A novel party was recently given by a mother to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of her only son. She had been rather envious of her friends in their happiness of planning many luncheons and other pretty affairs for their girls, consequently she entered heart and soul into this party for her boy, sparing neither expense nor trouble to make it a success. It was announced as "A Baseball Party," and by enlisting the services of a niece, who was very enthusiastic over the national game, she was able to carry out the idea.
Eight of her son's friends were invited, who, with the boy himself, made the required "nine." Luncheon was first served. Before going into the dining-room each boy was assigned a place on the "team," and found his place at the table accordingly. In place of name-cards were tiny "fans" bearing the words "catcher," "pitcher," etc., and, of course, each guest knew just where to sit.
The menu-cards were booklets with the words "Official Score" written on the covers. The menu consisted of nine courses, or "innings," as they were more appropriately termed. It was written in language unintelligible to the average feminine mind, but the boys guessed what many of the viands were amid much merriment. The reading of the menu, and the conjectures as to what the courses would be, broke up any stiffness that might have resulted from nine boys lunching together. It read as follows—only in the original the interpretations were, of course, left out:
| First Inning | |
| First strike | (Oyster cocktail) |
| Second Inning | |
| Where the losing team lands | (Soup) |
| Third Inning | |
| Caught on the fly | (Small trout with diamonds of crisp toast) |
| Fourth Inning | |
| A sacrifice | (Lamb chops with potato balls) |
| Fifth Inning | |
| A "fowl ball" | (Chicken croquettes with French peas) |
| Sixth Inning | |
| The umpire when we lose | (Lobster salad with cheese straws) |
| Seventh Inning | |
| A fine diamond | (Ice cream in diamond-shaped slices. Cakes) |
| Eighth Inning | |
| Necessary for good playing | (Preserved ginger with wafers and coffee) |
| Ninth Inning | |
| Everybody scores | (The passing of favors) |
The favors consisted of a ticket for a ball game to be played on the local grounds that afternoon for each boy, and a tin horn with which to "root," as the boys expressed it.
As soon as the luncheon was finished the nine boys departed in great glee for the ball grounds, relieving the hostess of the responsibility of further entertaining them.
BEAN BAGS
Make twelve or fifteen bags, six inches square, of bed-ticking, and loosely fill them with beans which have been washed and dried to remove all dust.
Appoint two leaders, who choose sides, arranging the sides in lines facing each other, with a small table at each end of each line.
The bean bags being equally divided, each leader deposits his share upon the table nearest him. Then, at a given signal, seizing one bag at a time with one hand, with the other he starts it down the line, each player passing it to the next until all the bags reach the last, who drops them upon the table at his end of the line. When all the bags have reached this table, the last player, seizing each in turn, sends them back up the line to the leader, who drops them upon his table. Whichever side first succeeds in passing all the bags down the line and back, wins the round. It takes five rounds to make a game, so that three out of five must be successful for the winning side.