News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-11-06
THE INVENTIVE YANKEE GIRL.
Her Latest Device In the Filtration Line
Foliage Picnics In New England.

Foliage picnics are beginning to be
used in New England as the most favor
able opportunity for fall firtations, &C
cording to the NeaO Haven NeaOs.
When the leaves begin to turn the affec-
tons of the ripening lovers do not turn,
but grow stronger, and they seek every
OPPORTUNITY to hold lonely chats, not
that they feel alone, for it is their great
desire to get away from the outside
world and run little planet all by them
selves. 1t is necessary to have some ex-
cuse to do this; and the old fashioned
rage for colored faded leaves comes in
very convenient. AS the number of
those who felt the aptness of the oppor-
tunity increased, the natural desire of
people whom the sensible, business,
shekeI-seeking portion of mankind
regard as partially insane showed itself.
They gathered and segregated. Foliage
picnics are the result.
-Four couples are the proper number
for good foliage picnic. Too many
makes crowd, and little cross hirtations
occasionally spring up. One couple
cannot have picnic-that is, not what
other people call picnic. They can go
off alone and have real good time, but
then chaperon must often be included.
For two couples some old lady may in
sist on going along, but four couples do
fnely-select, sociable and sort of har.
monious like:
Of course, there are as many buggies
as there are couples. 1t would never do
to have double seated carriage in the
premature stages of love making. The
young man on the back seat would have
no reins or horses to conceal his embar-
rassment when words might fail or be
wrongly said.
The morning is the proper time to
start; not early in the morning, when
the grass is damp and nasty bugs are
taking their before breakfast walk to
give them an appetite for bugs of minor
degrees, but about ten o'clock, when the
day has got fairly started and the clouds
have made up their minds whether they
will scamper away and let the sun have
fair show or be grumpy. 1t is Gus
tomary to drive about five miles. Young
men driving out with young girls are
seldom hard on their horses. 1t is mar
ried men who drive fast
When four couples, supposing the
proper number go, have spent one or
bhO 4OuAoy W G1O Va
their affections, in getting to the place
where the leaves are of the finest tint
and the recesses most secluded, the horses
are hitched to some convenient tree,
the luncheons hid from the dreaded
tramp and the couples seek leaves. That
is, the girl seeks, the youth gets. Were
it not for the pathetic righteousness of
their actions it would remind an observ-
er of small child sending a great obedi-
ent dog after shells or stones. The i'm
perious maiden capriciously scans the
trees for leaves which will suit her COM
plexion, hat, furniture or whatnot, and
the youth tears his clothes, bags his
trousers and gets moss stains on the
new light brown checked trousers which
are his pride and pain.
Then they get lunch, never minding
the bugs which are swimming around in
the slushy ice cream and the pretty cat
erpillars and spiders which keep hold of
the cheese and keep it from running
away with the pie. They lunch and
feast, not so much on substantials,
though they are never neglected, except
in an extreme case of love sickness.
Even then both parties make up for it in
the pantry on their return home.
Finally the foliage picnic is over. The
buggy trundles along home and in the
soft, cooling, murmuring twilight, leaves
are forgotten for love.