In the parlor cards on which were written names and addresses were passed around and two minutes allowed to decipher and write them on tablets provided for the purpose, and numbered from one to twenty-five. At the tap of a bell each person passed his or her card to the one on the right, and in this way the cards made the circuit of the room in the given time. There were enough difficult ones to give an idea of the troubles which beset Uncle Sam's faithful servants when handling the mails.
The first prize was a silver stamp-box, and the consolation one a small United States atlas.
A boy with a mail-sack distributed packages of bonbons, the old-fashioned game of "post office" was played.
POP-CORN PARTY
I was much surprised and amused at a little corn-colored envelope which came with my morning mail the other day. It contained, written upon corn-colored paper, an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Blank to be present at "A Pop-corn Party" on the following Thursday evening at eight o'clock. In the lower left-hand corner was written, "To meet Mr. C. Cobb very informally."
In the dressing-room each girl was presented with an addition to her toilet in the shape of a necklace of popcorn sewed upon satin ribbon, each necklace having a distinct color. Upon entering the parlors we found all the men adorned with watch-chains to correspond. We were speedily invited into the dining-room, where a bright open fire was burning, and were told that this time the girls were to do "the popping." And they did, while ghost stories were told, songs were sung and conundrums given and guessed. As the corn was popped it was given to the hostess, who, in a corn-colored crepon gown, presently invited all the men to take partners. This they did by selecting the girls whose necklaces matched their watch-chains in color.
Then we sat down to a veritable feast of popcorn at a table which had been entirely arranged in corn color, and upon which were served salted, sugared and buttered popcorn, popcorn balls, lemon jelly-cake, lemon sponge-cake, lemonade, hot and cold, lemon ice cream, lemon water ice and lemon jelly. After our delicious supper we returned to the parlor and were handed cards with pencils attached. Our hostess then rang a bell and called for order, and when order reigned she requested us to write eight nouns beginning with corn, and the name of a general beginning in the same way. In ten minutes she rang the bell again and collected the lists. The best one read, "Cornflower, cornstarch, cornice, cornet, cornea, corner, corncake, cornucopia, General Cornwallis."
The maker of this list received a pretty corn-colored paper lamp shade as a prize, and the girl who only had two words on her list received the booby prize—a corn-colored paper dunce cap, which she was compelled to wear the rest of the evening.
PORTRAIT GAME
In this new and clever game a name card, with the numbers from one to six written upon it, a small pad of paper, and a pencil, are handed to each guest. The gentlemen are then asked to select partners for each number upon their cards, and when this is done the hostess may give the signal for the game to begin, and announce that "partners" may proceed to draw each other's faces upon the pads of paper, each gentleman depicting the charms of his vis-à-vis, and each lady doing likewise.