The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-04
Halloween in a CITY Flat.


the family circle just at dark by dash
! ing into the iiving-room with an enor-
nous pumpkin in her arms. She plump
ed her huge burden on the floor and flop
ped it around, so that gigantic jack-o'-
| lantern face grinned from it al her audi
ence Isn't it gorgeous?''
I But, Matilda" demonstrated Mildred,
her twin, what on earth do We want of
half a dozen 6ack-o'-lantern pumpkins? %
Why, were going to have Halloween
party, of course. Do you suppose these
precious pumpkins are TO be wasted? We
| haven't had a real, glorious old froltc
| since we were blessed infants"
But where shall we have ft?" queried
| Mildred, barking back TO the original
topic. Surely. you don't for an instant
consider that we can have Hallowe'en
party in city fat"
Matilda resumed her tone and counte-
nance of whitening contempt. Mildred. -
she said, sadly. IF you weren't my twin
l should say that you were absolutely
| devoid of Imagination or resource"
Shall you want TO turn the whole fiat
| upside down, Mattie?' asked the mother,
| mildly
ITO be sure; upside down, inside out,
and wrong side TO. That's the easist
thing of all to do in such microscopically
small apartments. AS for decorations, we
shall have these jack-o'- Lanterns grace
fully disposed amid branches Of autumn
leaves in here and in the dining-rom, and
the only other lights we can have will be
tallow dips, an economical feature. That's
one beauty of a Halloween party, you
can economic so well on gas and refresh
ments. Teddy, kindly consider yourself
committee on autumn leaves. Get Susie
n hFnndau a. nd tv-n hlSf
boy chums and go out to the woods and
gather plenty. Then you can have them
come here that night"
81 don't see,' said Lillian mournfully,
how you are going to do a thing in our
kitchen, that's only two by four. and has
a gas range. Now, when I was that win
ter at grandma's, we had such a Hal
lowe'en party in the great, big kitchen,
with a roaring wood fire in the old fire.
placei We roasted corn and nuts until
our noses were fairly scorched, and We
hung an apple over the flames and told
chose stories until the first drop of juice
fell, and we popped corn, and we bob
bed for apples In big tub, and fairly
soaked ourselves and the floor, and then
we went outdoors and pulled cabbage
heads, and we walked around the house
backwards eating an apple with mirror
in our hands-you needn't think I'm going
to tell who I saw in mine-and we wound
the clew and We
Matilda nodded approvingly. I'VE can
pop corn and roast chestnuts on our gas
stove, we can drop melted lead through
the ring of a key into a tub of water,
we can even bob for apples, if the Brew
sters downstairs don't mind an I'M
promptu shower bath descending from the
ceiling upon their devoted heads. We can
try the test of three dishes, one of salt,
one of sugar, and one of earth, and I
assure you there are plenty of weeds to
pull in the empty lot just up the street.
And you can walk down the cellar stairs
backwards eating an apple, with mir
ror in your hand for the purpose of OBJ
serving your shadder within it, if you
so desire AS for me, I'm going to wind
the clew off the fire escape.
Slowly wind, I wind,
My true love to find"
"Girls, hope you will one Of you see
that the other end of my string is prop
erly provided with man.
Matilda pondered. Say, I move that
we have some unattached men invited to
this party she suggested at length.
''Teddie and Susie have their boys, Lillian
her Shadder, Mildred has-well, I might
just as well say it as think it, you know
he comes to see yoll-Mildred and Stuart,
tlelen and Mr.. j., and poor me with no.
body. I'm going to have Rob Hastings,
who was never known to pay attention
to any zirl alive, and Mr.. Harvey
.Baynes, cause he makes love to every
girl he sees, they will Offset each other,
and that ponderous Mr.. Black, scared to
death at the sight of a woman, who'll
keep us from getting too volatile, and
and"
Say it, say IT," laughed the chorus.
"And that very Antagonistic Gentle
man"
Perhaps you are not aware that you
have counted up nine men to us six girls
asked Mildred, intending to be sarcastic.
''Who cares. 1 don't, do you?" asked
Matilda frankly.
The clock on the mantel struck $3.50.
Good gracious me alive" gasped Ma
tiTda, leaping to her feet, ''the Antago-
nistic Gentleman is coming to call this
evening, and we haven't brought over
those pumpkins yet. Hustle, girls. or we
can't Horros, there's the door bell
You go, Mildred, there's a love, haven't
had time to prink a Bit and Matilda
vanished behind her bedroom door
Millicent Olmsted in Cleveland Plain
Dealer