Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-01-29
BY EDITH LYNDON

day of February. We were deter
mined to make this birthday party
very patriotic affair, and began by
using our water-colors to such good
effect that our invitations, with an
American in the upper lett-hand cor
ner, holding the star srangled ban
ner, and bearing the wish that the
recipients thereof would appear upon
the evening of the day we celebrate
in a costume made to represent one
of the States or Territories, were
quite unique. For ourselves we
planned gowns of red, white and
blue cheese cloth, Jean wearing a
liberty cap, thus personating Lib
erty, while l was to carry pair of
scales, thereby representing Justice.
We decorated the house with all
"Sorts and condition" of American
flags, and in the most prominent
place in the parlor hung a picture of
the hero of the day, George Wash
ington. When our guests appeared
on the evening of the twenty
second we gave each one of them a
small blank book with cover OF
heavy water-color paper, upon
which was painted our flag to this
was attached with the narrowest of
tricolor ribbon a white programme
pencil.
Our guests had certainly entered
most heartily into the costume plan,
for almost every State and Terri
tory had its representative. Florida
was represented by striking bru-
nette in bright orange gown
decked with garlands of artificial
flowers, while Il basket of oranges
hung on her arm. A young man in
full Highland costume came as
Georgia, thus drawing upon the
early history of the Colony. We
quickly recognized Il young girl in
the palest of pink gowns hung over
with artificial peaches as Delaware,
while young man displaying in
large letters upon one shoulder,
"Race- Track Law" and upon the
other, Republican Veto," was
plainly New Jersey Minnesota was
there in the person of youth
dressed as a miller. Virginia, the
State named in honor of the "Vir-
gin Queen, was a young girl in
full Elizabethan dress Pennsylvania
was represented by a sweet little
Quakeress and Il typical William
Penn ayoung lady adorned with
every imaginable kind of modern
small timepiece was Connecticut.
Washington was with us in the per-
son of young man dressed as Geo.
Washington, while "Mother Mass
achusetts, history was recalled by
most fascinating young lady
dressed as a witch.
We gave our guests half an hour
in which to guess what States the
various costumes represented, and
to register their guesses in the little
blank books. AT the expiration Of
that time we found who had been
most successful guessing, also who
had been least, and awarded prizes
accordingly. We next distributed
numbered slips among the company
upon each of which was written the
part we expected the recipient to
take in the remainder of the even-
ing's entertainment. We had pre-
pared these slips with considerable
thought. We heard that Miss W
played pretty arrangement of 1.-The
Star Spangled Banner, - so we asked
her TO come prepared to play it, and
her slip read, "No. Piano Solo,
The Star-Spangled Banner" Miss
S-has obtained an enviable re-
putation as an elocutionist; in re-
spone to the request upon her slip
she favored us with "Grand
mothers Story of Bunker Hill Bat
tie"
All of our guests, however, were
not musical, nor were there many
gifted elocutionists among them, 81
one company of nine or ten received
slips requesting them to get up 6
charade bearing upon American his
tory or life, while a somewhat lar
ger company was asked to get up q
tableau representing a scene il
United States history.
The charade company made a
pleasing bit of acting out of the
word american" (A-merry- can,
giving us four acts in all, three fol
the syllables and one for a final re
presentation of the whole word. /
was left to the tableau company t.
give the most amusing part of the
programme, a burlesque of "Pau
Revere's Ride. Paul Revere'i
steed was a dilapidated hobby -hors'