Class i^Jj^Ji Book Xj 5 GoipglitINi? COPXRIGIIT DEPOSm YO The COMPLETE HOSTESS I 'S ' CHAFING-DISH SUPPER. The COMPLETE HOSTESS ^ ^ EDITED BY CLARA E. LAUGH LIN D. APPLETON AND COMPANY NEW YORK 1906 LIBRARY of CONGRESS TwoCooies Received iy«AR g 1906 n Copyright Entry i ^lASS (Z^ XXc. i^o. / 3 4^0 73 COPY S. • (.^^f ,v Copyright, 1906, by D. APPLETON AND COMPANY PubUsIied Fcbrnary, 1906 INTRODUCTION Completely to cover the subject of entertainment in one small volume is an impossibility so manifest that no one will wonder at our not doing it. The purpose of this little book has not been to furnish an encyclopedia of etiquette and entertainment, but to gather together a reasonable number and variety of well-tried social formulae so that a woman who wants to give a birthday party for her five-year-old son, or a lawn tea for her visiting sister-in-law, or who must think up some idea for the church bazaar or Fete of All Nations, shall be able to find in these pages suggestions which her own clever wit will amplify and adapt and make personal and charming. Of late years, a multitude of hints and directions for every sort of entertaining have been published in the magazines, but few women have kept files of these, or books of clippings, and nearly every woman in the land is confronted at more or less frequent occasions with the desire or necessity of entertaining and the wonder what she shall do. We hope a great many women will find this volume indispensable, that they will keep it on their desks and refer to it con- stantly, finding in it ever some good, practical idea vi INTRODUCTION to carry with them to the social committee meetings of church and club, some welcome suggestion about the hospitality of their own homes, some bright idea that, introduced at the party of a friend, will call forth the fervent gratitude of the hostess. C. E. L. CONTENTS CHAPTER I INFORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME By Clara E. LAtroHLiN and Priscilla Leonard PAGE Informal dinners — High tea — A chafing-dish supper — A stag dinner — Oyster roast — Informal luncheons — After- noon tea — Kaffee Klatsch — Neighborhood card party — Sewing circle — Informal entertainments , . , 1-24 CHAPTER II FORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME By CJlara E. Laughlin and Priscilla Leonard Formal dinners and luncheons — New Year's dinner — Val- entine dinner — ^Washington's birthday — Saint Patrick's Day — April Fool's Day — Easter luncheon — Fourth of July — Engagement announcement — Apple-blossom luncheon — Fishermen's luncheon — Rose or sweet-pea luncheon — Violet luncheon — Rainbow luncheon — Pro- gressive dinner — Balls . . , . . . . 25-49 CHAPTER III OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS By Priscilla Leonard Garden party — May-Day party — Fourth-of-July party — A Chinese feast — Flower party — Lawn hunts — Evening lawn reception — A naming party — Bam party — Picnics vii viii CONTENTS — Fourth-of-July picnic — Surprise picnic — Tete-i-tete picnic — Progressive picnic — Open-air vaudeville picnic — Fishing party — Clambake — A farm picnic — Corn roast — Straw ride — Souvenir picnic — A sailing party — Drives — Sleighing parties . . .... 50-69 CHAPTER IV CHILDREN'S PARTIES By Eleanora K. Marble Cat and mouse — An animal party — A doll's party — Birth- day party — The lone fisherman — Hiss and clap — Indoor bubble contest — ^Topsy-turvy concert — United States mail — Fox and hen — A valentine party — All Fools' Day — Fourpaws menagerie — Menagerie number two — Knight of the whistle — Knights Templar — Kissing the Pope's toe — An egg hunt — An Easter rabbit party — May Day party — Independence Day — Duck on a rock — Lawn skittles — Lawn bowls — Stars and Stripes — Lawn bubble party — Miss Columbia's tea party — Over-all party — Little Boy Blue party — Acorn lawn party — Hallowe'en frolics — A Brownie party — Christ- mas parties — Home of Santa Claus — Shadow panto- mimes . 70-101 CHAPTER V ENTERTAINMENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TWELVE TO SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE By Eleanora K. Marble New Year's Eve — A leaf party — A nautical tea — Leap-year dance or party — Progressive proposals — Love's target — A Cupid party — College hearts — Pillow climbing — Fourth of July — A veranda party — A roof party — A dicker party — A swap party — Hallowe'en — Hunt for fortune — Christmas 102-128 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER VI WEDDINGS By Clara E. Laughlin PAGE . 129-155 Weddings CHAPTER VII WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES By Eleanor A K. Marble Wooden wedding — Woolen wedding — Tin wedding — Silk and fine-linen wedding — Silver wedding — Golden wed- ding — Diamond wedding 156-168 ] CHAPTER VIII COTILLONS AND FANCY-DRESS PARTIES FOR ADULTS AND OLDER YOUNG PEOPLE By Sarah Cory Rippey Mulligan Guards — The mine — Umbrellas — Japanese fete — Letter-box — Inscriptions — The hotel runners — Run- ning the gantlet — Blind man's buff — The monster muff — The Mikado — Air balls — St. Valentine's hat — Fish- ing — Regatta — Nom de plume — Tapers — Broken hearts — Woolen balls — Bibs — The scarecrow — Aunt Sallie — The lattice — The giant walking hat — Sunflowens — Broom, lantern, and umbrella — Gentlemen ballet dan- cers — Foils with powder puffs — Fishing rods — Dice — Croquet — Matching colors — The enchanted circle — The bride — Tenpins — Bags — Wireless telegraphy — 'Fancy dress parties — A Buster Brown party — A reminiscence party — The baby show — An ancestor's reunion — A St. Patrick's Day party — A mi-careme party — A harvest- home party — An animated cake carnival — Our holidays —A New Year's Eve party 169-199 X CONTENTS CHAPTER IX CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS By Mrs. John Foster Kirk, Jr. PAGE New Year's dinner — New Year's drill — Men's supper — The baby show — Guessing social — Another guessing social — A Saturday sale — A chicken-pie supper — Oyster supper — An orchard tea — A Fourth-of-July lawn tea — A Jap- anese fair — Color social — Birthday social — Birthday party — A rag bee — Valentine social — Another valentine party — The cobweb .social — A children's sleighride — The fish supper — ^Tableaux — Cake and candy sale — Handkerchief sale — Pound party — Clipping party — Daisy tea — Flower bazaar — Holding a bazaar — Side shows — Dolls' millinery show — Photographic gallery — Tableau of Mother Goose — Bachelor' s last evening — ^The character party — A Dickens evening — Pillow drill 200-219 CHAPTER X LARGE [PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS By Evangeline Kendall General suggestions — A town circus — A county fair — An amateur vaudeville show — The art loan and trades exhibit — Rummage sales — A Twelfth-night revel — A May festival — A flower carnival — A fete of all nations — Festival of days — A carnival of lanterns — A kirmess — A Hallowe'en party — Amateur theatricals — A charity baU — The Jarley waxworks — ^The Ladies' Magazine — A patriotic anniversary 220-241 CHAPTER XI ENTERTAINING CONGRESSES, FEDERATED CLUBS, ETC. By Priscilla Leonard Entertaining congresses, federated clubs, etc. . . 242-257 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER XII CLUBS By Priscilla Leonard PAQS Sewing club — Economy club — Book club — Travel club — Dinner club — Luncheon club — Card club — Literary club — Authors' club — Cooking club — Country club — Camp- ing club 258-273 CHAPTER XIII HOSTESS AND GUEST By Clara E. Laughlin and Eleanora K. Mabblk Hostess and guest 274-289 CHAPTER XIV SCHOOL EXHIBITIONS AND EXERCISES By Mrs. John Foster Kirk, Jr. A literary drill — Geographical exhibit — Arithmetic exhibit — Living spelling bee — ^The county fair — Handicraft ex- hibit — April 19th — Arbor Day — Athletic contest — May Day — Flower hunt — Memorial Day — Flag Day — Com- mencement banquets — Skull and crossbone supper — Mock commencement 290-304 CHAPTER XV CALLS, CARDS, INVITATIONS, ETC. By Priscilla Leonard Calls, cards, invitations, etc 305-321 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS FACING PAGE Chafing-Dish Supper Frontispiece Formal Dinner Table 28 Luncheon Table Ready for the Guests .... 40 A Doll's Party 74 A Soap-Bubble Party 88 Pillow-Climbing Game .116 Church Decorated for a Wedding . . . . .152 Silver- Wedding Breakfast Service 166 Cotillon Favors 170 Cozy Corner in a Barn 194 Coffee and Sandwich Buffet at Church Fair . . . 202 Bazaar Tables 216 Fourth-of-July Banquet Hall .230 Tables Set for Federated Club Dinner . . . .250 Country Club: in the Grill Room 270 "Chamber of Peace" 278 xiii THE COMPLETE HOSTESS CHAPTER I INFORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME INFORMAL entertainment is, as everyone knows or ought to know, a far greater compliment to guests than any formal entertainment, however splendid. Unfortunately, however, not everyone acts up to this knowledge. Many persons treat an invi- tation to partake of informal hospitality with a neg- ligence they would never dream of showing a formal invitation. And many who extend informal hospital- ity think so lightly of the matter that their entertain- ment, instead of being a delight, becomes a bore. The prime instinct of the hospitable soul is to do honor to its guest. This honor may be expressed in many ways, but expressed in some way it must be, or the hospitality better be left unoffered. You do honor to anyone when you ask him to break bread with you beneath your rooftree, particularly if you ask him to join your family circle about the table. But merely to " move along and make room for an- other " is not so flattering as some people seem to 1 2 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS think it. ** What's good enough for me and my folks is good enough for anyone " is the proud boast of some who call themselves hospitable. In a way, this is true enough in spirit; your friend comes, not to gorge himself on fine fare, but to partake with you of what you have. But, on the other hand, the tendency of joy is always to *' celebrate." If your heart is glad because of the presence of your friend, you will inevitably incline to make his presence the occasion of some little celebration. It may be only a handful of his favorite posies on the table; it may be the serving of his favorite dessert or salad, which he says he never gets elsewhere as good as you serve it; it may be shown forth in the spotless linen and " best " china, which say to him, as he sits down to them, *' Your coming makes this a gala day for us! " This is the kind of hospitality that warms hearts and sweetens life, and there can never be too much of it. INFORMAL DINNERS When a few friends are asked to dine informally with you and your family, be as careful to avoid all appearance of strain and effort as you are to avoid appearance of carelessness and lack of thought. Select for your viands a number and variety which represent a happy medium between an ordinary fam- ily meal and an extraordinary, formal dinner. If you know the tastes of your friends, pay them the compliment of remembrance. But do not undertake INFORMAL ENTERTAINING S anything in the way of a menu that will tax too heavily the household machinery. Do not try new dishes on guests, and do not, if you have but one maid and she must wait at table, attempt anything which requires her constant presence in the kitchen when she should be in the dining room. A clever woman I know always serves her fish course creamed, in shells, and browned in the oven. She can prepare this long before dinner time, and it may be put into the oven to heat and left, while her maid is in the dining room passing soup, celery, etc. Once the shells of fish are on the table, the maid is free to remain in the kitchen for ten or more minutes, mak- ing her gravy for the roast, whipping to a cream her mashed potatoes, and so forth. The salad, at this woman's house, is always made on the table, and the dessert is, of course, something cold, which has, like the soup and fish, been prepared or supervised by the hostess before she dressed to receive her guests. She attends also to the setting of her own table, and people say the daintiness of its appearance is one of the chief charms of dining with her. Her linen is always immaculate and ironed to a satin beauty. Her centerpieces and doilies are, many of them, the work of her own hands or the Christmas and birth- day gifts of friends who know her delight in such things. Her china and glass are not expensive, but they represent a deal of careful " shopping " and picking up of really lovely pieces at small cost. Her silver is not elegant, but it is always as shining bright 4 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS as if fresh from the silversmith's, and no glass ever goes on her table that is not rubbed clear as crystal should ever be, with a fine, soft glass towel. She never spends above a dollar on table decoration, and sometimes not a dime, but she gets effects far pret- tier than many women get for ten or twenty times the sum she spends. She has four plain glass candle- sticks of a kind that may be had in hundreds of shops the country over for thirty-five cents each, but they do not look " cheap " on her table because they are so clean and clear. Sometimes she uses inexpensive little colored shades, but quite as often she uses tall white candles unshaded. In summer her dinner table always looks cool, in winter it looks warmly cozy. In summer she uses flowers with deli- cate coloring, and if she shades her candles the shades are pale green; the ruddy glow from crimson shades she saves for chill winter evenings. With regard to flowers, she has learned the Japanese secret of beauty, and so she uses few, and those in season, and has many little devices for arranging them naturally and artistically. One of the best investments she has ever made was fifty cents expended for a Japanese flower-holder. It is of lead, bronzed. Many shapes are obtainable, but hers is in the shape of a frog some four inches long, with eight holes, punched through his body vertically. These holes are about a quarter of an inch in diameter and are scattered over his broad back. In a shallow green dish of some cheap Japanese pottery — ^the dish is about two inches INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 5 deep by seven in diameter — this woman puts water to half its capacity. Then in goes Mr. Frog, and in his back she sticks, according to season, jonquils, narcissus, daffodils, tulips, field daisies and clover, iris, white hyacinth, lilies of the valley, or any one of a score of varieties which grow straight on fairly stout supporting stems. These holders can also be bought in glass, for use in glass bowls, and in com- mon unpainted lead. The stems must be set in the holes so tightly that each stalk will stand gracefully but not stiffly erect, and the flowers keep fresh as long as in a vase. The woman of whom I write has a centerpiece on which she has embroidered clover leaves and blossoms, and many times through a summer her table looks like a picture with this piece in the center of a snowy cloth, and on it the little green low dish, Mr. Frog, and a handful of purple clover blossoms, exquisitely arranged. Four un- shaded white candles complete a picture which for real loveliness many a millionaire's table groaning under its weight of costly candelabra and profuse decoration of orchids does not approach. Another decorative device of this same woman's is achieved by the use of her fern dish, which she keeps always fresh and pretty for her table, and a dozen or more blossoms with short stems (which are always cheap at any florist's) stuck into the earth among the green ferns and removed, of course, after the meal is over. I have seen this woman's table beautiful in mid- summer with her fern dish sprinkled with white 6 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS daisies and her candles shaded by pale green crepe- paper shades. There are a thousand and one ways in which a dainty woman can beautify her table at next to no expense. But it takes time and thought. A woman of wealth may hire caterer and florist to serve her guests, but she cannot give her entertain- ment the little, intimate, personal air which is hos- pitality, unless she lends herself to the effort. A woman of modest means can really give her guests more of the exquisite essence of hospitality than the wealthy woman can, and the informal little dinner is par excellence the sweet, dainty housekeeper's op- portunity. A man who can bring a friend home to a three or four course dinner of simple fare per- fectly cooked and daintily served (a handful of seasonable flowers and a bit of candlelight lending an air of festivity to the occasion), will scarcely be found straying much from his " ain fireside." Women who have always feared to '^ undertake " a dinner ought to rouse themselves to a few essays in the pretty art, and be sure that time and thought spent in perfecting themselves therein could hardly be better invested. HIGH TEA If a hostess wishes to ask twelve or sixteen or twenty friends to a meal with her, and does not feel able to undertake a dinner for that many, a high tea is a charming way of getting around the difficulty. A high tea is really a substantial supper quite as INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 7 ** filling " as a dinner and much easier to serve. On a cold winter night it may not be to everyone an acceptable substitute for a dinner, unless it occur on Sunday after a hearty midday meal, or on a holi- day — New Year's, for instance. But on a hot sum- mer night many people will find a high tea a de- lightful substitute for a heavy dinner, and in those fortunate communities where midday dinner is the rule it will always be in order. A pretty, social way to serve it is on small tables. Let us suppose you have asked guests enough to make your whole num- ber, including yourself and family, sixteen or twenty. You have tried to keep the number of each sex the same, as at a dinner. While your guests are chat- ting in parlor or sitting room and dining room, ask one of the gentlemen most at home in your house, or one of the members of your own family, to help you carry in four or five small tables — card tables or folding sewing tables, or any others you may own or can borrow. When these have been placed ac- cording to your directions, cover each with a snowy little tea cloth or pretty centerpiece, or, failing these, with a large dinner napkin. Then lay at each place — laying four places for each table — a knife, fork (or two forks), spoon or spoons, as your menu will demand, napkin, and water tumbler; also, if you have them, a bread-and-butter plate and a butter spreader. If you do not own these latter, serve a neat little ball or square of butter in an individual butter dish at each place. Provide each table with 8 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS a little dish of salted nuts and another dish in which are olives, radishes, celery, according to season, all strewn with fine-chopped ice to keep them cool and crisp. Also provide salt for each table, and if you can muster enough cream and sugar sets, have one on each table; otherwise, pass cream and sugar from guest to guest on a tray immediately following the tray from which coffee, tea, or chocolate is served. Either seat your guests as you think they will like — always a delicate task, calling for much thought — or allow them to form their own quartettes. When all are seated, begin serving. A nice menu for a warm night is : For a first course, cold fruit, either ice-cold canteloupe, or chilled pineapple, or a compote of cold fruits — ^sliced pineapple, orange, desiccated grape fruit, stoned cherries, etc., sweetened and thoroughly chilled and served in glasses. Then have either a mold of jellied chicken or veal, or cold sliced ham, tongue, or veal loaf, with Saratoga potatoes. Serve hot rolls or biscuit, with jelly or jam, with this course, passing frequently. A tomato and mayonnaise salad is nice with this kind of a supper, or a salad of cold asparagus with French dressing; serve toasted crackers and cheese with the salad. For dessert, have ice cream, fruit ice, fruit jelly, or fresh fruit, and cake. Coffee may be served with the main course, or with the dessert. Chocolate should be pro- vided as an alternative for those who cannot drink coffee at night. For a cold night, have first some kind of cream soup or bouillon served in cups ; then a hot INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 9 oyster or chicken pattie or steaming hot escalloped oysters passed in the big pan in which they are cooked, or creamed fish smoking hot from the oven in little shells or individual baking dishes. A salad of apple and celery, with a few nut meats, the whole dressed with a creamy mayonnaise or boiled dress- ing, will be nice with any of the above ; and a change from ice cream, which everyone will appreciate, may be had in delicious, old-fashioned custard baked in cups and served cold and velvety ; or make an orange jelly, cutting the oranges carefully into horizontal halves before extracting the juice. Save the shells thus made, and fill each with a heaped-up mound of the sparkling jelly topped with a spoonful of whipped cream. If a hostess likes, her guests may change places with each course, as at a card party, or only the men may ' ' progress. ' ' A supper of this sort is really very little trouble and little expense, and is capable of being made one of the most charm- ing entertainments imaginable. A CHAFING-DISH SUPPER A chafing-dish supper may consist of a single ap- petizing concoction made by a hostess for half a dozen friends after theater, concert, or lecture, or after they have spent a couple of hours playing cards ; or it may be a fascinating substitute for either an informal dinner or high tea. For the latter, ask eight or ten persons for a chafing-dish supper at, 10 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS say, seven o'clock. Ask each lady to bring her own chafing dish, or arrange to borrow extra ones, so that there shall be one for each lady, or one for each couple. Sometimes a man has a fancy for this kind of cooking, and a decided talent for it, in which case he is always delighted with an opportunity to show his accomplishment. Make your me^iu out very care- fully long beforehand, and get everything ready, as far as possible, in advance of the guests' arrival. Stretch your dining table to an ample length, and set it with centerpiece and doilies (no cloth), and with the necessaries for each place (as for a high tea). In front of each chafing dish have every in- gredient for the thing that is to be cooked therein; and with regard to the dishes themselves, have the alcohol lamps filled and the hot-water pans half filled with boiling water. If the night be cold and the guests' appetites sharp, it will be well to serve a hot clear soup in cups, which may be eaten while the various concoctions are under way. In one chafing dish cook salmon^ whitefish, or even common salted codfish, lobster, oysters, crabmeat, or finnan haddie — whatever is available and liked — in a cream sauce, seasoned to taste. When it is ready, have hot plates brought in, and a plate of hot toast cut in triangles or rounds. Serve the hot fish on the toast, and with it sandwiches of fresh Boston brown bread, buttered and cut in dainty shapes; also olives, celery, etc. Meanwhile, in another dish another cook has been preparing sweetbreads with button mushrooms or INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 11 asparagus tips, or creamed chicken, or a curry, or some enormously appetizing stew of veal warmed up in a brown gravy seasoned to the Queen 's taste. And the other dishes have French peas heated smoking hot, with butter and seasoning, potatoes creamed or cooked without the water pan a la Lyonnaise, with a taste of onion. Serve coffee with this course and hot bread of some kind. For a salad, have something not too rich — perhaps a lettuce salad with a highly seasoned French dressing made on the table after the chafing dishes have been removed. Crackers and cheese should be passed with the salad course; also salted nuts, if they have not been on the table all the time. Dessert should be cold, and not too hearty ; for this supper, if properly cooked and served, is so appetizing that most people will partake more heartily of it than of the regulation dinner, and anjrthing so heavy as shortcake, dumplings, or rich pudding is little likely to be acceptable. An orange ice served in a sherbet glass, and with a bit of fresh homemade sponge cake or sunshine cake, is sure to be far better appreciated. For a little late-in-the-evening lunch helped out with the chafing dish, select one appetizing thing likely to be acceptable to all — oysters or chicken or finnan haddie is a far safer choice, usually, than Welsh rarebit or lobster a la Newhurgh. Do not at- tempt to serve more than eight from a single chafing dish, and of course you will never try a new recipe on your guests, but will offer them only your surest 12 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS success. A salad may or may not be served after the chafing-dish course at one of these late suppers; but if it is, it should be made on the table and par- take of the same informal nature as the chafing-dish cookery. Always use the chafing dish on a bare table, and have it set on a metal tray. Dainty decorations are not so much in keeping with a sup- per of this kind as are odd effects. A centerpiece of lilies of the valley would look ridiculously incon- gruous on a table set for the preparation of a Welsh rarebit. Indeed, flowers are scarcely in place at all, but candles are, and any little surprise that occurs to the hostess as appropriate. For instance, a girl gives a little supper of this sort to half a dozen friends with whom she has played tennis or golf a great deal, or with whom she has been camping or boating or fishing; one of the young men may own a catboat on which he has frequently taken the other members of the little " crowd " for delightful sails on lake or river; in memory of this, the clever girl sets the center of her table with a mirror (a round table mirror, if she has one, any available mirror, if she has not) ; she conceals the edges of it under a border of green ferns or leaves, and in the miniature lake thus presented she sets a tiny cat-rigged boat bought at a toy store for ten or fifteen cents and whittled flat on the bottom so it will stand steady. Or she cuts a rectangular piece of green felt or cotton flannel and marks off a tiny tennis court on it, contriving a net out of anything available. The INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 13 care expended on a bit of a surprise like this will go far to make a simple entertainment memorable. A STAG DINNER A man usually appreciates this kind of a celebra- tion arranged for him by his wife or mother on his birthday; and on other occasions, when he desires an opportunity to talk at length with men friends about the improvement of the golf links, or the manage- ment of the merchants' street fair, or the finances of the church, or the building of a new clubhouse, he is pleased to have the talk take place around his own dining table, over an appetizing dinner. On such an occasion the hostess may receive the guests in the parlor, and retire when dinner is ready to serve, or may preside at the table and retire when the time arrives for coffee and cigars. She will be thoughtful to provide the kind of a dinner most men like, venturing on no '* f angle-dangles, " and remem- bering that men usually care little for sweets and a great deal for the substantials. She will decorate her table attractively in some warm color — most men admit they '' like any color so's it's red " — and will not bother the diners with more accessories than they absolutely need, knowing that men are nearly always impatient of knick-knacks, especially on a table where, to the masculine mind, they interfere with the important business of dining. 14 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS OYSTER ROAST An oyster roast is a pleasant informal affair, if a barrel of oysters, just from the salt water, can be easily procured. Set the table with knives, forks, plates, glasses, napkins, salt and pepper at each plate, and a clean wooden bucket at the side of each second chair. The oysters are roasted in the kitchen, and brought in on large trays, which are placed on the table. The guests take the oysters, shell and all, open them (or they can be opened outside just before bringing in), and eat them hot from the shell, with pepper and salt. The shells are dropped into the buckets when empty. Coffee or beer can be served, and bread and butter, and various sauces are on the table. Everything must be plain, hot, and clean, and there must be no delay in bringing in the oysters. It is a very simple affair, but usually a very success- ful one, if the oysters are fine. INFORMAL LUNCHEONS Informal luncheons are capable of an infinite num- ber of variations and surprises. Sometimes men are asked to them, but oftenest the guests are women only, and, in the case of the most successful lunch- eons, women who are pretty well acquainted with each other and at least fairly congenial. Luncheon, whether formal or informal, is now almost invariably served on a bare table, with doilies and centerpieces INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 15 instead of a cloth. A few flowers appropriate to the season should always grace the table, and the menu should be " short and sweet " — ^that is to say, not many things, but everything very dainty. There are a great many dishes which are appropriate only to luncheon, and which the housewife whose men folk stand too conservatively (for her liking) by roast beef and roast lamb and mashed potatoes and apple pie, delights to serve to an appreciative company not afraid of novelties but frankly in hope of them. In serving dinners, it is always safest to stick as closely as one can to things that nearly everybody likes, without danger of monotony. But when entertaining women at luncheon it is always in order to present any novelty with which the hostess has thoroughly familiarized herself. Woman dearly love to learn a new salad, a new dessert, a new cream soup, or en- tree, and it is safe to say that one of the prime in- gredients of a successful little luncheon is a culinary surprise — if it is a good one! AFTERNOON TEA Afternoon tea is, happily, no longer associated in most people's minds with the great halls of English country mansions, with footmen and ^' equipages " of solid silver. Within the last few years a very great number of persons in this country have come to look upon afternoon tea as a matter of course, quite as much as luncheon, and in countless communities little 16 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS and big this social afternoon hour is fast becoming one of the pleasantest of all occasions for informal intercourse. All that is necessary to make it is the will to enjoy it, and a pot of tea; or, if the day be warm, a pitcher of lemonade, and a plate of sweet crackers, jumbles, cookies, or dainty sandwiches. When our mothers went a-calling on their lady friends, thirty years ago, they used to be served with slices of '' black fruit " and poundcake, from the tin cake box which was locked away from all danger of family depredations, and a dainty glass of goose- berry shrub or raspberry cordial or port wine, as the case might be. It was a pretty custom, which many were sorry to see pass. The afternoon-tea custom is as good, however, and in many respects better. The tea may be made for any guest who chances in be- tween the hours of four and six, or it may be a stated occasion, served every day at a certain hour which your friends know; they know, too, that they are more than welcome to join you for that " bite and sup " and the accompanying conversation. If you are so fortunate as to be able to set out a pretty, permanent tea table in your sitting room, and fur- nish it with teakettle (and spirit lamp), teapot, cups, sugar bowl, and other accessories, of course you ap- preciate the social attractiveness of such an adjunct to your living room, and the charming sociability of brewing your own tea while you talk with your friends. But if you have no tea table, do not dis- dain afternoon tea; it may be made in the kitchen INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 17 and brought in, steaming and fragrant, for imme- diate service in your ordinary teacups. But, alas! few women know how to make a good cup of tea; too many think it so simple a thing that it is not worth effort. On the contrary, a good cup of tea, the cost of which is infinitesimal, will bring many a desirable somebody to your door at teatime. Fill your teapot (which should be china) with boiling water and let it stand until the pot has become red- hot, or as hot as boiling water can make it. Then pour off all the water, put in your tea, and quickly cover with fresh water which has just reached the boil; it must be boiling, and it must not have boiled long. Keep the teapot where it will be warm, but where no further boiling can happen (in a china pot, of course, this cannot go wrong), until the infusion has been three or four minutes a-brewing. Then serve immediately, with sugar, if desired, and thin slices of lemon, or, if preferred, with cream. A very scant teaspoonful of tea is sufficient for each person or for each cup of boiling water; this makes a good, strong infusion. The Russians make tea by making a very strong infusion, a sort of triple extract of tea, and putting a little in each cup, adding boiling water as desired. Good tea costs good money, but it goes a long way. Oolong suitable for a fragrant brew cannot be had much under a dollar a pound, but a quarter of a pound lasts a long time; few things are so cheap or so delightful. 