"Do not faint, oh, maid, I beg,You shall find a golden ——"
"Do not faint, oh, maid, I beg,You shall find a golden ——"
"Do not faint, oh, maid, I beg,
You shall find a golden ——"
"Gather roses while you may;Gather them—the livelong day."
"Gather roses while you may;Gather them—the livelong day."
"Gather roses while you may;
Gather them—the livelong day."
And many another nonsense couplet to suit the company and occasion.
At the end of each string must be found a candy Easter egg, or a hollow egg containing some little trinket.
Have printed programs sent out with the following announcement (any name can be substituted for the East End Connett Y):
An eggs-ellent plan has been adopted bythe East End Connett Y, to eggs-haust theeggs-pence of sending a delegate to the State Convention.We shall hold anEgg Social.The eggs-pence of admission is eggs-actly ten cents.We mean to have an eggs-ellent time.You are urged to eggs-ert yourself to come andeggs-amine for yourself.You can eggs-pect to have lots of fun at small eggs-pence.An eggs-ellent committee will wait upon you.Plenty of eggs will be served.Eggs-it at your pleasure.N. B.—Plenty of Easter Egg novelties will be sold.
A fruit-stand covered with moss and twigs, and arranged to represent a nest filled with eggs and placed upon a bed of moss should form the central decoration for the table. Around the nest four large rabbit bonbonnières should be placed, with pieces of baby ribbon of all colors fastened to their forepaws and running out to or below the edge of the table, each ribbon being strung with eggs. Between the four large rabbits four smaller ones should peer out from under the nest between the ribbons.
Provide each person present with a dime, lead-pencil, and sheet of paper, upon which the following list is printed.
Find upon the dime the following articles:
Of course the answers are not printed, but are kept by the committee for reference. A prize of one dime can be given the one with the most correct answers. Any kind of Easter novelties can be sold for a dime. For refreshments serve eggs in every form, with bread and butter and coffee, for one dime.
A clever scheme for a church fair is the "Fairies' Garden," which is nothing more than the old grab-bag in a new dress. One seen recently was set up near a booth trimmed with evergreens, with a fence made of "cat-tails," planted about four inches apart, enclosing it in front. To this the people who were present flocked, and were free, on the payment of a small sum, to pull a flower or vegetable as they should see fit. Within and at the back of the inclosure was a trellis made of wire netting with the largest holes procurable, covered with vines, among which nestled pink paper roses. In each rose a small present was hidden from view.
Then there was a "pond," made of a tin boiler banked with stones and moss, and filled with water, on which floated water lilies and leaves. To each lily was tied a weighted present, such as the water could not injure.
A bed of real goldenrod planted in a box of sawdust, with the presents tied to the stems of the flowers and buried in the sawdust, completed the flower garden.
The vegetable bed fully repaid for all the time and trouble spent upon it. It was an enclosure of four boards, filled with sawdust, the vegetables being made of paper and filled with cotton and the presents. After the vegetables and flowers were planted the beds were covered with moss.
A few signs added to the effect, such as "Great South-Sea Bubble" for the cabbage bed, and "Please do not pull the cats' tails. By order of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," for the cat-tail fence.
Carrots, beets, onions and cabbages answered the purpose well, being of convenient shapes and very easily made. The carrots were made on a cornucopia of stiff brown paper, in which the present was put, and then the cornucopia was covered with plain carrot-colored tissue paper, closed at the top, painted to imitate the creases in a carrot, and ornamented with a small tuft of leaves cut from green tissue paper. The beets were stuffed with cotton, in which the present was concealed, and then covered with the proper colored tissue paper. The onion bulbs were covered with crinkled cream-white tissue paper, and the tops were made of stiff white paper spills, or lamp-lighters, covered with dark green tissue paper. The cabbages were of pale green and yellow—almost cream color—crinkled tissue paper, wound around the central ball of cotton; the paper was cut and pulled out in the shape of leaves, or twisted to form the stalk.
