Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-14
Bachelor Girls "at Homes"

friends for a very little money, and a
series of pleasurable two dollar "at
homes" has resulted.
The refreshments served are never
more than tea or coffee and wafers or
i similar combination When coffee IS
to be used quart of cream at forty
cents is always bought, though rarely
entirely used. A thirty-two cent sack
of coffee. one pound, lasts for three or
four lat homes" allowing generous
tablespoonful for each cup made. A
quarters worth of loaf sugar lasts
nearly as long. Usually the number of
persons present varies from a dozen to
twenty-five.
1t was candy pull that was
lnaugurated after enough persons had
gathered on the first evening, and fudge
ana cream candy was made. AS the
latter had to be pulled. some Of the
party gathered in the kitchen and made
the cream on the gas range. while a
small gas stove on 4 table in one of the
other rooms served as a chafing dish
for the fudge. One cake of chocolate,
two pounds of graduated sugar, little
vanilla extract and two boxes of I'M
sweetened crackers, with the coffee
We're the foundation of this first eve
ning's pleasure.
Nuts with sweet cider, lemonade and
sweet and plain waters, were provided
for another evening. 1t was no trouble
To prepare this. for the guests were
made to crack the nuts after their ar
rival, the men cracking and the women
getting out the meats. This was in
line with a household principle that
something should always be at hand
for the guests to do, in order to ANAL
samate 50 many strangers. AS the
nuts were prepared there was no lack
of bright talk. and amusing stories
were told as the meats We're eaten. An
element of fun was unexpectedly
thrown in when the number of arrivals
was found to have greatly exceeded the
household stock of glasses and punch
cups.
The cider used cost twenty-five cents
a gallon and the mixed nuts twenty
cents 4 measure.
The gas log helped out month later,
when marshnallows We're toasted over
it on the ends of long sticks. and ghost
stories tod, with only the freight and
low turned jets in the other rooms. A
dollars worth of mailows more than
filled a punch bowl and were sufficient
JanuarN'S evening was Il white
goods sale" The hostesses, who had
worn summer frockS as long as posi-
Bile, We're now arrayed in the trailing
costumes of sales women in a fashion,
able establishment One of them acted
as foorwalker. After greeting the
guests she seated them in a room in
which hung sign. This is bargain
day. Don't scramble! When the chairs
give out you can take the couches and
footstools. The saleslades will not neg
lect you" Nor did they. They, too, well
coined and introduced the guests. sup
plying each with a sheet of "Todays
specials" This was a list of advertise
ments such as appear everywhere
They We're numbered and each number
indicated by characteristic phrase
quoted or a bit of not too clear descrip-
ton some well-knOwn advertisement.
These were TO be guessed. and as there
was no prize to be won little groups
would nuke out the answers together.
the ''saleswoman" mingling at will
with each. Later on the persons pres
ent in turn made known Il want in
white goods and Immediately drew
from a large white box, presided over
by the hostesses, package, which
was opened and displayed and a rhyme
that accompanied it. These packages
had all been gotten ready before the
appointed day and contained products
of white paper, cloth or cotton, con-
structed by the 'salcsladies." The
man who asked for Il handkerchief
very probably obtained a cotton ele-
plant. to whose trunk was tied card
ard the inscription:
This may not he what you would see,
But don't YOU care.
1t is the famous &c. o. p,
A beast most rare.
Other packages contained crepe pa
cuffs, soft paper handkerchiefs, hair
bows. aprons, caps, boxes of very
cheap" snOwflakes, cloth stockings.
and pincushions of crepe and lace pa
per, stuffed with cotton. Coffee and
waters were served.
March was devoted to "spring
thoughts" A slip of paper was given
to each guest. on which was written
Thought" to be worked out in
pantomime. THAT Tired Feeling" 1.-THE
hand organ" Moving" Easter Bon-
net" arrival of the Birds" "Examina-
TONS" Golf Fever" 1.-The lawn now
err" 1.-The Ice Man." mosquitoes"
strawberry ShOrtcake." We're few
of these quick charades which
the other persons guessed. Az
ter this well-knOwn poem was
pinned up in the room. and each
player was requested to contribute a
line to a poem that as a whole would
be a spring song. the object of the
model poem being to paraphrase it's
metre and rhyme. Each line being
written privately on numbered sheet,
all were put together and the ludicrous
result read aloud with much laugh
ter. Just before supper large cartoon
Of a jovial dancing rabbit, drawn by
one of the hostesses. was brought in.
and announcement was made that the
Mad March Hare would "test the
sanity" of each person. The hare then.
through the speaker, tried the guests
individually "to see whether you can
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