18 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS KAFFEE KLATSCH For a change from afternoon tea, or for those who do not care for tea, a Kaffee Klatsch is a pleasant mid-afternoon event, coffee and coffee cake being served, varied sometimes by a cafe frappe in tall glasses, or a mold of coffee jelly with whipped cream. NEIGHBORHOOD CARD PARTY The neighborhood card party is very popular now- adays. In the afternoon, when ladies only are in- vited, the refreshments are usually very simple, and served on the card tables, an embroidered or hem- stitched white cloth being laid on each one. Ices and cake, or a variety of sandwiches and tea, coffee, or chocolate, are a sufficient menu. In the evening, if gentlemen are of the party, supper is usually served in the dining room, and is somewhat more substan- tial, salad, croquettes, or oysters being in order. A card club, meeting at the houses of different mem- bers in turn, is apt to make rules of its own as to the supper, so that it shall not become too elaborate. Usually, in all card clubs, when members are not able to be present, the hostess has the right to invite any- one she chooses to fill the vacancies. Some card clubs allow the hostess to invite guests for an extra table. Care should be taken that the cards are fresh and clean, and pencils and score cards ready at each table ; and a dish of honhons on each is a dainty accessory, INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 19 appreciated by the feminine players. A chafing-dish supper goes well with a small evening card party, but one chafing dish cannot supply more than eight guests, so it is always well to make this calculation. The sandwiches for a card party can now be cut into appropriate shapes, thanks to the new cake cutters, in diardond, heart, spade, and club forms. Cakes cut in these forms and iced pink for the dia- monds and hearts, and chocolate for the clubs and spades, are just the thing with the ices. A card club usually has no prizes. An individual card party often has prizes, but they should be simple — a box of candy, a bunch of roses, etc. If prizes are to be played for, it is necessary for the hostess, or some one deputed by her, to go around the tables, in the progressive games, with stars to gum upon the score cards of those who progress; and these score cards should have the name of the player written upon them for identification when collected after the game is over. Those with tie scores draw for progression, and for the prizes in the end, if necessary. When giving a card party to those not very familiar with cards, seven-handed euchre is by far the easiest game and the most fun for all the players. Card games where only four play at one table, of course, limit one's invitations a great deal, compared with those where seven or eight, or more, can play at each table. In any game which is not progressive, it is wise for the hostess to put people of about the same skill at the same table. Nothing gives a good card player a 20 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS more stupid afternoon or evening than an ignorant partner, and one poor player at a table with three good ones is bound to be profoundly uncomfortable, unless a remarkable run of luck conceals the de- ficiency. Cards, to some players nowadays, are a very serious matter, even when no prizes are played for, and a suitable choice of partners is therefore necessary. SEWING CIRCLE The old-fashioned sewing circle still holds its own in many towns. It may commence at any hour in the afternoon, but the pleasantest form, perhaps, is that where the sewing commences about five, supper is served at half-past seven, and a social time follows until nine or ten. Those who do not sew must be fined, the amount of the fine varying with the needs of those for whose benefit the sewing circle is work- ing. Some sewing-circle suppers — as in Boston, the original home of the idea — are elaborate nowadays, with varied courses and formal serving. But a plain, bountiful hot supper is the original plan, served rather informally. A sewing circle may be held in the early afternoon, with sandwiches and tea as re- freshment at five, and the members not staying to supper at all. Or a luncheon may begin it, and the sewing fill the afternoon. The most delightful sew- ing circles are those formed by the girls who gradu- ate from a certain school, or live in a certain neighborhood, and who form a circle which is kept INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 21 up year after year to a certain number, usually about sixteen or twenty, new members being elected for those who move away or die. Meeting once a fort- night, they form a strong social bond and become recognized powers. In Boston, some sewing circles have been meeting for thirty or forty years, and to be invited into them is rightly considered a very high honor. Members are allowed to bring guests stay- ing in their houses, but no outsiders are admitted in some sewing circles. In others, the hostess can invite as she pleases. INFORMAL ENTERTAINMENTS For informal home entertainments in the evening, all kinds of " contests " are great fun. Hearts of red cardboard or motto sugar-candy hearts, quota- tions without the name of the author, peanuts wrapped in different colors of tissue paper, can each be hidden throughout the rooms, and a " heart hunt, " * ' peanut hunt, " or " quotation contest ' ' be started. The one who finds the most hearts, the most blue-wrapped peanuts, the most quotations which he or she can identify, wins the prize. The telegram game is first-rate. Ten letters are chosen by the guests at random, and these ten letters are given out as the initials of a ten-word telegram to be written by each guest. Sometimes a subject is given, which makes it all the harder and funnier. A " word hunt " is somewhat intricate. Each n THE COMPLETE HOSTESS guest draws a card, on which is written a number and ** Your word has six letters," or eight or ten, as the case may be. All over the rooms are hidden the letters, written on some fancy form of card or paper. On Saint Patrick's Day they can be written on tiny shamrocks ; on Washington 's Birthday on red paper hatchets; on Fourth of July on little flags, and so on. With each letter is the number of its word. The first one to find all the letters belonging to his or her number, and make the right word from them, wins a prize. A Dickens, Kipling, Longfellow, or Scott evening has great possibilities. The guests may be requested to come dressed to represent some character, or using some characteristic speech or action to show it forth. The Village Blacksmith might wield an imaginary hammer, and Cap'n Cuttle repeat some of his aphor- isms, for instance. The game of Authors, or a Dickens game, may be played, or selections from the author chosen may be read or recited. A Book Party, where each comes as a book written by the chosen author, and the one guessing nearest the entire list of guests wins the prize, is always popular. A new form of it may be the Twentieth Century Book Party, in which no book must be repre- sented that has not been written since 1900. A Shakespeare Conundrum Party requires a clever person to write the conundrums, or hunt them up, as witness this sample: *' If checks could speak, what character in ' Julius Caesar ' would they name? INFORMAL ENTERTAINING 23 Cassius. " Each person is given three minutes to answer in writing the coniindrum on his or her card, and must then pass it along to the next. The lists of answers (each guest has a sheet of paper and a pen- cil to write them on) are collected and the prize given at the end. A Japanese, Klondyke, Italian, Scotch, Irish, or German evening should have a supper to correspond. National airs sung or played, the rooms decorated to match, and the host and hostess and guests costumed, if possible, make a pretty affair. A Klondyke pile, of cotton, to look like snow, with a tiny shovel for each guest to dig out a favor of some comic kind, is amusing. A Harvest Party, to which each guest is invited to come as a fruit or vegetable, offers opportunities for all sorts of fun. Then there is the Brown Party, where all the in- vitations are written on brown paper, the host and hostess receive in brown, and the prizes for the games or at the card tables are all brown, while the re- freshments are coffee, cocoa, doughnuts, ginger cake, a variety of brown bread, sandwiches, chocolate cake and ice cream, and chocolate and molasses candy. The Witch Party, or Superstition Party, can be made very thrilling indeed. The rooms are decorated with four-leaved clovers, wishbones, the number thirteen, black cardboard cats, broomsticks, etc. The girls can wear black dominoes, high-crowned hats and masks, if they wish to have a costume. One game 24 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS is to have each person write on a slip of paper his or her favorite superstition, and then let the rest guess who the writer is, in spite of the mask. An- other game is to sit round the fire, or round a caldron hung from a tripod in the middle of the floor, and each player casts in a fagot or an emblem of su- perstition — a bit of broken looking-glass, a wishbone, etc. — and must tell a ghost or witch story, or sing a song, or recite something appropriate. The Witch Scene from Macbeth, of course, should be recited by somebody. Afterward, all unmask and dance. A fortune-teller, or gypsy, or palmist, fits very well into a party of this kind. A Hat Party or Thimble Party is always produc- tive of much merriment. The ladies each bring an apron to be hemmed or a hat to be trimmed, and the men are given thimbles, needles, thread, and hat or apron, and set to work. It is best to take old hats and very preposterous trimming, the effects of the poor trimmers evoking shouts of derisive laughter. A prize goes for the best-looking hat and for the worst. At supper each lady wears the hat trimmed by her partner. CHAPTER II FORMAL ENTERTAINING IN THE HOME FORMAL DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS AFOR]\IAL dinner is one of the most formidable of undertakings, and should never, it seems safe to say, be essayed by a woman with small resources and semiefficient help. The main differences between a formal dinner and the prettiest sort of an informal dinner would be: First, in the nature of the invitations, which, for a formal dinner, are sent out two weeks ahead. This is done because the wise hostess knows that the suc- cess of her dinner depends very largely on the con- geniality of the people she gathers around her board, and so she makes her best selection, and by putting in an early request for the time of those persons she desires to get together, she hopes to forestall other engagements on their part. A well-bred person, man or woman, receiving an invitation to a formal din- ner, always replies immediately, by return mail if possible. Second, persons asked to a formal dinner will be expected to wear formal dinner dress. What this is, depends on the community and on the social regulations observed by the hostess. In any case or 25 26 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS place, it means evening dress for men. For women it may mean decollete gowns, or pretty, dainty dresses with transparent yokes and elbow sleeves, but it certainly means a whole gown of some sort, and not a skirt and blouse combination. If a woman asks you to a formal dinner and goes to the trouble and expense of decorating her house and table and arranging dainty lights and other accompaniments of a festive scene, it is a positive insult to her to appear at her function in a street gown or some convenient but unlovely combination of dark skirt and light waist. If you do not know what she considers proper dinner costume, you must find out somehow, and conform to it, or send your regrets. A third point about a formal dinner is that it is nearly always so large that conversation at the table is seldom general, but broken into groups, and guests are under special obligation to be entertaining to their dinner part- ners, and to the gentleman or lady on the other side. So much for the differences from the guests ' point of view. From the hostess 's they are : A more elaborate menu, an absolute perfection of service, more lights, more flowers, more wines, and, usually, some care- fully planned entertainment for her guests when they have reassembled in the drawing-room. A blunder may be passed off at an informal dinner with a joke, which contributes much to the general merriment; but a blunder at a formal dinner is a fatality which the hostess must pretend not to realize, though her pretense never deceives anyone, and her guests know FORMAL ENTERTAINING 27 that she is gnashing her teeth over her spoiled enter- tainment. For the least mistake does spoil a formal dinner, whereas a succession of mishaps may only- make memorably hilarious an informal one. It is safe to remind yourself, before attempting a formal dinner, that if you set a person down in a chair from which he cannot escape for two hours, you will either have to put on both sides of him other guests of superlative fascinations, so that he is but dimly aware what he is eating, or you will have to feed him so superlatively well that he is but dimly aware who his neighbors are. Either essay is a big one, and a happy medium between the two is a combination of skill, inspiration, and good fortune rarely found in one woman. If, however, you are bound upon a formal dinner and must do all the planning yourself, perhaps you will find something suggestive in the following: Do not ask more people than you can seat comfort- ably and serve expeditiously. Crowding and wait- ing may be endured at a reception, but at a dinner, never! Twenty inches is the very least space that should be allowed for each ** cover " or place. And one waitress can scarcely do perfect justice to more than eight persons. Having decided ** how many " you may have, put all your most earnest thought into the matter of *' whom." Unless you can avoid all curious mixtures, all suggestions of ** hodge-podge," abandon the dinner entirely. No one can remember you unpleasantly if you do not have a dinner at 28 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS all, but several persons will surely remember you most unpleasantly if you summon them to a pro- longed boring from which no tact of their own can help them to " shuffle." Having invited according to your best wisdom — which must almost always, sad to say, be tempered with the necessity of com- promise : smart men will marry silly women and vice versa, and there are always ^' dead weights " who have to be asked for state or family or other politic reasons — you can hardly do better with your second-best wisdom than apply it to the arrangement of your guests at table. Plan to put one of the silly women next to a man who loves to conduct a con- tinual monologue, but be sure to put on the other side of him a woman of some tact and brains, for even a most complacent monologue artist has to have an occasional interjection expressive of eager interest, to keep him happy. Balance things up as much as possible, and give everyone some chance of entertain- ment with either one of his immediate neighbors. If the dinner be a large one, you would best have in the gentlemen's dressing room a tray with small en- velopes addressed to each male guest. The attendant presents this to each gentleman as he prepares to leave the room, and he selects the envelope bearing his name, in which is a card bearing the name of the lady he is to '' take in." If the dinner is a smaller affair, it will be sufficiently formal for the hostess to tell each gentleman, as he greets her, whom he is to have for partner. The host always takes in the FOEMAL DINNER TABLE. FORMAL ENTERTAINING 29 chief lady guest and leads the way. The hostess comes last, with the chief gentleman guest. Orders of precedence are not strictly observed in this coun- try outside of Washington, but in general it is safe to let age and honors go before youth and beauty. About the dining room: One of the most impor- tant things to observe is the lighting. Men may for- give you if you set them down beneath a Welsbach glare, but no woman will. No one with good taste lights a room from chandeliers in these days, and least of all a dining room. An electric light, that hangs about eighteen inches above the table and is heavily and handsomely shaded, is very desirable, but in lieu of it a beautifully shaded lamp should be used, in addition to candle light. Green shades are pretty, but trying. Rose, orange, and crimson shed the softest, most becoming light. The table may be round, oval, square, or rectangu- lar; the shape matters less than most other things, although a too narrow table never '' sets " to advan- tage. The first requisite is a thick pad of felt or double-faced canton flannel, and over that must go the handsomest tablecloth the hostess owns, and it must be ironed to satin beauty, and wide and long enough to hang at least nine inches on every side. The costliest glass, silver, and porcelain that ever were set out will not make an attractive table if the damask on which they are laid is not immaculate, exquisite. Table linen should never be allowed to hang till dry, but taken from the line while quite 30 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS wet, and ironed dry and glossy with plenty of ** elbow-grease," and irons not too hot. In the center of the table spread your daintiest piece of embroidered or lace-edged linen; and whatever floral arrangement you have, have it low, so as not to obstruct anyone's view of those opposite. If a lamp is used, the standard of it may serve as a base about which to group flowers. Four candlesticks are plenty for a table seating twelve. A dinner table should never look the least bit '' cluttered," never suggest the *' show room " of a shop. Perfection, and not profusion, should be the end in view. In ad- dition to the flowers and candles, and the furnishings of the ** covers," there should be on the table a few pretty dishes — glass or silver, if possible — contain- ing salted nuts and other et ceteras. Small plain cards with the names written on them by the hostess indicate where each guest is to sit at table, and at each place are the following: The nap- kin comes on the extreme left, then the forks, in the order that they are to be used, then the plate itself, and lastly, on the right, the knives, with the soup spoon and oyster fork beyond them. The tumbler and glasses are on the upper right-hand side of the plate. No bread and butter or butter plates are used at a formal dinner. The dinner roll, breadstick, or piece of bread two by one and a half inches, is placed in the napkin, — slipped in between the folds, but not entirely out of sight. Bread is also handed once at least during the meal, in the same forms. FORMAL ENTERTAINING 31 Saltcellars may be here and there on the table, or an individual saltcellar at each place. The forks and spoons should always be placed with the tines and open bowls upward. If the napkins are large, and there is not space for them beside the forks, they can be laid on the plates. The place plate should be on the table when the guests enter — the best ten-inch plates the hostess possesses. These remain in place until the fish or first hot course after the soup is served. Each course is served from the pantry, neatly arranged on in- dividual plates, which are placed on the place plates until after the soup or bouillon course. The waitress carries each plate into the dining room upon a tray in the left hand, takes it to the right side of each guest, and places it with the right hand upon the place plate. When the soup or bouillon course is removed, the place plate is taken, too, and after that the plates are placed directly upon the cloth before each guest by the waitress. The most fashionable method of serving, however, is to keep a plate al- ways in place before each guest until dessert. If this is done, no tray is used. The waitress removes the used plate from the right with her left hand, and then places the course plate or an empty plate from the right with her right hand. In either way of serving never more than one plate is removed by the waitress at a time, nor is one plate ever piled on the top of another. At a formal dinner, plenty of time is presupposed, and as many servants 32 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS as can clear the table deftly and without noticeable delay. Guests should be served in rotation, beginning al- ternately at the right and left of the host and hostess and going in opposite directions for each successive course. The waitress, in pouring the wine, should serve it from the right, just after the serving of a course is completed. Some hostesses serve the courses not on individual plates, but from platter, dish, etc., artistically ar- ranged, the portions all ready to be taken with the aid of a serving spoon, or knife, or fork. This is sim- pler than the other method, and quite in good form. The perfection of serving is to have it done so quietly and neatly that conversation is never interrupted, and the guests do not actually notice how they are served. Coffee, in small cups, followed by cordials in tiny glasses, should either precede the finger bowls or else be served in the drawing-room after dinner to the ladies, while the men linger over cigars with the host at the table, having their coffee served there. The latter way is the more fashionable at present, but either is correct. Between a formal luncheon and a dinner there is not a very great difference. Usually the table is not lighted for luncheon, the daylight being available except on dark and stormy days. The bare table by preference is used instead of a tablecloth, but the rule is not invariable, since many a dining table is not handsome enough to exhibit. If bare, it needs FORMAL ENTERTAINING SS embroidered doilies under the plates and dishes, and a centerpiece. Bouillon is served instead of soup, in the two-handled bouillon cups. There are not so many vegetables on the menu, and no very substan- tial course. It is altogether a lighter affair than dinner, with no wine, or at most two kinds, Sauterne being the favorite at present. There is no ceremony or taking of partners in going out to luncheon; the hostess leads the way, and the guests follow as they please. As at a dinner, the coffee can be served either as a last course, from the pantry, or in the drawing- room after the luncheon. The proper dress for a formal luncheon for ladies is handsome street or afternoon attire, with a hat. Men seldom attend luncheons. If they do, afternoon dress is the rule for them. A stand-up luncheon, or one served at many small tables, follows the rules of a reception to a large extent. NEW YEAR'S DINNER A New Yearns dinner or luncheon can be made very pretty. The dates of the past and coming year in flowers or in green down the length of the table make a good decoration, and a dainty card calendar at each plate is an appropriate souvenir. A tiny candle burning at each plate as the guests come in is a quaint idea, and the person whose candle burns longest will have the best luck in the coming year. For the center of the table a New Year's cake with 34 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS a thimble, a coin, and a ring in it, and with the date on it in icing — red on white — is an amusing device. It is cut for dessert, and as it is handed round, and each cuts a piece, the finder of the ring is to be wedded soon, the finder of the thimble to remain unmarried for that year, and the finder of the coin to grow rich, which results in some excitement and fun. Holly and red ribbons can be added to the decoration in any quantity. VALENTINE DINNER A Valentine dinner or luncheon, for Saint Valen- tine's Day, is, of course, all hearts, roses, and arrows. There is a cast of a plaster Cupid, standing erect, that makes a charming centerpiece, with roses heaped around his feet. Or, for the occasion, a heart-shaped table top of thin pine boards, screwed on a kitchen table, makes a unique dinner table, covered with shining damask, with a heart-shaped bank of roses or carnations in the middle, seven or eight candle- sticks with shades of the rose color arranged in a heart shape around it, and festoons of rose-colored hearts, strung on baby ribbon, hanging down round the table's edge. Tiny heart-shaped bonhon boxes at each plate are suitable souvenirs, or gilt arrows tied with ribbon, on the place cards. The salad can be sprinkled with tiny red hearts cut from peppers or beets, the fancy cakes can be heart-shaped, and the ices served in heart-shaped lace boxes or in turtle- FORMAL ENTERTAINING S5 dove forms. China with roses on it is appropriate, if the hostess possesses any. WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY A dinner or luncheon for Washington's Birthday- offers many opportunities. Five four-inch ribbons, three red and two white, sewed together to represent the stripes of the flag and running lengthwise and across the table in the form of a cross, are the founda- tion of a striking decoration. A number of blue stars, cut from paper and sprinkled over the rest of the tablecloth, and a miniature Jerusalem cherry tree, with red, white, and blue crepe paper around the pot, with a toy hatchet leaning up against it, completes the effect. Old blue china should be used, if possible, and candied cherries should be a feature somewhere in the courses — in the grape fruit, for example — while each ice may have a spray of artifi- cial cherries ornamenting it. SAINT PATRICK'S DAY A Saint Patrick's Day dinner or luncheon may have place cards in shamrock shape, with the name in gold paint on the green, and the favors can be tiny pots of growing shamrocks. The centerpiece may be a bank of green ferns in the shape of a sham- rock, with Irish flags rising from it, and green rib- bons running to the pots at each plate. Roast pig 86 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS could be one of the courses, and green soup (cream of asparagus or spinach), green vegetables, green icing on the cakes, and a creme de menthe sherbet or pis- tache ice cream would harmonize the menu with the occasion. Irish songs could be sung after the guests leave the table. APRIL FOOL'S DAY An April Fool luncheon has for a centerpiece a globe of goldfish (an allusion to the French " poisson d'Avril," the equivalent of our April Fool, meaning that fish are easily " caught ") and a tiny cap and bell at each plate for a souvenir. The menu is made up of " April Fools.'' First, large green peppers, on lettuce leaves, look like a salad, but when the top is lifted off an oyster cocktail is inside. Then baked potatoes, large and piled on a platter, are passed, and prove to be full of minced sweetbread and fresh mushrooms. Turnovers and deviled crabs turn out to be pieces of broiled or roasted chicken wrapped in pie crust, and the crab shells contain creamed po- tatoes dusted over with cheese and browned in the oven. Tomato salad is found to be raspberry ice, molded in tomato form, on leaves of paper lettuce. In each " tomato " lies a heaped spoonful of what appears to be mayonnaise, but is a soft custard. Pillboxes full of tiny candies, covered with cake bat- ter, baked and iced like little pink and white cakes, are the last deception, with chocolate peppermints FORMAL ENTERTAINING S7 made of large button molds coated with chocolate. White peppermints of smaller size can be made in the same way with ordinary icing. EASTER LUNCHEON For Easter tables, eggs, rabbits, tiny chickens, but^ terflies, and spring flowers are ready to choose from. Butterflies made from crepe and tissue paper can be combined with the wild flowers or spring blossoms in lovely decorations, and could also be hand-painted on the place cards. Egg-shaped honhon boxes, or bunches of flowers, are appropriate Easter favors. FOURTH OF JULY The Fourth of July table for an informal dinner or luncheon is overflowingly patriotic. A tiny flag at every plate, a group of flags in the center, rising from a bank of red geraniums edged with white ones, and those again with bluets, hoiibons in firecracker or firework shapes, blocks of vanilla and raspberry ice sprinkled with candied violets — these are all re- minders of the day, and patriotic songs are also in order. ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT The announcement of an engagement is often made at a dinner or luncheon for intimate friends. The place cards can be heart-shaped, with the inter- 38 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS twined initials of the fiancees as a decoration. A heart-shaped bank of pink or red carnations, with gilt arrows sticking here and there, makes a good centerpiece, and at each place a heart-shaped doily is used, beside which are a cluster of carnations tied with pink or red ribbon, one end of which runs to the center and is attached to an arrow. Each guest pulls out his or her arrow, upon which a fortune is written or a sentimental verse. The announcement can be made about the middle of the meal, when some one selected to do so proposes the health of the bride and groom elect in a little speech. Or, as soon as the guests are seated, a sham telegram may be brought in containing the announcement, and read aloud, or passed round the table. All the dishes possible should be heart-shaped, and all decorations should be red or pink. APPLE-BLOSSOM LUNCHEON An apple-blossom luncheon is charming in the spring, especially when the hostess lives out of town and invites city friends. The ices can be in the shape of apples, and apple and celery salad is suitable, of course. A daisy luncheon and a water-lily luncheon are both dainty affairs. A daisy ball can hang above the table, and festoons of daisies decorate it, with a daisy stuck through the handle of the glasses which hold the fruit soup for the first course. Pond lilies, set singly on their broad leaves around a mirror for FORMAL ENTERTAINING 39 a centerpiece, and floating in each finger bowl, are especially handsome on a polished mahogany table, and take several degrees off the apparent tempera- ture of a hot summer day. FISHERMEN'S LUNCHEON A dinner for spring fishermen and their wives or their girl friends is unfailingly attractive. For a centerpiece, a mirror surrounded by green ferns bears a boat on its surface, or a bowl of goldfish. From this rises a sheaf of miniature fishing rods, with green ribbon lines ending in tiny fishing baskets at each plate, full of honhons. These are the souvenirs. All the decorations should be green and white and the dinner should be a fish dinner; salmon, shad, trout, or some other desirable delicacy being the main course. ROSE OR SWEET-PEA LUNCHEON A rose or sweet-pea luncheon or dinner, all in pink, is a very dainty informal affair. Place cards that are shaped and colored like rose petals bear the names of the guests, and tiny baskets of roses are the souvenirs. A centerpiece of maidenhair fern and roses, or the ferns scattered in graceful curves on the table and four slim vases of the roses at the corners of a lace centerpiece, makes a good decora- tion, with pink honhons in pretty dishes, and pink- iced cakes also on the table here and there. A fern 40 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS ball over the table, with rose-pink ribbons to each plate, ending under pink honhonnicres for souvenirs, is a more elaborate decoration, but very pretty. Strawberries, lobster chops garnished with parsley and wee rosebuds, salad sprinkled with tiny hearts cut from pink beets, are all suitable for such a meal, with the other courses served on pink plates. VIOLET LUNCHEON A violet luncheon or dinner can be signalized by inch-wide violet ribbons crossing the table lengthwise and crosswise so as to form a sort of network in the middle, with a small bunch of violets tied at each intersection. A pot of violets in the middle with the pot covered by violet crepe paper, and four smaller ones at the corners, or one larger vase of violets and four smaller ones placed in the same way, finishes the decoration. Violet jelly in tumblers or glasses, with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream with candied violets sprinkled over it, violet-iced cakes, violet honbons, and a bunch of violets at each plate, carry out the idea. RAINBOW LUNCHEON A rainbow luncheon gives scope for individuality in hostess and guests. Seven guests can be asked, and each one is requested to come representing a certain color. The hostess wears white or black, as she pre- LUXCHEOX TABLE EEADY FOR THE GUESTS. FORMAL ENTERTAINING 41 fers; ribbons of all colors are draped from the chandelier, each ribbon ending at the place of the guest dressed in its color, where the menu card has a rainbow bunch of baby ribbon tied on it, and seven courses indicated — '* red," '' orange," and so on. The " red " course may be strawberries, or red apples hollowed out and filled with grapefruit pulp and candied cherries. ^' Orange " can be jellied bouillon served in orange skins cut into fancy bas- kets. ^' Yellow " may be minced chicken in pastry cases with yellow sauce and potato croquettes very delicately browned. " Green " is the salad, of cu- cumbers and lettuce with French dressing, or of as- paragus or string beans. '^ Blue," " indigo," and *' violet " form the dessert course — violet ice cream, cakes iced in indigo shade, and coffee in blue cups, or little blue boxes filled with candy, or blue bon- bons. PROGRESSIVE DINNER The progressive dinner or luncheon is served at small tables, each decorated in a different color or way, and each guest takes along napkin, wineglass, and tumbler, in changing from one table to another. It is a good idea to have the host and hostess remain stationary, so that all in turn sit with them, or to have the guest or guests of honor, if there are any, remain always at one table, the rest changing. The guests progress after each course, and each table is num- bered. The hostess must arrange thoroughly before- 42 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS hand the system on which the guests are to progress, and have little cards for each guest, or on each table, to direct the changes. For instance, on a card on table No. 1 may be written, " After the soup, pro- gress to table No. 2," and so on. The numbers of the tables, in vines or ferns, may form the center- pieces. BALLS No matter how large and formal a dance a hostess may give, it is never called a " ball " in the invita- tions. '' Dancing " or " Cotillon at ten " may be put in the lower left-hand corner of the invitation card. If the dance is given for a debutante, her card is generally inclosed, but this rule is not invariable. The rooms for dancing should be dazzlingly lighted, and great attention must be paid to ventilation. The decorations may be as gay and beautiful, and the cotillon favors as handsome, as one's purse allows. Everything in a ballroom should suggest light, gayety, and beauty. A fancy-dress ball is perhaps the most brilliant social function that exists. Nevertheless, a great many people have neither suitable rooms in their houses for a ball, nor is there a private hall of any elegance obtainable. If they wish to give a formal dance, they must do the best they can, without any particular luxury. The first requisite, as every dancer knows, is a good floor for the dancing. If this cannot be had at home, a hall must be engaged, and decorated in tasteful fashion. FORMAL ENTERTAINING 43 In almost all our towns now there are clubs or hotels where a good ballroom can be secured, and where a caterer will serve the supper. The hostess receives at a formal dance, whether it be in her own house or not, and is usually assisted by several friends well known in society, who can relieve her somewhat during the hours that she otherwise has to stay at her place. A debutante stands beside her mother at a dance given by her parents, and sometimes has several girl friends receiving with her also for the first half hour. Her mother selects the first partner for her, and no man should dance more than once with the debutante on this occasion. She should shake hands with each person introduced, and is expected to dance every dance, standing at her place in the intervals to receive and greet the guests. Her girl friends, after the first half hour in the re- ceiving line, are free to dance without returning to receive any further. The host does not usually stand in line. His busi- ness is to see that the women all have partners, the chaperones are all taken in to supper, and that the men do not stay in the dressing rooms to smoke and talk, but do their duty as dancers. The hostess does not dance, if at all, until late in the evening, when the last guests have arrived and everything is going off well. She sees to it that people are introduced, shy young men provided with partners, and all the girls are having a good time. To this end, in inviting, she should see to it that the men outnumber the women 44 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS by a good proportion, so that there shall be no wall- flowers, if possible. If the dance is given in her own house, and is not large, the hostess need not invite the mothers or chaperones of the girls, as she acts as chaperone. But at a larger dance, given in a semipublic place, it is necessary to invite the mother or the chaperone. A man escorting a woman to a ball should agree where to meet her when they both leave the dressing rooms. The best place is at the foot of the stairway, or near the ballroom door. They do not enter arm in arm, but the woman precedes the man and both greet the hostess. The etiquette at an assembly or public ball is the same as that of a private dance, except that a com- mittee of women fulfill the position and duties of the hostess. At some public balls the committee is composed of both men and women, and they wear badges indicating their position. It is necessary for each guest to greet some member of the committee on entering, but no leave need be taken of any of them. It is not necessary, even at a private dance, to take leave of the hostess, but it is often done, and is perfectly good form. Young men, at a private dance, should ask the daughters of the house to dance the first dances. At a cotillon, those who have not partners selected be- forehand are given partners by the hostess. When a public ball is given in honor of some special person, he should be met on his arrival, in- FORMAL ENTERTAINING 45 troduced to the patronesses or women on the recep- tion committee, escorted to the seat prepared for him, looked after during the evening, escorted to his car- riage afterward, and generally treated as the guest of honor. At a public ball it is admissible to fee the dressing- room attendants, but never in a private house, or at a ball given by private parties in a hotel or club. A formal reception is held either in the afternoon from four to seven, or in the evening from eight to eleven. The hostess and those who receive with her wear no hats, but the women guests in the afternoon wear hats, and the men afternoon dress. In the evening, evening dress is worn by all. An invitation to a reception is formally engraved, and sent a fort- night or ten days ahead. It should be answered within a week. The hostess at a reception makes what introductions she thinks proper, but generally does not try to introduce all her guests. Formal afternoon teas and ** At Homes '' are on the same lines as receptions, but are far less elaborate. They require only engraved card invitations, and the re- freshments are simpler. The host seldom receives at either, whether men are invited or not. An invitation to an ** At Home '^ or afternoon tea requires no answer, unless the one invited cannot attend, in which case a card, set on the day of the affair, serves as a regret. In case there is a series of teas or ** At Homes," a card is only sent when the person invited 46 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS cannot attend any of them, and the proper time to send it is on the day of the last one of the series. The formal afternoon tea is so easy a method of entertaining a large number that it is becoming more and more popular. It requires little expenditure for food, but much care as to detail. Flowers, a dainty tea equipage, a novel variety of ices, cakes, candies, etc., are points never to be neglected. The sandwich, in its present vogue and variety, is a feature of the afternoon tea. White, brown, and entire wheat bread are all used, and every kind of filling imagi- nable. Lettuce, nut, cucumber, egg, date, celery, cheese, oyster, lobster, banana, ginger and orange, jelly and marmalade, olives, sardines, and chicken, are all pressed into service. The sandwiches must be very small, very dainty, and always served on a doily in a pretty dish or plate. All sorts of quaint shapes can be cut with the modern cake cutters. Bouillon, Russian tea, iced-tea punch, coffee, and chocolate are all suitable. Two friends of the hostess usually serve the tea and ices at each end of the table in the dining room, or, at a very large af- fair, there can be others at a table in another room, besides serving coffee or bouillon, and ices and cakes. A number of young girls who help receive and wait upon the guests are a useful feature of a large after- noon tea. A debutante may be introduced by a ball, dinner, reception, afternoon tea, or ''At Home," the last being the least formal of all. At a dinner dance FORMAL ENTERTAINING 47 given for a debutante, the hostess issues two sets of invitations: one for those invited to the dinner and the dance, and the other for those invited to the dance only. The ordinary dinner invitation, with '' Dancing at nine " added, is proper for the first set of invitations, and the ordinary '' At Home " card, with '* Dancing at nine," is correct form for the second. At any of these formal occasions — dinners, lunch- eons, receptions, etc. — music is sometimes used as an adjunct, but must be duly subordinated. A band, unless its music is indeed sweet and low, is not pleasant as an accompaniment to a brilliant dinner. When music is really to be listened to, the formal musical is the occasion on which to have it. The mu- sical can be either from four to six in the afternoon or at any time in the evening. The cards of in- vitation should be engraved, and have the word *' Music " in the lower left-hand corner. They re- quire a note of acceptance or regret in answer. Pretty evening dress — not ball dress necessarily — is required for an evening musical. In the afternoon, the same dress as at teas or receptions is worn. The music must be good and the performers well worth listening to, be they amateur or professional, or else the guests