There were four little girls dressed as "flower fairies," who kept the garden in order, and helped in many ways, looking very effective in their costumes of a "morning-glory," a "daffy-down-dilly," a yellow and white "daisy," and a "wild rose."
This feast if well planned and carried out is most pleasing in its results. There are seven tables. These tables are set in white, with centrepieces and other decorations to carry out the color scheme. Have first table near the door, and others arranged according to the menu, which can be changed to suit the seasons. It is necessary to have two sets of waiters, the first to clear away, and the second to furnish fresh supplies. All must dress to harmonize with the colors of their tables. Serve food in small quantities and in small dishes. At the ringing of a bell seven guests are seated at the first table. At the expiration of seven minutes, the bell again rings, and those at the first table pass to the second table, and seven other guests are permitted to enter the room, and to be seated at the first table. Here is where the waiters will have to hurry and reset the tables. At the close of every seven minutes the bell rings, signaling all to pass up one table. Seven persons pass out every seven minutes, and forty-nine are fed in as many minutes. A novel idea is to charge seven cents on entering the dining-room, seven cents when through at the last table, and seven cents as they pass out the door, making twenty-one cents for each guest. They will not object after they are through with the menu at the seven tables.
Winifred M. Simonds.
Decorations and Menu for Seven Tables
The following is a description of a church supper which was recently given with great success:
The Japanese table was decorated with chrysanthemums. At each place was a Japanese tray on which a Japanese napkin was folded in a fanciful manner. Little dishes of rice, hard-boiled eggs, cabbage chopped fine, and small cups of tea comprised the first course. The second course was a turkey dinner. The waiters were in Japanese costume. The favors were small Japanese umbrellas tied with the Japanese colors, red and white.
At the Chinese table the first course was rice prepared with curry, followed by chicken pie with the usual accompaniments. Chopsticks were in evidence, though the guests were not compelled to use them. The waiters were in Chinese dress. The table was adorned with curios, and the favors were ancestral tablets in tiny boxes, tied with yellow, the national color of China.
The Hindustani table was resplendent with red and yellow tulips, the colors of India. Handsome bowls of beaten brass loaned by a returned missionary ornamented the table. Four young men in the costume peculiar to India waited upon this table. The special dish was chicken with curry, and the favors were genuine Indian bracelets.
Some rare old Welsh china was used on the Welsh table, and the menu cards, written in Welsh, were in the shape of Welsh hats. A Welsh flag was given as a souvenir to each guest.
The Irish table was served by lassies gowned in green. The menu cards were in the form of shamrocks. "Potatoes with their jackets on" and buttermilk were the dishes characteristic of this country. The tablecloth was of bright green denim and the decorations were all of green leaves.
The table representing bonnie Scotland had menu cards decorated with the thistle. Jam tarts were among the delicacies.
The English table was decorated in the English colors, with the English standard as a centrepiece. Roast beef, of course, was an essential part of the dinner, supplemented by plum pudding, caraway cakes and tea. The favors were red and white roses.
White-capped waitresses served at the French table which was bright with candelabra, asparagus ferns and pink ribbons. The menu cards bore the fleur-de-lis. Peas, olives and candied walnuts were distinctive dishes. The color scheme was pink and green.
At the table representing Holland the girls wore Dutch peasant costumes and served coffee and chocolate, carrots with cream sauce, so commonly used among the Hollanders, sausage, rye bread and pickles, cake and gingerbread baked in fancy shapes.
The German table was gay with flowers. Noodle soup, German cheese and anise cakes were added to a generous dinner. The menu cards were in the form of corn-flowers and were written in German text. The favors were pretzels.
At the Italian table macaroni and fruit were the dishes. The favors were menu cards with the Italian flag painted on each.
The Mexican table was decorated with palms, and a dinner very similar to one a traveler would get in that country was served. The favors were menu cards written in Spanish, to which tiny Mexicantamaleswere attached by red and green ribbons, the Mexican colors.
Dainty arbutus graced the New England table and menu cards. The repast was a bounteous Thanksgiving dinner such as New Englanders know how to provide. Baked beans and brown bread were on the menu, as were also several kinds of pie and apple-sauce.
