Games For All Occasions Part 20

Fruit cups may be made from apples, oranges, lemons, grape fruit, bananas, etc., and many of the vegetables could be utilized. The large telephone pea pods may contain a small pickle or relish of some kind.

Mangoes or green pepper pods, tomatoes, cantaloupe, cuc.u.mbers, etc., may be scooped out and filled with food of a different nature.

Cover the opening in the bottom of small flower pots with stiff paper or fill with paraffin wax. Line the flower pot with stiff white paper to within an inch of the top. Fill with chocolate ice cream or any desired cream, but cover the top with chocolate ice cream or chocolate frosting as dark as possible, sprinkle grated sweet chocolate or bits of chocolate fudge on top. Stick rather a short stemmed carnation, daisy or similar flower in the center and serve.

Small cakes may be served from cabbage heads. Use cabbage having the outside leaves on. Open the outer leaves carefully until there is enough to hide the interior. Cut out the center of the cabbage and fill with small cakes.

All sorts of odd candy boxes filled with candies may be used for favors.

Ordinary refreshments may be served on dishes not ordinarily used for that particular purpose. Use bowls or soup dishes instead of cups--saucers, vegetables dishes, cups, etc., where plates or platters should be used.

The clever hostess will, no doubt, think of many ways wise and otherwise to serve refreshments on such an occasion.

AN APRIL FIRST FESTIVAL

A "King's Jester," painted in water-color, clad in red and yellow, smiling and beckoning, is painted on one side of the white card of invitation. On the reverse side is written, in gold ink, "'Fools make feasts and wise people eat them,' saith the seer. Will you be one of the many wise ones on All Fools' Day evening to partake of a feast, and make merry betimes?"

On the appointed evening the guests are met at the door and conducted to the parlor by a youth, dressed in a red blouse with full bishop sleeves and long pointed yellow cuffs, and a full-gathered, double skirt, half way to the knees, made in pointed scallops--the scallops of the lower skirt of yellow alternating with the scallops of the upper one of red with a jingling gold bell sewed to each scallop. One stocking is red, and the other yellow, and one foot is thrust into a red sandal, and the other into a yellow one, with a bell on each sharply pointed toe.

Around his waist is a red leather belt; a yellow jester's cap with red leather rim, and with bells on the hood, and a red cape with yellow lining completes his dress. The costume is made of glossy sateen; the sandals of canton flannel.

A half hour before dinner, the "fool" hands each guest pencil and paper and menu card, and they are asked to guess the dinner viands. The menu reads, "Food for the Wise:"

1. Baked portion of beast Americanized in 1493, by Columbus. (Ham.)

2. Fried jewel-boxes of the sea. (Oysters.)

3. Fried young sons of a fowl first found in Java. (Spring chicken.)

4. Slices of a Chilean tuber that once saved a cross-sea nation from famine. (Chipped potatoes.)

5. Love apples. (Tomatoes.)

6. Salad of a bleached vegetable, akin to the hemlock of Socrates.

(Celery salad.)

7. A nineteen-day vegetable. (Radishes.)

8. A Greek herb pudding. (Asparagus.)

9. Fruit that caused a war. (Apples.)

10. Sauce of an old world plant, akin to dock. (Rhubarb.)

11. Slices of bread, and the fruit of the emblem of peace. (Olives sandwiches.)

12. A food with which Canaan was said to flow--eggs and sugar, boiled and frozen. (Custard.)

13. Dear to squirrels. (Nuts.)

14. Sugar plums. (Bon-bons.)

15. Obtained from the hoopskirt and tin can eater. (Cheese.)

16. Sugared dough. (Cake.)

17. A drink (from a berry) introduced in England in 1652 by a Greek.

(Coffee.)

The prizes for the best "guessers" are books--Max Pemberton's "Queen of Jesters" for the fortunate girl, and Victor Hugo's "Man Who Laughs" for the lucky man. The b.o.o.by prizes are wands with "fools' heads" of gingerbread.

The cloth of the dining table is made of sheeting, with a two-inch hem, and with pleasantly jingling bells of yellow and red sewed thickly around the entire edge.

At each end of the table, with each hand catching a red ribbon that runs in waves entirely around the table, is a King's Jester, painted on the cloth--facsimiles of the living one who served the guests.

For painting the cloth--common tube paints are used--taking for a thinning medium a mixture of three ounces of turpentine, ten drops of pure cider vinegar, six drops of lemon extract, and a little sugar of lead. The figures are drawn with a lead drawing pencil, and care taken in painting them to prevent the paint spreading over the edges of the design. Several days are given the cloth to dry before using.

The tomatoes and apples are yellow and red; the radishes are red; the cakes are small squares, iced yellow and red, and the bon-bons are little clear red and lemon colored fishes--typical of the French "poissons d'Avril," "April fish," as their "April Fool" is called.

Following are a few games, etc., for the amus.e.m.e.nt of children small and children tall.

FOLLIES OF FORTUNE

Let one of the ladies be blindfolded and seated behind a large screen or curtain or in a tent in an adjoining room which is dimly lighted. A gypsy tent may be improvised with three long sticks tied together at one end, the other ends resting on the floor at equal distances forming a tripod which is covered with a couple of large sheets.

Announce to the guests, "We have secured for your pleasure this evening that remarkable necromancer, Madam Loof-lirpa. (April fool spelled backwards.) The madam is the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter and has the rare and marvelous power of second sight, and while securely blindfolded she will tell you anything that you have done."

"All are welcome to visit this seeress but only one at a time. Mr. ---- you may come first if you please," (naming one of the gentlemen present.)

Just before ushering the "fated" one into the presence of Madam Loof-lirpa, inform him that in order to be sure the fortune teller cannot see through the bandages over her eyes, he should make several motions or signs or pose before her for a few seconds and then say to her "Madam, what did I do?"

The Seeress may keep him in suspense a second or two before replying or may say "I am not quite sure. Please do it again," and finally answer, "You made a fool of yourself."

Each victim has the privilege of remaining near enough to see the next one caught.

FOLLOW MY FOOT-STEPS

Place a number of articles such as pillows, books, handkerchiefs, inexpensive bric-a-brac, etc., on the floor. One person acts as leader and walks in a zigzag path around the obstacles, followed by the others.

Then one of the party is blindfolded and told by the leader to "follow my foot-steps and if you do not break or mar anything you shall have a surprise."

When the "victim" starts on his journey everything is quietly removed from his path and when he has tired of wandering and removes the bandage he is greeted by "April Fool."

FOOLISHNESS

Ask the guests to tell the most foolish thing they ever did and give a suitable prize for the most foolish answer.