have a right to feel cheated. If professional singers or players are invited, their services ought to be paid for, unless they offer them free. It is not good form to invite a singer as a guest and then expect him to give his services. It 48 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS is unwise, also, to invite people not really fond of music, as the whole evening will be a bore for them, or, by talking and laughing, they will spoil the music for the rest. The piano should be a first-rate instru- ment, and the rooms should be as free of draperies as possible. A polished floor and cane chairs are better than carpets and upholsteries, which deaden sound. The lighter music should be played first, the star performers following the less notable ones. The hostess receives at a musical, but as the guests must come on time, she is free to take her seat with the rest and listen to the music. The refreshments, if in the afternoon, can be those of the afternoon-tea order, and can be handed on trays. In the evening they are a little more elaborate. The large card party is a very popular modern form of entertainment. It takes a good deal of room to set out card tables for a number of people, and so rooms are often hired at a club or hotel for a progressive euchre party, or a game of hearts, or bridge. The latter is at present the fashionable game, and a bridge tournament is quite an intricate affair to manage. The hostess receives her guests at a card party, and has the tables arranged so that each guest can find his or her place. Usually a card, with the name written on it by the hostess, indicates each one^s place. Score cards, pencils, etc., are pro- vided for each table. Often a written list of the main rules of the game, or a printed summary, is placed where it can easily be consulted by the players. FORMAL ENTERTAINING 49 A dish or two of bonbons on each table, in pretty silver or glass, is usually in evidence. At a bridge tournament the score is not kept by the individual players alone, but by two or more official score keepers, who come at the close of each round and collect the scores, keeping the tally as the game progresses. These score keepers umpire all disputed points, and must be tactful and familiar with the rules. Prizes are the order of the day at nearly all card parties. They should be, however, of no great value — merely dainty trifles, the winning of which causes no heartburnings. To have expensive prizes is a fatal mistake in good taste. To have none at all, or merely a badge for the winner, such as a rose or ribbon, is both good taste and good morals, in this day of excessive card-playing. One giver of charm- ing card parties never has any prizes, but at each card table a pretty pencil, tied with ribbon, is placed to keep the score, and the one who wins carries off the pencil as a badge of victory. When women exult over half a dozen pieces of bric-a-brac or em- broidery won as card prizes during the year, there is something repellent about it to fastidious minds. CHAPTER III OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS THE most formal outdoor entertainment is, of course, the lawn fete, or garden party. For the average requirements, as has been well said, '' a green lawn, a few trees, a good prospect, a fine day, and something to eat," are enough; and even the good prospect and the few trees can be elimi- nated, if necessary, and a pleasant garden party be possible on what is left. An invitation to a large garden party should be given a fortnight beforehand, the invitations being in this form: MR. AND MRS. JAMES SMITH request the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Robinson's company on Thursday, May thirtieth AT THREE o'CLOCK. Garden Party. Belmont. If the guests are to come by train or trolley, a small card inclosed should give the train or ear schedule, both going and returning. A garden party, strictly to fulfill its name, should be held entirely in the open air. The refreshments 50 OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 51 should be served outside, and the guests remain out- of-doors. But of course the day may turn out a rainy one, or chilly for the season, and therefore it is well always to arrange so that things may be in- doors if necessary. A large porch always is an ad- vantage in this way, for the supper can be installed there if the clouds are threatening. A tent is often used in which to serve the refreshments also. Rugs laid on the grass are much appreciated by elderly or rheumatic guests, and if they are spread in a nook protected by trees, and easy-chairs set comfortably in array, the kind forethought of the hostess will be blessed by those who profit and enjoy. The hostess receives on the lawn. She may wear a hat or not, as the weather and her tastes dictate. The guests, on arriving at the house door, are asked to go upstairs to leave their wraps, if they wish. After that, a servant or some young member of the family in attendance should show them to the part of the grounds where the hostess is receiving, unless it is plainly visible from the door. When they have been greeted by her, they are free to wander about, and seek the supper table whenever they are ready. It is the usual rule to have only cold refreshments. Salads, ham, tongue, sandwiches in variety, fine fruit, jellies, ices, cakes, candies, lemonade or punch, are in order. Hot tea and coffee can be added at will, of course. An orchestra is a great addition to a formal gar- den party. It is prettier for it to be out of sight, 52 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS and not too close to the table, or to where the hostess stands. However, in the open air music is rarely too loud to interfere with conversation, and lends a charm to the natural beauties of the occasion. Sometimes the easiest way is to serve the supper in the house, and let the guests come in as they feel inclined. To serve the refreshments in the open air means more people serving, more trays, more glass and china, and so on. Indeed, it is most unwise for a hostess to use her handsome glass and china out- doors, for breakages are frequent. To hire it for the occasion, china, silver, glass, and all, is much better. But when supper is served in the house, all one's pretty things can be used to advantage. Out-of- doors, too, the service has to be of the most finished and careful kind. No piles of plates, glasses, etc., must be seen on the grass ; there must be a full sup- ply of napkins and spoons, with no chance of delay; all the dishes of food must be kept replenished before they have a chance to be empty; and the greatest care must be taken not to spill anything in carrying the trays about. For these reasons, unless trained servants are at command, or a first-class caterer can be employed, serving in the house is the wiser alternative. Some possessors of pretty country places prefer a series of ''At Homes " in June to a formal garden party. Card invitations are used for these as for an ordinary " At Home," and an inclosed smaller card gives trains. The hostess receives out-of-doors, OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 53 but the refreshments are served in the house, and are like those at an elaborate afternoon tea — sand- wiches, ices, cakes, candies, tea, coffee, and lemonade or punch. These *' At Homes," of which there are generally three, have the great advantage over a single large garden party, that one of them, at least, is sure to fall upon a fine day, and usually two. It is always well to have some form of outdoor amusement at a garden party. Tennis, croquet, tether ball, quoits, may all be in evidence. But with a beautiful June day, all that most of the guests ask is to be out-of-doors and stroll about; and if the ladies have elaborate dresses and long skirts, they are rather handicapped for games, while short skirts are hardly the fashion for a formal affair. MAY-DAY PARTY The outdoor party, given on a holiday, is a far more informal and jolly affair. A May-Day party, for instance, is very charming. A Maypole, of course, is planted on the lawn. Traditional sports are tried, with prizes for each; the Maypole dance winds up the fun. A simple supper of sandwiches, salad, and ice cream can be served on the lawn or porch. FOURTH -OF-JULY PARTY A Fourth-of-July party can be made a most pic- turesque and patriotic affair. The flag should be everywhere — hung out from the house, draped over 54 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS the porches, flying from a tall flagpole on the lawn. Tiny flags can be fastened on the standards of the tennis nets and on the croquet stakes. In addition to the other sports, the flag game may be played. Ten small flags are stuck into the ground in a row, ten more in another row a little ahead, and so on for ten rows. Ten players are then chosen, and at a given signal each starts to pluck up his or her row of flags, one at a time, runs across the lawn, and sticks each flag firmly in the ground at a designated sep- arate goal. The flags must be well stuck into the earth, and stand upright. If they fall over or break, they are not counted. The player who gets the whole ten flags first into the ground at his or her goal wins the round. After the several sets of players have finished, the winners then play a final round, and the victorious player receives a larger flag as a prize. The refreshments can be, to some extent, red, white, and blue — blocks of strawberry and vanilla ice cream, sprinkled with candied violets; cakes iced in the three colors and mingled together, and candies arranged in the same way. The table can have a wide blue ribbon down the center, and a bank of red geranium for a centerpiece. After supper, the Dec- laration of Independence can be read from the porch, patriotic songs sung to guitar or mandolin, and the fireworks are in order in the twilight. Some patri- otic owners of handsome country places give such a Fourth-of-July party to their friends every year, as an established custom. OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 55 A CHINESE FEAST A Chinese feast is a good outdoor idea for mid- summer evenings. The porch and garden paths are hung with Chinese lanterns, and the lights covered with red and yellow shades. Chinese incense sticks add a perfume by their slow burning. Fan-tan, played at small tables, is an appropriate game. For refreshments, tea, of course, is served, with tiny rice cakes, nut sandwiches, chop-suey if possible, pre- served figs, candied ginger, and any Chinese nuts or confections that the stores furnish. A fan drill on the porch, by four or six girls in Chinese costume, is given, and each guest receives a little Chinese fan, with the date written on it, as a souvenir. Fire- crackers on the lawn are entirely appropriate, and other Chinese fireworks. FLOWER PARTY A flower party is suitable for garden or porch parties for young people. The hostess, in inviting each girl, should ask her to come dressed to repre- sent some flower, and to bring a verse or quotation describing the flower she personifies. Care must be taken to get all the flowers different. As each girl arrives, the verse she brings is put with the others on a tray, and each young man in turn draws from the tray, and sets out in search of the flower de- scribed. Supper is served at little tables for two, 5^ THE COMPLETE HOSTESS scattered about the grounds, or on the porches, each table decorated with a special flower. For those flowers not in season, paper or artificial flowers have to be used. A dance winds up the evening, or an impromptu concert on the porch, with banjo or man- dolin accompaniment, and chorus singing by the guests. LAWN HUNTS Lawn hunts are very pleasant affairs for children 's parties and young people, and can be of innumerable kinds. For a contest hunt, for example, dozens of pieces of white note paper, each with a question of some kind, are hidden all over the lawn, in the bushes, the hedges, the rustic seats, the flower borders — everywhere. Some of them have flower quotations on them, with a request for the author's name; some have a bit of bark or a leaf wrapped up in them, and a demand for its source and name ; some have the name of a tune, and request the finder to sing it, and so on. The one who finds the most papers, and answers them correctly, wins a prize. The peanut hunt, as its name implies, calls for any quantity of peanuts. Some are wrapped in blue tissue paper, some in pink, some in white, and then they are hidden all over the lawn, the blue ones al- ways in the hardest places. The hunter who finds the most blue-wrapped peanuts gets the prize. A heart hunt needs dozens of little red cardboard hearts, to be hidden about the lawn. A dozen slightly OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 57 larger ones are cut irregularly in half, and the halves hidden not too near each other. Each player finding a plain heart counts one; any player finding the two halves of a larger heart, which fit together rightly, counts twenty, and the one counting highest wins a prize. With any of these hunts, a good addition is a gypsy tent on the lawn, where a girl clever in palm- istry tells fortunes after the hunt is over. The supper should be served on the lawn on little tables, and should be simple, as ice cream, cake and lemon- ade, or salad, sandwiches, and chocolate. EVENING LAWN RECEPTION An evening lawn reception is pretty, and is a pleasant way of celebrating summer wedding anni- versaries. The grounds are lighted by Japanese lan- terns, little electric lamps in colors, or fairy lamps. Benches or chairs are set under the trees in groups or pairs, and there is music either on the porch or in the grounds. The house may be open, if the music is on the porch, for the younger people to go in and dance, if they are so inclined. The supper is served out-of-doors or indoors, as convenient; and if out- doors, should be cold, consisting of sandwiches, salad, ices, strawberries, cake, lemonade, or coffee, or any selection of these, if all are not desired. 58 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS A NAMING PARTY A naming party is very good fun where the grounds have a variety of plants, shrubs, and flowers. This is an afternoon affair, and the guests are formed into two sides, chosen alternately by the leaders, one of whom should be a man and the other a woman. A referee, with some knowledge of botany, is necessary. Each side then makes a circuit round the lawn, com- mencing at different points, and naming every shrub, tree, and flower in turn, making a written list as they go. After the circuits are made, both sides meet on the porch, and the lists are compared, the referee deciding which side is right in a case of disagree- ment, or whether both are wrong, even if they agree. The losing side wait upon the winners at the supper table, and must give them a picnic in the woods later. BARN PARTY It is a question whether a barn party comes under the head of outdoor entertainments; but certainly it cannot be called a house affair. A new barn is usually the scene of such entertainments. The stalls are trimmed with flowers, and tables sometimes set in them. The floor is scrubbed, and used for dan- cing, or old-fashioned games can be played. A dairy supper is appropriate, of creamed potatoes, chicken salad or creamed chicken, cottage cheese, cream puffs, ice cream, cream cake, milk and buttermilk, and with milking stools for the guests to sit on. OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 59 PICNICS Leaving one's own lawn out of the question, there are endless ways of having a picnic somewhere else. A Maying Party is about the earliest possible of these, and it is well to wait until the middle of the month, unless the weather is unusually comfortable. The luncheon can be provided by the hostess or brought by the guests. Perhaps the best way is for the hostess to provide the essentials of it — cold chicken, sandwiches, cake, and coffee or lemonade, and ask each guest to bring a '' mystery " package. Some- thing a little unusual in the edible line, sufficient for two or three people, should be wrapped neatly in oiled paper, or packed in a tiny covered basket, and brought. The guessing, when lunch-time comes, as to what is in the packages, and the sampling of them with picnic appetites, adds greatly to the fun. A Maying party can tramp after the wild flowers, or go part or all of the way in wagons or carriages. The hostess may provide these, or the guests may prefer to drive themselves. FOURTH-OF-JULY PICNIC A Fourth-of-July picnic, of course, must be patri- otic. Those giving it should drive, or send out a little in advance of the others, and hang flags and bunting upon the trees and rocks of the place chosen. The table, even if spread only on the grass, should 60 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS have little stacks of tiny flags standing at intervals on it, and a broad strip of red, white, and blue down the middle. If arranged with boards laid on boxes or barrels, it can be trimmed more elaborately. A large flag, hung against wall or rock, with a square of blue cloth basted over the stars, furnishes a chance for a game like the famous donkey party. Give each guest a white cotton cloth or paper star and a pin, blindfold him, turn him round twice, head him for the flag, and tell him to pin the star in place. Fire- works are in place, of course, and the reading of the Declaration and singing of '* America '' and " The Star-Spangled Banner. '^ A quartette of four, dressed in the colors of Cuba, Porto Rico, Hawaii, and the Philippines, might lead the singing with picturesque effect. SURPRISE PICNIC A surprise picnic is a good idea. The giver invites people for an afternoon drive, with no mention of supper, and either pretends to get lost or finds the place farther away on the road, apparently, than had been supposed. The wagons drive on, and every- body begins to feel hungry and far from home, when suddenly the leader turns in at some unexpected place, and there is a table, ready laid, with hot coffee, sandwiches, salad, cake, and other good things wait- ing, and cushions and rugs on the grass. The hostess must, of course, have a capable member of OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 61 the household, or reliable servant, to have all this arranged and ready just on time, as its charm lies entirely in its impromptu perfection. TETE-A-TETE PICNIC A tete-a-tete picnic has great charms. As many baskets should be packed by the hostess as there are couples, and tied prettily with ribbons. Each girl is given one of these baskets, and each young man a pencil or a napkin tied with corresponding ribbons. By matching ribbons, the couples are sorted out at luncheon. In this way the partners can be carefully matched beforehand by the hostess, or left to chance, as she pleases. In each basket are two or three kinds of sandwiches, mayonnaise, cucumber, Qg^, nut, let- tuce, or chicken; a little jar of salad or some broiled chicken wrapped in waxed paper. Cake and ice cream and lemonade or coffee should be taken, for all, by the hostess. Mottoes, packed in the baskets, add to the fun. If it is desired to change partners after luncheon, or going home, make a heap on a rock of two flowers of the same kind, two bits of bark, two stones, and so on. Let each guest draw from the heap and pair off with the one holding the duplicate. PROGRESSIVE PICNIC A progressive picnic begins in the same way, but the lunch is packed in the baskets in courses, with 62 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS waxed paper between each course. A slip of paper, with a description of another partner, or her name, directs each young man to his partner for the next course. The girls stay where they are, with the bas- kets; the young men change places in this way after each course. OPEN-AIR VAUDEVILLE PICNIC An open-air vaudeville picnic can be made a bril- liant success. Two requisites are necessary: a man- ager who can think up stage charades, light plays, monologues, etc., in the open air, and guests who will take the parts well. Monologues, violin and guitar music brought in, flower or fan drills, are all charm- ing in open-air vaudeville. Nothing long or am- bitious should be attempted — only bright trifles. The guests can regale themselves from the lunch baskets between the ' ' turns, ' ' or have luncheon be- fore or after the performance, as the hostess pleases. FISHING PARTY A fishing party is always popular. It can be com- bined with either a shore or a river picnic, and the fish that are caught can be cooked to perfection over an open-air fire. On the river, a quaint way of fish- ing is to prepare a number of jugs of medium size, tightly corked, with a heavy fishing line five or six feet long tied around the neck, and a baited hook OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 63 at the end. As each jug is baited, it is thrown out into the water from a boat. Then the fishers, in the other boats, wait until the jugs begin to bob and run away. This is caused by the hooking of a fish, and the next thing to do is to follow the jugs and haul up the fish. Sometimes the chase is quite a long one, and sometimes the fish gets off the hook, so it is sufficiently exciting sport. When a fish is caught, the hook is rebaited and the jug thrown in again. CLAMBAKE • A clambake or chowder party is old-fashioned, but never out of fashion. The fire requires an expert to prepare, and the ingredients of bake or chowder are also prescribed by local rule, and differ in different places. Long Island and the New England coast hold the palm. An expert being secured, the hostess should convey her guests by boat, wagon, or trolley to the shore, and give them a sail if they enjoy it, or a chance to fish, before the bake or chowder is served. An afternoon clambake, with a moonlight sail or ride home, is especially enjoyable. A FARM PICNIC A farm picnic is a delight to city or suburban guests. A farm prettily situated, not too far from trolley or train, whose owner will hire it out, house, barns, and all, for the day, is the first requisite. The 64 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS hostess then arranges things to suit herself — ham- mocks and swings under the trees, croquet, tennis, and even improvised golf links, the barn cleared up for a dining room, and the hayfield ready for a frolic. The guests arrive by wagon or train to find cool sitting rooms and porches, plenty of sport, a charming luncheon, and the privilege of tossing hay and riding on the load to the barn. The hostess provides the eatables, and the farmer and his family need not appear at all, except in the hayfield or the dishwashing. It may be that their presence, how- ever, will be a great addition to the picnic, and give the pleasantest of home touches to the day. CORN ROAST A corn roast is one of the most enjoyable of out- door entertainments for a summer twilight. A big fire of wood is built upon a hill or in some pictur- esque open spot. A lot of long, tough sticks are cut, like fishing rods, but sharpened to a point, and green, so that they will not catch fire easily. Num- berless fine ears of the juiciest corn are then shucked and piled at one side. When the guests arrive, the fire should be clear and deep, a bed of glowing embers. Each guest is given an ear of corn and shown how to impale it on the tough green stake; then he or she must roast it at the fire. When it is done, it will be black and sizzling, but delicious. Salt, pepper, and butter are provided on picnic OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 65 plates, and the guests eat their corn in true al fresco style, and always want more. Apples are roasted as a dessert, and hot coffee can be served with sand- wiches. Then, as the fire dies down, the merry feasters dance round it, trampling it out; or, as in a fagot party, each guest may be required to fling a tiny fagot on the embers and either tell a story, sing a song, or do some other " stunt '' till it is en- tirely consumed. STRAW RIDE A straw ride is too well known to need any descrip- tion. The wearing of large straw farm hats by the guests is always funny and picturesque, while to trim the wagon with yellow bunting, oxeye daisies, or golden-rod is pretty. The horses can also have yel- low ribbons on their harness, or sprigs of golden-rod. The more uneven the road chosen, the better. It is well to have among the guests some who can sing well and lead choruses. A novel idea for a straw- ride supper is to have a miniature haystack on the table, in the center, with little pitchforks, rakes, hoes, scythes, spades, etc., round its base, each one at the end of a yellow ribbon streamer leading to some one's plate. At a signal, each guest pulls the rib- bon and gets one of these tiny implements, with which he or she is expected to eat the next course. 66 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS SOUVENIR PICNIC A souvenir picnic has a special object in view. The picnickers go out, under the direction of the hostess, to enjoy themselves, but also to hunt for material to be used for some purpose. Birch bark, fungi, balsam, cones, wild grasses are all searched for, and the finest specimens possible brought in. After a good luncheon these are sorted over, and different guests promise to make certain sorts of souvenirs from them. One girl takes the balsam to dry and make pillows; another offers to embroider covers for them. One young man undertakes to make birch- bark match boxes or glove boxes, and another birch- bark waste-baskets and photograph frames. An ar- tistic guest takes the fungi to make etchings on them, and so on. When all the souvenirs are finished a souvenir sale is held, and the people at the hotels or in the town are usually glad to buy the lovely pro- ducts of this profitable picnic. A SAILING PARTY A sailing party is an old story, but a very satisfac- tory form of outdoor entertainment. In giving a moonlight sailing party on a large river, or off a fre- quented shore, it is often easier and pleasanter to stop somewhere for supper at a restaurant or cafe instead of preparing and carrying the food. Shawls, wraps, and cushions should always be provided by OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 67 the hostess, as otherwise some guests will be certain to be cold and uncomfortable on the water. DRIVES A mountain or woodland or shore drive is a de- lightful form of outdoor entertainment. To start in the afternoon for some point of interest ten or fif- teen miles away, and order a good supper there, have a dance, perhaps, if conditions will allow of it, and drive home by moonlight, is a form of amusement that never palls if the guests are in the least con- genial. The advent of the automobile makes a trip of this kind possible of indefinite extension — forty or fifty miles instead of fifteen. In the same way the new motor boats make long trips on the water possible, with no fear of a calm and its embarrassments. More and more the Americans are becoming an out-of-door people, with new out-of-door sports and pleasures; and we may have air-ship moonlight excursions be- fore we get through. In concluding, one word about picnic fare. Every- thing should be wrapped daintily in waxed paper, and tablecloths, napkins, tumblers, etc., should be clean and shining. But nothing should be handsome or elaborate; that spoils the picnic effect. The Jap- anese paper napkin and the wooden plate are de- sirable. But it is never right to leave them littering 6 68 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS up a spot where a picnic has been held. To burn them carefully, in a fire that is trampled out on leav- ing, is the best way, and leaves out-of-doors as neat as before the picnic. An oil stove is a good thing to carry on picnics, to heat coffee or food with. Baked beans cooked in an earthen-covered pipkin, and lifted very hot off the stove into a basket or box filled with hay, which is packed down over the pip- kin, and a cloth tucked tight over all, will keep warm and appetizing for hours. So will a pot of succotash, or any hot dish not too liquid, that can be packed and carried in this way. Creamed chicken can be brought in this way, and be hot enough to be put into pate shells at the picnic luncheon, adding quite a zest to the bill of fare. If olives or other bottled or canned food are taken, can openers and corkscrews must not be forgotten, or can and bottle must be carefully opened before leaving. A close at- tention to dainty detail makes the difference between an appetizing picnic luncheon and a depressing one. SLEIGHING PARTIES A sleighing party is a pleasant winter form of out- door entertainment. Those who know most about sleighing take the greatest precaution against cold. When the guests begin to shiver, the fun is at an end. The sleighs should be roomy, well supplied with fur robes, and each guest should be supplied with either a soapstone or a hot-water holder for OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENTS 69 keeping the feet warm. Warm wraps should be put in for the benefit of those novices who start without thick enough clothing. It is best always to have a warm luncheon or supper at the other end of the sleigh ride, which can then be made longer without fear of freezing the participants. There is nothing more exhilarating than a comfortable sleigh ride, and nothing more wretched than an uncomfortable one. The more bells and accouterments on the horses, the jollier the effect. A moonlight sleigh ride is a spe- cially charming form of entertainment. CHAPTER IV children's parties IT is an easy thing, because of their responsive- ness, to afford a happy time for children. A few merry games, a light supper, a trifling sou- venir, and off they go, truthfully assuring their host- ess of having had " a splendid time." For very little tots, from two to five-thirty in the afternoon, or three to six, is the best time for a party. For children from five to twelve, four to eight o 'clock. For the latter, supper should be served shortly after their arrival. The tiny tots' invitations are, of course, written by mamma, but children of a larger growth appreciate an invitation much more when written in the large, round, painstaking hand of the boy or girl giving the party, supervised by an elder, yet retaining the turn of expression natural to a child. At these parties the hostess stands in the back- ground, cordially seconding the welcome first ex- tended to the guests by her little son or daughter. Half an hour is allowed for assembling, — music, or a " round " game filling up the interim before sup- per is announced. After supper come the games: Blind Man's Buff, Puss in the Corner, and the like; 70 CHILDREN'S PARTIES 71 then a dance, the Swedish '' Sir Roger de Coverly '* being most appropriate. In this dance half the children kneel and clap their hands; the rest run through their ranks to the top. Among the games or plays for children which fol- low, a number of old favorites have been included, others are old with new features, and many are new. As simplicity is the cry of the hour, suggestions for costly gifts and elaborate decorations or suppers do not occur. A hostess of unlimited means can control those features at will. CAT AND MOUSE All the players join hands and form a ring. A little girl — the mouse — ^stands in the center; outside the circle prowls a boy — the cat. They dance round and round rapidly, raising their arms at inter- vals. Watching his chance, the cat tries to spring into the circle at one side; the mouse dashes out at the other. The children, always sympathizing with the mouse, aid her efforts and impede the cat's. When the latter gets into the circle, they lower their arms to keep him prisoner. He goes around meekly, crying ^' Mew, mew," while they all dance gayly around him. AVith a sudden " Miaow," out he dashes through a weak place he has found in the chain of hands. He at once pursues the mouse, who runs for safety into the ring. If the cat is so near as to follow the mouse into the ring before he 72 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS can be prevented, she pays a forfeit; also when caught outside the circle. If the cat is unsuccessful, he must pay the forfeit. Two other players are then selected by cat and mouse to succeed them. The forfeits are imposed by the hostess, and are paid when the game is over. They can be made very diverting. AN ANIMAL PARTY Invitations to this party may be written thus: *' Jimmie Robinson invites you for Saturday after- noon to an Animal Party. Please bring your men- agerie with you." The arrival of a score or more boys and girls at the appointed time with all sorts and sizes of animals, in arms, in little red and green wagons, in baskets, or on wheels led by a string, is a very funny sight, in- deed, and quite diverting to the neighbors. When all have arrived, there will be cotton-flannel elephants and rabbits, calico monkeys, cats, hens, roosters, and dogs, or real " store " ones, made of " sure enough " feathers and skin ; horses with long tails, and cows and donkeys with short. In the half hour allotted before refreshments are served a general examina- tion of one another's treasures takes place, and many an animal changes hands in the '' swapping " trans- actions which occur. From the dining room is heard the loud crow of a rooster announcing supper, at which the cakes and confections are cut and molded in the form of animals. In the center of the table is CHILDREN'S PARTIES 73 a large papier-mache Noah's ark, which at the proper time will fall to pieces, disclosing a pretty gift for each child. After supper a play called The Farm Yard is in order. A boy chosen for Farmer calls the children out one by one, gives them the name of beast or fowl, and instructs them, when he raises his right hand, to neigh, if he is a horse ; moo, if he is a cow, and so on; when he lifts his left hand, all must become silent. The donkey and rooster are instructed other- wise. When he lifts his left hand, they must bray and crow the louder. The effect is very comical if the boy representing the donkey '^ heehaws " in the proper manner. This play never fails to divert chil- dren, and even people who are '' grown up." Now follows an impromptu Noah's ark play. The children are grouped in the hall or adjoining room; some one at the piano plays a march, and into the ark file the youngsters, each leading an animal by a string. In and out, round and round they go, till the music ceases, '* good-bys " are said, and off for home chattering like magpies go the delighted little guests. A DOLL'S PARTY The invitations for this entertainment, written on ** Tom Thumb " paper, request the little girls to bring their dolls with them in place of animals. This is essentially a girl's party, but boys can be included, adding to the fun by bringing rag dolls 74 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS dressed as sailors, policemen, soldiers, etc. The ugliest doll will be displayed by the little hostess, whose tricks and experiences she will relate in a manner calculated to excite laughter and set the ball of chatter rolling. The boys, not to be left out in the talk, will have wonderful stories to tell of the doings and sayings of their respective dolls also. March is an appropriate time for such parties, as in flowery Japan the Feast of the Doll occurs in that month. That fact allows wide scope for decorations and costumes. A pretty idea would be to issue the in- vitations on cards or tiny note paper bearing the picture of a Japanese maiden, requesting the little guests to come attired in like manner. This can be easily done, and cheaply. For souvenirs, small Japanese fans, lanterns, dolls, etc. BIRTHDAY PARTY In honor of a child's birthday, the rooms should be made as festal as possible, with the birthday flower given great prominence. It is customary for the little guests to bring a trifling gift for their com- rade, but some parents forbid this apparent price of hospitality. The birthday cake at such a party holds the place of honor. Around the edge of this, in small tin hold- ers, are arranged a number of candles, one for each year of the child's life. These candles are blown out by the little guests, each in turn making a secret A DOLL'S PAETY. CHILDREN'S PARTIES 75 wish in the interest of the ** birthday '' girl or boy. A wreath of flowers, or knotted ribbons, hide the tin holders. Often the candles are omitted, the icing of the cake representing the face of a clock, the hour hand pointing to the number indicating the child's age. In this cake are baked the regulation ring, coin, and thimble, if the boy or girl guests are over ten years of age; if younger, a simple gift for each is found in his slice. Again, the birthday cake con- tains no surprises, but instead a Jack Horner pie, covered with paper crust and frills to conceal the gifts within, is brought in and deposited upon the table. Each present is wrapped in tissue paper and tied with ribbon, red, say, for boys, blue for girls; the ends appearing outside of the pie. ** One, two, three," counts the hostess; all pull simultaneously, and each child finds a gift at the end of his ribbon. Simple games follow, such as: THE LONE FISHERMAN This is a variation of the old donkey party. A square of muslin upon which is drawn or pasted a fisherman, with rod in hand, has been stretched at one side of the room. A fish made of crepe paper and stuck through its gills with a pin is given to each child, and one by one they are blindfolded and bid- den to attach the fish to the hook dangling from the fisherman's line. The one who places it on or near- est the hook receives an appropriate prize. 