The Western table was waited upon by a boy and girl dressed as Indians with the ornaments they admire. The table was ornamented with flowers. The dinner cards showed paintings of Indian heads and the favors were little paper canoes. The cakes, fruit, etc., were served in Indian baskets.
The Southern table had a menu different from all the others. Among the good things were a whole roast pig, corn bread, warm biscuit and sweet potatoes. There were colored waiters in conventional white linen suits. The favors that stood by each plate were little Dinah dolls.
A rustic bridge was built out from one side of the platform forming a square space in one corner of the room that was used for a fish pond. Rocks and ferns were grouped along the edge of the platform, the floor was covered with green carpet, and a pretty meadow scene painted on coarse cotton was hung at the back, making a very picturesque setting for the pond. Steps led up to the bridge, and at the foot was a rustic lodge where, on payment of a fee, the prospective fisher was given a pole and a circle of cardboard, upon which was marked the number of times he was entitled to fish. Thus equipped, he went up on the bridge and fished in the pond. Additional fishing tickets were sold by the bridgekeepers. Articles of all description and varying values were fished forth from the pond, which made it all the more exciting. Refreshments were served in the hall and there were a candy and cake table and two stalls where fancy articles were sold. One of these stalls bore the sign, Fish Market. Here fish of many brilliant colors and quaint shapes were for sale; they were blotters, shaving cases, pincushions, sachet bags, needle-books, housewives, pen-wipers, spool and veil cases, emeries, court-plaster cases and kites. They were made of inexpensive materials, but their novelty caused them to sell rapidly. The fish market was well patronized. At the other stall, pillows and lamp-shades were sold. Red linen pillows shaped like Japanese fish and worked with black attracted a great deal of attention; other pillows had poster fish swimming across them, and still others were adorned with borders of fishes and anglers' maxims. Fish lamp-shades—scarlet, yellow and delicately tinted—found a ready sale among the young people, and caused much mirth. On the cake and candy table there were many toothsome fishes—chocolate and clear candy fish, boxes of candy decorated with fishing scenes in water-color and pen and ink, sandwiches cut out with fish-shaped tin cutters, also fish-shaped cookies and small iced cakes. The tops of the large cakes were ornamented with fish designs done with contrasting colors of icing.
Secure as many cards as there are to be guests, and paint or paste on each of them some five or six small flags of different nations, numbering each flag. Sometimes one can obtain small buttons with these flags on them, and these answer quite as well. It is better to have each card different, and to assort the flags, so that every card may contain some not very generally known. The United States flag might be omitted, as every one would be familiar with that; but the flag of Liberia could be used on several cards, as its resemblance to our flag would be apt to deceive many. Plates showing the various national flags in colors may be found in the front of almost any unabridged dictionary.
Hand a card and a pencil to each guest. The pencil may be made quite attractive by covering it with a strip of crepe paper in some bright color. This can be easily accomplished by cutting the paper into lengths a little longer than the pencil, pasting one side, and rolling the pencil in the paper, then tying with a bow of narrow ribbon. After the guests are supplied with cards and pencils let each one write opposite the flags the names of the countries whose emblems they are. This will be found no easy matter, unless the guest should be a sailor or a globe-trotter, and many amusing guesses will be recorded.
The one who succeeds in guessing the countries correctly, or in guessing nearest, might be rewarded with a United States flag pin or a pretty silk flag. For making awards the hostess should have a list of the flags that are on each card, which should be numbered, and compare the list with the guesses handed in by the company.
Six booths, if properly planned, will mean a small but picturesque bazaar. Five of these booths may represent flowers, and many of the articles sold from them may be made at home by members of the society which the sale is designed to aid.
Drape the Lily booth in white, decorate it with Easter lilies and light it with fairy lamps with white shades. Little novelties for Easter gifts may be sold here—the pretty trifles which are easily made.
