Middletown transcript., 1914-07-11
The MOONLIGHT FETE
Of New Century Club A Brilliant
Affair
THEREWASFUNAND THEATRES

I
day evening by the ladies of the New
Century Club, on the spacious lawn Of
Mrs. James T. Shallcross, was everyway
delightful success socially, and fl
nancially, and returned goodIy sum
into the fund being raised for the
erection of their Club House.
The grounds were gaily bestrung with
scores of electrics enclosed in gaudy
Japanese lanterns, which, helped by a
full moon that shone clear, gave an
abundant light. The throngs of visitors
moving underneath the sombre shadows
of the trees and shrubt cry; the jolly
crowds of youth, mostly dressed in
white, patronizing the various amuse-
ments; the children romping on the
thick turf, with moonlight and music in
the air eyerywhere-a all made scene of
varied beauty.
The ladies gave their quests a full
bill of fare: a vaudeville entertainment
with music vocal and instrumental; an
Art Gallery with Miss Laura Willis as
curator; the fierce Gumbo lion from
Ujiji, so thoroughly tanned by its mis-
tress, Miss May Holten, that it ''roared
as gently as any sucking dove"; the
Grab Bag over whose box of Pandora
Miss Nellie Janvier was the presiding
genius; the lady from Philadelphia, Miss
Alice Mather, who atti}ed in gypsy
style, played the role of the Parcae
telling good fortunes to all comers who
crossed her divining palm with coin;
the See-Saw whose. little customers, for
their ride, Mrs. C. B. Green was forced
to charge more than "a penny day.;
the seductive Duck-Pond which under
the Keen business management of Miss
Eugenia Beasten extracted lots of
small change from the youngsters; the
Weighing Machine, whercon Mr. Fred
Brady showed his patrdhs to an ounce
how well the unrivalled products of the
"Middletown Farms" had agreed with
them; the Ice Cream Cone Booth where
Mrs. S. A. Burris and Miss Josephine
Cochran handed out several hundred
succulent cornucopias filled with Brady's
Best; the "Hit the Babies" the boys
call by a ruder name where ambiti-
Gus budding pitchers, young and old,
fired base balls at the marks, after
cashing in therefor to Miss Ethel Brady
who superintended the sport; the Chi
nese Laundry in charge of two young
Celestials from Hong Kong, Ted McIn-
tyre and Tim Hukill, with the latest
thing in the hair line pigtai come
again; delectable setouts in cake and
ice cream served on tables by Mesdames
H. A. Pool, F. J. Pennington, John
Cleaver, William E. Lee and others;
and last but not least, dancing on the
porch for the young folks under the di-
rection of Miss Lydia Cochran.
The labors of Misses Esther and Helen
Shallcross were many both before and
at the time of the fete itself, and the
thanks of the Club are due the family
for their hospitable loan of their grounds
so admirably fitted for such an affair."
Mr.. Eugene Shallcross helped arrange
the yard and the various booths.
The Vaudeville performance, Miss
Helen Brady, Impresario, opened with
a tuneful selection by the Pool Orches-
ira, who played throughout the evening;
then came a vocal solo, Isle de
Moor, =" sweetly sung by Mrs. Lu Nau-
dain, of Wilmington; next farce, mo
Men Wanted, done by three ladies in
a sprightly way that won hearty ap-
plause from the big crowd massed in
front of the porch whereon- as a stage it
was presented. The cast was, Isabella
Granger-Nellie Janvier, Elizabeth |
Rawley-Helen Brady, and Prynella |
Abercrombie-Helen Armstrong, who
was "made up in burnt cork as a
colored maid, and did the role to per-
fection.
"A vocal solo, ''The Ocean Never
Sleeps was next sung in excellent
manner and voice by Mr.. Charles E.
Stewart, followed by a piano solo,
''Danse Andalouse, " by Odessa's talen-
ted pianist, Mrs. Frances Watkins, and |
solo by Mrs. Lu Naudain.
The show finished with bit of comedy
"a Swell Affair, with William Rose
playing the fat Dutchman and William
Keegan the paddy in green. The antics
Of the pair and their vocal hits were
enjoyed by the audience, especially the
noisy young ''groundlings."
Mrs. G. A. Hoffecker was cashier and
Mr.. W. o. Shallcross received the gate
The elements were more than kind,
for though it rained cats and dogs all
around the neighborhood, the weather
chap out of compliment to the deserving
ladies' of the New Century Club so cou-
rageously bent on building themselves a
Home, kept things dry for asquaremile
around the Shallcross mansiont
The attendance was over 500, quite a
number of ladies and gentlemen from
put of town being present, among
others Mrs. Charles A. Ritchie, son
Charles and daughter Margaret, Of
Wilmington, Mrs William Barnard and
laughter, of Mt. Vernon, N. Y, all
residents in Middletown.
Now is the time to have that summer