76 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS HISS AND CLAP This is not a new game by any means, but always enjoyed by very young children. Boys all leave the room; girls are seated with a vacant chair at right hand of each. " Whom do you choose to sit beside you? " asks the leader. The little girl names a boy; he is ushered in, looks around the circle, and sits be- side the one whom he thinks likely to have chosen him. If correct, all " clap " him; if not, he is hissed, and must go out and try it over again. As a general thing, the little girls, unpracticed as yet in deception, betray their preferences so plainly that the boy, if he choses, will not have to leave the room; often he does not '^ choose," not admiring the one who has favored him, and so is more than ready to try it over again. INDOOR BUBBLE CONTEST Cover a long table with a woolen cloth; at inter- vals place ribbon-boimd wickets. Girls and boys take sides; each player blows three bubbles at a time, endeavoring to fan or blow them through the wickets before they burst. If the bubble passes one wicket, it counts five points; ten points are counted for two wickets, fifteen for three, and so on. A good formula for soapsuds, made the day before using, is : one gill of glycerin, one ounce white Castile-soap shavings, pint of water ; shake, and allow to settle. CHILDREN'S PARTIES 77 TOPSY-TURVY CONCERT The children selected for this performance should be of uniform size, or nearly so. Across the room is stretched a sheet, behind which the performers stand, gravely looking at the audience, only their heads showing above the sheet. On their arms stockings have been drawn; also over these are put shoes, slippers, and boots; the curtain is so arranged that unseen they take their places. One sings a verse of some topical song, at the close of which all per- formers duck their heads, uplift their arms and wriggle them about in all sorts of comical gestures, singing the chorus of the song at the same time. The effect is very funny, the singers apparently stand- ing on their heads. Then they drop their arms, raise their heads, and the second verse is sung. The effect can be made more comical by the girls dressing their arms in ruffles for pantalets, by Punch and Judy masks here and there, and so on. Some of the slip- pers and shoes used may be new and dainty, but old brogans and boots make the funniest showing. A singing master in front of the curtain, gesticulating wildly, and in a squeaking voice commanding, '' Now sing," adds to the fun greatly. UNITED STATES MAIL This requires a large room and little furniture. Chairs are arranged around at equal distances from each other. A postmaster is chosen by the company. 78 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS He gives each one of the players the name of a city, which he records on a tablet. When the postmaster calls, '' The post is going from Chicago to Boston," the children bearing these names quickly change seats, while one who has been blindfolded seeks to secure one of the vacated seats. If successful, the player whose chair he occupies takes his place. Now and then ** General post " is called, when all change seats. The scrimmage which follows provokes no end of fun. FOX AND HEN This is a good out-of-doors game, but can be played in the house if an entire floor can be given up to the sport. A tract, or space, is set apart for the farm- yard, in which the chickens are safe from the fox. A boy is selected for the fox, and a girl for the hen; the rest are her chickens, standing in a row behind her, grasping one another by the waist. The fox then hides in his den, as secret a corner as he can find. The venturesome hen slowly approaches the den, fol- lowed by her chicks. ** Please, Mr. Fox," says she very politely at the entrance, '' can you tell me what time it is? " If not inclined to catch a chick for dinner, the fox answers, ** One o'clock," or ** Two," or '' Three," upon which the hen meanders off un- molested. This will happen several times; at last he replies, ** Twelve o'clock at night," dashes out, catches a chick if he can, and carries it to his den, from which she tries to escape when he next dashes CHILDREN'S PARTIES 79 out. If the fox succeeds in catching the hen, she be- comes the fox, and another hen is chosen. A sly fox will endeavor to keep the brood in a state of panic for some time by once in a while answering '' Twelve o'clock, noon! " The excitement of the little chicks will be enhanced if the fox bears the likeness of one by wearing a mask. A VALENTINE PARTY For each child invited, have ready a pretty valen- tine containing the childish message, *' I love you," written, if possible, and signed by the child or chil- dren giving the party. Inclose these in envelopes sealed with red wax, heart-shaped. As each little guest arrives, the hostess gives him or her a paper heart on which is written the name of a bird; these are duplicates, the little boys each holding one cor- responding to a girl's. After a merry game, such as Drop the Handkerchief, comes a loud peal of the door bell. A postman is admitted carrying a post bag over his shoulder. He stands in the hall, and inquires in a loud voice if Miss Bluebird lives there. The child answering to the name, in much astonish- ment, responds. '' I have a letter for you," says the postman; " come here and get it." She does so, and receives her valentine. Mr. Goldfinch, Mrs. Blue- jay, etc., follow, till half the guests have received a valentine. Then the postman shoulders his bag and leaves, to the manifest disappointment of the other little ones. Another round game, Blind-man's Buff," 80 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS or Tirza, better known as Two's and Three's — a lull, and again the door bell rings loudly. 'Tis the post- man, who in like manner distributes the other val- entines. Now the birds, Mr. and Mrs. Blue jay, etc., join hands and skip about the room to a lively meas- ure, after which they flutter into the dining room, the little fellows very attentive to their respective mates. Saint Valentine's Post can be arranged along the same lines as United States Mail. In such a case, place the valentines in a pretty basket, wreathed with flowers and ribbons and suspended from the mantel or chandelier. When the children have arrived, the hostess " counts out " to find who will be postman. That one is blindfolded, and the rest sit around the room in a circle, the hostess, or one of the family, acting as postmistress; each child is given the name of city or town. " I have sent a valentine from Boston to Denver," says the postmistress. If a child remains seated when his name is called, he takes the postman's place, and the retiring postman receives a valentine. The game never flags, so anxious are the little ones to win a valentine. A Heart Hunt may follow this — small sugar hearts hid in nooks and crannies, or pasteboard hearts of different colors; white hearts, when found, counting one point, pink two, and so on. The child finding the greatest number is rewarded by a pretty gift, a heart- shaped basket filled with honhons, a bisque Cupid, a gilt bow and arrow, or the like. CHILDREN'S PARTIES 81 ALL FOOLS' DAY When or where the customs of the first day of April originated is not known, but in many climes and countries the day has for centuries been chosen as the proper time for playing harmless and amus- ing tricks on the unwary. In Scotland the hoaxed one is called ^' gowk," from the cuckoo bird, who does not know enough to build its own nest. In France he is called Poisson d'Avril, or April Fish, and, again. Silly Mackerel. In England, the day at the time of the arrival of the Christians was called Fools' Holiday. At all entertainments in honor of the day, guests have to be wary. A cream drop, when bitten into, may prove to be a small pill box filled with flour, the top and edges of the box pasted over with tissue paper, then iced. Small cakes will prove blocks of wood covered with batter and nicely browned in the oven; chocolate drops turn out to be wooden button molds, and a pretty confection, garnished with crepe paper, is only a small radish heavily iced. Any " trick " games are appropriate for All Fools' Day, a number of amusing ones, suitable for boys and girls of older growth, following. FOURPAWS MENAGERIE Those acquainted with the " show " betake them- selves to an adjoining room, where the animals are on exhibition. Those to be " hoaxed " enter the 82 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS menagerie one at a time, and are met by the keeper, who asks what particular animal he or she desires to see first. ** A monkey,*' may be the pert answer. Gravely the keeper escorts the boy to a large cage, or what seems like one, in the corner; the curtain is drawn aside, and lo! the young man gazes into a mirror reflecting his own image. He remains in the room to laugh at the other dupes who follow. This show can be made very amusing by the ** knowing '' ones, who officiate as barker, doorkeeper, ticket seller, and attendants. The cage is composed of a number of chairs upon a table covered with shawls or sheets, and a mirror arranged as a window. MENAGERIE NUMBER TWO Secure a box four to six feet long, open at both ends ; put a sliding partition in the center, and place it, covered with a dark cloth, on a table in an ad- joining room. A boy and girl are admitted, and the usual question, what particular animal they desire to see first, is asked. The keeper places the girl at one end of the box and the boy at the other, telling them to gaze within. For a second they see nothing. The partition is suddenly lifted, and they gaze at one another. They remain in the room till all have been hoaxed in like manner. CHILDREN'S PARTIES 83 KNIGHT OF THE WHISTLE This game always proves enjoyable to young folks, no matter of what age. One unacquainted with the game is chosen for ^* dupe.'* He kneels down, and with many weird incantations and pow-wows the ceremony of declaring him Knight of the Whistle takes place. As he kneels, a ribbon to which a whistle is attached is deftly pinned to his coat. The company then sit on the floor in a circle, a whistle is produced by the leader, and the knight told to catch the one who blows it. All unconscious of the one dangling behind him — which is the one always blown — he turns round and round, vainly seeking the cul- prit. His frantic efforts in this direction are most amusing. In order to prolong the fun, the dangling whistle must not be touched by a clumsy hand. The one whom he at length catches at the trick must pay a forfeit, or wear a fool's cap the remainder of the evening. KNIGHTS TEMPLAR This is the old but ever-amusing hoax called the Mesmerist, in a new form, and well adapted to sup- plement any one of the above tricks at an All Fools' Day party. The leader, standing before the mantel, announces that a juvenile order of Knights Templar is about to be formed, and requires candidates for the same to advance and stand before him. A num- ber will do so, to whom he puts all sorts of absurd 7 84 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS questions requiring like answers. Suddenly the leader assumes a serious air, impressing upon the novitiates the importance of a certain rite which is to follow. Muttering a few words of gibberish, he claps his hands thrice, upon which signal a monk enters the room bearing a number of saucers. He deposits these upon a table, lights some joss sticks, bowing and salaaming, his head occasionally touch- ing the floor with an audible thump. With great ceremony he then passes a saucer to the leader, then one to each candidate. * ' Do as I do, ' ' commands the leader, " if you would be true knights." Rubbing his index finger along the bottom of his saucer, he then with the same finger makes a cross upon fore- head, nose, and chin. When the candidates, having done likewise, turn to the audience, they present a comical sight, some faces smeared with lampblack, others with crayon, green, blue, and red. The leader's face bears no sign, the bottom of his saucer having been perfectly clean. KISSING THE POPE'S TOE Those among the audience familiar with the trick remain in the room. In a large chair the pope seats himself, his entire person covered with a sheet reach- ing the floor, beneath which his slippered toe is just visible. One after another the pilgrims outside are admitted, kneel to kiss the pope's toe, and receive from the bending prelate a douche of cold water on CHILDREN'S PARTIES 85 head or neck. A sponge saturated with water, in the pope's hand, does the trick. AN EGG HUNT This can take the form of an Easter luncheon for little folks. Send the invitations written on the back of a pretty Easter card. Serve the luncheon on small tables arranged in a circle round a stand on which is a potted Easter lily, or a number of crepe paper ones, which can be made at home ox bought at very little cost. Two tiny candlesticks holding lighted tapers adorn each table; they are pretty when adorned with pale yellow paper shades. By the side of each plate the children find a souvenir in the shape of a china rabbit filled with tiny candy eggs, or per- haps a hen sitting on sugar eggs in a tiny basket or in a home-made nest. After the luncheon a search for Easter eggs takes place, the eggs, beautifully colored, having been hid- den throughout the lower floor. Among the number is a goose Qgg, or rather shell, colored a bright yellow, and tied about the middle with a red ribbon. When opened by the finder, a tiny chick is discovered with- in, holding in its beak a gold ring. If the finder be a girl, well and good; if a boy, it is a pretty custom for him to place it upon the finger of the little one he most admires. A pretty scene can be arranged for this ceremony by the hostess, or a circle may be formed, boy in center, who makes his choice, and, 86 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS upon bended knee, places the ring upon her finger, the others dancing around singing one of their child- ish songs. AN EASTER RABBIT PARTY Children under ten will be delighted with an in- vitation to a party to be given on Easter Saturday or Easter Monday, by the Easter Rabbit, who, as everybody knows, bring the Easter eggs. Have little rabbits painted or sketched on the note paper, and have the hour not later than eleven in the morning. Get one of the large, German paper rabbits to act as host, and let each little guest be taken up and pre- sented to him with great formality. Let some one tell a fairy story in which the rabbit and the eggs figure largely, and then, because there is nothing incon- gruous between innocent fun and real religion, let the children sing one or two Easter carols. Then tell the little ones that the rabbit has made a nest apiece for them, and let the hunt begin. If space and weather permit, let the nests be placed in the ground, under bushes. In plats of excelsior, place little bas- kets or wooden trenchers filled with fern leaves, holding three or four gayly colored eggs. No child is allowed more than one nest, and when all are sup- plied, the merry party, carrying the nests and sing- ing a carol, march into the dining room. In the middle of the table a huge tray, sprinkled with sand, is fenced in by wire netting, and here are placed half a dozen downy little chicks, '' the best of all the CHILDREN'S PARTIES 87 party." Small paper rabbits and the yellow chickens and ducks, obtainable at every confectioner's at Eastertide, stand at each plate. Sugar cakes, cut in egg shapes, and frosted with white and chocolate frosting; egg-shaped ices or blancmanges, egg-shaped honhons, are then served, and as the children say good-by, to each one a bunch of the real Easter flower, the daffodil, is given. MAY DAY PARTY A Maypole should be erected in the open, if pos- sible; but should the weather prove unfavorable, it may be set up in a large room, a box, heavily weighted, taking the place of ground. If out-of- doors, the pole should be ten feet high and six inches thick at the base. Within a foot of the top, four-yard lengths of ribbon, of two harmonizing colors, should be fastened, flowers wreathed about this place and about the foot of the pole, the gay streamers of rib- bon floating as a pennon from the top. For a while the children engage in their well-beloved plays, * * Ring around a rosie, " * ' Oats, peas, beans, ' ' etc. ; then the May queen is chosen, each child writing the name of a preferred one on a slip of paper. To the throne — a wicker chair profusely garlanded — the one elected is with much ceremony duly conducted, the little host or hostess repeating, when crowning the queen : " Flossie, we hail thee as Queen of the May! Our love bring as tribute, and bow to thy sway." 88 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS The queen's herald, a lad dressed picturesquely to fit the part, his trumpet gayly bedecked with rib- bons, now announces that the queen is about to choose her court. With a wreath of flowers (paper will do) she crowns each little girl who bows before her, be- stowing upon her the name of the flower composing her wreath, the boys receiving a duplicate flower for hat or coat, also a short stick with a bunch of ribbon attached, matching the color of their ribbon on the Maypole, the herald, with flourish of trumpet, pro- claiming the name of each boy as he bows before the queen. The dance around the pole is now in order, the folly bells on the boys' sticks lending additional live- liness to the scene. INDEPENDENCE DAY The Fourth of July, that carnival of powder and smoke in which young America revels, is generally observed by outdoor enjoyments — ^lawn parties, pic- nics, and family jaunts. For boys, no better sport can be found than the purely American game DUCK ON A ROCK A large rough stone is chosen for the rock, and a line ten or twelve yards for " home " drawn around it. Then the players '' pint " for duck, each one flinging a small stone at the rock, the one whose stone falls farthest from it being * * It. ' ' * * It " then places A SOAP-BUBBLE PARTY CHILDREN'S PARTIES 89 his stone on the rock as a mark for the rest, stand- ing near it. This is the first " duck.'* When one succeeds in knocking off the duck, there is a general stampede, each player seeking to recover his own stone or duck; but if " It " can replace his own stone and then touch anyone before he passes the '^ home " line, the latter becomes *' It." If all the stones fail to knock off the ** duck," their several owners cannot touch them till *' It," to whom they are forfeit, makes terms for their recovery. These " forfeits " he renders as difficult or humorous as possible — jumping ** home " holding the stone be- tween the feet, kicking it backward, and so on. The first one who fails to get his stone ' ' home ' ' in one of these feats becomes '' It." LAWN SKITTLES For this game a pole is firmly fixed in the ground, a heavy rope attached to the top, from which a ball is suspended. At equal distances from the pole, at opposite sides, two square slabs of stone are em- bedded. Sides are taken and a number for the game decided upon. On one of these stones, nine ninepins, or other objects resembling them, are placed; on the other the player stands, takes the ball in his hand, and, swinging it around the pole, aims to knock down the ninepins. He is allowed six chances, then an- other player takes his turn. The main feature in this game is swinging the ball around the post before throwing it. 90 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS LAWN BOWLS Each player is provided with, two balls gayly colored, little larger than tennis balls. A white ball called Jack is first thrown to the end of the lawn ; the players who stand at this end aim to send their balls so they may lie as close to the white balls as possible. Sides and colors are now chosen. The side whose balls are nearest to the white ball reckon one point for each ball so placed; 7, 14, or 21 make game, ac- cording as agreed upon beforehand. The art of bowling in this play consists in knocking away the opponents' balls from their positions near the Jack, or in carrying off the Jack itself from among them, also in bowling nearer any other without disturbing one's own balls. This game does not require much space, but the ground must be level, grass short and well mowed. Girls, and even women, enjoy this play immensely. STARS AND STRIPES When aU the children invited to the lawn party have arrived, two leaders are chosen, who in turn choose sides. A line is marked off on the playground, and on each side at equal distances, about twelve feet or more from line, a small American flag is thrust into the ground. These flags the leaders zealously guard. The object of the opposing armies is to seize each other's flag. The leaders endeavor to prevent this by tagging anyone who comes dangerously near, CHILDREN'S PARTIES 91 and the child thus tagged is out of the game. When by dodging and running a player finally seizes a flag and carries it over into his own line of defense, the game is won, and the players on his side each receive a small silken flag, toy cannon, red-white-and- blue beribboned horn, candy, firecrackers, or the like. LAWN BUBBLE PARTY A tennis court is necessary for this party, the na- tional colors adorning the net, as well as porch or veranda. Girls range themselves on one side of the net, boys on the other, or they may play as partners. A bowl of soapy water, to which a tablespoonful of glycerin is added to contribute to the beauty of the prismatic colors, and clay pipes tied with ribbons, color determining sides, are provided by the hostess. The girls make the bubbles and the boys blow them over the net from their side, endeavoring to prevent the airy balls from floating into their domain. Each bubble that succeeds in floating over the net counts fifteen points for the side from which it came. Com- petition may take other forms, the largest bubble, the one retaining its form longest, or the longest chain of bubbles, winning a prize. Ornamental pipes, papier-mache soap boxes filled with honhons, toy drums, and other trifles, are suitable for prizes. 92 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS MISS COLUMBIA'S TEA PARTY This should be arranged for a sunset tea on the lawn, the little ones to remain for an exhibition of fireworks. Bunting is everywhere, of course, and there should be stirring music appropriate to the day. The hostess is dressed to represent Columbia, and a number of boys are in soldier costume of the period of the Revolution. Paper cocked hats can be pro- vided for all in the march which will take place, headed by two Revolutionary urchins with fife and drum. A recitation on the veranda of *' Paul Re- vere 's Ride," or any other selection breathing of patriotism, will be in order for the day. Toy drums and cannon filled with candies, toy sabers, and mus- kets, are given for souvenirs, and a suitable prize for the one who best enacted his part. OVERALL PARTY For August and September all manner of outdoor parties can be devised. There are overall parties, at which the children are bidden to come ready to revel in sand gardens, with watering pots and tiny rakes; to race boats on a tiny pond or big tub of water; to see-saw, blow bubbles, play leapfrog, and the like. Refreshments are served under the trees. CHILDREN'S PARTIES 93 LITTLE BOY BLUE PARTY For a Little Boy Blue party, word your invitations thus: Little Boy Blue wants you to come And blow your horn For the sheep in the meadow And the cow in the corn. A great many tiny sheep are hidden in the shrub- bery and grass about the house. Each child is given a horn by the little host, dressed as Boy Blue, and told to seek the sheep, blowing their horns lustily. The one who finds the greatest number wins a prize. For a little girl it may be a Bo-Beep party, hiding the sheep in the same way, the invitations to read : Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep Won't you come help her to find 'em? Little crooks with garlands of flowers, instead of horns, are given in this case. ACORN LAWN PARTY An acorn lawn party, following the same lines, always proves enjoyable to young children. Gay- colored bags of muslin are given to each child — red and green for the girls, blue and yellow for the boys. Inclose a large enough portion of lawn or grounds with long strips of cambric, the same color as the bags, knotted together and tied from tree to tree. 94) THE COMPLETE HOSTESS Gilded acorns, hidden from view as far as possible, are scattered over the ground thus inclosed. At a signal the children, who have been placed outside the ropes, dive under the strips of cambric and begin the search for the gold acorns. At the end of a specified time the children are called from the hunt, and an inexpensive prize awarded to the one who has se- cured the greatest number of acorns. Have a con- solation prize for the one who brings in an empty bag. Serve cake and lemonade out-of-doors. An acorn or oak leaf sketched on Kate Greenaway paper makes a pretty invitation to such a party. HALLOWE'EN FROLICS As young children have naught to do with charms and divinations foretelling their future husbands and wives, the observance in that respect, peculiar to all entertainments for youths and maidens on the eve of November, are given elsewhere. As a general thing boys like to carve their own jack-o'-lanterns, indispensable on Hallowe'en, and a bee arranged for that purpose in one's cellar will prove an enjoyable affair. Hollowed-out pumpkins and squashes, the latter for girls, are provided for each guest, of course. The floor must be covered with carpet, everything un- sightly hidden behind evergreen and large branches of trees, a huge pumpkin and other jack-o'-lanterns, or lamps with yellow shades, affording the light. As the children carve out the hideous features, an elder CHILDREN'S PARTIES 95 person recites a ghost story, breaking off at the crucial point for the youngsters to supply the de- nouement. A great deal of fun results from this, the one supplying the best ending — however far from the true version — receives a prize. Lanterns in hand, they next explore the cellar and upper floor for Cap- tain Kidd's treasure, a leader with a divining rod directing the hunt; the treasure, when discovered, goes to the finder — a purse filled with nickels, or a few dimes. Since the leader has been kept in ig- norance of the true location of the purse, it is found without his divining rod, whereupon the seekers fall upon him, secure the rod, and compel him, by its use, to perform sundry stunts amusing to the company. A huge black cat (tailless) next claims their atten- tion, drawn upon a sheet stretched on one side of the room. Each receives a tail of paper to affix, blind- folded, to the cat. The mieows and catcalls of the children at every failure are very amusing. Bobbing for apples in a tub of water can come next, dimes having been secreted in a few of them. The apples are stemless, and must be caught by the bobber's teeth. Twelve candles, of different colors, in gourd can- dlesticks, are now arranged on the floor, a foot and a half apart, each named for a month of the year — February brown, March green, and so on. Each child in turn jumps over the candles; if not one is extinguished, the year promises good luck in all en- deavors of the jumper, studies and so forth; should 96 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS one flicker out, during that month for which it stands his luck will be otherwise. From a huge pumpkin in the center of the supper table the little girls draw dolls dressed as witches, the boys Brownies, wispbrooms, etc. Lighted lan- terns in hand, they then trudge home. A BROWNIE PARTY A meeting of the Brownie clan is most appropriate for Hallowe'en, the invitations written on miniature note paper, on which is drawn, or pasted, one of Palmer Cox's pictures, requesting the boy, if pos- sible, to come so attired. Or the hostess may provide for her guests felt moccasins with long pointed toes, and brown caps with drooping tassels. After a march about the room, led by the little host in Brownie costume, the hostess enters hurriedly, an- nouncing the presence of a strange animal in the house. Will not the Brownies, ever ready to lend a hand, aid her in finding it? The quest leads them to an unfurnished room on the top floor, or to the cellar, as before given, which, to their amazement, they find appropriately decorated and lighted by numerous jack-o'-lanterns. The strange animal will be the tailless black cat, etc. Shadow pantomimes of Brownie figures, or a Punch-and-Judy show, always delight small children. CHILDREN'S PARTIES 97 CHRISTMAS PARTIES The poetic myth of Santa Claus, fat and jolly, with his reindeer and jingling bells, his bulging pack of toys and candy boxes, has charmed the children of many generations, and will, we hope, continue to for many more. If an elaborate setting for a Christmas entertain- ment is required for young children, cover the walls of the room in which they assemble with white cheese cloth moistened with gum arable (using brush or sponge) and powdered well with mica dust. Pile furniture in corners and cover with same, suggesting snowdrifts; small evergreen trees, placed here and there, may be trimmed with balls of cotton batting, also frosted, and jagged bits of combed-out cotton for icicles hang from various points, sprinkled heavily with the dust. Screens covered with sheets, to which sprays of greens are attached, also help to lend an air of fairyland to the room. This is the HOME OF SANTA CLAUS Open the entertainment with music, drifting into a Christmas hymn in which they can all join, fol- lowed by a recitation of "' The Night Before Christ- mas " by the little hostess, dressed as a fairy, if she can be trained to the part. Now let silence fall upon the company, broken by some one saying " Sh-h. " A bell is heard to ring loudly; a telegraph messenger 98 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS is admitted, who announces that Santa Clans has been delayed — a slippery roof, smoking chimney, fire down town, or any cause that comes to mind. This has a pronounced effect upon the very young chil- dren. After the buzz has subsided, again comes the warning * ' Sh-h. ' ' Sleigh bells are now heard in the distance; nearer and nearer they come; a bustle at the door ; in comes Santa, pulling a sleigh on which is a huge snowball sparkling with diamond-dust frost, as are his hair and whiskers. This snowball is made of several ordinary wooden hoops, one inside the other to form a sphere, over which muslin is fastened, and then cotton batting lightly tacked. An opening is left in the muslin, through which Santa Claus, with many a quip and jest, brings forth a gift for each child. Sleigh bells announce supper. In the center of the table is a Christmas tree trimmed with tinsel, upon the branches of which hang candies and small toys. After supper have a circle game or two, a dance, and — home. Or, decorate the room simply with branches of evergreen and holly, and have it lighted only by candles and the glow of an open fire. After all are assembled, the mother of the little girl or boy who gives the party tells the children slowly and dis- tinctly the legend of the Christmas stocking; of how good Saint Nicholas, overtaken by a storm one Christmas eve, took refuge in a convent, preaching to the gentle nuns, after supper, a wonderful sermon. They begged him to come again the following year at CHILDREN'S PARTIES 99 the same time. He did so, but, before retiring, asked each nun to give him a stocking. In the morning, to their great delight, each stocking was found filled with sugar-plums. In this way Saint Nicholas re- quited the nuns for their hospitality. The legend can be amplified and made very interesting to the chil- dren, picturing Saint Nicholas on the road, knocking at the gate, etc. In the silence that ensues, the door bell rings loudly. A messenger enters with a pack- age. Santa Claus is detained, but hopes to get around later. The hostess opens the package and discloses stockings of all sizes and colors within. Each child is given one, and his or her name, and the gift desired, are written and pinned upon it before he or she fastens it to the mantel. A childish game or two is played, then supper is announced. At in- tervals, noise as of something coming down the chim- ney is heard. "When all return to the parlor, there stands Santa Claus, his whiskers, hair, and cloak marred with soot. In the meantime the stockings have been filled, positions changed, and a general mix-up has taken place. Santa makes a humorous speech; the children join hands and dance around him; then he bids them find their several stockings. A lively time ensues. SHADOW PANTOMIMES No more fascinating entertainment can be devised for young children than the story of Santa Claus 100 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS enacted behind a curtain. A dimly lighted room, a curtain tightly stretched, a stand with brightly glow- ing lamps, between which and the curtain performers ' stand are the necessaries. First the Babe in the Manger is shown, some one at the piano singing Phillips Brooks's Christmas hymn: O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Next come the wise men from the East bringing gifts to the Child. Now change the scene to a homelike one : a child hangs up its stocking ; the mother, in her low rocker, hushes it to sleep, then tucks it in bed. Enter Santa Claus, who fills the stocking, makes too much noise, runs out; child wakes, jumps up, finds stocking full of gifts. The gifts can be distributed this way: Give a slip of paper to each child, or to a leader whom they fol- low, reading, *' Look under the mat near the piano.'* Pellmell the children run to the place indicated. There they find another note telling them to look in the pocket of an overcoat hanging in the hall, up- stairs, or anywhere. After many such fruitless searches, they at length find a note telling them to look on the Christmas tree. Then the dining-room door is opened, and there they find the tree bearing a gift for each one. In place of the traditional tree, a ladder may be used for a novelty, trimmed with pine and holly ber- ries, the gifts suspended from the rounds. Or, again, CHILDREN'S PARTIES 101 a large packing box covered with evergreens, from the inside of which Santa Clans pops up suddenly, bows to the astonished children, and proceeds to dis- tribute the gifts at his feet. A Saint Nicholas's sack is always in order for a Christmas entertainment. A huge sack made of crepe paper and filled with honhons is suspended between folding doors, a sheet spread on the floor be- low. Each child receives a small basket, is in turn blindfolded, and with a cane, which is placed in his hand, instructed to give the bag a good whack. The bag presently bursts, and the scramble for the sweets which follows affords the youngsters a merry time. CHAPTER V ENTERTAINMENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TWELVE TO SEVENTEEN YEARS OF AGE NEW YEAR'S EVE IT has long been a custom to open wide the house door the eve of January first, and with great formality take leave of the departing year and merrily greet the new. A little before twelve o'clock, as the guests invited for the evening are at table, the dining-room door opens, and on the threshold stands an old man with flowing white beard and hair, a scythe over his shoulder, and in his hand an hour- glass, the last grain of sand about to fall. The clock strikes twelve ; his head falls upon his breast ; a sigh, a wave of his hand in farewell, and the Old Year departs, a tiny, golden-haired boy, robed in white and garlanded with flowers, taking his place, while unseen musicians sing: Ring out the old, ring in the new; Ring happy bells across the snow, The year is going, let him go, Ring out the false, ring in the true. Toasts are then drunk to the New Year, more song and music are enjoyed, and all, before departing, sing ' ' Auld Lang Syne. ' ' 102 FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 103 Not so many years ago, the old Scottish mummers went about on this night from door to door, chanting : Hogmanay, Trollolay, Gie me o' your white bread, I'll hae nane o' your gray; and to this day, not only in Scotland, but wherever Scots are found, lads lurk about the thresholds of certain lassies that they may be the first to enter the door after midnight. The first foot's entering step, That sudden on the floor is welcoming heard. Ere blushing maids have braided up their hair. The laugh, the hearty kiss, the good New Year. Fortune-telling, palm reading, and other devices for foretelling their matrimonial future, are prac- ticed by young people on this night as well as Hal- lowe'en. I will confine myself to more novel ways of observing the eve of New Year's. A LEAF PARTY Upon your cards of invitation sketch, or paste, a leaf — natural or paper — requesting the recipients to come and help you turn over some new leaves. Have prepared a book for each guest — large sheets of writ- ing paper between pasteboard covers decorated with a leaf — which a little boy representing the New Year may distribute. The pages of the book are headed 104 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS first by ** Your faults: mention some of them." ** What resolutions did you make last year? How many did you keep? '* On the last page, ** Good Eesolutions for 19 — .'' The directions are not taken seriously, of course, and when the books are collected by the golden-haired ** New Year " and delivered to the hostess, who reads the confessions aloud, much laughter ensues, particularly if there be a few wits among the company. As the pages are unsigned, now comes a guessing contest as to their authors, the one guessing the greatest number correctly winning a prize — a pretty clock, hourglass, paper weight, cal- endar, diary, etc. A clever hostess can see many possibilities in an affair of this kind, each guest, for instance, passing his book to his right-hand neighbor, a girl who, with- out glancing at the previous pages, must write the ** Good Resolutions, ' ' the feminine resolves follow- ing the male's peccadillos and vice versa, affording a very funny climax indeed. Upon their entrance guests may be given leaves of different colors, to be pinned on corsage and coat, the young men in this way finding their partners for the evening. Music and dancing enter into an entertainment of this kind, or tests for telling the future. A NAUTICAL TEA Probably the old saying, " When my ship comes in," suggested to a very young woman the idea of FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 105 giving the following novel New Year's supper or tea, the invitations reading thus : '' As our ship is hailed for the New Year, it will give us great pleasure to have you take tea with us January first. Please come aboard at six-thirty. The gangplank will be withdrawn at eight." The hostess was a bride of eighteen, and her guests about that age or younger. Evergreens and smilax decorated the rooms, with bunches of holly — echoes of Christmas — here and there. Over the dining-room door two oars were crossed, on the paddles of which were printed the words " Come aboard." The table was laid with a sea-green cover over which a fish net was drawn. An enormous pumpkin, hollowed out to admit of a round, deep pan, painted green, adorned the center. This pan was filled with water, and on this strange sea floated a ship, sails full spread, laden with fruit, nuts, and a few small vegetables, a toy sailor here and there for bringing in the cargo. On the side of the pumpkin tiny anchors were caught, from which varicolored ribbons, or rope, entwined with delicate greenery, marked the way to each guest's place. Little canoes filled with honJ)ons were attached to these ropes, the name of the guest written upon the paddle laid across the bow of each tiny craft. So far the " nautical " idea was carried out; the plays which followed in the drawing-room aban- doning it somewhat, though the *' tailless fish " tacked to a sheet, to which all blindfolded sought to attach a paper tail, and '' Rocked in the Cradle of 106 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS the Deep," sung by the host, were very appropriate. Had the hostess known of the game Fishing for Fate, elsewhere given, she doubtless would have added it to the festivities of the evening. LEAP-YEAR DANCE OR PARTY In only one year out of four does the opportunity occur for young folks to enjoy the peculiar privi- leges accorded them at leap year. The dance, or party, may be given any time through the year, though December 31st and February 29th are favor- ite dates. At these parties the young women defray all the expenses of the evening, issue the invitations, individually, requesting the pleasure of Mr. So-and- So's company to the dance or party, sending him by messenger, on the eventful evening, a huge comic bouquet wrapped in many sheets of tissue paper. A carriage is sometimes engaged by the young woman to call for the invited one, or, better, by two young women, for their guests. At the hall or house the young men congregate, and act as near like bashful, unsophisticated maidens as they can, kissing one an- other rapturously as they meet, holding one another's hands, etc., the young women at the same time walk- ing about and aping manners masculine. Presently the men find seats, and the young women, lounging about the door, solicit introductions of the floor manager, and of each other, and try to get their part- ners' programmes agreeably filled. At supper, the FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 107 young men sit still and are waited upon laboriously by the fair maids. Favors for the cotillon may in- clude chocolate cigars, packages of candy cigarettes, German pipes, and steins for the young women; housewives, candy scissors, buttons, hair ribbons, etc., for the young men. The especial privileges of the evening cease when the time for leaving comes. The young ladies are escorted home in the usual manner. Like Hallowe'en, the religious ceremonials attached to Saint Valentine's day have long been a thing of the past; indeed, it is extremely doubtful if it ever was observed as a saint's day, since, of the legends attaching to it, all are devoted to Cupid and his affairs, none seeming to have even a remote connec- tion with Saint Valentine himself, a devout priest who suffered martyrdom during the third century. The day doubtless had its inception in the old Roman Lupercalia, a series of feasts in honor of Pan and Ceres, which were annually celebrated during the month of February. Among other ceremonies pecul- iar to these revels was that of the selection of spouses. Into a box were put slips of parchment containing the names of unmarried women, and these were drawn, as chance directed, by the unmarried men, each of whom took to wife the maiden whose name his slip bore. The old proverb anent the lot- tery of marriage may have sprung from this custom. 