The Violet booth may be almost self-decorative if Easter cards and dainty booklets bearing the flower are displayed. Many choice bits of verse and short paragraphs of uplifting thought may be found in the religious publications of to-day, and if these are carefully mounted on white cards and tied with violet ribbon to a bunch of the fresh flowers they will make the most cheering of Easter messages. Provision should be made at the booth for the cards to be autographed with the names of the senders.
The Tulip booth may be the gayest of the gay, and there the children should find Easter eggs in all colors of the rainbow. The booth should be lighted with gay lanterns. Those in charge should appear in Oriental costumes.
The choice of decorations for the Pansy booth is a wide one. Light green would make a good background to set off the bowls of different colored blossoms adorning the table. At this booth flower seeds, bulbs and plants of all kinds might be on sale. Seedlings are always ready sellers.
A booth which would prove very popular with housewives would be the one where Daffodils are in evidence, and there the egg delicacies for Easter menus might be on sale: stuffed eggs, pickled eggs, egg salad, custards, and angel and sponge cakes. Over this booth place a large yellow umbrella, fringed with daffodils. On a card fastened to the handle have the familiar quotation:
"Daffodils,That come before the swallow dares."
"Daffodils,That come before the swallow dares."
"Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares."
Butterflies fluttering over the Candy booth, as if attracted by the sweets there, will induce others to come for the same sweets. The butterflies may be made of crepe paper and suspended above the booth by invisible wires; the vibration of the air will make them appear very real. The little maid who presides should be gowned to represent a butterfly.
Care should be taken that the attendants at the different booths are dressed in colors to harmonize with the decorative scheme.
Daisy Luncheon.—Just before luncheon the hostess may crown each guest with a wreath, which she has prepared by tying the blossoms on circles of fine wire.
In the centre of the luncheon-table have a large bunch of blossoms and also a few scattered carelessly over the table. Trim the edge of the table with a chain of daisies, looped up here and there. At each corner have a large bow of ribbon, either white or of three colors, yellow, green and white.
Serve only light refreshments. Yellow and white ices served together would be pretty. By all means have your cakes cooked in patty-pans. Ice the little cakes with chocolate, and on top of each have a life-size daisy. Any amateur can make this decoration successfully. Boil your icing thick and squeeze it through a small funnel made of thick writing-paper in order to make the long, narrow, white petals of a daisy. Reserve a small portion of the icing and tint it bright yellow for the centres. The effect will be quite pretty.
After refreshments are served supply each guest with a sheet of paper and a tiny pencil with a ribbon bow at the end (these pencils can be purchased for a cent apiece). Announce that the guest who draws the most natural daisy will be awarded a prize. Distribute the blossoms for models. Pin all of the papers upon the wall and let the guests decide which is the most lifelike flower. Award a pretty book to the one who succeeds best and a booklet of pressed flowers to the second best.
Buttercup Luncheon.—A very effective arrangement of buttercups for a luncheon is here suggested. It must be remembered that this flower closes at night and therefore is not suitable for an evening decoration. In the centre of the table arrange a circle of large rock ferns, and in the circle thus made place an inverted round pudding-dish, surrounding it with a large wreath of buttercups. Place the wreath so that half of each fern leaf will project beyond the buttercups. On the pudding-dish, the sides of which are hidden by the wreath, place a fern-dish full of growing ferns, and almost hidden among them a green glass vase filled with buttercups and grasses. This same idea may be carried out with daisies.
Ox-Eyed Daisiesmay be used for a luncheon-table decoration very effectively. In the centre of a round table, arranged to seat eight people, place a mound of daisies and mountain ferns and have a rope of daisies running from each plate to the centre. The ends of the ropes may be hidden in the mound.
Violet Luncheon.—In the centre of a table stand a large cut-glass bowl on a violet embroidered centrepiece. Fill this bowl with smilax and pink carnations. In the centre of the bowl place a tall green glass vase and make it secure by passing four lengths of ribbon crossed over the top of it, fastening the ends on the edge of the centrepiece with little bows. In the green vase place eight bunches of violets. From each bouquet run violet baby-ribbons ending in a little bow at each place. This will make a number of ribbons resembling a May-pole. After the luncheon each guest may unfasten the little bow at her place, give the ribbon a jerk, and draw a bunch of violets. The ribbons passing over the top of the vase will hold the vase firmly in place.
