Games For All Occasions Part 18

TWO HEARTS THAT BEAT AS ONE

Fasten a large white handkerchief on the wall or door. Paste or sew a small red paper heart in the center of it.

Let each person in turn be blindfolded and try to pin a heart of corresponding size over the heart on the handkerchief. The one accomplis.h.i.+ng the feat or coming the nearest to it receives a valentine or appropriate prize.

=WAs.h.i.+NGTON'S BIRTHDAY=

To give a patriotic air to the surroundings should be the aim of the hostess in giving a party or entertaining on Was.h.i.+ngton's Birthday.

Use the American flag, various sizes, for draping and decorating pictures, mantels, door-ways, windows etc., and red white and blue bunting hung from the chandeliers to the corners of the room, over archways, twined around the banister of stairways, etc., etc.

Red, white and blue paper garlands, paper hatchets and cl.u.s.ters or branches of artificial cherries are attractive; and pictures and busts of Was.h.i.+ngton draped with flags or bunting would be very effective.

A military Euchre Party would be very appropriate for this occasion.

Invitations written on a card with the American flag painted or printed on may be worded as follows:

+-----------------------------------------------+ You are respectfully requested to enlist in a Military Skirmish On Friday Evening February twenty-second At the Barrack, seven forty-six First Street. a.s.sembly call By order of Eight o'clock Mrs. John Smith sharp General pro-tem. +-----------------------------------------------+

Greet the guests with a military salute, which they should, of course, return.

Over each table suspend a small wooden ball with tiny holes in, just large enough to insert the smallest size flag having a wooden staff.

(These flag holders may be purchased. They are usually red and have a long round stick or handle which may be tied or wired to the chandelier, or festoons.)

Red, white and blue festoons must be strung upon wire or very heavy cord to be strong enough to hold the wooden ball for the flags.

A card about three by ten inches bearing the name of a fort should also be hung over the table. Fort Sumter, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Moultrie, Fort Duquesne, Fort Riley, Fort Hamilton, Fort Necessity, Fort Dodge, Fort McAllister, and Fort Donelson are names which may be used.

Tally cards may represent flags or s.h.i.+elds with red strings or ribbons for the ladies and blue for the men, and on the reverse side write the name of the fort and company, as "Fort Sumter, Company A" and "Fort Sumter, Company B" instead of table 1, couple 1, etc., etc.

Six players are at each table--three are Company A and three are Company B. When all are seated the bugle is sounded and company A of each fort advances to the next fort in rotation to meet the enemy, company A of the foot table coming to the first table or fort.

The bugle sounds again as a signal for the players to begin. Company A are partners sitting alternately with company B, who are partners and, of course, company A play against company B.

Thirty-three cards are used to play this game, the Joker, Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, Ten, Nine, Eight, and Seven spots. Five cards are dealt to each player, the three remaining cards, called the widow, are turned face down. No trump is turned. After the deal the players bid for the trump in turn, commencing with the eldest hand. When a player bids he must name the suit he bids on. The highest bid wins and the bidder is ent.i.tled to the widow, selecting any cards he wishes and discarding others in their place. The side whose bid is successful must win the number of tricks bid or it is euchred and the opposite side scores the amount bid. A bid to play alone is higher than a bid of five and if the bidder takes all the tricks his side scores ten.

At the end of five minutes the bugle is sounded and all must stop immediately. The company which has scored the most points at that time is victorious and takes the small flag, which has been placed on the table while they were playing, and places it in their own fort. (The flag holder suspended above the table.)

All players return to their original forts and at the first sound of the bugle company B advances to meet the enemy while company A remains to protect the fort. At the second bugle call the soldiers begin the warfare which lasts another five minutes when the bugle announces time is up. A flag is given to the winning company at each table and furled above their fort, the players again taking their original seats at their own fort.

At the bugle's blast company A advances to the second fort while company B remains to hold the fort, etc. etc.

These maneuvers are kept up until the "soldiers" of each fort have "fought for the flag" with the "soldiers" of each of the other forts, or as long as the "General" may see fit.

The home fort must not be deserted by all of its soldiers at the same time. Either company A or company B remain during each skirmish--nor do company A and company B of the same fort play against each other.

At the desired time the sound of the bugle is heard and the skirmish is ended. The fort having captured the most flags gains the victory and each soldier should be awarded a suitable prize. The fort having the least number of flags may be given a b.o.o.by prize in the shape of small toy drums for the ladies and toy fife or horn for the gentlemen. The "General" may then order the soldiers of this fort to serenade the victorious soldiers.

