Bright Ideas for Entertaining. Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott
and have each group of letters a separate color. These are passed to the guests, after which each one proceeds to find the rest of the letters colored like the one he holds, and when the group is complete, the holders of the letters proceed to spell out the name of their apple. Each group then composes an original poem on its apple. The poems are read to the audience, then the prize of B—A—P (big apple pie) is given to the best poem, L—A—P (little apple pie) to the poorest, and N—A—P (no apple pie) to the group who composes no poem. All kinds of apples are served for refreshments.
APRIL FOOL DINNER
The dinner I shall serve will be plain and substantial, but it may be as elaborate as one chooses. Following is the menu:
| Vegetable Soup | Pickles | Crackers | ||
| Roast Beef | Mashed Potatoes | Brown Gravy | ||
| Celery | Stewed Peas | Tomatoes | ||
| Bread | Butter | Tea | Cheese | Jelly |
| Cream Pie. | ||||
When the dinner is all ready to serve the fun will begin. Imagine the surprise of the guests when they sit down to the table, to find the soup served in teacups, the pickles shining forth from the sugar-bowl and the crackers in a covered vegetable dish. The roast beef will be cut in slices and arranged on a silver cake dish, the mashed potatoes in a dainty glass berry dish, and the gravy in small individual sauce dishes. The stewed peas will be served from the water-pitcher in glass tumblers, the celery on the bread-plate, bread in the salad bowl, butter on the celery tray, and the tea in soup bowls. The jelly will be placed on the largest meat platter and served with the carving-knife, the cheese in the gravy dish, and finally the pie on large dinner plates.
The sugar will appear in the cracker jar together with the gravy-ladle, and the cream in the china teapot. The salt will be found in the mustard cup, the pepper alone remaining as it should be. Water must necessarily be served at the dinner, but even this will not be in the usual manner. I shall serve it in the after dinner coffee cups.
The soup must be eaten with teaspoons, as the larger ones will be reserved for the tea.
APRIL FOOL PARTY
Invitations may be copied after a dance card of a "Comus" ball at New Orleans, which represents a large-sized gilt folly bell with ribbons attached. On arriving, each guest is given a favor, which may serve also as a score marker. These are follies' heads, capped and ruffled and fastened to a stick, which has ribbons wrapped around it. The colors of these ribbons, not more than two being alike, determine partners. An attached tiny square of pasteboard, bearing a painted number, directs to the tables. Instead of playing one game only, a variety of games are introduced. At the head, or "Hearts," table is a large-sized tally-ho horn, tied with a profusion of motley colors. At the conclusion of the game, the defeated ones blow the horn and the winners at all the tables are given little brass bells to tie upon the folly sticks or baubles. The prizes, both head and booby, are fools' caps of white crepe paper with huge red rosettes.
The refreshments should be as deceiving as possible. One hostess at an April first dinner went so far as to serve the entire course backwards, beginning with ice cream and ending with soup. Or a very suitable menu may be served in strange and unusual guise: potato salad arranged as cream puffs; English walnut shells as receptacles for olives; sandwiches as slices of cake with nut filling; ice cream as croquettes, cone-shaped and plentifully sprinkled with toasted cake-crumbs; cake as sandwiches, with ice cream between and tied with ribbon; coffee served in bouillon cups; bonbons served in exact size artificial fruit. Among the bona-fide dainties may be "April fool" bonbons—"chocolate creams" stuffed with cotton, button-moulds covered with chocolate, and round, yellow pill-boxes filled with flour, iced to represent small cakes.
After the refreshments the hostess may say that she has a picture to show which she has just received and which has given her much pleasure. A curtain is hung before it, which, when withdrawn with grave ceremony, reveals a mirror reflecting the expectant faces of the guests, while on its surface, written with soap, are the words "April Fool!"
AUTHORS' CONTEST
Questions to be answered by giving in each case the name of a well-known author:
1 A name that means such fiery things, you can't describe their pains and stings. (Burns.)
2 What a rough man said to his son, when he wished him to eat properly. (Chaucer.)
3 Pilgrims and flatterers have knelt low to kiss him. (Pope.)
4 Makes and mends for first-class customers. (Taylor.)
5 Represents the dwellings of civilized men. (Holmes.)
6 Is worn on the head. (Hood.)
7 A chain of hills covering a dark treasure. (Coleridge.)
8 A brighter and smarter than the other. (Whittier.)
9 A worker in precious metals. (Goldsmith.)
10 A vital part of the body. (Hart.)
11 A disagreeable fellow to have on one's foot. (Bunyan.)
12 Meat, what are you doing in the oven? (Browning.)
AUTHORS' GUESSING GAME
1 When we leave here we go to seek our what? (Author of "Elsie Venner.")
2 What dies only with life? (Author of "Phroso.")
3 What does a maid's heart crave? (Author of "Handy Andy.")
4 What does an angry person often raise? (Author of "The Christian.")
5 What should all literary people do? (Author of "Put Yourself in His Place.")
6 If a young man would win, what must he do? (Author of "Wandering Jew.")
7 How do we dislike to grow? (Authors of "Silence of Dean Maitland" and "Dawn.")
8 What would we prefer to be? (Authors of "Book of Golden Deeds," "Man Without a Country," and "Under the Greenwood Tree.")
9 What is a suitable adjective for the national library building? (Author of "The Heavenly Twins.")
10 What would we consider the person who answers correctly all these questions? (Author of "From Post to Finish.")
The answers to the above questions are:
1 Oliver Wendell Holmes. (Homes.)
2 Anthony Hope. (Hope.)
3 Samuel Lover. (Lover.)
4 Hall Caine. (Cain.)
5 Charles Reade. (Read.)
6 Eugene Sue. (Sue.)
7 Maxwell Grey and Rider Haggard. (Gray and haggard.)
8 Charlotte