Apple-Blossom Luncheon.—For this use blossoms which are but half blown. Place branches of them in glass bottles full of water and fasten with wires to the backs of the pictures in the dining-room. The sideboard should be covered with great branches put in tall cut-glass vases and low silver bowls; the mantel banked, and in the corners of the room tall Japanese jars filled with great spraying branches. In the centre of the table may be placed a vase filled with pure white cherry blossoms. The candlesticks should be shaded with white and silver. Back of a screen at each end of the room a lamp may be set to give a brilliant light to the flowers on the wall, without the glare of the lamp being visible.
Pansy Luncheon.—A pretty and an original way to decorate a table with pansies when one has quantities of these flowers is to place in the centre of the table upon a glass salver an old-fashioned glass fruit-bowl on a pedestal. Fill the fruit-bowl and salver with white cornmeal which has been well soaked in cold water, and in this insert the pansy stems. They should be placed as thickly as possible. Around the outer edge of the salver have a border of maidenhair fern. An oblong glass dish arranged in a similar manner may be placed at each end of the table. If desired little dishes arranged in the same way may also be used.
"Rainy-Day Luncheon."—This is certainly an original idea. Place an old umbrella frame vertically in a fernery and twist smilax around the frame and down each spoke. At the base of the fernery make a bed of violets as large around in circumference as the umbrella. At the luncheon hour hide a small lump of ice in the smilax at the end of each spoke, allowing it to melt and drip on the violets. This makes a pretty decoration for a luncheon, particularly if wild violets can be procured.
When the guests have assembled, each one is given a tiny flower-pot. These are easily made out of red paper—a long strip and a round, with the aid of the mucilage pot. In these tiny pots the following list of flowers to be guessed is tucked away:
Make These Hidden Flowers Sprout
The list of answers is of course kept in hand by the hostess. When the first part of the game has been played and the answers verified, a continuation of the fun is a contest of all as to who can write the best verse containing in any way whatever all the above flowers. Judges must be appointed, and, of course, prizes awarded for the verse contest as well as for the guessing game. This last contest may be omitted, if wished, but it adds fun and calls forth much ingenuity and cleverness. The prizes might be little potted plants, so many of which grace the florists' windows at this time of year; these for the women, and scarf-pins in the shape of flowers for the men.
To select partners for refreshments, give to each lady a flower of a different variety; if it is impossible to secure a sufficient quantity of natural blossoms, paper ones will do quite as well, and these may be made at home. To the gentlemen hand cards bearing quotations referring to some flower, but inserting a blank where the name occurs. Each gentleman may claim his partner when he finds the flower that fits his verse.
The following are a few suggestive quotations:
"A (violet) by a mossy stoneHalf hidden from the eye."
"A (violet) by a mossy stoneHalf hidden from the eye."
"A (violet) by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye."
"As the (sunflower) turns on her god when he setsThe same look which she turn'd when he rose."
"As the (sunflower) turns on her god when he setsThe same look which she turn'd when he rose."
"As the (sunflower) turns on her god when he sets
The same look which she turn'd when he rose."
"Gather ye (rosebuds) while ye may,Old Time is still a-flying."
"Gather ye (rosebuds) while ye may,Old Time is still a-flying."
"Gather ye (rosebuds) while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying."
"And there is (pansies); that's for thoughts."
"And there is (pansies); that's for thoughts."
"And there is (pansies); that's for thoughts."
"Pale fear oppress'd the drooping maid—And on her cheek the (rose) began to fade."
"Pale fear oppress'd the drooping maid—And on her cheek the (rose) began to fade."
"Pale fear oppress'd the drooping maid—
And on her cheek the (rose) began to fade."
"And the blue (gentian-flower), that, in the breeze,Nods lonely, of her beauteous race the last."
"And the blue (gentian-flower), that, in the breeze,Nods lonely, of her beauteous race the last."
