poppies in silver vase1 silver candlesticks and shades4 #i4 ,large bowl of ,jack roses in the center on a table mirror1 with a single large ,jack rose in a slim flower holder at each corner of the table4 #aj4 ,wicker basket of ,june garden pinks 7white and pink7 with shower of tiny bells hung on pink ribbons above them from the chandelier or ceiling4 ,,menus ,,for ,,the ,,buffet ,,luncheon ,many dining-rooms are too small to have a wedding breakfast served at the table1 and for that reason buffet luncheons are most popular4 ,the dining table is decorated with flowers and often lighted with candles under colored shades1 and on it are placed extra supplies of silver and small dishes of olives1 nuts and bonbons4 ,as the guests leave the receiving line1 they move informally toward the dining-room1 where they stand to be served4 ,if the wedding reception takes place directly after a ceremony in the morning1 or at high noon1 the refreshments are more elaborate than at an afternoon affair and the guests may be seated to be served in the different rooms4 ,when a caterer is not employed1 and the serving of the refreshments is managed by the hostess herself1 it is a pretty and practical plan to ask several young girls to help in the dining-room4 ,they should see that the guests are promptly supplied1 and can relieve them of their plates when they have finished4 ,below are half a dozen good menus for buffet wedding breakfasts and receptions1 varying in degree of formality to suit individual needs4 ,i ,,bouillon ,,salted ,,crackers ,,chicken ,,patties ,,olives ,,pineapple ,,salad ,,small ,,lettuce ,,sandwiches ,,neapolitan ,,ice ,,cream ,,with ,,fresh ,,strawberries ,,coffee ,,cake ,,ii ,,creamed ,,sweetbreads ,,cherry ,,salad ,,watercress ,,sandwiches ,,raspberry ,,ice ,,macaroons ,,iii ,,chicken ,,salad ,,finger ,,rolls ,,frozen ,,custard ,,sunshine ,,cake ,,iv ,,scalloped ,,crab ,,meat ,,bread ,,and ,,butter ,,sandwiches ,,strawberry ,,ice ,,cream ,,angel ,,cake ,v ,,iced ,,clam ,,broth ,,with ,,whipped ,,cream ,,salted ,,crackers ,,cold ,,veal ,,loaf ,,saratoga ,,chips ,,olives ,,pineapple ,,ice ,,small ,,cakes ,,vi ,,iced ,,consomm ,,salted ,,crackers ,,chicken ,,croquettes ,,rolls ,,fruit ,,salad ,,unsweetened ,,crackers ,,lemon ,,cream ,,sherbet ,,small ,,home-,,made ,,cookies ,,the ,,favors ,for wedding favors at a wedding breakfast or reception a number of interesting little souvenirs can be inexpensively prepared4 ,for instance1 there are wee fans 7bought at the doll department7 with the date lettered on each2 tiny straw baskets that look like the one the flower girl carries and are filled with very small artificial forget-me-nots and rose-buds2 airy butterflies of white and pale yellow silk1 to be fastened to fine threads above the table in the dining-room1 where they flutter realistically over the flowers beneath4 ,more frivolous are very diminutive bridesmaid's hats1 and at the wedding of a bride who is going to travel far away there may be small boats1 either real or of cardboard1 with a flying flag of matrimony at the masthead4 ,the old-fashioned posy gift cards with clasped hands are quaint2 so are the little nosegays in white paper frills1 and every guest will like a box of bride's cake4 ,,two ,,summer ,,weddings ,a ,,wild ,,rose ,,wedding ,a wild-rose wedding which one bride planned was wonderfully attractive4 ,in one corner of the living-room an arch of woven wire was erected1 and covered with graceful wild clematis vines and wild roses4 ,on each window-sill stood a jar of wild roses1 and the mantel was banked with them4 ,the two bridesmaids wore pale green dresses1 and carried baskets overflowing with wild roses2 the maid of honor wore a gown of wild-rose pink1 and carried an arm bouquet of wood maidenhair ferns and wild clematis4 ,the dining-table was decorated effectively4 ,a crystal bowl filled with wild-rose sprays which trailed over the sides and along the table was placed in the center on a mat of hardy sword ferns4 ,from above the middle of the table four garlands of wild clematis were looped down to the edge of the round table and held with bows of green tulle4 ,glass dishes of olives and pink1 green1 and white candies on the table still further carried out the color scheme4 ,the menu1 which was served in buffet style1 was pink and white4 ,it consisted of strawberry and pineapple cocktail1 with a sprig of green mint in each glass1 sliced ham and pressed chicken1 potato chips1 hot rolls1 raspberry ice1 white-frosted cakes cut in the shape of bells1 pink-frosted cakes in the shape of hearts4 ,fruit punch1 pink with strawberry juice and green with mint1 was served on the rose-bowered porch by a pretty girl in a rose-flowered frock4 ,a ,,field ,,flower ,,wedding ,another country bride used the field flowers for decorating4 ,big jars of daisies1 buttercups1 wild carrot1 red clover1 and tasseled grasses stood in the corners of