108 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS PROGRESSIVE PROPOSALS Arrange this party for Saint Valentine's eve, and have the rooms decorated with hearts made of red, silver, and gilt paper, one very large one, pierced with a dart, on an easel. An equal number of young men and girls have been invited. When all have arrived, the girls are seated, a vacant chair at the left hand of each, or, if the rooms are spacious, two chairs arranged for a tete-d-tete placed here and there. Two baskets are passed around, if possible by a pretty boy representing Cupid, from which the guests draw each a slip of paper containing the name of a world-renowned lover — Romeo, Antony, Abelard, Dante, Paoli, etc., by the girls; Juliet, Cleopatra, Heloise, Beatrice, Francesca, etc., by the young men. These, when properly mated, determine the couples for entering into the first conversation. To the girls have been given cards on which the actual names of the young men are written, a blank space left after each name; also a small box containing miniature paper hearts and mittens, mucilaged on the back, like stamps. At the tap of a bell Romeo seats himself beside Juliet, Antony beside Cleopatra, and so on, and at another tap conversation begins, the young men framing their proposals in a way calculated to please their partners. Ten minutes is allowed for proposal and answer, the young woman, if she accepts, past- ing a red heart against her wooer's name, otherwise FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 109 a mitten. As it is the aim of every girl adroitly to fence and hinder the young man from declaring him- self, the period allotted often passes without his doing so. At the expiration of the time limit the touch of the bell indicates the opportunity is no longer open, and so the wooer passes on to lay siege to the next damsel's heart in order, as per arrange- ment of seats. To the young man succeeding in mak- ing the greatest number of proposals goes the prize — a heart-shaped scarf pin, sofa cushion, or some- thing like; to the one receiving the greatest number of mittens, a paper doll or a bleeding heart. These are determined by examination of all the cards, hearts winning, mittens losing. The hostess can add to the amusement by awarding a prize to the too sus- ceptible young lady, the number of red hearts on her card proving her overreadiness for listening to pro- posals. A valentine, with a lovelorn inscription upon it, would do, or a heart-shaped pincushion stuck full of pins. LOVE'S TARGET Get a wooden or heavy cardboard frame in the shape of a heart ; over this stretch white muslin, and on the outer edge paint a black border three inches wide ; inside of that paint another blue, then a red, a green, and so on, all the same width, till the space is filled save for a bull's-eye, made of gilt paper, in the center. Near the target stands Cupid with a gilded bow, and in his quiver an arrow for each 110 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS guest. On the other side, the King of Hearts stands beside a wheel of fortune, and as each youth and maiden shoots an arrow at the target he chants: Or, If your arrow hits the red, You will very shortly wed. Should your arrow pierce the green, No wedding day for you, I ween. When your arrow hits the blue, Cupid takes a shot at you. If the arrow pierces black, A true love you'll never lack. If it chance to hit the white, You will meet your fate to-night. If your dart go wide astray, You will throw your heart away. Should it pierce the heart of gold, Joy for you and love untold. The target should be placed at the end of a rather spacious room devoid of much furniture. The place cards at table for such an entertainment should be miniature valentines, or hearts made of paper or cardboard, with some such bits of sentiment written in liquid gold or silver: If you will accept me for your beau, Don't (h) arrow my heart, but tell me so. From the beak of a little owl, on another, issue the words, " Owl me heart is yourn. '^ FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 111 Diamonds and silks and laces fine, Are yours, if you'll be my valentine. ** Let US be a happy pair," etc. These sentiments are inscribed only upon the cards bearing the names of the young men, who exchange with their fair neighbors. A CUPID PARTY Issue to the young men invitations of light-weight cardboard cut in the shape of folding hearts, about four inches wide, with hinge at the top. Through both sections cut slits near the lower part, and fasten them together by thrusting a gilded pasteboard ar- row through. Write the name of the young man across the heart, unless it is to be sent by post in a separate envelope. Below the invitation, written on one leaf of the heart, is a little footnote: " Please bring the key to your heart attached to a ribbon of your favorite color." The young ladies invited are requested to prepare their own hearts of cardboard six inches wide, decorating them as fancy or skill may devise, a quotation appropriate to the design or an original couplet following. Through the top of the heart the young lady fastens a narrow ribbon, her favorite color, writing her initials in small type on the back. On reaching the house the guest gives the heart she has prepared to her hostess, who, when all have arrived, attaches it with the others to a stout cord of twisted colors stretched across the far- 112 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS ther end of the room. When the company is seated, a tiny bow and arrow is produced, each young man shooting at one of the suspended large hearts in turn. The one struck by the arrow is taken down, initials read aloud by the hostess, whereupon to that young lady the marksman presents the key of his heart, she attaching it by its ribbon to her bodice, and he her heart on the lapel of his coat. When all are thus mated, the happy pairs promenade the room to the accompaniment of music, until approached by the hostess, who gives to each a tiny red heart attached to a cord, bidding them follow where the heart leads. Great merriment ensues, but after much tangling and untwisting, all finally reach the goal where refresh- ments are served. The table may be decorated with * * true-lover 's knots, ' ' bisque cupids, hearts, turtle- doves, and other insignia of Saint Valentine, viands and confections partaking of the same forms where possible. When all have returned to the drawing-room, the hostess, dressed as a sibyl, wearing a long black veil, announces that to her is given the honor of revealing to every young man present the name of his future wife. Cupid now enters, and from a pretty basket dis- tributes blank visiting cards and small pencils to the young men, who write their names thereon; these he collects and passes to the sibyl, who is seated behind a small table or stand in the corner, as far from the company as space will permit. After an interval in which the scratch of a pen is audible, the sibyl rises FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 113 and commands one of the young men to approach the table. She hands him an envelope, bidding him not to open it until permission is given to do so. When all have received their envelopes, she gives a signal; they are opened, and lo ! within is each young man 's own visiting card, with '' Mrs." prefixed. The game of hearts with cards follows, or a search for hearts hidden about the room, which, when found, will prove to be little boxes, sealed, in each box twelve wee hearts of pasteboard, each having a word written upon it. These words, arranged rightly, form a proverb or sentiment appropriate to the oc- casion. Half an hour is allotted for forming these words into sentences, and a prize is offered to the partners who succeed in forming the most sentences correctly. The hearts, when all are seated about the table, are equally distributed among the players. When the words in hand are grouped, borrowing is begun. Each player in turn asks for one word from the hand of an opponent. If the person called upon has the word demanded, he is obliged to give it up. If not, the player who asked for it loses, the turn passing to the next player in line. A sentence when thought to be complete is referred to the hostess. If correct, the cards are retained by the phrasemaker. If not, they are returned to the pool in the center of the table, from which all draw instead of calling upon each other. Volumes of verses in dainty bind- ings would be suitable rewards. 114 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS COLLEGE HEARTS This is a card game arranged for Saint Valentine's eve, or evening, played in much the same manner as military euchre. Partners for the evening are deter- mined in two ways : in the hallway have a basket of bows and arrows tied by different shades of ribbon; the bows, naturally, belong to the young men, who fasten them to vest buttons ; the arrows to the young ladies, who wear them in the hair; the matching of colors deciding partners. Or, take a package of old- fashioned valentine envelopes of embossed design, and draw or paint on each a different sort of flower. "Write the name of a certain girl who is to be present on a card and inclose it in the envelope, forming as many floral envelopes as there are girls in the party; then upon separate cards write the names of all the flowers represented. Have the name cards in a bas- ket, or dish, in the front hall, and the envelopes — sealed, of course — on the drawing-room table. On entering, each young man selects from the basket in the hall the flower he prefers, and in the drawing- room he receives the envelope decorated with the chosen flower. When all the guests have arrived, the floral envelopes are opened. The girl whose name is found in the envelope becomes the partner of the man who chose her emblem. Each table, representing a college, has festooned above it the college colors in narrow ribbon. The players are sent out from their respective tables to FOR YOUNG PEOPLE H^ pile up a score for their college, and every game won entitles that team to hang a large tissue-paper heart on the college ribbon. The hearts should be of deli- cate shades, equipped with a wire hook for suspension on the ribbon. As we have said in another chapter, All Pools' Day observances take the form of tricks or deception, rather than plays. For a young people's party on the first of April, no better entertainment can be arranged than one of thought reading. After ar- ranging particulars with his confederate, the mind reader leaves the room. The company selects a trade, which they at length whisper in the ear of the confederate — " shoemaker," for instance. The mind reader is then recalled. " Is the trade chosen that of a blacksmith? " queries the confederate. *'No." ''Grocer?" ''No." "Lawyer?" "No." " Shoemaker? " " Yes." They had merely ar- ranged that the trade thought of should follow a profession. An article in the room is then chosen. "Is it this?" "No." "This?" "No." " Is it that?" "No." "Isitthis?" "Yes!" "That" being the keynote, but it having been arranged be- forehand that the article in question should not fol- low it immediately, but two or three questions later. This trick never fails to mystify the company. Another requires two players, as before : one, the mind reader, stands in a corner, the other in the middle of the room. " Leave the room," presently says the confederate. The mind reader does not stir. 9 116 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS *' Henry, do you hear? '' commands the other. Some one in the company laughs or speaks, where- upon Henry leaves the room. The confederate makes a great show of choosing a proper person to touch. The mind reader is recalled. ' ' Whom did I touch 1 ' * he is asked. The right one is always designated by the mind reader, for it is he or she that laughed or spoke before he left the room. PILLOW CLIMBING In the middle of the floor, some distance apart, place sofa cushions, lamps, bric-a-brac, etc. From among the company choose a very smart young man who was never " hoaxed," and ask him to walk over the course between these articles, so as to fix in his mind the distance and situation of various articles. He is then blindfolded and commanded to thread his way carefully among them so as not to touch one. Very gingerly he will do so, and when, trium- phant over his success, the handkerchief is taken from his eyes, to his surprise not an article remains on the floor ; all were removed while he was blindfolded. He wears a fool's cap the rest of the evening. His cautious movements and tacking here and there to avoid the removed articles cause unbounded merri- ment. PILLOW-CLIMBING GAME. FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 117 FOURTH OF JULY No entertainment throughout the year affords more effective possibilities than a Fourth-of-July celebration, invitations to which should be in the simplest form possible. If cards are to be a function of the afternoon, have the guests met at the door by a small boy or girl representing Uncle Sam or Co- lumbia, presenting a basket in which are flags for each guest, the numbers thereon designating the table at which they are to sit. This may be termed a flag party, for that emblem decorates the room, tables, and counters. In place of punching the score cards, tiny flags, previously gummed, are pasted on the cards. After supper or tea follows the Liberty cotillon, with figures in national colors, or a quaint dance of long ago to the tune of *' Money Musk," ** Old Dan Tucker,'' and so on, the old-time Virginia Reel, ** Up the middle and down again,'' lending itself well to a grassy dancing hall under lantern-lit trees and starlit sky, while rockets burst in air and fire- crackers make things lively. A VERANDA PARTY The invitations to this party were written on cards cut out and painted to represent watermelons, and read simply ** Miss Mary Denver, at Home, Wednes- day evening. Watermelon. ' ' The guests went to this 118 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS party fully expecting a good time, and they had it. "When they had all assembled, guessing games were started. First came the weight of an immense melon. After the number of seeds were guessed, each guest was asked to write a watermelon conundrum. * ' "When is a watermelon like a bad coin ? " * ' When it is plugged, ' ' winning first prize. Those who failed to make a conundrum were allowed to make a verse instead, the worst receiving a booby prize. Needless to say, * ' felon ' ' rhymed with melon nearly every time. Upon their return from the dining room, where ice-cold watermelons, watermelon sherbet, and little cakes iced in pink and green, were served on an un- covered highly polished table, they were delighted to find the veranda and lawn softly lighted with melon lanterns of all shapes and sizes, the grotesque faces carved thereon suggesting stories and anecdotes of like character. Plantation melodies, with guitar, banjo, and piano accompaniments, finished up this simple, inexpensive entertainment. A ROOF PARTY A young lady residing in a flat building in a large city arranged a unique party for a summer evening in the following way: Cards of invitation were sent to her young friends, requesting their presence at a ** haphazard roof party," suggesting they should come attired in their plainest clothes. Ascending the stairs, the young people followed signboards FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 119 pointing to the ' * halfway house, ' ' the top flat, where the hostess greeted them, and directed them to the *' summit." On the roof door was the placard bidding all consult the programme first, and when this was done the guests found various parts assigned to each. Signs made with ink and brush on wrap- ping paper met the eye at every turn : * ' Keep off the grass," ^' Five dollars fine if you pick the flowers," " This way to the animal house," '' To the fish- pond," etc. Hammocks, chairs, parapets, chimneys, all bore amusing signs, such as, *' This chair for the oldest guest," '* Persons weighing over fifty pounds not allowed in this hammock, " * * Out of repair, ' ' and so on. All entered into the spirit of the thing and made the party a success. Those bidden to be acrobats performed wonderful feats on bits of old carpet; the mounted police climbed fearlessly to the top of the chimney ; the keeper of the animals strolled about with a basket of animal crackers, when not guarding a corner where bears and lion and monkeys snarled, or played pranks upon one another; trum- peters blew lustily upon their tin whistles, and court jesters shook cap and bells. Lemonade and cake were the refreshments provided in true picnic style, served in wooden plates and tin cups, and with paper nap- kins — the lady moon lending her serenest rays to the whole proceeding. 120 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS A DICKER PARTY Given a good-sized party of friendly and fun- loving young men and women, no more amusing entertainment than a dicker party can be imagined. The word goes forth that Miss Smith hopes to see her friends on a certain evening, each to bring a num- ber of articles with which they are willing to part. These are carried about, well displayed by their re- spective owners, a sentimental as well as intrinsic value placed upon some of the articles to promote con- versation. ** What have you that I want? " says Mr. Brown, meeting Mr. Smith, who is decorated with a bunch of striped, dotted, plaid, and plain neck- ties of every hue. * ' That depends upon whether you have anything that I'll take,'* retorts Mr. Smith. In this way each one examines the other's merchandise, and '* dickers," if pleased, a certain article often be- coming successively the property of every person in the room. A SWAP PARTY A swap party also affords no end of fun, with little trouble to the hostess. Every guest brings four or five neatly wrapped and tied bundles, or packages, the more misleading in shape the better. Each per- son recommends his or her own bundles, describing the contents as wittily and far from the truth as pos- sible. Much shrewd bargaining takes place, the FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 121 packages changing hands several times. When opened, soap, starch, tea, books, cast-off clothing, etc., are found within. The one making the best bargain wins the prize ; the one making the poorest must sug- gest another game, such as Dumb Crambo, in which half the company leave the room, the others choosing a word for them to guess in pantomime upon their return. When they reappear, a word rhyming with the one chosen is told them as a hint ; for instance, if *' mine " is the word chosen, ** line '' is the word given the guessers. They guess ** dine," *' vine." Young men on all fours enact the first word, sitting at a table pretending to eat; for the second, a young lady clings tenderly to the arm of a young man. * ' No, no ! " the others cry. Then nine young women enter, enacting the muses; at last young men, with imaginary pickaxes and shovels, pretend to ** mine." Then the other party leave the room to return as ** the guessers " and '^ performers." Simple words should always be chosen for this play, unless the actors therein are unusually gifted. HALLOWE'EN Of all the informal festival occasions of the year, none are so merry and unconstrained as Allhallow Eve, or the eve of All Saints* Day. On this night, according to time-honored legends, fairies dance, witches ride, and ghosts walk. It is a night when charms read truly and future events are dimly 122 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS shadowed forth. The practice of lighting bonfires on the 31st of October is a relic of the Druids, who annually rekindled their altar fires on that night. For a future party, decorate the rooms with corn- stalks, red and yellow ears of corn, pumpkin lan- terns, bimches of wheat or other grains, bowls of apples, oranges, and nuts. Have ready for each guest half a walnut shell in which is fastened a small candle, or a taper made of melted beeswax and heavy cotton string. In a tub of water, representing the sea of life, these little craft are launched. If a taper burns steadily out without mishap, it augurs well for the owner; if it floats alongside another for a con- siderable time, the lives of the owners will be much intertwined; if it bumps another, a quarrel will ensue; if it sticks close to the sides of the tub, the owner will never see foreign parts, and so on. The hostess, as oracle, knowing or suspecting the predilec- tions one for another of her guests, can help on the tide of courtship, or interpret the movements of the boats as absurdly as she wills. For a fishing party, invite the masculine guests to bring their fishing tackle. They will respond with an elaborate outfit, probably, materially adding to the fun. For the ladies, rods have been provided, with ribbons of various colors for lines, to which are attached rather blunt-pointed hooks. In one corner of the room, behind a tall screen, decorated appro- priately, sits the hostess, innumerable small articles in a basket beside her. A young man casts his line FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 12^ over the screen, asking Fate to direct his hook in catching something indicative of his future state. Fate — the hostess — recognizes the voice, and affixes to the hook a simpering bisque doll, indicating a frivolous wife for him; another fishes up a sock in bad need of darning, indicating bachelorhood; an- other a picture of Mr. Henpeck cut out of a comic paper, and so on. One girl catches a thimble, sug- gestive of spinsterhood ; another a tea cozy, or black cat; another a purse with naught but a rose in it, promising love and poverty ; another with literary as- pirations, a wreath of green leaves. HUNT FOR FORTUNE Another Halloween party may be entitled a hunt for fortune. The guests are invited to appear in ghostly attire, which means sheets and pillow cases, white gloves and white masks, each carrying a hideous jack-o'-lantern in his hand. As they arrive, the hostess, enjoining silence, motions them to the parlor, where they must endeavor, without speech, to discover each other's identity. When one has been discovered he must unmask. After unmasking, the names of the girls are placed in a hat, the boys draw, and thus they find partners for the evening. Now begins the hunt. Here and there about the room knots of red and yellow ribbon are visible, to which two threads are attached; couples follow these threads, upstairs, downstairs, everywhere, each com- IM THE COMPLETE HOSTESS ing at last to a scroll, those for the boys tied with red ribbon, those for the girls with yellow. Then they reassemble, and the fortunes of each hunter and his partner are read aloud. This may be followed by bite the apple, which never fails to create great fun. For this, a stick two feet in length is suspended horizontally from the ceiling, an apple stuck on one end and a small bag of sand or flour on the other. The string is twisted so that the stick revolves rapidly, and the boys and girls, with hands tied behind them, take turns in running up and trying for a bite of the apple, se- curing more blows from the bag than bites of the apple. Other tests familiar to Allhallow Eve observers are the three saucers, one containing pure water, one soapy water, and the other empty. Blindfolded, a young man is led up to these and told to dip his hand into one. If he touches the clear water, he will marry a young girl; if the soapy, a widow; if the empty, he will not marry at all. For the hickory nut test two nuts are placed be- fore an open fire, one named for the girl who makes the test, the other for the lad she admires. If the nut named for her chosen one jumps toward her own, he will propose before the year is out; if it burns brightly, the marriage will be a happy one. Then there is the mirror test, in which the love- lorn maiden goes down the cellar steps backward, mirror in hand, hoping to see her future lord's face FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 125 reflected in the glass; and the apple-paring test, too well known to need description. Bobbing for apples is also old, but great fun. Bring in a big washtub, half full of water, and set it on the floor, preferably the kitchen floor, where the best Hallowe'en sports should be; provide gingham aprons for the guests to tie around their necks, and bid them kneel around the tub. Then launch a num- ber of rosy apples, one for each guest, with the guest's initials carved in the skin. Let three bob at a time — ^three girls or three boys — and their efforts to catch with their mouths (their hands must be tied) the apples bearing the initials they like best will re- sult in hilarious fun. Another amusement may be provided by filling a bowl that holds about a quart with flour. Put it in loosely at first, and drop a heavy gold ring in with it; then pack the flour in as tight as possible and turn it out, molded, onto a plate. The guests form a ring around this plate on the table, and one by one approach the flour mold, and carefully cut with a dinner knife a slice from it. The one who touches the ring in cutting, however lightly, will knock the mold to pieces, and he must stoop over, his hands behind him, and extract the ring with his teeth. 126 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS CHRISTMAS Christinas Day was for many centuries kept as a holy day, and what we ordinarily call the ' ' holiday ' ' phase of it was observed on January 6th, or Twelfth Night, the anniversary of the three kings' arrival bringing royal gifts to the Child. Later, religious observance began to be confined to the morning serv- ice on Christmas Day, and merrymaking to mark the afternoon and evening. Roman saturnalia, Druidical rites, German folklore, all have contrib- uted, along with the Gospel narrative, to our present- day Christmas observances. An interesting thing to do when one has a house- ful of young people to entertain is to separate the hodgepodge of Christmas customs into distinct na- tional ceremonials, and have an Old English Christ- mas, a Moravian Christmas, a German Christmas, etc. On one occasion, when an old-time English Christ- mas was revived, the meyiu cards at dinner were printed in Old English text and surmounted by a paper doll dressed in mediaeval English costume, the head a photograph or drawing of the guest whose place is designated. Wax tapers, in candlesticks of brass, iron, and pewter, lent additional beauty to the highly polished table, whereon a huge boar's head, made of dough, rested on a platter in the center. This was presently lifted, disclosing a little pig roasted to a turn, the traditional apple in his mouth ; a turkey, masquerading as ye royal bird, graced FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 127 one end of the board. The huge wassail cup was passed around and partaken of by all, though it con- tained something far milder than the brew or ale, or steaming punch. A plum pudding two years old and a huge mince pie wound up the feast. After dinner the guests repaired to the parlor, where mistletoe hung from unexpected places, and while a Yule log, brought in with much ceremony, fur- nished, with the candles, the only light, a company of mummers entered for their entertainment. These may costume in any ancient way, represent any char- acter suitable to the occasion, and do any " stunts " of which they are capable. They may adhere closely to the stately spirit of the old times, or may combine grand impersonations with nonsensical acts; for in- stance. Sir Roger de Coverley may lead in the dance bearing his name, or he and a girl costumed in white robes and holly may do a cake walk, or other ob- viously grotesque thing, for the amusement of the party. The singing of old Christmas carols and a dance wind up the evening. A German Christmas, with its pretty customs, is the proper environment for Santa Claus, the Yule log, the Christmas tree, and many other observances which have been so long borrowed from the Germans that it is sometimes hard to trace their origin. The Moravians (a religious sect, of whom many are found in Pennsylvania) have a little corner of each house devoted at Christmas to a diminutive representation of the Nativity, with rocks and trees of Palestine, the 128 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS khan at Bethlehem, the manger, sheep, shepherds, et al. Households vie pleasantly with each other over the completeness of their representation, and when a new feature is added to it, the delight is the same as other households know when new ornaments are discerned among the familiar trinkets on the Christ- mas tree. CHAPTER VI WEDDINGS A WEDDING is always, supposedly, an occasion of pure bliss to somebody — rather, to two somebodies — but it is also, in almost any event, an occasion of much, work and responsibility and expense to somebody else. A girl who is about to be married is usually concerned that her wedding shall go on record as the prettiest or most unique or most costly wedding in the annals of her social set. Frequently her mother has the same concern, either through sympathy with the girl's desires or from am- bitious desires of her own. It is doubtful if the father of the prospective bride ever looks with favor on the plans for a big wedding ; for, even if he does not have to consider the question of expense (and there are few men exempt from this) , he is probably masculine enough to dislike the part he will have to play in a church spectacle and the reception following, and to anticipate with lively dread the period of turmoil in his household which must precede the event. Nor are the majority of bridegrooms amiably disposed toward large weddings, but many of them find acquiescence the only gracious part, and lend themselves uncom- 129 150 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS plainingly to a round of formalities for which they have a greater or less distaste. All questions of expense aside, it is difficult to refrain from saying that a big wedding is usually and almost of necessity in bad taste. There are a hundred things about such a wedding that make per- sons of delicate sensibilities and idyllic frame of mind shrink from the gaudy publicity with positive horror. But it is all a matter of taste, and persons who wish to make a wedding an occasion for display can always find plenty of influential precedent. A church wedding should never be undertaken unless there is some one in the bride's family with a genius for details and a capacity for unlimited hard work and responsibility. Also it is seldom wise to undertake one when the cost has to be counted very carefully, for those who have ** been through " the management of a big church wedding will testify that one such always costs a great deal more than the uninitiated dream at the outset. The groom fees the clergyman, provides the brides- maids ' bouquets, gives his ushers and best man their gloves, ties, buttonhole flowers, and some souvenir like a scarf pin or cuff links or silver matchcase; he also pays for the carriage that takes the bride and himself away from her father's house after the wed- ding. All other expenses are met by the father or other guardian of the bride. In the case of a church wedding one must figure on a big livery bill, for carriages must be sent for all the bridesmaids, ushers, WEDDINGS 131 and other participants in the ceremony, for the clergyman, and usually for the musicians, if there are singers, like a quartet, to sing the wedding hymn. Carriages for all members of the household, even to the servants, are provided; and right here it may be well to remark that in families where the gracious spirit proclaims the true gentility, care is always taken that faithful servants, no matter how humbly employed, shall be given every possible opportunity to share in the joy of the occasion. Next to carriage hire as an item of cost, or greater than it, if the taste for display be strong, will be the matter of church decoration. In the spring, sum- mer, and fall this can sometimes be accomplished at small expense of money, though always at great ex- pense of time and labor. In winter there is little that can be done except to hire a florist to decorate with palms and hothouse blooms. Call on several good florists and ask them to go to the church, look it over, and make you an estimate on the cost of dec- orating it. Their charge for rental of palms is usually based on what they call " a load,'' and they may tell you that they can make a fair though some- what skimpy showing with two loads, and a hand- some showing with four, leaving you to choose which your purse and your pride will allow. After a day has been settled on to the satisfaction of the contracting parties, be sure to ascertain if the clergyman desired may be had on that day; also to ask permission to use the church then, and to make 10 132 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS arrangements with organist and singers, if there are to be any. Also, it is well to hold early consultations with one's caterer and liveryman before fixing on a date which may be so engaged with one or both of these important functionaries that strange service will have to be fallen back upon — always an annoying necessity, which trebles the possibility of mischance. An important person easy to forget, but very essen- tial when the great day comes, is the church janitor, who must have the church cleaned and warmed and lighted, and be on hand to let decorators in, and to open up the church for rehearsal, etc. He will ex- pect a good fee for his services. Other items of expense entailed by a church wed- ding are: Several bolts of wide white satin ribbon for marking off the pews reserved for relatives, and for stretching down the aisles in advance of the bridal procession; some fifty or more yards of white duck or heavy muslin to stretch down the aisles whereon the bridal party will walk, as protection for the delicate, trailing dresses; an awning, which may, if need be, be arranged for to be put up only in case of inclement weather, and a strip of carpet for the sidewalk and church steps. Provision should also be made for a woman to attend the bride and her maids in the anteroom off the vestibule, or wherever they remove their wraps and preen their plumage for the processional. It may or may not be necessary to send to the church a