"And the blue (gentian-flower), that, in the breeze,
Nods lonely, of her beauteous race the last."
For the supper have a salad served in little paper boxes decorated with strips of pink tissue paper cut either in narrow slashes like the chrysanthemum petals, or in broader ones to represent the rose. Ices can be obtained in many flower forms, and if to these be added real stems and leaves, the service will be as dainty and attractive as possible.
They are illustrated in this way: 1. A cup of butter. 2. The picture of a book, cut from a magazine, having the title blotted out, and showing only the words, "by Charlotte M. Yonge" (the author of "The Daisy Chain"). 3. A colored illustration of the solar spectrum. 4. A tin trumpet. 5. A picture of a valley. 6. A card upon which is printed "6A. M." 7. A picture of a book upon which is written, "by Julia Magruder" (author of "The Violet"). 8. The picture of a lion, to which has been added, with pen and ink, a silk hat, collar and cane. 9. A pair of slippers. 10. A variety of buttons, poorly sewed upon a piece of cloth. 11. A card upon which is written, "A well-known hotel and library." 12. Photograph of a part of a face. 13. A slender stick, gilded. 14. A picture of cats. 15. A card with the words "Dear Will." 16. A few peas in a saucer of sugar. 17. A Brownie sailor, torn and dilapidated. 18. A red paper heart. 19. The written words, "Sleep, sweet sleep." 20. A picture of a girl, the eyes having been painted black. 21. A pair of gloves. 22. A dainty handkerchief. 23. A small bell, painted blue. 24. A leather advertisement under which are the words, "Never wear out." 25. A box of marshmallows. 26. A large seal with the letter S.
To the one who succeeds in finding the greatest number of flowers can be given a beautiful basket of roses.
The invitations, gay with the national colors, stated that Miss Blank, in order to encourage patriotism in her native town, had made a museum collection of curios connected with noted Americans, and bade a choice selection of her fellow-townsmen to meet and view the rare objects.
The booklets passed around among the guests upon their arrival were attractive enough, a tiny flag being painted in one corner of the cover, which also contained the legend:
The Fourth of July MuseumAt Miss Blank'sJuly the FourthNineteen hundred and blank.
A red, white and blue ribbon held the booklet together, and at the end of this was a small white pencil.
We found it best to pair off the players, for two heads are so much better than one, and it is a great satisfaction to give help to one's neighbor without fear and without reproach. Each of the booklets contained a date or an event in United States history, and the man who drew the booklet containing "1492" became the partner of the girl who held "Discovery of America."
The museum specimens were arranged on tables or mounted on cards, and each one was numbered conspicuously. The following list of twenty-two names was used. It can be lengthened, or the celebrities may be otherwise represented, according to the resources of the hostess. Magazine pictures of the articles may be substituted for the real thing, to simplify preparations. Here is the list, which may be greatly extended:
The national colors may be used effectively in the decorations of the rooms or of the table, and the prizes for the winners may be silk flags, photographs of historic places or other souvenirs suggestive of the day.
Appropriate place-cards for a Fourth of July luncheon or dinner may be made by covering small glass bottles about the size of a firecracker with red tissue paper, and filling them with little candies. By cutting the corks even with the bottles and drawing a small piece of twine through for a fuse, a clever imitation of a cracker is made. The names of the guests may be put vertically on the bottles.
Provide each guest with a list of questions, with spaces left for the answers. The answers consist of words ending in "N-A-T-I-O-N." Here are the questions and the answers:
The prizes should then be awarded. A pretty silk banner will be acceptable to a man, while a big bunch of red and white carnations tied with a blue ribbon, or a pound of confectionery in a box decorated with flags and other patriotic emblems will make a pretty gift for a lady.
Seat the players in a ring. Let the first one say aloud the name of a city, mountain, river, lake, etc., located in any part of the world; the next player give a name beginning with the final letter of the previously said name, and the third supply one beginning with the final letter of the second, and so on around the ring. Thus: America, Athens, Santiago, Ohio. Each player is allowed thirty seconds in which to think. If, by the end of that time, he has failed to supply a name, he must drop out of the game. The one who keeps up longest is the champion. Any player, at any time, may be challenged to give the geographical location of the place he has named. If, on demand, he cannot do so he must pay a forfeit.