all the rooms and filled the empty fireplace4 ,four little girls1 dressed in white with yellow sashes and hair fillets1 carried a daisy chain to form an aisle for the bride and her attendants1 and the ceremony took place under a big bell of field daisies4 ,the bridesmaids wore pale yellow georgette gowns1 and carried bouquets of black-eyed ,susans1 the maid of honor wore old-gold georgette1 lightened with white1 and carried a loose bunch of daisies and buttercups4 ,in the center of the dining table a high-handled white-enameled basket held a natural arrangement of sweet white clovers1 grasses1 and yellow buttercups1 and was linked by several streamers of yellow baby ribbon1 with four smaller white baskets at the corners which held smaller bouquets of the same flowers4 ,a fluffy yellow bow was tied to the handle of each basket4 ,the menu was also yellow and white and consisted of hot bouillon1 sprinkled with grated hard-boiled egg yolks2 chicken jelly salad with mayonnaise2 tiny bread and butter sandwiches2 frozen custard in ice cups trimmed with white paper petals1 so that each individual serving looked like a daisy2 small squares of sponge cake1 and angel food iced in yellow2 yellow and white candies4 ,the boxes of wedding cake were piled on the hall table1 and each one had a wee daisy blossom tied into the knot of white ribbon on top4 ,,outdoor ,,weddings ,,an ,,orchard ,,pageant ,there's no wedding quite so picturesque as the outdoor one4 ,famous is the orchard wedding beneath a blossoming apple tree1 where the air is filled with fragrance and the bridal party comes winding through the trees to the trysting place4 ,it needn't be only a poetic fancy1 either--it's entirely practical1 and if you have a comparatively small house1 why not give your guests the beautiful freedom of outdoors instead of cooping them up in the house8 ,mark out the path beforehand by mowing the grass in the chosen direction4 ,select plenty of ushers to conduct the guests to the spot and provide benches and settees for the older folk1 who may find it tiring to stand till the wedding party arrives4 ,there need be no decorations except the natural ones of the orchard2 preparations may consist of raking out dead leaves and branches4 ,a victrola may be arranged in the proper place to furnish the wedding processional--or perhaps some musical friend may be found to play the violin4 ,the simpler the pageant1 the more effective it will be4 ,first may come a tiny flower girl in a white frock1 swinging a cretonne flowered sunbonnet from which she tosses apple blossom sprays4 ,if there are bridesmaids1 they should wear the simplest of pink dresses with pink fillets on their hair or else wide straw hats trimmed only with a tiny wreath of flowers4 ,possibly the maid of honor may add a note of contrast by wearing forget-me-not blue4 ,last of all appear the bride and bridegroom1 together1 for in an old-fashioned orchard wedding that is less awkward than for the bridegroom to come from some other direction4 ,the bride should wear a simple white gown--formal satin would be out of place4 ,the wedding breakfast may be served picnic fashion on a long table of boards decked with apple blossoms4 ,toasts in strawberry punch are in order while an orchestra of robins and bluebirds sing in the apple trees round about--unless the noise drives them away4 ,the little waiting maids should wear white aprons and white caps with an apple blossom sprig stuck in the top4 ,following them came a flock of flower children1 tiny girls and boys scattering flower petals from the high-handled baskets swinging in their chubby little hands4 ,last of all1 four abreast1 came the bride and bridegroom1 with the bride's mother1 who gave her away1 on the right of the bride1 and the best man on the left of the bridegroom4 ,the ribbon girls had accompanied the procession at the proper intervals holding the aisle ribbon1 and the last two brought up the rear1 winding up the ribbon as they came4 ,the reception took place immediately afterward on the lawn1 and the guests were served with ice-cream and cake wherever they chanced to be by the attentive ribbon girls4 ,in the back yard at a long table a colored caterer superintended the service4 ,altogether it was a most successful wedding and at the same time a fairly easy one to plan since there was no question of overcrowding in the house1 although in case of rain it could have been managed there4 ,a ,,wedding ,,on ,,the ,,lawn ,a girl who lived in a small town and had a big lawn chose to be married outdoors in ,august4 ,the blossoming hydrangea hedge in front of the house was made thicker with small evergreen branches stuck down into the ground4 ,one corner of the yard where there was a natural alcove curving in among the shrubs1 she picked out for the wedding itself4 ,the porch was decorated with ,japanese lanterns and flowers1 and beforehand the guests gathered in groups