mirror, pins, and other little necessaries. WEDDINGS 133 Now about invitations: It is a pity to leave out anyone who should be asked, and it is a pity (which some participants in church weddings do not seem to appreciate) to ask, for the sake of having a crowd, people who are surprised into thinking, " I wonder how they came to invite me? " The wise bride with a big wedding in prospect will set early about the preparation of her invitation lists, and see that her fiance does the same. Her father's and her mother's friends, and his father's and mother's, should be in- cluded as well as hers and his; and when the lists have been compared and revised and made as com- plete as possible, the names should be copied into a book with some system of ready reference; alphabet- ically arranged is best. This book may be a hand- some one, bound in white vellum, or, more practical, in sealskin or russia leather, presented to the bride by a member of her family or one of her friends. As the gifts begin to come in some one specially ap- pointed to the task should enter opposite the name of the donor a description of the gift; the list thus made will greatly facilitate the bride's labor of acknowledging her gifts, and will, too, prove inter- esting to her in the years to come. Some brides put in the same book their photographs in their wed- ding gown, their maids' photographs in their gowns worn at the wedding, pieces of this and that from the trousseau, and other reminiscent treasures. When the church list has been approved, the next thing is to determine how many persons can be com- 134 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS fortably accommodated at the reception and supper, or luncheon, or breakfast, as the case may be. Crowd- ing is positively fatal to enjoyment, and it is better to give a reasonable number of persons a pleasant time, than to give an unreasonable number of persons an unpleasant time in crowded rooms, where they get their best clothes torn and their feet trampled, and stand in constant terror of being deluged with coffee or melted ice cream. Allow for about one-fourth to one-third as many regrets as acceptances to the house invitation, but base orders to the caterer on more nearly the whole number invited, as nothing could be more embarrassing than to run short of provisions. It is not always possible to have the limited number of persons asked to the reception exactly those whom the bride and groom would prefer. Relatives expect to take precedence over friends, however intimate, and fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers of the bridal attendants must not be slighted, even though they are not very well known by the bride and groom or very particularly desired. Invitations to formal weddings are now sent out from eighteen days to three weeks in advance of the event. They are engraved, always, and the Old English lettering is now in favor, though script is always in good form. Any good stationer will supply up-to-date information on all details relating to the wording and appearance of the invitation. The usual form is somewhat as follows : WEDDINGS 135 MR. AND MRS. CHARLES NEWTON CUNNINGHAM request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Evelyn TO Mr. Richard Hargreaves Fuller, ON Thursday afternoon, October eighth, AT FOUR o'clock, St, Stephen's Church, Madison Avenue and Seventeenth Street. Some invitations, instead of " your presence,'' have a blank line preceding presence whereon is written the name of the invited guest, thus : MR. and MRS. CHARLES NEWTON CUNNINGHAM request the honor OF Mrs. Elizabeth Allen White's presence AT THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR DAUGHTER, etc. To bar out the merely curious, who are always to be found in considerable numbers at church weddings, it is best to inclose with the invitation a small card reading : Please present this card at St. Stephen's Church. Cards for the reception read: Reception from half-past four till seven, 2545 Madison Avenue. These are, of course, inclosed only in the invitations of those who are asked to the house. At Home cards frequently accompany the wedding 136 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS invitations, but unless expense is a serious item they are better sent out later; they go very generally to all persons on the visiting lists of both families. Unless an answer is specially requested, wedding invitations do not require an answer, but for further consideration of this subject see Chapter XV. Old-fashioned etiquette prescribed that a bride should be invisible by the public after her wedding invitations were sent out; but the exact reverse of this is now in vogue, and the days immediately pre- ceding her marriage are apt to be the gayest in a girl 's life. This is not good sense, nor altogether good taste, but it prevails so universally that one must bow to it as the fashion. Luncheons and teas and dinners and theater parties and '' showers " of vari- ous kinds are tendered the bride by her maids and by the ushers, as well as by relatives and others. At these she displays her trousseau finery, often in sharp contrast to the shabbiness which has marked her attire in the stress of '^ getting ready." Why a girl should slouch and save through the golden, glorious days of her courtship, that she may '' blossom out " just prior to her wedding, is one of the mysteries of the girl mind. Another mystery is her tendency to seclusion with her lover during this shabby period, and her willingness to see almost nothing of him save in gay company during those days when their marriage is approaching and she is parading her new clothes instead of contemplating her wonderful new estate. WEDDINGS 137 But we write to inform, not to reform. The number of bridesmaids chosen for a church wedding rarely exceeds eight; six maids and a maid and matron of honor make a large and showy fol- lowing. They may dress as the fancy of the bride dictates, only no low-cut gowns are permissible in daytime, nor are they ever considered the best form for bridal attendants. A bride never, in any circum- stances, wears a low-necked or short-sleeved gown, such being considered the most flagrant lack of ap- preciation of that virginal modesty which is the girl bride's tenderest charm. The time set for the ceremony makes no difference in the bride's attire, but, in the case of her maids, hats are worn in the daytime, and short tulle veils or wreaths of flowers in the hair are preferred when the wedding is in the evening. At a formal wedding, the bride, unless she has been married before (in which case a formal wedding is not in the best taste), always wears white, and al- most always the bridal veil, which she may wear only this one time in all her life. Some brides choose gowns that they can wear out and ^ ' get the good of ' ' in the honeymoon year, while others love to lay away the bridal flnery to preserve it as a precious memento for the coming years. Taste, sentiment, and consid- erations of expense enter into the bride's choice of her gown, but one thing is important : if it is simple, the maids' gowns should not be costly or elaborate. It is the bride 's day, the time of her life when no one 138 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS should vie with her; her maids should look lovely, but she should look preeminently loveliest; it is her right. Conversely, if she be able to afford costly finery for herself, she should have a care how she exacts expenditure from the girl friends she has chosen to walk with her to the altar. She wants them to look their prettiest, but she must be delicately considerate of their abilities when imposing on them the cost of the new gowns which, in their harmony or uniformity, are to make the pleasing picture of her wedding party. Becomingness to the wearers, as well as decorativeness in the general scheme of things, should also be considered in deciding on the brides- maids ' gowns. Full many a short, fat bridesmaid has muttered maledictions all the way down the aisle to the altar, knowing she looked like a tub in her ** three-tier " skirt, and like a jaundice sufferer in her Nile-green hat — both chosen with reference to two other maids, who were tall and willowy and had exquisite pink coloring. One of the distressful things about a big wedding is, that where so much is attempted there are bound to be heartburnings and abundant dissatisfaction. But a bride must refuse to feel the jarring hurt of these, if she wants to be married in * * grand style. ' ' Usually each of the maids gives some kind of en- tertainment in honor of the bride and the other maids. Teas, luncheons, matinee parties, and the popular but somewhat vulgar " shower " are the fa- vorite forms. A bride's luncheon can be made one WEDDINGS 139 of the prettiest functions imaginable, with ingenuity in the matter of favors and decorations. The ushers frequently combine to give the bride and groom and the bridesmaids a handsome dinner at some fashionable hotel or cafe, followed by a box party at the theater. The cost of such an evening could scarcely come below a hundred dollars, and would probably be much more, and his proportionate share of it, added to the cost of a gift and the other possible expenses of the gala week of the wedding, is enough to make the honor of attending a friend to the altar quite anxiously expensive for the young man of modest means. Sometimes the best man tenders a separate enter- tainment, sometimes he cooperates with the ushers. The groom usually gives a farewell bachelor dinner to his attendants on some evening shortly before the wedding. Another function rarely omitted is the entertainment by the bride's parents of the entire bridal party at dinner, a dance, or some other affair — frequently an elaborate supper following a re- hearsal at the church. The day of the wedding is always unmarked by any other event, and the bride keeps as quiet as the pres- ence of a houseful of guests, the frequent arrival of belated gifts, and the bustle and confusion of florists and caterers will allow. With regard to out-of-town guests, it may be well to say that if they have been specially asked to serve in the wedding party or to be present as intimate 140 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS friends, without whom the wedding would seem in- complete, detailed arrangements for their entertain- ment must be made. If it is impossible to house them all in the bride's home, and the expense of chartering for their accommodation some desirable portion of a hotel is not to be considered, then intimate friends who live close by must be called upon. Resident bridesmaids will usually volunteer to entertain those coming from a distance, and relatives will open up their homes for other relatives. But all this must not be trusted to chance, but carefully arranged to the least detail of who is to meet arriving guests, and how their trunks are to be got to them with the least delay; also, care must be taken to see that special guests from out of town get, immediately on their arrival, if not before, invitations to all large func- tions given for the bride in the days immediately preceding the wedding. If the maid of honor, for instance, is giving a lawn fete for a June bride on the day but one before the marriage, it must be some one's specific duty to see that the aunt and cousin of the groom, who have but that morning ar- rived from a distant city, are given a special invita- tion, and that some one calls for them to escort them, unless they are staying in the house of people who are themselves going to attend. It is a great compliment to bride or groom or their parents, or all, to go a considerable distance to attend a wedding — a great compliment and almost always a great expense — and every possible appreciation of it should be WEDDINGS 141 shown by those complimented. The completeness with which the hosts (that is, the parents of the bride) are able to minimize the effort of their guests on an occasion of this sort is one of the best tests both of instinctive graciousness and of social success. In the case of a suburban wedding, if special trains cannot be chartered, then engraved cards must be in- closed with invitations to townsfolk, stating when the train most timely for the wedding will leave such and such a station, and at what hours trains may be had by those returning. Also, carriages, 'buses, or some kind of conveyances should be provided to con- vey guests from the station to the house and back again. When a woman guest likes you well enough to take her smartest and most delicate finery into a dirty suburban railway car in order to do honor to your wedding, it is as little as you can do for her comfort to see that she has clean conveyance from the car to your house and return. A guest who has failed to find a depot hack, and has trailed her ** wedding best " through a half mile of dusty road to see your daughter married, is not in any frame of mind to lend joyous sympathy to the occasion. A word about the display of presents. Brides with the best taste make no display at all, save, per- haps, to a few very intimate friends. In no case, how- ever, must the cards of the donors be left on, this being very properly considered to be the height of vulgarity. As a matter of fact, the practice of wed- ding presents as now in force is vulgar enough at 142 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS best, and brides of delicate sensibility shrink from the thought of receiving perfunctory gifts from persons who have no tender interest in the home they are to adorn. Far, far too many people choose wedding presents under a fancied compulsion, and with but one desire — ^to get the showiest thing possible for the least outlay of money. One often hears of young women in modest circumstances getting thirty cut- glass bowls and eighteen berry spoons, one or two of each being all they can use, and the others being returned to the shops whence they came in exchange for something needed, or given (if unmarked) to other brides, or packed away in barrels to save the trouble of caring for them. A gift representing no more thought, no more concern for the recipient's probable desires, is but one remove from an insult, and should be so considered. In a golden millennial day to come (perhaps!) no one will give a bride a present unless he is well enough acquainted with her to make an affectionately shrewd guess as to what she will want, and well enough disposed toward her to beg her to change it if there's anything she would like better. This latter course may not be the very poetry of gift-giving, but it has been known to in- spire great gratitude in many a poor bride distressed to the point of tears over an ill assortment of un- necessaries. Until that golden day dawn it is wise to observe one or two simple kindnesses toward a bride: Never have silver marked, but always sug- gest, on the accompanying card or otherwise, that WEDDINGS 143 provision has been made for her to have it marked should she care to do so; and try to effect some ar- rangement with the shopkeeper from whom you buy whereby he engages to exchange your '' venture " for something of equal value, on request of the re- cipient; then, by sending the present direct from the shop, so that its source shall be known, and by drop- ping a gentle, sympathetic, ^* I-understand-perfectly- your-predicament ' ' sort of hint, you will be fervently blessed and your considerateness long remem- bered. If the gifts are displayed, they should be ar- ranged as tastefully as possible in a room near those employed as cloakrooms, and there should be some one to watch them and guard against not only a prob- able sneak thief among the throng of people, not all of whom (it is safe to say) will be known by sight-to any one member of the household, but a possible in- vasion of the room from without while it is tem- porarily empty. Thieves always keep close watch of the papers with reference to wedding presents, and at no time should any considerable display of them be left unguarded. On the wedding day the bride should do nothing that she can possibly avoid, but husband her strength (sadly drained, no doubt, by trousseau preparations and antenuptial festivities) for that hour of her life when she desires to look, all other hours above, her very, very best. If she has planned carefully and been diligent in execution, and, above all, if her wed- ding is in charge of a capable manager, she will 144 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS have nothing to fret her as the day dawns, except the inevitable worry about the weather, and the always present possibility that the best man's grandmother may have died in the night, or the maid of honor may have developed an ulcerated tooth. In big wedding parties involving sixteen or eighteen persons, changes and quick shifts are more than likely to become nec- essary at the eleventh hour; but that is one of the things no man can help, and one of the chances the bride must take. A chance she will not willingly take, however, is that some delinquent maid will not have her gown done in time, or that her own veil or gloves, or some necessity shall be undelivered, because purchased at the last moment, or the like. The last stitch should have been put into her trous- seau and wedding clothes long since; everything needful should have been listed, and the list com- pared with the articles as they were acquired, until she was sure nothing was lacking. Every item of her traveling attire, from stockings and shoes to hat and veil and gloves, should be gathered together in the room where she will dress after the reception, and her trunk should be at the depot, and, if possible, her hand satchel, all packed, in the possession of her mother or of the groom, out of reach of those hide- ously underbred persons, some of whom are usually to be found at even the most refined weddings, who seek to satisfy a rowdyish love of horseplay by plan- ning annoyances for the wedded pair. The tender sacredness of married lovers' first journey into the WEDDINGS 145 world together ought to call forth nothing but that reverence in which we stand aloof from joys we can- not share, and all right-minded friends will lend hearty aid in protecting the newly married from vulgar jocularity. While the bride is resting in her room, the caterer is in charge of the kitchen, the florist of the dining room and parlors, and some member of the household is watchfully overseeing both. At the church, the decorator has arrived, and some one is supervising his arrangements of palms and plants and cut blooms. The ribbons are there, the rolls of white covering to be laid down the main aisles the last thing, when the florist is through, and in the room off the vestibule where the final touches will be given to the bridal finery, mirror and pins and powder puffs and needle and white thread and other et ceteras are laid ready to the hurried hand. Lists of the guests* names have been provided for the ushers, with some special desig- nation for those who are to occupy the front pews — relatives and intimate friends of the bride on the left, those of the groom on the right. Bunches of white flowers or bows of white ribbon may be tied at the entrance to those pews reserved for the imme- diate family and close friends. The organist plays, and sometimes the choir sings, while the guests are assembling, the music being very soft. The mother of the bride enters almost at the last minute, and is given the seat of honor in the front pew, immediately behind the bride. There is 146 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS a lull, an expectant hush, while the organist waits the signal (brought him by word of mouth, rung by electric bell, or seen in the mirror over the keyboard) for the first strains of the wedding march — usually the time-honored '' Lohengrin '* for the antenuptial march, and the joyous pealing of the no less time- honored Mendelssohn's *^ Wedding March '' for the postnuptial procession. At the very first strains of the wedding march, the clergyman starts at a slow, dignified pace, from the vestry or other pulpit room, toward the altar, the groom and his best man following at a distance of twenty feet or so. Simultaneously, the ushers start down the aisle of entry (that to the left of the main body of pews is best), walking two-and-two and about a dozen paces apart. The bridesmaids, also walking in couples, follow them — ^though sometimes the latter enter from some other direction and form, in double line, halfway up the entrance aisle, for the bride to pass between them, then closing in behind her as she approaches the altar. The more ordinary way, however, is for them to follow the ushers. Be- hind them, walking alone, comes the maid of honor, and after her the bride, leaning on the arm of her father or whoever is to give her away. As the ushers reach the space in which the bridal party is to stand, they take their allotted stations at the outer edge of the formation agreed upon. The maids either follow them into place, or ** line up *' at the end of the aisle to allow the bride to pass WEDDINGS 147 between them. As the bride draws near, the groom, who has had the shorter distance to cover and must needs have stood facing the congregation for several interminable minutes during the slow processional, steps forward and receives the right hand of his bride from that of her father or other guardian. He leads her close to the altar, their attendants fall into place behind and around them, and the service be- gins. The father of the bride merely bows his head in assent to the ** giving away," and steps back, tak- ing his place in the pew beside his wife. When the rings are exchanged, the maid of honor holds the bride's bouquet or prayer book and assists her with her glove (the wedding finger of which should have been slit to avoid a bungling wait). When the ex- change is effected the bouquet is returned to the bride, for whom her maid of honor need render no other service unless the veil has been worn over the face on entering the church; in this case the maid of honor throws it back before the recessional, or (better) unpins and removes the short length of tulle which has been used for a face veil, leaving only the sweeping lengths behind. The clergyman may offer brief congratulations on the conclusion of the ceremony, but does not kiss the bride. All other congratulations are reserved for the reception, although a bride who loves her mother bet- ter than she loves conventions will turn from the sealing of her vows to embrace the dear woman in the front pew, before taking her husband's arm for 11 148 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS the march up the aisle. The best man's sole service at the altar is to present the ring at the proper mo- ment. After the benediction is pronounced he offers his arm to the maid of honor, and they follow the bride and groom from the church. Afterwards, when some fitting opportunity can be made, he presents to the clergyman the groom's wedding fee. He has the license in his pocket, but that has been shown, to the clergyman's satisfaction, before they entered the church. Ushers and bridesmaids *' pair off " and follow the best man and maid of honor, the aisle of exit being usually the opposite one to the aisle of entrance. Immediately after the bridal party has left the church the mother and father of the bride proceed to their carriage, and hasten home to take their places for the reception of their guests. No one rises to leave until after they and the other relatives and in- timate friends have gone to their carriages. Then there is a general movement to go, but much lingering and ** visiting " usually ensues before anyone starts for the house, so that the bridal party has ample time to prepare itself for the reception. At the latter, the mother of the bride stands near- est the door by which the guests enter the drawing- room. Next to her is her husband, and next to him are the mother and father of the groom. Then come bride, groom, maid of honor, best man, maids and ushers. The guests then proceed down the line, salut- ing each in turn. Bride and groom and the bride's WEDDINGS 149 parents must stand in their places until everyone has been received, but the bridal attendants may break ranks after a while and circulate about the rooms, assisting in any and every way they can the pleas- urable mingling of the guests and their satisfactory marshaling into the dining room. Bride and groom and their attendants enter the dining room first and are served. The parents of the groom and any other relatives whom the young couple wish specially to honor may be asked to go at the same time. After they have been served, the bride and groom retire to prepare for their journey, and their chief attendants may accompany them, the best man to aid the groom in any way he can, and the maid of honor to assist the bride. Other members of the party should help the hostess by seeing that congenial companies of people go out to the refresh- ment room together, and that the room is kept filled all the time. When the bride and groom come down to enter their carriage the bride stops at a good height above the heads of the guests, who have crowded into the hall to see her go, and throws her bouquet into the crowd. The girl who catches it will be the next bride, according to the pretty notion. As the couple leave the door, rice or confetti may be thrown after them, and an old shoe, for luck, may be aimed at the departing carriage. Rice is danger- ous, it should be remembered, and in the hands of excitable persons has been known to cause grave in- 150 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS jury. More than one bride and groom have had grains of it lodge in their ears and cause excruciating suffering; arid however it may divert the bystanders, it certainly adds nothing to the pleasures of a honey- moon to shake rice from one's clothing at every step. Confetti answer every good-natured purpose and can do no possible harm. All efforts to tie white rib- bons on the carriage, or to follow it and continue the good-bys at the railway station, or anything of the sort, are ill-bred in the extreme, and mark a ** com- mon '' streak in those desirous of perpetrating such offenses. The destination of the married pair is usually kept secret from everyone except, perhaps, the mother of the bride. And right here it may be well to remark that all truly *' gentle " persons will neglect no least opportunity to show tender appreciation of what this occasion means to the woman whose daughter is being married. Few women get through this chap- ter in their heart's history without many anxious pangs, many wistful wonderings ; and evident appre- ciation of this fact bespeaks the lovely habit of mind whose efflorescence we call *' good breeding." As the guests leave the reception, they are handed little boxes containing each a slice of the *' groom's cake " (dark fruit cake) and of the " bride's cake " (delicate white cake), the bride having herself cut the first slice from her cake when she was served at supper, or whatever the wedding refreshment was called. WEDDINGS 151 This, as nearly as it is possible to comprehend the infinitely detailed subject in the space at our com- mand, is a generalization of the procedure in a for- mal church wedding. But a wedding may be in a church and not be formal. Some of the loveliest weddings ever held have been church weddings, conducted with all so- lemnity, as every wedding should be, but without display, without the presence of a crowd, and with- out the restrictions of the relentless social code. A country church wedding, in seasonable weather, is one of the prettiest any bride can have, and if she has many good friends the church may be trans- formed into a bower of beauty at small cost except that of loving labor. A marguerite wedding in June, or a snowball or peony wedding in the same month, a white lilac or " bridal- wreath " wedding late in May, a golden-rod wedding in September, these are some of the possibilities for those who live where flowers are to be had for the picking. There are lo- calities in the South where a bride might be married in a bower of maidenhair fern, at the small cost of hiring pickaninnies to '' tote " it, and get an effect as elegant as a city bride in the North would have to pay fifty dollars for. Writing for the country at large, for village and metropolis alike, for persons who must reckon every nickel, and for others who can order a florist to do his best and need not fret about the bill, it is impossible to specialize. But every prospective bride knows the resources 152 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS of her own locality at any given time of year, and as personal taste always counts for more with people of real refinement than any extent of carte hlanche given to tradesmen, the bride who will, can have a wedding that will leave its memory of charm and pleasurableness to a day when nothing but the evi- dent strain of the formal wedding remains in the minds of those who attended. If it is to be in a church, a wedding must always involve the matter of conveyance, for even on the rarest day in June a bride would scarcely wish to walk, or ask her maids to walk, to the church and home again. For one thing, the publicity would be most distasteful, and it could hardly be avoided un- less all appearance of wedding finery were lacking and all knowledge of the event were kept from those not asked to participate. ''A poetic-minded bride who was willing to relinquish bridal veil and other acces- sories, might ask a score of those she loves best to meet her at an appointed time in a church dear to her. An hour or more before sunset is the prettiest time, when the low light is slanting in through richly stained windows. If it be at a time of year when birds are twittering their evensong in the boughs out- side, there could be no wedding chorus so exquisite. And the lovely quiet of the church, the absence of the gaping throng, and the presence of only those whose hearts are full of tenderness, will seem far, far more fitting for the plighting of sacred vows than any other circumstances could possibly be. The bride WEDDINGS 153 might wear dainty summer white, if she came on foot, and a pretty hat, which she could remove or not. If she rides in a carriage, she may be as ^' bridey " as she likes. She may have her sister or her dearest girlhood friend stand beside her at the sweetly solemn moment, and close at hand, ready to gather her into the embrace of rejoicing love, may be those who, out of all the world, care most for her. Thus might a Tennyson wed his long-loved Emily Sellwood, or a Lowell enter into blissful union with beautiful Maria White, or splendid, vision- seeing Hawthorne swear to love and cherish Sophia Peabody. ♦- Once upon a time a church wedding was made ex- ceedingly beautiful at an expense of about one dollar for decorations. The bride elect was a girl who was greatly beloved in the small town in which her father was rector of the Episcopal church. Wishing to show their devotion to both father and daughter, a bevy of young girls, under the leadership of one of the youngest matrons of the parish, planned a daisy wed- ding, and the day before the ceremony went forth into the fields and gathered tens of thousands of daisies, which were placed overnight in tubs of water. Some coarse wire netting was tacked up on the chancel walls and around the pulpit. During the evening this was stuck full of box twigs, and early the next morning a swarm of eager workers appeared and fingers flew apace. At eleven o'clock — an hour before the wedding — the church was a bower of 154 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS daisies ; chancel and font and pulpit bloomed in white and gold; big bunches of daisies were tied to each pew down the center aisle, and ropes of daisies as gorgeous as Vassar's celebrated daisy chain served to divide the reserved pews from the rest of the church. Another bride who was married among flowers had her wedding in this wise: she lived in a lovely old Connecticut farmhouse, and being of an idyllic turn of mind, she decided to be married in the orchard, late in an afternoon of apple-blossom time. Artists and literary folk, and others who witnessed this beau- tiful event, declare they never saw anything in the way of a wedding that was half so charming. The bride was in fleecy white, and as she stood plighting her troth, the pale pink petals drifted down upon her bright head and bridal finery, and a feathered chorus sang praise to the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. A house wedding may be as elaborate as circum- stance allows, or as simple as quiet taste dictates. If expense gives no concern, the service may be said in a splendid bower of palms and ferns and smilax, the bridal couple kneeling on a white satin pillow, under a great bell of white violets or hyacinths, or a canopy of white lilac or wistaria. Sometimes a bridal party walks to such a bower through a floral lane, or, again, through an aisle made by big white cathedral tapers burning in tall candlesticks. A simple and less expensive way is for the happy pair, accompanied, much as at a formal church wed- WEDDINGS 155 ding, by their attendants (preferably fewer in num- ber, however), to take up their station before a bank of palms or other floral decoration arranged in a bay window or about a mantelpiece. In a formal home wedding, the room where the ceremony is to be performed is kept clear until just before the ceremony, when the immediate family and near friends of the contracting parties take their proper vantage places, other guests crowding as near the scene as politeness permits. The line of march, headed by the clergyman, fol- lowed by the groom and his best man, is usually down the stairs and into the drawing-room. The ushers are rather in the line of supernumeraries, but they are often included in a home bridal party, though they may or may not appear in the bridal procession. Otherwise the course of procedure is much the same as at church, the main difference being that con- gratulations follow immediately on the benediction, the nearest relatives offering theirs first and the gen- erality following. Even in the simplest home wedding the bride would hardly mingle with the guests before the cere- mony, but would quietly take her place at a word from the clergyman or at the strains of the wedding march played on piano or parlor organ by some friend. At a wedding in a club or assembly rooms, or other hired place, the dictates governing a formal home wedding would be in force. CHAPTER VII WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES A morn all set aside from other days, To greet with mirth, and song, and praise. IN a certain sense a wedding anniversary may be looked upon as an ideal one, since it is to be presumed no couple, however long or shortly married, would care to celebrate an unhappy union; the impulse, therefore, that reaches out for the con- gratulations of friends on such occasions must spring, we should judge, from the hearts of a man and woman truly mated. Some unwritten law has dictated that certain fea- tures belong to each anniversary, as follows: First year Cotton wedding. Second year Paper. Third year Leather. Fifth year Wooden. Seventh year Woolen. Tenth year Tin. Twelfth year Silk and fine linen. Fifteenth year Crystal. Twentieth year China. Twenty-fifth year Silver. Thirtieth year Pearl. Fortieth year Ruby. Fiftieth year Golden. Seventy-fifth year Diamond. 156 WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 157 Formal notes or cards of invitation to any of these anniversaries are alike in general form, as follows : 1854 1904 MR. AND MRS. JOHN BEAL BROWN, AT HOME Thursday Evening, November the First, FROM eight until ELEVEN o'CLOCK, Ninety Madison Avenue. Dora Vedder. John Beal Brown. Or the following may be preferred: 1854 1904 MR. AND MRS. JOHN BEAL BROWN, request the pleasure of your company At the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of Their Wedding, at two o'clock. Dora Vedder. John Beal Brown. For a celebration imposing anything more than paper, wooden, tin, or leather trifles as presents, it is customary to write in the lower left-hand corner of the card, '^ No presents," or, ^' It is requested that no gifts be sent." It is certainly a gracious re- quest, but one that can be ignored, or followed, ac- cording to the will and means of the person invited. The gifts are exhibited, as upon the wedding day, though at a *' cotton," ^' tin," " wooden," and the like, the names of the donors are not removed from the gift, the selection of same or its home manufac- ture requiring more wit and ingenuity than dollars. 158 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS Whenever possible, the bride should wear her wedding gown, or some part of it, at these anniver- saries, or a new one, say, fashioned after the same model. Dressed in the prevailing fashion of long ago, what memories would throng about the bride and groom of fifty years! What an object of in- terest would she not be for children, grandchildren, and friends! Not infrequently the bride and groom repeat their wedding journey, from that spirit of romance, probably, which lurks in the heart of every normal human being, even though the snows of many winters have gathered about his brows. At these anniversaries the order of entertainment differs in no way from other home parties where friends meet with simple hospitality and amusement, a genuine frolic often being arranged for paper, tin, cotton, and wood celebrations, the notes or cards of invitation suggesting the spirit of the affair. For a cotton wedding, a happy pair lately issued invita- tions for a little dinner, written with India ink upon pieces of French nainsook folded to resemble a sheet of note paper. Unique invitations upon square pieces of tin, chamois, wood, and silk are admissible for the other celebrations; also isinglass cards, glass and pearl beads, mica dust, etc., in devices symbolizing the particular occasion. Needless to say, cotton enters into all forms of decoration for the first anniversary, and as the material is inexpensive, yards and yards * of it can be used effectively, flowers, of course, lend- ing an artistic touch to the whole. