New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-06
NOAH'S ARK PARTY
Rose Gunther.

When Billy and Betty Allen gave a
party 1t was sure TO be different one.
That Is why none OF the neIghborhood
children was one bit surprised when IL
came time for the Allen twins birthday,
or birthdays-you could never tell which,
and every single boy and girl who lived
In the same street as Billy and Betty
received the most unusual sort OF a party
invitation.
They were left at the front doors one
dark night. directly after tea. There were
envelopes cut from brown paper In the
shape OF Noah's ark, with windows
drawn on the outside in red crayon and
the ark roof colored green. When the en-
velope was opened n white card inside
had this message written carefully by
Betty:
IF you want to escape the food get on
board the Ark next Saturday afternoon
1t leaves our house promptly at B.
BETTY ALLEN"
BILLY ALLEN"
Every child was ready when Saturday
and O'Clock came They had never been
to a Noahs Ark party before. They had
HtNtT even u'diu VI pii'' anu ~ hh'"N '' a
most weird and exciting kind. Such a
crowd OF eager small boys in their best
REFER suits, and curly headed small girls
In their best starched white frocks and
biggest bows as thronged the Aliens
front piazza and rang the door bell
promptly at the hour set for the sailing
OF the Ark
Mrs Allen opened the door for them
and the guests were hurried upstairs and
into as many different rooms as possible
to take off their wraps. Then each child
was given an animal mask from a toy
shop to put on and cover his face all up.
80 that they might not know each other
perhaps. when they went downstairs. and
certainly Betty and Billy wouldn't know
them. There were lion masks and bear
masks and monkey masks and cat masks,
but always two OF a kind As each child
tied on his mask he went down to let
Betty and Billy and the others try TO
guess whom he was.
The little host and hostess stood In the
big hall, but no one knew them at first
Betty was dressed like Mrs. Noah In n
long straight red gown. with Dig buttons
down the front, and she wore tall red
hat made OF cardboard. like "A Mother
Goose hat. Billy was Mr.. Noah. In a long
blue gown cut like Bettys, and his hat
was made OF black Bristol board almost
the same shape as a policeman's hat. In
his hand he carried a long po.e-lt looked
suspiciously like broomstick-with which
to steer the ark.
animals names. or course. the lions only
roared when they were spoken to, and the
bears growled and the monkeys chat
tered. Mrs. Allen gave the guests slips
of paper and pencils. and they wrote down
a child's name as soon as they thought
they knew 1t. At the end Of five minutes
Betty collected the papers. and the long
est list of correct names won Teddy
Bear for a prize.
Then the children unmasked, and the
procession formed to really board the
Ark. Betty and Billy led. and behind
them marched the guests with their
masks over their arms. the bears and
lions. and all the rest coming like the
real ark animals. two by two.
The Aliens library was the Ark The
furniture was moved out, and the pictures
were taken down. and there weren't any
rugs to get In the way OF the animals
feet Instead OF rugs the floor was COW
cred with a layer Of sweet. clean sawdust,
quite easy to sweep up. Mrs. Allen said,
end just the thing for bears TO walk on
And all around the room there were in
teresting things for animals to amuso
themselves with during their long voyage
In one corner big black cambria cat
with no tail, hung on the wall, and a
group Of children each in turn. being
blindfolded, tried to pin her missing tail
In place. In another corner a group of
children could sit down and make min
iature ark and animals Of ground nuts.
Plenty Of nuts and bits Of paper. tooth
picks, and paste were provided, and the