The walls should be hung with red, white and blue bunting, relieved at regular intervals with shields and small hatchets made of flowers in the national colors.
Have George and Martha receive the guests, and there may be also a number of men and women attired in colonial costumes to introduce strangers and see that all have a good time.
Behind a bower of foliage an orchestra might play the national airs, and as the object of the evening should be to promote sociability, it would be well to have a number of interesting games in which all can join.
One of these might be a list of the presidents in anagram form, written on a large blackboard; the names in parentheses, of course, are not written out, thus:
At the end of half an hour present to the most successful guesser a George Washington hat of violet candy, filled with red and white bonbons.
But let the main feature of the evening be a small room fashioned into a portrait-drawing studio, the lads and lassies in charge and everything about the room having an old-time look.
Above the door have printed in the quaint spelling of long ago that all who wish can have a silhouette picture of themselves for only five cents, and doubtless a goodly sum will be realized, as people are always interested, not only in their own, but in their friends' physiognomy, and much fun will follow in exchanging shadow pictures.
Have ready a quantity of large sheets of paper, black on one side and white on the other, also white cardboard; a sheet of paper is to be fastened to the wall, white side out, and a lighted candle placed about three feet from the paper. Then the one having his picture taken is seated between the candle and wall, so that a strongly defined profile falls upon the paper; the shadow is to be traced with a steady hand, cut out, and then pasted on the cardboard, with the black side of the paper out.
An old-fashioned candelabrum, surrounded by a wreath of blue violets and red and white carnations, might grace the centre of the dining-table, and at either end tall silver candlesticks with candles burning under shades of a rosy hue might be placed.
Let the bonbons be held in boxes imitating the cocked hat of the Continental Army; have sandwiches of different kinds and sorts, with tiny silk flags bearing the name of the sandwich. Besides these the eatables might consist of good old-fashioned gingerbread, crullers, doughnuts, and coffee, followed by apples and nuts.
The slips are to be collected and the one having the greatest number of correct answers may be rewarded with some inexpensive souvenir.
When our golfing enthusiast desires to entertain her golfing friends, she cannot do better than bid them to a luncheon set to the keynote of their favorite sport.
Naturally, the table decorations will be red and green—deep red roses or scarlet geraniums laid in flat bunches upon the "fair field" of snowy cloth and encircling the dishes, caught together by "links" of smilax. Perhaps, too, pale green candles, beneath ruby-hued shades, might still further carry out the scheme of color.
The table may be arranged with a "putting green" in the centre made of a square of sponge cake frosted with pistachio. A little hole should be cut in the centre. Miniature caddy bags made of red satin and filled with red geraniums and ferns are pretty decorations. A little golf ball for the "putting green" can be made by covering a preserved cherry with white icing. "Bunkers" can be made across the corners of the table by using fine wire netting. At each place a small caddy bag can hold the knives, forks, and spoons of the service, and in the bottom of the bag can be placed a "Jackson ball"—one of those hard, striped red and white, old-fashioned candies.
The bread sticks and cheese straws should be fashioned like golfing sticks, and the ices be in the form of balls, small and white. Lastly, with the coffee and bonbons, are passed souvenir cards on which are daintily painted bags of golfing implements, heads of pretty girls in outing hats, or bits of rural landscape.
The two who, within a given time, answer the most of these fifteen questions should be rewarded with appropriate prizes, as one of the handy little score books to be slipped upon the belt, containing the official score; a picture of the typical golf girl; or some volume on the popular and fascinating game.
This was given by a clever maiden to a departing girl friend, but the idea could be utilized in various ways.
Each invitation took the form of a cordial note which was written on white note-paper bordered with pen-and-ink sketches of horseshoes, wishbones and four-leaf clovers.
