Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-07
HALLOWEEN AT WELLESLEY.
How the Girls Get Up a Unique nIasqusr-
ade.
Especial Correspondence


Especial Correspondence.1
WELLESLEY, Mass, Oct. IA guest at
dinner in College hall, the largest of the
Wellesley college buildings, will always
find sights enough to interest, but never so
much as on Halloween.
1t is time honored custom here to ap-
pear then in some fantastic dress. The
dining room seats 359 people, and on this
night at the sound of the bell all sorts OF
strange beings come focking in-nans,
quakeresses, women from the oriental
countries in bright robes and head cover
ings, Spanish beauties with black lace
scarfs and Jewels, emigrants with tightly
braided hair and shoulder shawls and clas
sic figures in sheet drapery-most convcn,
lent of college makeups.
There comes company of jolly tars fl-
teen of them, all belonging to one table Tag
up the room. Every eye is turned to lbeu
as they walk with slightly rolling ga.t
to their places They wear jacketh a,d
sailor caps, with dark dress skirts. aad
merry band they are, headed by the tenennr,
who presidcs at the table. She is young
and as gay as the rest, and so has ed
the sailor dress with them.
When all are in, the big doors swing
shut; there is confused sound as 400
chair legs scrape over the bare floor; a
silence while grace is said; then the clatter
of dishes and the murmur of tongues
begin. Now there is time to see indi-
vidual costumes, for the girls are strangely
active in waiting upon the tables and fetch
ing in supplies tonight. In the course of
the mess it is safe to say every one will
have passed in and out between the dining
room and the kitchens and china closets
beyond, for of course each is dying to show
her dress.
A goodly number are late, too, wise crea-
lures! AS they come in they are the OBJ
served Of all observers. A ripple of laugh
ter follows the little old woman who
sweeps cobwebs out of the sky as she walks
soberly along in her peaked cap trailing
her broom behind her. A Chinese man
grins familiarly at one and another as he
passes up one aisle. a ridiculous darky
girl with checked apron and short calico
dress, holding the hand of fair haired,
sweet faced little maid, also with short
dress, but of pure white, elicits the whis-
per, "Topsy and Eva"
Several stately Japanese ladies are no.
ticed. The initiated know that they are
girls fortunate enough to possess Japa-
nese gowns for room wear, and that they
have borrowed all the gold, silver and jew
eled hatpins they could find to stick in
their high dressed hair. There is one
Puritan maiden copied from a picture in
the hall outside, with white cap scantily
covering the hair at the back and ending
in frill close to the face. Don't tell any
body, but it is fact that the cap is made
of fine starched handkerchief, the frill is
cut from piece of tourist ruching, and
the strings are fastened on with little
safety pins. The Puritan maiden began to
make it just as the ten minute bell rang
before dinner, and there is not a stitch Of
sewing in it. But is it very becoming?
There is figure in gray jacket and he'll
met hat-a postman's uniform, by all that's
strangel Delivering letters from a bag to
each one at a certain table. They are read
with much satisfaction, and all fall to talk
ing busily. There is evidently an under
standing between the postman and the
teacher presiding. She and the bright
girl who wears the helmet have devised
this plan for surprising the rest. The notes
are invitations to the teachers room for
some Halloween fun after dinner. This
will be the case with many tables, and
some will repair to the laundry or the
gymnasium, where they can have tubs of
water and apples and burning candles and
the rest of the Halloween outfit, to their
hearts content, without fear of doing any
damage.
One by one the gay groups pass out, and
soon, if the visitors face the long corridors,
they will see that many students rooms
are still dark, though it is study hour on
ordinary nights. But they will notice that
where a room shows brilliant light
through its transom there are peals of
laughter and merry voices, and will know
that the Halloween ceremonies are going
on with zest
ALICE HI. FARNsWoRTH