there or on the lawn4 ,when it was time for the ceremony1 some girl friends of the bride marshalled the guests to the chosen place and then returned to the house to act as ribbon girls4 ,there were about a dozen of them in light summer dresses1 and the first couple1 holding the ends of long white ribbons1 preceded the bridal groups1 roping off an aisle across the lawn and among the spectators4 ,a chorus of young musical friends came first1 singing the words and music of ,lohengrin4 ,,fall ,,weddings ,a ,,blue ,,and ,,gold ,,wedding ,september and ,october weddings are always popular1 partly perhaps because of the decorating possibilities of the autumn season4 ,goldenrod and wild asters one thinks of for early fall4 ,at one evening home wedding where this blue and gold color scheme was used1 the stalks of plumey golden rod seemed to be growing naturally along the stair rail2 they were held in place at the uprights4 ,the rooms were hung with blue and golden globes of lights--in reality paper lanterns--sheltering electric bulbs4 ,the fireplace held masses of goldenrod1 and blue jars holding wild asters crowned the mantel1 the tables1 the piano1 and the wide window sills4 ,the bridesmaids wore gowns of yellow organdy and the maid of honor an aster blue costume4 ,in the dining-room a dull gilt basket of blue asters occupied the center of the table set for a buffet repast1 and a bow of blue and golden tulle fluttered from the handle of the basket4 ,the favors were tiny kewpie dolls1 wearing frilly skirts and caps1 some of blue and others of yellow4 ,the blue were for the men1 the yellow for the girls4 ,,oak ,,leaves ,,and ,,cosmos ,when oak leaves begin to glow with tawny splendor1 another girl celebrated her wedding4 ,the house was a bower of rich1 deep red and brown foliage1 and the bridey touch came in with the pale pink garden cosmos that was used4 ,cosmos made the background for the wedding group1 and was arranged in feathery masses wherever it might contrast with the dark oak leaves4 ,the wedding was in the late afternoon1 and after the sunset light had faded the pink candles began to glow rosily under soft pink shades4 ,the dining-room table was lovely with pink candle-light and pink cosmos as a centerpiece on a mat of oak leaves4 ,there were pink and white candies and raspberry ice was served with the tiniest of pink and white and green petites fours4 ,,three ,,winter ,,weddings ,a ,,christmas ,,wedding ,the first girl lived in a country town and evergreens in the woods near by were plentiful4 ,the wedding was a ,christmas one1 and took place in the late afternoon4 ,garlands of graceful ground pine were wound over the banisters in the hall1 and draped over the doorways to hang down halfway on each side against the ivory white wood-work4 ,in the living-room1 two little ,christmas trees1 lighted with tiny white candles1 formed an alcove where the bridal group could stand4 ,the table in the dining-room was decorated for a buffet luncheon in holiday red and green4 ,there was a centerpiece of red roses1 red silk candle shades shading white candles in clear glass candlesticks1 and tiny green ,christmas ferns scattered on the white cloth4 ,the menu had the same color harmony1 and consisted of consomm1 salted crackers1 oyster patties1 chicken jelly salad with green mayonnaise1 salad rolls1 olives1 pistachio ice-cream in holly-decked cases1 little cakes with green icing and silver bonbons stuck on top1 and coffee1 with green mints4 ,a ,,rainbow ,,wedding ,the second bride lived in the city and had a rainbow wedding4 ,the usual green of potted ferns and palms formed the background of decorations1 but over the rounded archway which opened into a small alcove a rainbow of tulle--rose1 pale pink1 yellow1 green1 blue1 and lavender--was arranged4 ,pink and yellow roses with green foliage were supplemented in the living-room by blue and lavender tulle on the vases4 ,the six bridesmaids wore gowns which matched the tulle rainbow and they carried pink roses4 ,on the table in the dining-room was a bowl of pink roses1 and from the table dome a myriad of baby ribbon streamers in the same varied colors came down at six points1 and were held in place by six fluffy favor dolls1 dressed in tulle to match the six bridesmaids1 to whom they were afterward given as souvenirs4 ,the menu consisted of chicken la ,king1 small sandwiches1 olives1 ,neapolitan ice-cream1 fancy frosted cakes1 and coffee4 ,a ,,colonial ,,wedding ,the third girl1 with a delight for old-fashioned ways1 was followed by six maids in quaint ,colonial gowns of plain or flowered silk1 no two costumes alike1 save for soft white lace fichus4 ,black velvet neckbands1 powdered curls1 and nosegays of small pink carnations in lace paper holders quite carried out the lovely effect4 ,the old-fashioned rooms were hung with smilax and asparagus fern1 and in every window stood a pot of flowering fuchsias4