Enclosed with each invitation was a guest card with the name of the person receiving it written in gilt at the top. Below this was a row of horseshoes, also done in gilt. Each guest was requested to write on this card a toast, in rhyme, to the departing friend, and to bring it to the party on the appointed evening.
The decorations of the rooms upon the evening of the party were appropriate to the occasion. Horseshoes gilded or covered with tin-foil hung over the folding doors and window-curtains, and depended from the chandeliers, which were draped with festoons of ribbon ornamented with wishbones and horseshoes of all sizes cut from gilt paper.
A large screen standing in front of the dining-room doors was decorated with artificial clover blossoms. In the dining-room similar decorations prevailed. In the centre of the dining-table, upon a centrepiece embroidered with the emblems of good luck, stood a candelabra bearing green and white candles. Encircling the centrepiece was a large horseshoe of cardboard covered with green paper. Outside the horseshoe outlining it were small glasses resting on green paper clover leaves.
At each corner of the table was placed a plate of delicious sugar cookies baked in the shape of four-leaf clovers; each one was topped with a gilded wish-bone.
The chairs were arranged around the room in the form of a horseshoe.
The main feature of the evening was the hunt for four-leaf clovers. These leaves, which were cut out of green glacé paper, had been hidden by the hostess in every nook and corner of the down-stairs rooms, and much amusement was afforded the young people as they eagerly sought them. At the conclusion of a given time the signal to stop hunting was given and each guest counted the leaves he or she had found. The one having the greatest number was presented with a dainty stick-pin in the shape of a four-leaf clover.
The refreshments consisted only of ginger ale and cookies, and as her guests partook of them the hostess read aloud the toasts which had been handed to her. She presented them at the conclusion of the evening to the guest of honor.
Each guest was next asked to tell "the biggest piece of good luck which ever came to you." The numerous recitals given created no end of fun.
When the party broke up and the good-nights were said each guest carried away as a souvenir of the occasion a bright new penny for a "luck piece."
Added to the charm and mystery of having one's fortune told is the great pleasure which may be derived from having it told by a gypsy, even though she may be an amateur.
An hour of amusement may be passed very delightfully in this way, provided the hostess can make the necessary arrangements with some quick-witted, bright young girl, who will be willing to take the part of the gypsy. Several days before the evening's entertainment the hostess should give her friend a list of the expected guests, with a few notes concerning their traits of character, environment, etc., and these suggestions, in addition to the knowledge of the persons which she possesses, and her own inventiveness, will give her an excellent opportunity apparently to look back in the past, and forward to the future—especially if she happen to discover that any engaged couples are to be present. The gypsy should arrive at the house of the hostess a little early on the evening of the entertainment, and be shown to an up-stairs room to don her gypsy attire. She should then descend to the dimly-lighted parlor and seat herself in readiness for the guests when they shall arrive.
As the guests arrive and remove their wraps they should be received and greeted in the library or reception-room, and the hostess should then announce that a gypsy is in the parlor. Having learned in some way that there was to be a large party there, she has begged the privilege of coming in to tell fortunes for the pretty ladies, so that she might earn a few pennies. The guests repair to the dimly-lighted parlor, where the gypsy is seated. As each guest advances and seats himself, the gypsy takes the extended right hand and reads the lines—improvising as she does so in broken English.
The newest fashion in Hallowe'en supper-table decoration is a cake made of white pasteboard boxes, in shape like pieces of pie, which fit together and give the appearance of a large cake. Each one of the boxes is covered with a white paper which resembles frosting. At the close of the feast the pieces are distributed, each box containing some little souvenir suitable to Hallowe'en. One box, of course, contains a ring, another a thimble, a third a piece of silver, a fourth a mitten, a fifth a fool's cap, and so on. Much fun is created as the boxes are opened, and the person who secures the ring is heartily congratulated. The unlucky individual who gets the fool's cap must wear it for the evening.
Have a card and a candle for each guest, the candles in as many different colors as possible, and one corner of each card turned down and tied with baby ribbon—one color for ladies, and another for gentlemen. On the cards have couplets written foretelling future events, such as: