The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-30
PERSONAL AND SOCIETY
NUMEROUS SMALL PARTIES AR
RANGED FOR HALLOWEEN.
The Fun OF Preparing for the Franks
Notes Of the Clubs and
Musicians.

All Halloween will be celebrated to-mor-
row evening with numerous small parties.
by clubs and by the Ladies' Society of the
Maennerchor. The latter will give something
on line with their usual enjoyable enter
tainments. This is one season of the wear
when the young people are granted the
license to do just about as they please and
any FRANKS or jokes are credited to Halo
ween and the young people go scot free.
The relaxation from conventional lines is
duly appreciated. Girls get tired of sitting.
up properly in carriages, even when the
carriages are comfortable, and the boys do
likewise, and they never mind the cramps
of sitting down in the body of a big wagon
with several layers of straw beneath and
never mind the joltings. The bows take their
instruments, including tin pans and TOYS
and the girls lend their voices as thew 90
about serenading friends and foes alike
driving away before the household sere-
naded has time to recognize them 1t does
not matter that the next day they are all
hOarse and tired, and some have to call in
the DOCTOR The city is particularly free
from the young miscreants who carry off
gates and ring door bells and fasten tick
tacks to the window and make life miser-
able for any who do not take kindly to the
fun.
The chief pleasure in arranging for the
Halloween party is the two or more days
before it takes place, for then there is the
gathering of boughs to decorate the house or
the barn, and numerous pumpkins have to
be transformed into JACKIE lanterns and
this is no small task. No one ever under
takes making lanterns alone, for there is no
fun in getting Halloween party ready by
ones self. Sheet and pillow case costumes
are the correct thing, and with decorations.
Nominations and costumes disposed Of the
amusement to be furnished is the all-im-
portant subject.
A lady who has passed we'll into the six
ties tells a Halloween story Of early In
dianapolis, a happening of the time when
she was girl. A party of them decided
to give a surprise sheet and pillow case
party, All Halloween, to a couple whom
they knew very well, who had a large
house, but who seldom entertained. 1t was
the largest house in town and they made
all preparations. The boys got boughs from
the woods and the girls provided the re-
freshments of nuts, apples, seed cakes,
dougnnuts and such other articles as were
in vogue. Ice cream was not the common
dish it is to-day. 1t happened to be cold
night, there were no asphalted streets and
the sidewalks were boards laid lengthwise,
or worse, merely path The new big house
of the couple who were to be surprised was
quite distance. The party met at the
house nearest to the place for the party and
put on the sheets and pillow cases and de-
cided to walk. The wagons in which they
had come were sent home. The boys car
ried the baskets with the refreshments
from the point of rendezvous. They all ar
rived at the house in a tense state of ex-
element and rather chilly from their lack
of coats and mufflers They knocked on the
doors and windows simultaneously. The
people in the house must have been very
much frightened, for they would not open
the door, and after shvering around for
some time with no hope of an invitation to
enter, they all walked back to the house
where they had met, carrying the refresh
ments and placing the sheets about their
heads and shoulders for warmth. The
young people decided not to say word
about it and to deny being members of any
such party, if they were questioned. Not
a word was said about it for weeks, and
finally one day some one asked the couple
where they were Oct. 81, and they said
that they went to spend the evening with
some friends outside of town and had left
a light in the house for their return at a
late hour The young people were not ques-
toned about the party, and they never said
a word, but they had some funny times
among themselves over the Halloween party
they did not give.