Fruit Punch with a generous supply of Maraschino cherries may be served during the evening.

Refreshments may consist of sandwiches tied with red, white and blue ribbon; red, white and blue layer cake (vegetable coloring can be obtained from the confectioner) or small fancy cakes; red, white and blue cream patties, salted nuts, coffee, cherry ice or vanilla ice-cream. Use an ice cream disher which forms the ice cream into a conical shape. Small flags having a very long pin for a staff are placed in these forts.

The menu may be enlarged by serving a salad or meat patties of various kinds.

Cream cheese served with preserved cherries and salted crackers would be a palatable and appropriate dish. Ice cream and ices may be obtained from the caterer in various appropriate molds, such as cannon b.a.l.l.s, s.h.i.+elds, flags, Geo. Was.h.i.+ngton hatchets, etc., etc.

A WAs.h.i.+NGTON'S BIRTHDAY LUNCHEON IN WHITE AND RED

A White cloth covered the table at this luncheon--a white embroidered linen center piece with lace edge under which showed red crepe tissue paper--vase of red and white carnations. Place Cards ornamented with hand painted cherries and hatchets. Favors, miniature artificial cherry trees (with a tiny paper hatchet at the base) growing in (imitation) birch-wood candy boxes, which should be filled with candied cherries.

Cream of oyster soup served in bouillon cups--salted crackers.--Celery; pimentos cut in small pieces; salted peanuts in red paper cups. Serve on individual plates, chicken chartreuse with cannon ball potatoes.

Chicken Chartreuse,--b.u.t.ter tin moulds (1/2 pt. tin cups are good ones) and line with cooked rice. Fill with creamed chicken previously prepared. Set moulds in pan of hot water and keep hot until wanted. Run knife around inside of tin to loosen the contents and invert mould upon serving plate. The result will be apparently a mould of rice. Place a Maraschino cherry on the top.

Cannon Ball Potatoes,--With a potato scoop cut round b.a.l.l.s out of raw potatoes. Boil them in beet juice or use enough liquid off of pickled beets to color the water a deep red. Watch carefully that they do not cook soft enough to break. Serve a couple on each plate with the chicken chartreuse.

Thin bread and b.u.t.ter sandwiches.

Lady Was.h.i.+ngton Salad,--Cut the top off and scoop out the inside of bright red Jonathan apples. Place them on white lace paper doilies on salad plates and fill with the following mixture:--

Equal portions of apple and celery cut in small cubes, one-eighth the amount of pimentos cut fine and one-eighth the amount of Maraschino cherries cut in half. Use a mayonnaise dressing or one of the manufactured salad dressings mixed with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Coffee covered with whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream or any fancy cream that is white, served in champagne gla.s.ses topped with a maraschino cherry. Marshmallow cake dotted with candied cherries. Red and white cream patties.

GAMES AND PASTIMES FOR WAs.h.i.+NGTON'S BIRTHDAY

HUNTING THE HATCHET

Small paper hatchets (containing candy if desired) are previously hidden in every conceivable place in rooms to which guests have access, behind doors and pictures, in vases, under chairs and tables, on the gas fixtures, etc., etc. A certain length of time should be allowed for the hunt and the one finding the most hatchets should be rewarded with a prize.

CHERRY RIPE

A tooth pick is suspended by a string in the door way or from the ceiling just out of reach of the children. Stick a ripe cherry or a candied cherry on the tooth pick. The children in turn jump up and try to catch the cherry in their mouth. The cherry is the prize and when won by one of the children another cherry must be put on the toothpick until each child has had a turn.

WAs.h.i.+NGTON PI

Distribute to each guest a pencil and a slip of paper with the following letters written upon it:--

1 Higtaswonn 1 Was.h.i.+ngton 2 Itesrpden 2 President 3 Nutom Nervon 3 Mount Vernon 4 Leyalv Gorfe 4 Valley Forge 5 Serrouvy 5 Surveyor 6 Wealadre 6 Delaware 7 Rechyr Erte 7 Cherry Tree 8 Rebrafuy 8 February 9 Tariopt 9 Patriot 10 Sametastn 10 Statesman

Announce to them that by transposing the letters they will spell a word which is in some way connected with the history of George Was.h.i.+ngton.