Breakfasts and Teas Part 10

A lady may wear around her neck fragments of china tied by a ribbon.

This represents "The Break-Up of China," Lord Charles Beresford's book.

Another lady, whose name is Alice, may wear a necklace of little mirrors, and this represents "Alice Through A Looking Gla.s.s." An ingenious design consists of a nickel coin, a photo of a donkey, another nickel coin, and a little bee, meaning "Nickolas Nickleby." A daisy stuck into a tiny miller's hat stands for "Daisy Miller," and the letters of the word olive twisted on a wire for "Oliver Twist."

Two little gates, made of paste board and a jar, represents "Gates Ajar," and a string of little dolls dressed as men, "All Sorts and Conditions of Men." There are many other interesting and ingenious designs.

A BOOK t.i.tLE TEA. 2.

This is an original entertainment for a few friends. Have amusing pen and ink sketches handed around together with a small note book and pencil for each guest. Explain that each sketch is supposed to represent some well-known book and each guest is given an opportunity to put on his or her thinking cap and name the volume in his note book and pa.s.s the sketch on. This novel game affords no end of mirth and enjoyment and at a given time the hostess looks over the books and corrects them.

The House of Seven Gables is very simple and easy to guess, it being simply a rough sketch of a house with seven gables.

An Old-Fas.h.i.+oned Girl is represented by a girl of ye olden time in simple and quaint costume with a school bag on her arm.

A small snow covered house is enough to suggest "Snow Bound" to many of the guests.

The Lady and the Tiger ought not to puzzle anyone, it is a simple sketch of a lady's head in one corner and a tiger in the other.

On one card appears 15th of March, which seems more baffling than all the others. It proves to be "Middlemarch."

A large letter A in vivid red of course represents "A Scarlet Letter."

"Helen's Babies" is a sketch of two chubby boys in night robes.

"Heavenly Twins" is represented by twin stars in the heavens.

"Darkest Africa" needs nothing but the face of a darkey boy with mouth stretched from ear to ear.

One of the sketches is a moonlight scene with s.h.i.+ps going in opposite directions and is easily guessed to represent "s.h.i.+ps that Pa.s.s in the Night."

Anyone with originality can devise many other amusing and more difficult sketches. Prizes might be given to the one who guesses the largest number correctly.

PATRIOTIC TEA.

"While other constellations sink and fade, And Orient planets cool with dying fires, Columbia's brilliant star can not be stayed, And, heaven-drawn, towards higher arcs aspires; A Star of Destiny whose searching rays Light all the firmament's remotest ways."

"That force which is largely responsible for the greatness and grandeur of the Republic is the woman behind the man behind the gun."

Booklets with small silk flags mounted on the covers and bearing these quotations with tiny red, white and blue pencils attached make suitable favors for the guests at a high tea. For one contest give twenty minutes in which to write a list of words ending in "nation" as, carnation, condemnation, etc. For this prize give a red, white and blue streamer on which tiny flags of all nations are fastened. For a second contest allow a given length of time in which to write correctly the words of the American national anthem. A book containing a description of national music would make a suitable prize for this contest. Decorate the dining room with silk flags and red, white and blue bunting and in the center of the table have a blue vase filled with red and white hyacinths or carnations or roses. Have the ice cream frozen in form of a bust of Was.h.i.+ngton on a s.h.i.+eld in three colors.

DEBUT TEA.

The leading color in the refreshment room is yellow. The table has a beautiful lace cover and in the center is a large basket of yellow roses, the Golden Gate variety. Around the center are candles with yellow silk shades and a silver compote holding green glace grapes tied with yellow ribbon. The mantel is filled with ferns and a ma.s.s of yellow roses in the center. The electric lights at either side of the mantel have yellow silk shades. Instead of ice cream and cake, the menu for the afternoon tea is a delicious meringue filled with whipped cream and wine jelly, coffee and glace grapes.

YELLOW TEA.

Yellow is a pretty color for a bridal tea given in June. Use scores of yellow candles in crystal candlesticks and candelabra and yellow roses in vases, baskets and wall pockets on window and book ledges, plate rails, book cases and hung in the doorways by yellow ribbons. An immense basket of yellow roses and ferns with a white cupid in the center is pretty in the center of the tea-table. Outside this basket have a border of individual crystal candlesticks with yellow tapers and small golden hearts attached to the tapers. The bonbons are yellow hearts and all the refreshments are yellow and heart shaped.

A CANDLELIGHT TEA.

Illuminate the rooms with candles in different colors with shades to correspond, green and white in the parlor, setting a row of candles in a straight line across the mantel and banking them with ma.s.ses of feathery green. Use pink in the dining or supper room. Have a round table lighted by pink candles and pink shades in flower forms, placing the candles either in a pyramid in the center or in a wreath with Christmas green tied with broad pink ribbon, in the center. At each plate put a tiny Dresden candle stick (such as come in desk sets) with pink candles for favors. Serve hot bouillon, oyster and mushroom patties, tiny pickles, creamed chicken in green peppers, cauliflower au gratin, hot rolls, spiced cherries, asparagus salad, grated Parmesan cheese, wafers, ice cream in form of pink candles with lighted tapers, Christmas cakes.

A FLOWER TEA.

For early September a flower tea is a most enjoyable affair and is easily arranged with little expense. Have the invitations sent out at least a week before the event.

The parlors should be tastefully arranged and decorated with flowers.

Wild flowers are in abundance at this time and they are always bright and cheery.

Let each guest, as she arrives, be presented with a bouquet of flowers, no two being alike.

For amus.e.m.e.nt there is nothing better and more instructive than the following:

Pa.s.s to each lady a sheet of paper with a pencil, the paper containing typewritten questions. Explain to the company that the contest is to last fifteen or twenty minutes as desired.

The printed questions are to be answered by the name of flowers.

Here are appropriate questions for the contest, with correct answers:

What lady veils her face? Maid-of-the-Mist.

Who is the sad lady? Ane-mone.

What lady weeps for her love? Mourning-bride.

Who is the bell of the family? Bell-Flower.

What untruthful lady shuns the land? False-Mermaid.

What young lady is still the baby of the family? Virginia Creeper.

What lady comes from the land where ladies bind their feet?

Rose-of-China.

Who is the neat lady? Prim-rose.

After the given time expires let each guest sign her name to the paper she holds and exchange with her nearest neighbor. Then the fun begins as one rises and reads the questions and answers.

Each lady should mark the paper she holds and in rotation they rise and give the number of correct answers, not mentioning the name on the paper. When it has been decided which paper holds the greatest number of correct answers, the contestant's name is given as winner, and she is presented with a dainty souvenir, such as a flower vase, or a dainty painting of flowers. Other games and contests may follow, all suggestive of flower land.

The afternoon-tea should be dainty and appropriate. A big doll, literally covered with flowers, makes a pretty centerpiece for the table. Let ice lemonade be served, each gla.s.s having a sweet flower floating on its surface. The cakes should be in the form of flowers and the bonbons, flower candies.

It is pretty to call each guest by the name of the flower given her when she arrives.

If there is music after tea let a song of the flowers be rendered.

AN EXCHANGE TEA.

This style of party is intensely amusing, and will keep a large company interested for several hours of an evening or afternoon, as it is one continued round of mirth-provoking "sells," in which everybody is "sold." It is not so much in vogue for small affairs, where only a few guests are invited, but where a large crowd is to be entertained it is just the thing to furnish enjoyment and fun.