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 159 Among other games, the following is peculiarly appropriate for a cotton wedding: Within the wind- ing of a large ball of cotton twine secrete a small souvenir for each guest. Gather them in a circle, or in close proximity, the one to whom you give the ball enjoined to relate, while unwinding it, a story of adventure. When he arrives at the first souvenir he stops, appropriates the gift, tosses the ball to another, who must take up the story where he left off, or relate another, till he or she in turn, while unwinding, comes to a gift. If the first player be a good raconteur, he can lead off with a story the denouement of which will be demanded by the company as he rewinds the ball. A good reader may cap this with a chapter of *' Our Wedding Journey,'' or the bride and groom relate humorous experiences of their own. Hearts is a favorite card game, also, for young people's wedding anniversaries. The second anniversary involves paper as the special feature of its celebration. An informal little dinner can be arranged for its celebration, the table covered with white crepe paper trimmed with paper lace. Napkins, doilies, candle shades, etc., are also paper. Paper flowers may appropriately take the place of natural ones on such an occasion. After dinner, a trayful of large mottoes contain- ing paper caps and costumes may be passed around. After pulling the mottoes with one's neighbor or partner, the caps are donned, the hostess directing the wearers to impersonate some character of history 160 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS or fiction to whom such a head gear would be appro- priate. The impersonator may simply answer the questions put by the guessers without acting to any great degree, the two guessing the greatest number of characters gaining a prize. A lady drawing a woman's nightcap may choose to assume the char- acter of Mrs. Caudle, for instance; one finding her- self with a peaked cap, Old Mother Hubbard ; a dunce cap suggests Simple Simon; a tricorner, Na- poleon, and so on. The leather wedding gives very little opportunity for a decorative display except in table appointments — burnt-leather place cards, or white kid, names in raised gilt, white kid slippers containing honhons, baskets of leather filled with maidenhair ferns, etc. At a recent celebration of a leather wedding, three ^' good-luck " slippers of white kid, the heels to- gether, the toes pointing outward, surmounted a wedding cake iced in white, lilies of the valley and sweat peas filling the slippers. Also, white kid slip- pers placed upon a round mirror mat wreathed about the edge with the same dainty flowers, or green fo- liage, makes an attractive centerpiece. Other decora- tions should be of white and green, the bridal colors, so far as possible. If the groom be a horseman, or a man of wit, bridles interlaced to form their re- spective initials may meet the eye everywhere, not only for decorative effect, but as a subject for con- versation, in which many a quip and jest would lie in wait for the groom. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 161 The Traveler's Tour would prove an interesting game for a leather or any other evening entertain- ment. One of the guests announces himself as the traveler. He is supplied with an empty bag, and counters, numbered, are distributed among the players. Thus, if twelve persons are playing, the numbers must count up to twelve, a set of one 's to be given to one, two's to two, and so on. Then the traveler asks for information about the places to which he is going. The first person gives it, if he can ; if not, the second, and so on. If the traveler con- siders it correct information or worthy of notice, he takes from the person one of his counters as a pledge of the obligation he is under to him. The next person in order takes up the next question, and so on. After the traveler reaches his destination he empties his bag and sees to whom he has been indebted for the greatest amount of information. He then makes him the next traveler. Another good game is to send one of the company out, and as he comes in again to address him in the supposed character of General Scott, the Duke of Wellington, Macbeth, or some other well-known char- acter. The hero thus addressed must find out " who he is " — a rather difficult task even with leading questions. This game, among bright people, can be made very amusing. The presents for a leather wedding need no sug- gestion, as burnt-leather articles, purses, shopping bags, etc., suggest themselves. 162 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS WOODEN WEDDING This, the fifth anniversary of marital bliss, is the one most frequently celebrated. In primitive times, actual necessities of the couple in the line of wooden- ware were consulted, by the givers of presents on this occasion replenishing the wear and tear of articles in constant use for that number of years; but at the present day even a wooden wedding may prove a drain on the not over-well-filled purse, if articles de luxe in the way of furniture enter into one's cal- culation. This can be regulated by the ** bride that was '' herself, if so minded, by stipulating in one corner of her invitation cards that presents brought by the guests themselves only will meet with accept- ance. This serves to make the afPair very amusing, the arrival of each guest, bearing tubs, washboards, picture frames, camp chairs, and fancy tables, bags of shavings, and the like, all adorned with ribbons in some fantastic manner, causing shouts of laughter. A large wooden wedding bell, unadorned save for a fringe of lilies of the valley, would be a pretty feature of this anniversary, under which the couple might stand to receive the congratulations of their guests. At a wooden wedding the aim is to have everything as sylvan as possible : foliage in profusion decorating the parlor and dining room, mats of leaves under each dish, dishes lined with the same, and for the centerpiece a rustic basket formed of twigs laid log-cabin fashion, and filled with growing ferns, WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 163 or a birch-bark canoe laden with sweet peas, wood vio- lets, or ferns. Artificial leaves shade the candles or lamps, birch bark forms the place cards, etc. A great sawdust pie, in which are hidden gifts, that each guest spoons up for himself, or a wooden washtub filled with the same, are general features at this cele- bration. Wooden pails and tubs containing growing plants, etchings of woodland scenes, prettily framed, bookracks for tables, a practical tool chest, are all suitable presents to carry to a wooden wedding. A literary salad will be enjoyed before leaving the table on such an occasion. It is made of salad leaves, on each of which is a white paper leaf containing a conundrum, such as, " When is it easy to read in the woods? " '* When autumn turns the leaves.*' *' Why are the Western prairies flat? " *^ Because the sun sets on them every night." ** Why is a washerwoman the greatest traveler on record? *' *' Because she crosses the line and goes from pole to pole," and others of like nature. The host, or groom, holds the answers, each guest announcing his or her conundrum, at which all have three '^ tries." The cleverest one at guessing wins a prize ; the incorrigible ' ' give-it-ups, ' ' a small wooden paddle on which is inscribed their names. Dancing, or cards, may be the order of the even- ing at this or other anniversary celebrations. 13 164 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS WOOLEN WEDDING A woolen wedding, the seventh anniversary of the marriage, is rarely celebrated. It also is an occasion requiring no large expenditure of capital on the part either of entertainer or guest. Little woolly lambs may play an important part in the decorations, and be presented to the guests before leaving as sou- venirs of the occasion. Comforts, embroidered flan- nels, mittens, socks, etc., make up the sum of presents, golf stockings, sweaters, knitted caps also included. The ball of twine may become one of wool, as hereto- fore given, the ** yarn '' spun by the story-teller keeping pace with the unwinding of the yarn on the ball. TIN WEDDING This, the tenth anniversary, may be marked by a dinner or tea, the new tinware brought or sent by the guests, wherever practicable, serving for use at or decoration of the table. And quite resplendent will the table be, for new tinware is almost as effective as silver when half concealed and half revealed by crepe paper, flowers, smilax, and other trailing vines. Pink and white carnations would add immensely to the pleasing effect, tin candlesticks, wire baskets, or the little round stands of fancifully twisted wire, upon which the teapot is meant to rest, turned upside down and lined with lace paper for honhon recep- WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 165 tacles, salted nuts, stuffed dates, etc. For place cards, tin foil, covering ordinary cards, may have tlie name written upon it by a blunt instrument or a pencil, or a bright square of tin, name and date of the anniversary marked upon it with brush and pink paint; tin dippers, dustpans, and wire broilers, cake- cutters, tied with ribbons and filled with flowers, washboilers, pieplates, etc., may be used ad lihitum. Upon this occasion the tin boiler holds the sawdust, and each souvenir is wrapped in tissue paper. Be- fore opening, one dickers with another, or a guess- ing contest may ensue, built upon the peculiar shape of the packages. If a gift of intrinsic value be in- closed in one of these packages, and a bright nickel in another, the effect, when all are opened, will be enhanced. The other souvenirs should be of an amusing character. For some indefinable reason, a tin wedding suggests " homey," old-fashioned games, such as Neighbors, wherein half the company are blindfolded, and seated with a vacant chair beside them; the other half come in quietly and seat them- selves in the vacant chairs. At a given signal they all sing at the top of their voices, the blindfolded guessing who their neighbors may be. If correct, the handkerchiefs are taken from their eyes; if not, they remain blindfolded until they guess rightly, the song being changed at every coming in of the other party, which may occur three or four times. Or, Illustrated Proverbs, charades. Going to Jeru- salem, and like plays, forgetting not Forfeits, which 166 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS once played so important a part in evening entertain- ments. SILK AND FINE-LINEN WEDDING A silk and fine-linen wedding requires no special mention, the possibilities in fine napery, handker- chiefs, drawn work, and the like, for presents being so wide. As also the china and crystal weddings, sug- gestions for the former in the matter of decorations and gifts being taken from the Chinese — Sevres and plain china, however, are always acceptable. SILVER WEDDING This anniversary, marking twenty-five years of wedded life, is necessarily somewhat stately in char- acter. The invitations to dinner or reception are sent out on lar^e cards, usually, edged with silver, the dates also printed in silver, as well as the initials of the surname sometimes placed at the top, surmounted by a true-lovers' knot. The presents are arranged in a separate room, flowers, the offering of affection, tied with broad silver and white satin ribbon, ap- pearing with propriety among the gifts. The dinner party is much like other dinner parties, with one important exception: the husband takes his own wife into the dining room, instead of a distin- guished woman guest. The wedding cake is placed in front of host and hostess, the latter cutting the first slice, as she did when a bride a quarter of a SILVER-WEDDING BREAKFAST SERVICE. WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES 167 century before. The cake is passed at dessert, and this is the signal for the oldest friend of the family to propose the health of the happy couple, the toast being drunk standing. GOLDEN WEDDING The fiftieth anniversary is celebrated in much the same way as the silver, gold lettering replacing the silver on the invitation cards, yellow being the color scheme for all decorations and flowers, which may be sent as gifts in lieu of golden ornaments and plate. The bride and groom enter the dining room arm in arm to the strains of a wedding march, the eldest son, or mayhap a grandson, proposing their health and continued happiness. DIAMOND WEDDING Of a diamond wedding, seventy-five years after marriage, we need hardly speak, so rarely does the celebration of one occur even among the annals of millionairedom. When one does, mica dust replaces the silver and gold on the cards, and is used freely, as at Christmastime, on all decorations, which should be white and green, the bridal colors. Rhinestone-studded articles, happily, may be chosen for gifts in lieu of the real. 168 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS It is a pretty custom, and one generally followed by all couples at these anniversaries, be they young, middle-aged, or aged, to dance the first number to- gether, if dancing forms the principal feature, or closes the evening's entertainment. To the onlookers no more charming picture can be presented than a stately minuet in which parents, children, and grandchildren take part, some of the guests, perhaps, having danced the same measure when the bride and groom were newly wed many, many years ago. CHAPTEE VIII COTILLONS, AND FANCY-DRESS PARTIES FOR ADULTS AND OLDER YOUNG PEOPLE LESSINGS on the Germans, the French, or whoever it was that invented the cotillon — that merry, graceful, picturesque game, that epitome of all the best there is in private dancing. The very name Cotillon calls forth from society a benediction and awakens pleasurable memories and anticipations of novelty, beauty, and, above all, inter- estedness ; and to be interested to the accompaniment of music and rhythm and color becomes the very acme of enjoyment. The attainment of this rests to some extent with the participants — ^the attentiveness with which they receive directions, and the zest and spirit with which they follow them. But upon the leader really rests the responsibility of making a cotillon a success or a failure. One has only to possess those qualifications for success in any vocation — a cool head, an even temper, energy, confidence, and a nimble wit — to ' ' arrive " as a cotillon leader. He must inspire his followers with his own animation, rushing his figures through, merry, serious, and comical following each other in quick succession, till a climax is reached in the last figure, ' ' the best of all the game. ' ' To avoid 169 170 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS confusion, the leader must make his directions as few and brief as possible, a word, a wave of the hand, a motion of the head often sufficing to make even the most complicated figure run smoothly. He will find it a help to write and carry with him a detailed description of each figure — its number, properties, favors, number of couples up and whether they are to find partners, while the favors and necessary proper- ties for each should be arranged in a room or closet adjoining the ballroom, and numbered to correspond with the numbers of the figures. An infinite variety of figures may be produced by making slight changes in old figures, with the aid of different properties and favors, or by working up popular games, recent inventions, and every-day hap- penings into entire novelties. A little inventive genius can evolve wonders from a mere suggestion. In order to produce harmony between figures and favors, it is well for the leader to choose the latter, which may be unique, pretty or absurd, brilliant, small or large; toys, grotesque masks, flowers, imita- tion jewelry, stars and various decorations, oddities in wearing apparel, etc. Many very attractive ones can be fashioned of bits of gay silks, velvets, muslins, beads, and tissue papers. It is customary to arrange a programme of six or eight dances to precede the cotillon, but in so doing the first freshness of the evening's enjoyment is lost, and the idea of devoting the entire evening to the cotillon itself is gaining in favor. Care must be COTILLON FAVOES. COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 171 taken by the hostess to include in her invitation list only as many guests as can be conveniently seated, for, if her social circle be large, it is far better to give two smaller parties in comfort than one large one unpleasantly crowded. The question of seating is best settled by chance. The chairs, arranged in one row and placed, next to the wall, around the room or on opposite sides of the room, should be num- bered in pairs, from one upward, for convenience sake, cards, or large, gaudy Japanese fans, cor- respondingly numbered, being drawn by couples. The lady both sits and stands at her partner's right, unless otherwise directed by the leader. All unneces- sary furniture should be removed, leaving simply the chairs for the dancers, small camp chairs of uniform size being the most desirable. An ingrain or Brus- sels carpet, covered with heavy, unbleached muslin, stretched very smooth and tight, presents the best surface for dancing. Velvet or Turkey carpet is too soft and yielding, necessitating the placing of heavy paper between it and the muslin. A bare floor, un- less specially made for dancing, should also be cov- ered with heavy paper and muslin or canvas. One's individual taste enters into the selection of the music, though usually, when only two pieces are desired, violin and piano are chosen. For a third piece the cor- net may be added, and the violoncello for the fourth. Beyond this number the selection should be left to the orchestra leader, while the musicians should be so placed as to be heard to the best advantage, 172 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS without being near enough to interfere with conver- sation. The old way of signaling by clapping the hands was never quite satisfactory, because the lead- er's gloves muffled the sound, and has been discarded in favor of bells, whistles, rattles, or, what is better still, castanets. Certain understood strokes start or stop the music, others announce changes in figures, while a roll signals for seats. The music should cease at the end of each figure. The leader frequently is honored with the hostess as his partner, and assists her, at the close of the cotillon, in speeding the part- ing guest ; but often it seems desirable that the leader have no partner, and thus be left free to give his un- divided attention to his duties. Open the cotillon with a grand march, and, if pos- sible, obtain for the participants gay hats, parasols, or other properties, which add greatly to the beauty and general effect. If desired, dispense with the regular supper, serving in its stead, at intervals dur- ing the dancing, light refreshments of houillon, salads, and ices, thus affording an opportunity for conversation and sociability. Close promptly at a given time, while the fun is still at its height and the dancers eager for '' more.'' And — ^this for all — in bestowing favors, remember the heartache and hu- miliation bravely borne beneath the coat or corsage unadorned. ** Put yourself in his place," and favor accordingly. COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 173 MULLIGAN GUARDS Provide as many small drums as there are to be ladies present, and as many toy trumpets as there are to be gentlemen. Number the drums to cor- respond with the numbers attached to the trumpets. Distribute drums to ladies, trumpets to gentlemen. Corresponding numbers dance together, the lady with drum One with the gentleman with trumpet One, etc. Signal to fall in and march, the leader with his partner heading the column, drums beating, trumpets blowing. Signal to dance. This may be used successfully either as an opening or a closing figure. THE MINE Provide a large number of Japanese lanterns. Light, and give one to each gentleman or to each dancer. Turn out all the ordinary lights of the room. All up and dance. Signal to form a circle around the room. Let the leader then act as guide, and the others follow him in any complicated lines or curves. A serpentine down the room is very ef- fective. Signal to dance. Turning on the lights is the signal for seats. This is also a good opening figure. UMBRELLAS Eight small umbrellas of different colors are dis- tributed to eight ladies. The leader is provided with 174 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS a very large umbrella, to which are attached eight bows with long ends, corresponding in colors with the umbrellas. This he turns rapidly over his head so that the ends float out. Eight gentlemen are then called, each of whom endeavors to catch one of the ends. If he succeeds, he dances with the lady whose umbrella is of a corresponding color. JAPANESE FETE The dancers, both ladies and gentlemen, wear Japanese robes, headdresses, ornaments, etc., those of similar hue dancing together. Very charming cos- tumes may be fashioned for this figure with the aid of a little ingenuity, a mucilage pot, scissors, and gay tissue papers. LETTER BOX A large, red letter box is brought in, which, by means of ribbons which hang from it, presents postal cards to the gentlemen and packets to the ladies. Those dance together whose names and addresses cor- respond. The letter box may be used as a means for the distribution of gifts at special-occasion parties. INSCRIPTIONS Prepare several large cards. Upon one side of each place a number, upon the other a ludricous inscrip- tion. Several couples rise and waltz. Each lady COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 175 then draws a large card from a table, while each gentleman draws a small numbered card from a bas- ket. Partners find each other by corresponding num- bers. Each lady attaches her card to her partner's shoulder, with the inscription exposed to view, and all waltz. THE HOTEL RUNNERS Provide silk hats and whips for the gentlemen, each hat bearing the name of some popular hotel, and jaunty summer-resort hats of crepe or tissue paper and shipping tags with duplicate hotel names for the ladies. After a number of couples have danced, the ladies retire to a side room, where they put on their hats and tags. The gentlemen are then given the silk hats and whips and placed in two lines, facing each other, to form a passage from the door through which the ladies are to enter. When all is in readi- ness, the door is opened and the ladies reenter the hall. The gentlemen with their whips solicit patron- age for their hotels, after the manner of depot hotel runners, calling out, *' Cab, madam? Right this way for the Auditorium," etc. Each lady will find her partner to be the runner who represents the hotel at which she is going to stop. RUNNING THE GANTLET Have ready a clothesline as long as the width of the room. Several couples rise and dance. Two gen- 176 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS tlemen then turn the rope, while each couple tries in turn to pass through without stopping it. Those who succeed obtain favors to bestow and dance. The failures return to their seats. BLIND MAN'S BUFF In this game high pointed hats resembling dunce caps, and large enough to slip down over a man's eyes, take the place of the old blinders. After dan- cing a round, the gentlemen are grouped in the center of the room and these hats placed upon their heads. Their partners circle around them and endeavor to elude the blinded gentlemen as they rush forward to capture them. THE MONSTER MUFF For this figure a huge muff is to be fashioned of fancy silk, velvet, or tissue paper. In order to secure partners, the ladies and gentlemen taking part in the figure place their hands in the muff, several at a time. By a clever contrivance, some bows being untied, the muff opens and those who are holding hands dance together. THE MIKADO Six couples dance a round. Japanese fans bearmg the name of the popular opera ' ' Mikado, ' ' but minus one letter, are then distributed to the ladies, while the gentlemen receive crepe paper handkerchiefs COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 177 having the missing letters. Each lady then takes as her partner he whose handkerchief supplies the letter missing from her fan. AIR BALLS A lady dances around the room carrying an air ball attached to a string. Two gentlemen are given long pins with which to puncture it, and he who is successful wins the lady as a partner. ST. VALENTINE'S HAT Provide a hat of " tile " shape, large enough to slip over a man's head and rest on his shoulders. Paste on this hat several hearts, each with a num- ber underneath. Provide also a set of stars with corresponding numbers. After a given number of couples have risen and danced the stars are dis- tributed among the gentlemen, and another' gentle- man, wearing the hat, enters from a side room. Each lady then plucks a heart from the hat and dances with the gentleman whose star bears the cor- responding number. FISHING Provide fishing rods, hooks without barbs, lines, and bait. Any small stick with streamers of ribbon and bits of wire on the ends will answer for the rods, while the bait may be anything pretty in the way of a favor that will stay on a hook. A number of couples 178 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS rise and dance, then separate and form two lines, while a shawl is held up between them. Each gentle- man is handed a line, which he casts over the shawl, where it is seized by a fair fish. The shawl is then removed, each gentleman dancing with the lady he has caught, after removing the bait and bestowing it as a favor. THE SCARECROW Palm-leaf fans with a man's face — one ugly and the other handsome — on each side are provided for the ladies, while the gentlemen receive correspond- ing fans with ladies' faces. A lady advances to a gentleman seated, who rises and follows her, she dancing backward with her fan (handsome side out- ward) before her face. Suddenly she reverses the fan, which is understood to be a refusal, advancing toward the gentleman, who in turn dances backward to his seat. The lady makes known her choice by pre- senting the handsome side of the fan. The gentlemen with fans execute the same figure with the ladies. AUNT SALLIB A huge, life-sized figure, comically attired and with a small pipe in its mouth, is placed before a lady seated in a chair in the middle of the room. Two gentlemen are brought forward and each presented with a soft ball, with which he endeavors to knock out the pipe. He who first succeeds dances with the lady. COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 179 REGATTA In this figure the ladies have nautical caps, and the gentlemen tiny oars decked with ribbons matching the color of the caps. Those whose tints correspond become partners. NOM DE PLUME Provide one set of hats for the gentlemen, another for the ladies. The ladies' hats are named Paulina, Josephine, Henrietta, etc., while the gentlemen's are named Paul, Joseph, Henry, etc. Partners are found thus : Paul dances with Pauline, Joseph with Joseph- ine, Henry with Henrietta, etc. TAPERS As many small wax tapers are provided as there are ladies. The leader presents one to each lady ; the ordinary lights are extinguished and the tapers lighted. The gentlemen then rise, each favors a lady, blows out her taper, lights are turned on, and all dance. BROKEN HEARTS Twelve or fourteen couples rise, dance, and sep- arate at a signal, the gentlemen forming a line on one side, the ladies on the other. The leader then steps between the lines and distributes two sets of broken hearts, one to the ladies, the other to the gentlemen. 13 180 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS While so doing he may create considerable fun by making a little speech about broken hearts, how the ladies have broken the hearts of the gentlemen, and he therefore wishes them to step forward and repair the damage they have done. Those whose pieces fit together to make a complete heart become partners for a waltz. WOOLEN BALLS Woolen balls of different colors are distributed to the ladies, with ribbon rosettes of the same colors, which they pin to their waists. At a signal they throw the balls simultaneously in front of them, while the gentlemen scramble to get them, each trying to obtain the one of the color of the rosette worn by the lady with whom he wishes to dance. BIBS A lady is seated in the middle of the room and provided with a number of children 's bibs and sticks of candy. The leader presents to her a number of gentlemen. To each not accepted she gives a bib and a stick of candy. The rejected gentlemen place the bibs around their necks, kneel in various parts of the room, and eat their candy. When a gentleman is finally accepted he and the lady waltz among those kneeling. COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 181 THE LATTICE Provide a good-sized piece of latticework, to be held in place in the middle of the room by two gentle- men. At its intersections place bouquets, similar ones having been distributed to the ladies. The gen- tlemen try to dislodge these posies with lances, each dancing with the lady whose bouquet matches the one he removes. THE GIANT WALKING HAT For this figure provide an immense tissue-paper hat, large enough entirely to envelop six men. After six couples have danced a round the gentlemen step into a side room and are placed under this hat. When all is ready, the door opens and the giant hat moves slowly into the room. At a signal the six men burst through the hat, find their partners, and continue the dance. SUNFLOWERS These should be of two different colors, one for the ladies and one for the gentlemen. Each plucks a petal, to all of which numbers are attached, and those whose numbers correspond dance. BROOM, LANTERN, AND UMBRELLA These articles are placed before one of the ladies, to whom four gentlemen are presented. She selects 18^ THE COMPLETE HOSTESS one for a partner, gives to another the umbrella, which he is expected to hold open over her head as she dances; to another she gives the lantern, to light her way; and to the third the broom, with which to sweep the floor before her and her partner. GENTLEMEN BALLET DANCERS This is a very lively and amusing figure. Provide short and very full ballet skirts of assorted colors of tissue paper for the gentlemen, and hair ornaments of corresponding colors for the ladies. After the couples chosen have danced a round, the gentlemen retire to a side room to don their skirts, while the hair ornaments are distributed among the ladies. The leader then announces that Mile. So-and-So, with her famous troupe of dancers, will now delight and entertain the guests, etc. After the gentlemen have furnished considerable amusement for the company, they seek as partners those whose hair ornaments match their skirts in color. FOILS WITH POWDER PUFFS Foils with pretty handles are entwined with rib- bons and bells, and powder puffs well dredged with flour fastened to the tips. Two gentlemen fight with these for the privilege of dancing with the lady, the victor being he who first puts powder on his oppo- nent's face. COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 183 FISHING RODS Lumps of sugar fastened by strings to the ends of fishing rods are dangled by the ladies before the gentlemen, who try to catch the sugar in their mouths. If successful, they dance with the holders of the poles. DICE Two large, bright-colored cardboard dice six inches square are thrown by two contending gentlemen be- fore a lady seated in the middle of the room. The one who throws the highest number claims her as his partner. The unsuccessful competitor tries his luck again till he in turn has the highest number. CROQUET An iron hoop, weighted so it will stand, is placed on the floor at one end of the room. The lady stands beside it, and the gentleman at the opposite end of the room with ball and mallet. He endeavors to send the ball through the hoop. If he fails, another gentle- man takes his place, the one who succeeds dancing with the lady. MATCHING COLORS Provide large gay-colored bows, the ladies wear- ing theirs in their hair, the gentlemen theirs as neck- ties. Partners are found by matching colors. In- 184. THE COMPLETE HOSTESS stead of bows, paper capes may be provided for the ladies. THE ENCHANTED CIRCLE Provide six frames, covered with tissue paper, large enough for a person to pass through. Place these, tied together to form a hexagon, in the middle of the room, five ladies being inside. Six gentlemen join hands around the screens, circling around once. Each then drops on one knee before one of the screens. At a signal the ladies step through and each dances with the gentleman whom she finds in front of her. The gentleman who remains steps through the unbroken screen and stands in the inclosure while the others dance. THE BRIDE The leading couple promenade. The lady, stop- ping before some gentleman with whom she wishes to dance, places over his head a large white veil, her original partner crowning him with a wreath of orange or other blossoms. The gentleman so dec- orated dances with the lady, the leading gentleman with the chosen gentleman's partner. TENPINS Have ready a large rubber ball. Ten couples rise and dance. The gentlemen form themselves into a pyramid at one end of the room, the ladies gathering COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 185 at the other. Drawing lots for the order of trial, the ladies bowl at the gentlemen, each lady dancing with the gentleman whom she hits. BAGS Prepare tissue-paper bags sufficiently large to cover a gentleman to the waist. After certain couples have danced the gentlemen retire and array them- selves in these bags. Thus attired they return to the room, the ladies choosing them as partners. The removal of the bags preparatory to dancing reveals to each lady the identity of her partner. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY Make a tissue-paper screen about fifteen feet long and six feet high, and paste a strip of paper cambric across the top to give it strength. Paint upon it sev- eral telegraph poles (minus the wires, of course), and near each end paint an imitation mail box, with a slit in the top through which the telegraph opera- tors are to deposit their messages. A message should be provided for each gentleman, placed in a num- bered envelope, and sealed. The gentlemen should also have messenger boys' caps, numbered to corre- spond with the messages. After certain couples have danced a round a signal to separate is given, and the ladies step to one side of the hall, the gentlemen to the opposite. While the screen is being brought in 186 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS the leader may make the follov/ing announcement: *' I take pleasure in introducing to you Signor Mar- coni, who will give a demonstration of his system of wireless telegraphy," etc. Arrange the screen so that the ladies will be behind and the gentlemen be- fore it. Distribute among the latter the sealed mes- sages, which they will immediately deposit at the wireless telegraph stations. In a flash the messages have arrived at their destinations and been delivered to the proper persons, who at once seek the senders. They will be found without difficulty, because the numbers on their caps correspond with the numbers of the messages. After partners are found, all dance. Different messages may be made for each number. FANCY DRESS PARTIES In selecting a fancy costume care should be taken to choose what is individually becoming and in har- mony with one's personality. Certain costumes suit certain features and builds, and people often make themselves ridiculous by assuming characters in every way opposed to their own. Having at length chosen an appropriate character and dressed it as realistically as possible, live it for the time being, for therein lies the secret of success in impersona- tion. In these days of pictorial literature there should be little difficulty in finding suggestions for picturesque and unique costumes, in which cheese cloth, tarletan, calico, and other cotton cloths replace COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 187 the more expensive materials. Some costumes com- bining two characters — Black and White, Night and Morning, Peace and War, etc. — often afford much amusement. Certain ones which correspond — Apple and Pear Blossoms, Cinderella's Two Sisters, Music and Painting, Oranges and Lemons, Aurora and the Hours — go well together. Four sisters might costume as the Seasons, husband and wife as Jack and Jill, King and Queen, Wizard and Witch, etc., while small boys make a delightfully animated pack of cards. Our old, reliable friend. Mother Goose, and Miss Greenaway's sketches, suggest many of the quaintest dresses for children. Such articles as fancy masks, Japanese fans, umbrellas and screens, and Chinese lanterns, arranged about the ballroom, add to the gayety of the scene, while green foliage makes the best background for the vivid colors worn by the company. A BUSTER BROWN PARTY " Resolved : That all who do not want to be bachelors or bache- lor girls or 'has-beens,' must come to the real Buster Brown Party at the home of , on . If any of your friends should find out that you did not attend you would be disgraced for life." This is merely a suggestion for an invitation, which may be changed and elaborated in as many ways as there are sides to Buster's character, and printed, of course, in a small boy's hand. A little knack with pen or brush might place Buster beside his invita- 188 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS tion, with the ever-faithful Tige beneath. The in- vitations request that each guest come costumed as Buster in some one of his characteristic poses, while host and hostess assume the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Then there are Jimmy and Bridget and the maid, the policeman, and other victims of Buster's pranks. Even Tige suggests possibilities. The ladies may costume as stylish little girls of the present day, with full skirts, immense sashes and hair ribbons, etc. Two prizes may be offered, one for the best costume, the other for the best impersonation of Buster. If some of the guests could arrange beforehand some pranks and tricks a la Buster, they would add spice to the evening's fun. The entertainment and re- freshment should be such as one would provide for any children's party. Considering Buster's national popularity, there should be no difficulty in getting material for an evening of this kind. A REMINISCENCE PARTY As the name suggests, this party is devoted to liv- ing in and bringing back the past, or, rather, that altogether sunny and imaginative part of the past, childhood. Each guest comes in garb characteristic of the vocation chosen when a child, resulting in a decidedly '^ mixed " assembly — the pirate, a dashing figure in his gorgeous costume, sword in belt; the confectioner, in white cap and apron; the queen, in crown and train; the soldier, with his brass buttons; COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 189 the millionaire, in evening clothes, with huge paste diamonds; the circus clown; the cook, with gingham apron and rolled-up sleeves; the sailor, the writer, etc. The guests attempt to converse in the vernacu- lar of their supposed callings, and reminiscences of early years are exchanged. THE BABY SHOW Invitations to this children's party for grown-ups should be written on tiny sheets of note paper, and expressed in some such way as this: "Dear Fannie: " I am going to have a party on Tuesday evening, the third of May. Please come, and be sure to bring your doll. "Ruth.'