THE bridal dinner, given for the wedding party by Alice's parents, was truly an elaborate affair. As the young people, who knew each other so well, and had spent so many merry hours together, glanced across the softly lighted table, a little feeling of shyness and constraint came over them because of the formality of the occasion. Even Alice, usually the ringleader in all their fun, was a little silent.
"Shucks!" thought boyish Fred. "None of this in mine! I'd elope first! Wonder if Harry likes it! (Bet he doesn't.)"
Ruth was thinking, "Oh, how lovely! How perfectly lovely! I believe after all—as a time to remember through all the years——" But Fred could not read her thoughts, and saw only the particularly happy smile that she gave him.
"How do you like the nut cups?" Alice asked. "Bettina made these yellow 'mum' nut cups as a Christmas gift to me, and gave them to me now for this dinner! See, they just match the real chrysanthemums! I'm sure I don't know which I like best!"
The girls exclaimed so heartily over the nut cups that Bettina declared to herself that she would make sets for each of them, of different colors and kinds. These of Alice's were really charming. Their wire handles were wound with green maline and tied with a green bow. They were filled with pecans, and pink and yellow bon-bons, which were grapes covered with colored creams.
The place cards were tied with narrow green ribbon to little china slippers, cupids, doves and hearts. Besides the yellow chrysanthemums, which were the table decorations, there was for each of the girls a corsage bouquet of pink roses, and for each of the men a boutonniere of pink rosebuds in a tinfoil case. Flower pins were tucked in the maline bows of the bouquets as favors for the girls, while scarf pins were favors for the men.
When the dinner was over, and the guests were passing into the living room for dancing and music, Alice slipped her arm through Bettina's. "The dinner was lovely; wasn't it?" she said. "I did think I was too tired to enjoy it, but my heart is as light as a feather now! I am going to dance all evening till my last guest goes!"
The menu was as follows:
Grapefruit Cocktail
Cream of Asparagus Soup Croutons
Sautéd Halibut Potato Rosettes
Cabbage Relish in Green Pepper Cases
Peas in Timbale Cases
Celery
Hot Rolls Currant Jelly
Vegetable Salad Cheese Wafers
Brick Ice Cream Individual Cakes
Coffee
Pecans Bon-Bons
BETTINA'S RECIPES