! Or: "Dear Willie: "Come to my party next Wednesday evening, April second and bring the toy you like best. Lots of the boys and girls are coming, and mamma says there'll be ice cream. "Tom.'' On the backs of the invitations should be written, ** Come in the costume of a child under ten." Note paper specially designed for children, with animals at play, scenes from Mother Goose, Kate Greenaway figures, etc., is usually to be had, and would be most appropriate for such an occasion. The invitations admit of very amusing replies. Papa and mamma, holding Ruth or Tom by the hand, receive their little 190 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS guests, and introductions follow, for no one would think of identifying three-year-old Johnnie Brown, in kilts and huge lace collar, with Mr. John Brown, the well-known lawyer; while only a wild flight of the imagination could see the gay coquette. Miss Mill- burn, in this shy, weepy little maiden, who backs into a corner and tries to hide behind the furniture when approached by that dread animal. Boy. After a little skillful maneuvering the boys may be coaxed to ^' come and play with the little girls, *' and chil- dren's games of the good old days are indulged in — Going to Jerusalem, Stage Coach, London Bridge, Oats, Pease, Beans, and Barley Grows — the salute being upon the hand instead of the cheek — Bean Bag, etc. The ' ' feast, ' ' so dear to the childish heart, may comprise dainty sandwiches cut in fancy shapes, custards, star cookies '^ with lots of sugar," ice cream, and little cakes, honbons — anything, in fact, not too trying to the infant digestion. The little guests may be seated around the dining room in kin- dergarten chairs, each with his bib tied on nicely, and eying hungrily the table with its load of goodies — nougat pyramids, mottoes, baskets of fruit, and striped candy canes — to be served after the substan- tial, with " snappers " — for what party was ever a success without paper caps? To crown the occasion, a huge Jack Horner pie may adorn the center of the table, and the " children " draw souvenirs there- from. Sandwiches, cake, etc., '' for two '* are some- times arranged in dainty boxes or baskets trimmed COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 191 with tissue paper. If an old baby buggy is available, remove the bottom to allow the * ' infant ' ' occupying it to walk, and hang curtains around the sides. After the baby is in, fill the buggy with souvenirs and wheel it into the room in which are the other children, where the infant occupant will distribute the toys, or whatever the souvenirs may be. The success of a party of this kind depends upon the abandon with which each guest ^' becomes as a little child " and enters into the spirit of the occasion. AN ANCESTORS' REUNION This is an appropriate celebration for any of the national holidays. Each guest is requested to come in the dress of his or her earliest ancestor in this coun- try. Some may be the fortunate possessors of the costume of ''ye olden tyme " — the rich brocades of the ladies, the gold-embroidered coats of satin and velvet, and the jeweled snuffboxes of the men. Pow- dered hair, patches, and jewels would naturally supplement costumes such as these. Puritan maidens in white caps, kerchiefs, and aprons, and quiet gowns, the men in wide-brimmed hats, broad collars, knee breeches, and low shoes with buckles, represent the Colonial period; while Dutch burghers in their big breeches, and their wives with their numberless petticoats under full-gathered skirts, their hair hid- den under close muslin caps, their cheeks rouged, would tell of early Dutch ancestry. Peter Stuyvesant, 192 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS wooden leg and all, would be a striking figure. Then there are the French Huguenot women in long, graceful skirts, long sleeves puffed at the elbows, and coiffed hair; Colonial dames of Washington's time, with their muslin, lace-trimmed fichus, pow- dered hair, little caps, etc. ; Quakers, Cavaliers, In- dians, Swedes, Germans, Spaniards, and representa- tives of other foreign countries. At one party of this kind a gentleman of Italian descent came as a Dago, carrying a monkey and a wheezing hand-organ, while his wife, with a yellow handkerchief on her head, jingled a tambourine. Several assumed the character of emigrants in picturesque rags, and car- ried on sticks bundles made of colored handkerchiefs. One who had an ancestor in the Revolution wore the hona fide blue-and-buff uniform of 1776. The rooms should be hung with flags and bunting in the national colors, while buff and blue. might prevail in the din- ing room. Ices may be served in cocked hats, drums, tricolor boxes, etc. Family annals, bits of curious American folklore, stories and anecdotes, would help the evening to pass pleasantly to its termination in the Virginia reel. A ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARTY Invitations adorned with shamrocks request each guest to represent an Irish character either in history or fiction, and to bring to the party some specimen of Irish wit. When all are assembled, a grand march COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 193 to the tune of " The Wearing of the Green " leads past a lady dressed as an Irish beggar girl, who re- ceives the stories in an outstretched basket. Then an Irish manager gives the call, '^ All r-ready for the quadrille ! ' ' and a number of sets are formed. Three of these may be previously arranged for, the first consisting of Mr. Dooley's friends, Mr. Hen- nessy, Mr. Riordon, and the 'Donohues ; the second, of Irish peasants in costumes — Rory O'More and Kathleen Bawn, Kathleen Mavourneen and Terence O'More, Shamus O'Brien, and the Widow Malone, etc. ; the third, of Irish authors and heroes and hero- ines of fiction — Tom Moore and Lalla Rookh, Seumus McManus and one of King O'Hara's daughters, etc. In a fourth set might dance Fin McCool, the Irish giant, all the others being chosen for their dimin- utive size — witches, fairies, and hobgoblins. " Money Musk," ''Dan Tucker," ''Pop Goes the Weasel," and the ' ' Irish Washerwoman ' ' follow the quadrille. Supper is served from wooden plates, and the ten best stories are read aloud, prizes being given for the three wittiest. A MI-CAREME PARTY Mi-Careme is a French feast day which falls on Thursday of the third week in Lent. The celebration originated in an ancient custom of setting aside a day to greet Spring and bid adieu to Winter, and is especially beloved of the laundresses of Paris, who parade the streets in their picturesque costumes, at- 194 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS tended by their swains. This feast day forms the basis of a very attractive and unique fancy dress party, the ladies wearing the costume of the hlanchis- seuse of Paris, the gentlemen assuming the dress of bakers, grocers, or men of any calling with rank equal to that of a laundress. The decorations repre- sent the meeting of Spring and Winter, the former being suggested by fresh flowers, ferns, vines, and caged birds, the latter by dried grasses, scarlet ber- ries, silkweed, cedar branches with their beautiful blue berries, and other preserved plant growth. Cot- ton sprinkled with pulverized isinglass makes an effective background for the greens. The same idea is carried out in the table decorations. In the center of the table should be a snow bank of cotton and snow powder, out of which peep spring flowers and ferns. The flowers in vases are placed on the table first, and the cotton bank around them. If a co- tillon is danced, tiny washboards, dolls' tubs, wring- ers, ironing boards, irons, etc., are appropriate favors. A HARVEST-HOME PARTY A large barn really offers the best setting for a party of this kind. Stalls hung with greenery, and fitted up with rugs and seats cushioned with balsam boughs covered with turkey red, become the very coziest of cozy corners, while boughs of flaming maple, a dado of ripe wheat, and Japanese lanterns suspended among green boughs from the ceiling, COZY CORNER IN A BARN. COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 195 transform the erstwhile stable into a bower of autumn loveliness. But the spirit and idea of the harvest- home party may be carried out with almost equal success in home or hall. The same decorations may prevail, or the walls may be draped with yellow cheese cloth hung with long vines of white clematis and yellow chrysanthemums, tall candles with yellow shades giving a soft light from banks of vines and ferns. Heaps of pumpkins and rosy apples would add a seasonable and convincing touch. Invitations should be written on folded paper, uninclosed and sealed with wax, and read as follows: " An ye will, come to an old-tyme party on ye evening of ye tenth day of October, at ye home of Mistress , at ye hour of eight of the clock. All will please wear costumes of ye coun- trie folk, both lads and lasses." The ladies should wear sunbonnets, gingham gowns and aprons, or dress to represent different fruits and vegetables. For instance, a pale green gown trimmed with parsley would quickly suggest the vegetable of that name. The gentlemen should wear knee breeches, boots, jumpers, and big hats, with houton- meres of onions, carrots, parsley, etc. The entertain- ment would properly consist of the Lancers and square dances. Money Musk, and the Virginia Reel, old-fashioned games, a spelling and an apple-paring bee; and a supper of clam chowder, chicken potpie, apples, nuts, popcorn, cider, and frozen custard would be delightfully appetizing and appropriate. 14 196 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS AN ANIMATED CAKE CARNIVAL In the olden days the festivities of Yuletide were the gala time of the year, and covered a period of twelve days, the time of the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem, the last day being the sixth of January, when the gayety culminated in the Twelfth-Night jollification. '* Twelfth Night was to pastry cooks what Easter is to florists," and bakers vied with each other in the production of cakes which were marvels of ingenuity, beauty, and delicacy. Cakes, there- fore, should form a conspicuous part of any Twelfth- Night entertainment, and this idea suggests the ani- mated cake carnival. At a party of this kind the Angel Cake was a girl in classic draperies of white cheese cloth, with large cotton-batting wings. Ginger Snap was in a snuff-colored gown, and carried in her pockets snaps from mottoes, which she set off from time to time. Wedding Cake was, of course, a girl dressed as a bride. Sponge Cake appeared in a soft gown of yellow cheese cloth, with a hat of the same material, the crown of which was a large bath sponge. Election Cake was an awesome personage in a news- paper gown with a fringe of '* ticker tape " in short lengths. Upon her head was a '* creation '' composed of bits of paper on which were the type-written words, '' Vote for Cupid," '' Vote for home rule," etc. Fruit Cake's gown was trimmed with strings of raisins and currants in festoons. Nut Cake was in brown, with green leaves galore, and wore as a crown COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 197 a wreath of green filberts. The men were not in cos- tume, but wore houtonnieres of patty pans. The fol- lowing riddles were propounded and answered: What is the cake for a geologist? Layer cake. What is the cake for a pugilist? Pound cake. What is the cake for a lover? Kisses. What is the cake for a gardener? Fruit cake. What is the cake for a glover? Lady fingers. What is the cake for a politician? Election cake. What is the cake for a jeweler? Gold and silver cake. What is the cake for a man who lives on his friends? Sponge cake. What is the cake for the man who eats all of these? Stomach-ache. For the largest number of correct answers a cake knife was awarded, and the evening closed with a cake walk. OUR HOLIDAYS A holiday party offers wide scope for the exercise of one 's ingenuity as a costumer, as many of the holi- days may be represented in either a serious or hu- morous manner, and one has only to make the choice best suited to his individuality. New Year's Day suggests infancy and innocence. Any man of un- usual length of body and limb, arrayed in tights, short fluffy skirts, wings, and curls, would be sure to create a sensation as the Infant Year. A postman adorned with missives would leave no doubt as to his identity — Valentine's Day. A costume trimmed with turkey feathers, edibles, etc., would be appropriate to 198 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS Thanksgiving Day. The Fourth of July gives us Uncle Sam and Liberty, with drums, guns, flags, etc. Saint Patrick 's Day must be very green indeed, while Ash Wednesday and Lent should be in deep black. May Day could be represented by girls in white with flowers and ribbons, and men in sailor waists, knicker- bockers, gay sashes, and straw hats. Children's Day is associated with little children with flowers ; and the American May Day — moving day — should be bur- dened down with bundles, bird cage, satchel, pieces of stovepipe, etc. — a costume not distinguished for comfort, but one readily appreciated by all beholders. A NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY In the decorations, holly and mistletoe predom- inate, with board red ribbons entwining the chan- deliers. The hostess, in a red-trimmed white gown, receives her guests — ^the Months «f the year, the Sea- sons, and the New and Old Years, the latter in long black gown, white wig and beard, the former in white, with wings of tarlatan and gilded crown. January is all in fur-trimmed black, glittering with tinsel. February is in red decorated with red and yellow hearts, and wears a heart-shaped crown. March ap- pears in dust color, with green shamrocks. Mackin- tosh, Alpine hat, and umbrella protect April from possible showers. May wears pale pink with apple blossoms. June, the ^' sweet girl graduate," wears her cap and gown and carries June roses and COTILLONS, FANCY DRESS 199 diploma. July, as Columbia, is patriotic in the na- tional colors. August, in pink gown, and leghorn hat decorated with cherries, carries a fan and a white parasol. September is in ecru^ with autumn leaves. October looks cheery in russet decorated with chest- nuts; while November glows in red and brown, with strings of cranberries and corn for chains and brace- lets. December wears black net over red, trimmed with holly, and a large silver star in her hair. Music, games, and recitations suitable to the different months afford appropriate entertainment. For instance, the game of shooting hearts, with a heart-shaped key ring and a hatpin with a crystal heart top for prizes, be- longs to February; Mendelssohn's '' Spring Song " to May, etc. Refreshments are served by the Seasons. Spring, in pale green cheese cloth, offers chicken salad, small rolls, and peanut sandwiches; Summer, in rose cheese cloth, preserved fruits; Autumn, in yellow, nuts ; and Winter, ice cream and fruit punch. As midnight sounds, all sing " Auld Lang Syne." Ornamental calendars for the New Year are pretty souvenirs. Note. — Additional ideas for fancy dress parties particularly suitable for children will be found in Chapter IV. CHAPTER IX CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS WORKERS in any church, who have attended meetings called to arrange for an enter- tainment, have all, it seems safe to say, experienced a feeling akin to despair when the ques- tion was asked, ** What shall we give? " There are no especially new suggestions, but these paragraphs give the experience of old favorites that are usually profitable, with a few novelties in details, decorations, etc. Every church entertainment, whatever its charac- ter may be, should have a reception committee. The ladies chosen should possess a genial manner. It is also well for one among them to be well acquainted with everybody, for a ready recognition saves much embarrassment to strangers. The clergyman ^s wife, if there be one, should be among those chosen. NEW YEAR'S DINNER The New Year's dinner took root and flourished so successfully in the small towns that it became one of the yearly festivals, one of its chief charms being the relief it afforded to those upon whose shoulders 200 CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 201 rested the burden of cooking the holiday dinner at home. The menu was turkey, cranberry sauce or jelly, potatoes, celery or slaw, coffee, cheese and crackers, with ice cream and cake as extras. It is very necessary to have some expert carvers present, as close carving makes an enormous difference in the profit. NEW YEAR'S DRILL A pretty New Year's drill is to have four young girls, dressed as the four seasons, come on the stage and go through a few figures; then another, repre- senting the Year, comes on the stage supported by twelve little girls, each appropriately dressed to rep- resent a month. The Year is led by the Months and Seasons to a throne in the center, a chorus appro- priate to the occasion is sung, and then the four Seasons crown the Year with wreaths emblematic of each season, the Months meanwhile joining hands and dancing around the group, or marching in the center to slow music. When the Year is crowned, all ad- vance to the center of the stage, the Year in the mid- dle, flanked by the Seasons and Months, and the curtain falls. MEN'S SUPPER When the men in a certain parish proposed to give a supper, which they should prepare and serve, the ladies smiled in a superior way, and agreed to come out of sheer curiosity. But on the night of the sup- per curiosity gave way to real appreciation of the 202 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS spick-and-span waiters in white coats and aprons, the daintily set table, and the splendid system which prevailed everywhere. In some instances the men did not prepare the contributions, but the credit of the planning and serving, the setting of the table, the washing of the dishes, the management of the kitchen, down to the most minute detail, belonged wholly to them; and it is a fact worth recording that nearly two hundred and fifty people were satisfactorily served that evening, and that not a single woman was asked to do any of the work. The men chose, as head of the whole supper, one of their number, who ap- pointed a head waiter with eight assistants. The head waiter saw that everjrthing went well in the dainty room, and that each guest who sat down had a well-cleared space before him, with clean knife and fork, and that no one's wants were neglected. The head man was in the kitchen. He made the coffee, saw that things were kept hot, and that the plates and dishes of food went into the dining room looking as tempting as possible. He had two assistants to carve, and two to wash dishes. One young man, who felt that he had no talent for cooking or serving, begged from the ladies various articles for a Common-Sense booth. He netted about thirty dollars. THE BABY SHOW The baby show is very ridiculous. Only grown people take part in it. They come dressed as babies, P W Q O CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 203 from those in long clothes to the two-year-old in kilts. They are arranged about the room, if possible, in imitation cradles or baby coaches, propped up on pillows, or held in their fond mothers' arms. An ad- mission fee is charged, and judges appointed who award prizes to the best representatives of babyhood. GUESSING SOCIAL For a guessing social, four spaces on the wall are covered with pictures representing (1) famous men and women, (2) famous buildings, (3) authors of to- day, (4) famous men and women of our own time. Little programmes, with pencil attached, should be given to each competitor. Every picture is num- bered, and opposite the corresponding number on the programme the name of the person or building repre- sented is written. The person guessing the greatest number correctly is adjudged winner. Prizes may be offered. ANOTHER GUESSING SOCIAL Another guessing social may be called the Five Senses Social. The tables are arranged, the first with a number of articles of food on it. Each person is blindfolded and led up to the table, and required to tell the various articles by the sense of taste. The second table has bottles or jars containing such things as vinegar, etc., which have to be designated by smelling. The third exhibit may consist of various 204 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS kinds of fabric which are to be discriminated from one another by the sense of touch, the guesser being, of course, blindfolded; and on a fourth may be ar- ranged a large number of articles, which each person is allowed to look at for one or two minutes and then required to write a list of them from memory. Table No. 5 has different tests for hearing. It is extremely interesting to note how much more acute some senses are than others, in each person. A SATURDAY SALE A Saturday sale, given by a guild of girls, netted a nice little sum of money by the sale of ice cream and other dainties. These sales were held on a prominent lawn every Saturday evening throughout the sum- mer. People bought delicacies for Sunday's dinner, such as pies, cakes, and candies, while passers-by, and driving parties attracted by the Chinese lanterns and notices that ice cream was served there, paused to refresh themselves, and very often proved to be good customers for the wares the girls had for sale. A CHICKEN-PIE SUPPER A chicken-pie supper always pays well. The pies should be made in dishes large enough to serve from eight to ten persons, and may be served with mashed potatoes, pickles, bread and butter, and coffee; ice cream and cake are extra. CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 205 Another magnet to draw a crowd is a chicken-salad supper. Hot biscuits, pickles, and coffee will be ap- propriate with it; or, for a slight increase in charge, fried oysters will be found an appetizing accompani- ment; or fried chicken may form the basis of the supper. OYSTER SUPPER The oyster supper, serving the favorite bivalves in the various forms of fried, panned, and escalloped, with cold slaw and celery, potato chips, rolls and but- ter, and coffee, is justly popular. AN ORCHARD TEA An orchard tea was given for the church by one of the ladies whose orchard adjoined the house, at the season when the trees were " fruited deep." It proved to be a very delightful occasion, and one that the summer visitors said was one of the unforgettable evenings of the summer. The young girls of the church, dressed in attractive summer dress and dainty white aprons, waited on the tables, which were scattered over the lawn, and not a few passers-by turned in for ice cream and cake. The hostess, being of a romantic turn of mind as well as hospitably in- clined, had chosen a moonlight evening, which added length and enjoyment to the occasion. The apples from the orchard were sold in small baskets prettily decorated, at a quarter apiece. 206 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS A FOURTH-OF JULY LAWN TEA A Fourth-of-July lawn tea can be made not only pretty, but very profitable, the decorations being of flags and Chinese lanterns, the waitresses attired in red, white, and blue, and the tables adorned with flags becomingly draped, or covered with crepe paper of national colors. A fitting close for such an evening may be an exhibition of fireworks and the singing of patriotic songs. A JAPANESE FAIR A Japanese fair might be held on a good-sized lawn. Arches should be built forming an arcade and strung with Japanese lanterns. Leave a pathway from six to eight feet wide, and have booths on each side of this aisle for the sale of Japanese or fancy articles, cakes, pies, and candles. Upon another part of the lawn place tables to accommodate those who are to be served with ices and cake. COLOR SOCIAL The way to give a color social is this: Select the color which shall prevail — pink, green, violet, orange, or lemon. Let all your decorations be of the color you select, and request everyone who comes either to dress in that color or else be prominently decorated with it. The refreshments must be, as far as possible, of a corresponding shade. The lamps, or the globes CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 207 on the chandelier, should be shaded with the color, and the color scheme adhered to in every possible way. BIRTHDAY SOCIAL A birthday social was given by a guild in a country church where three persons' birthdays fell on the same day ; so it was decided to make it not only mem- orable, but profitable to the church. A social was planned like this : A hall was secured ; the four cor- ners were curtained off, and a fee charged for admit- tance to each one of the four exhibits. In one was a tableau of the three Fates: Clotho sat by the spin- ning wheel, Lachesis held the thread, and Atropos held the shears. An owl was perched above, and on the wall was this inscription in black letters: Spin, spin, Clotho spin, Lachesis twist and Atropos sever; Sorrow is strong, and so is sin, But only God endures forever. In the next booth dwelt a gypsy who read palms and sold fortunes in tiny envelopes, where the birth- day of the buyer furnished the horoscope. The statue of Liberty stood in one alcove, that of Peace in an- other. Large cakes, containing each a ring, a button, and a ten-cent piece, were cut and served with the ice cream. The feast was free of charge. S08 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS BIRTHDAY PARTY The birthday party may take the form of a masque of the four seasons. Everybody who comes repre- sents the season in which his or her birthday occurs, and all come appropriately dressed or decorated for the season. The older people might be required to guess from the costumes to what season each be- longed. This is a fitting time for a drill or a Kirmess. A RAG BEE The rag-bee form of social gives its profits in sev- eral ways. First, the ladies bring their rags to the church parlors, or to a house appointed for the meet- ing; some cut them into strips and others sew the strips together, while others, again, wind the strips into balls. When a sufficient number of balls are made, they are sent to a weaver and woven into rugs, which sell from one dollar apiece upward. Supper is served, to which the men come, and for which they pay a stated sum. The evening is passed with music and conversation, or any form of entertainment con- sidered suitable. VALENTINE SOCIAL The valentine social can be given a week or so be- fore Saint Valentine's Day. The room may be strik- ingly decorated with red hearts strung on wires everywhere. Booths should be prettily decorated in crepe papers, or cheese cloth — if possible heart- CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 209 shaped — and have gayly dressed girls behind them selling valentines, or candy, or ice cream and cake. Admission is charged, music is provided, and per- haps recitations, and everyone that is present is ex- pected to buy valentines. ANOTHER VALENTINE PARTY Another valentine party may commence with a game of hearts. The choosing of partners is accom- plished like this: Each lady is presented with a red heart and requested to write her name on the back. These hearts are pinned onto a sheet, which has been hung for the purpose. The gentlemen, one by one, in turn shoot at the hearts with bow and arrow, three shots are allowed, unless one is pierced by the first shot. If the archer pierces any, he unpins the heart and goes off in search of its owner, who is to be his partner. v The supper table is to be decorated in the prevail- ing color. A piece of red ribbon about eight inches wide is carried down the center of the table, on the white cloth. If possible, let the honhon dishes be in the shape of hearts. The menu may be creamed chicken or oysters, or both, rolls and butter. The ice cream is served on heart-shaped plates, or as in- dividual ices, in the shape of hearts. With the coffee comes the distribution of favors on the valentine order. If there is to be a floral centerpiece, red car- nations would be appropriate. 210 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS THE COBWEB SOCIAL The cobweb social is not only very pretty but also exciting, to onlookers and participants alike. It re- quires a good deal of preparation. It may be appro- priately given as a Washington's Birthday affair. Buy two or three balls each of red, white, and blue string, then loop one end of a ball over a tack stuck in the wall, and run it back and forth from wall to wall and from one room to another, securing it each time it reaches the wall by winding it once or twice about the tack in the form of a huge spider 's web. Have as many of these webs as possible, about a hundred feet long each, and all ending at a web made of a large embroidery ring, or some sort of a hoop, suspended from the center of one of the rooms or some other convenient place, the end of each string being at- tached to the sides of the frame. A fee is charged for unwinding each web. When all are ready, cut the ends at the web in the center, giving each competitor an end of string. The object is to find the beginning of the string first, winding the string into a ball. Various strings, of course, cross and recross each other, sometimes looped to the same tacks back and forth from room to room; this only makes the race all the more exciting. The first one to unwind his web and present it wound into a ball is the prize winner. CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS ^11 A CHILDREN'S SLEIGH RIDE Quite a little sum of money was made by a chil- dren's sleigh ride. Any child can buy a ticket. It was arranged that the ride should extend as far as a parishioner's house three miles in the country, where the children were served with chocolate and cake. After a rest, the party returned home. THE FISH SUPPER The fish supper, with its decoration of nets draped on the walls, and oars and fishing rods crossed where taste dictated, was very unique. The centerpieces on the tables were either of bowls of gold fish or a mirror surrounded with seashells. The menu may be oysters escalloped, panned or fried, lobster or salmon salad, sardines either cold or laid on toast in a hot oven, and ices and cake. TABLEAUX Advertisement tableaux are very amusing. They should be selected from well-known advertisements, which are to be guessed by the audience. Each ad- vertisement is numbered; the audience writes what they believe is the correct answer, on paper. These papers are gathered up after the tableaux are over, and a committee decide upon the prize winner. While the decision is being made there might be an adver- 15 212 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS tisement drill or march. Horlick's Malted Milk, Sunny Jim, Cream of Wheat, Baker's Chocolate, and Uneeda Biscuit, might be examples. The last named, on one occasion, was a huge cardboard box, a copy of the well-known biscuit box; it was the finale. Or charades might be enacted and guessed, the acts rep- resenting different parts of well-known advertising wording. We must not overlook the old favorites, strawberry and peach festivals. They may both be held out on the lawn, or in the church parlor. CAKE AND CANDY SALE Cake and candy sales are always profitable apart from booths at the bazaar. People living in the coun- try are glad to be relieved from making cake, and everyone enjoys homemade candy. Besides, it gives the young people an opportunity to do something for the church. HANDKERCHIEF SALE A very profitable sale before Christmas is a hand- kerchief sale. Beg all the handkerchiefs you can from friends outside the town, and for the rest see what the local or city merchants can do for you. Have stocks, sachets, aprons, cushions, and dainty lingerie made from handkerchiefs. Silk handker- chiefs, or those with drawn-work borders, can be sold for high prices at a fete of this kind. CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 213 POUND PARTY In giving a pound party, the articles offered for sale are wrapped in packages each weighing exactly a pound. These are sold at so much a pound, and much amusement ensues when they are opened. CLIPPING PARTY The clipping party is similar. A number of par- eels of all shapes and sizes, and containing all sorts of articles, are suspended on strings. Each pur- chaser is allowed to choose his parcel, which is then cut off its string on payment of the regular fee. The guild of one church raised about fifty dollars in this way: Tiny silk bags (about two inches long) were made and sent to each member of the congre- gation, requesting them to inclose a nickel for every foot of their height and a cent for every extra inch. Get some one to write an appropriate verse explain- ing the use of the bag. This may be given in com- bination with a tea or bazaar. DAISY TEA For a daisy tea have the room decorated with ferns and daisies. If possible, have the napkins of the color of the flower scheme. Let the butter be in daisy form. The white menu cards should have a daisy painted on the outside, and should have a bow 214 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS of yellow ribbon. The menu may be chicken salad, rolls, olives, orange cake, and ices. FLOWER BAZAAR For a flower bazaar, the children and others are asked to sow seeds and bnlbs in flowerpots or boxes, and to bring the plants to the church for sale just after Easter. This makes a very nice way of raising money for missions, besides being a very pretty bazaar. HOLDING A BAZAAR Holding a bazaar in a vacant house has many ad- vantages. Each room can be put to a lucrative use. It should hardly seem necessary to remind church members that raffling articles off, taking chances on goods sent for sale, or in any way making such af- fairs matter of chance, is most properly, although plainly, described by the generic term of gambling, and should hardly be countenanced by church mem- bers anywhere, least of all at a fair or bazaar given under the auspices of the church. SIDE SHOWS For bazaar side shows, a good one is the pound party, already given; and also the Express Office, which differs from the pound party in that the par- cels are all of different sizes, and for a fee of ten cents one is handed out to the purchaser. CHURCH ENTERTAINMENTS 215 The Art Gallery is another side show. The various articles are grouped to represent pictures; for in- stance, one number is called the Four Seasons. This is represented by a tray containing mustard, pepper, vinegar, and salt. Others will readily suggest them- selves. A weighing scales is another source of profit. Everyone is charged five cents, and given a card upon which is marked his correct weight and a fortune. A very good supper for a bazaar in winter is served at a booth at which one or two chafing dishes are in evidence, in which Welsh rarebit is made and served with coffee. A reasonable charge is made. DOLLS' MILLINERY SHOW The booth for the doll s ' millinery show is made like a round counter with three windows. On the counter stand tiny hatracks, with trimmed and untrimmed dolls' hats for sale. Hatpins, socks, necklaces, and handkerchiefs for dolls are strewn about, and the little girls have charge of it. PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY A room may be set aside for a photographic gal- lery, in charge of some one skilled in the use of the camera. This may be arranged for single photo- graphs or groups. In addition to the articles offered for sale, various 216 THE COMPLETE HOSTESS other devices may be resorted to for increasing the returns. For instance, a tulip bed, which, is made by laying on the floor boards a foot high and large enough to represent a flower bed. Fill the bed with sawdust and plant tulips, which may be made of tis- sue or crepe paper. At the root of each is a package buried in the sawdust. For the payment of a certain sum agreed upon by the committee, each purchaser is entitled to pull up his tulip with the package at- tached to its root. A vegetable stand also represents its own charm. "Within the turnips, beets, and other vegetables of- fered for sale is hidden some trinket. The price may vary according to the contents. It is well not to fill the same kind of vegetables with the same articles. Fruit of some kind — peaches, apples, or oranges — made of silesia, stuffed with cotton, and hung on a tree, is even a prettier receptacle for trinkets than vegetables. TABLEAU OF MOTHER GOOSE A children's tableau of Mother Goose has been given with great success. This requires a stage. One fat little fellow of four represents Jack Horner. The curtain rises, and displays him, sitting in a corner eating a large pie, while a voice from behind the scenes sings the rhyme. When she comes to the line, ** He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum," he takes out a plum and holds it high above his head, the singer pausing while the plum is exhibited. <