The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-02-16
CAN YOU REMEMBER
Way BACK WHEN -
Sandwiches Were Tied With Bite
CT Ribbons and When Swapping
Bon Bons Were Part Of the
Surprise Party at Which Every
body Took victim" Cup and
Saucer.

vented, it used to be the style to have
surprise parties and everybody
brought the guest of honor cup and
saucer, or musical top, or something
like that. Those were the days when
you played lotto, or tried to pin
paper tail on tail-less mule drawn on
a huge piece Of canvass. Even magic
lanterns filed the craving for amuse-
ment at such parties. They were the
fore-runner of the movie films to
Judge from their popularity.
The surprise party was more q
affair than anything else,
because it was easier to get every
body together in q short space OF
time, and then in those days rapid
locomotion as accomplished now by
automobiles was not so commonly IN
dulged n The invitations were US
ually handed around to the mothers
while the guests and the honor guest
were at school. The news was brok-
en- generally at noon.
You're invited to So and Sos to-
night, and it's to be surprise party.
Here's the money, and you can go
down town after school and buy him
something. l guess cup and saucer
will be about as nice as anything.
Only don't spend more than quarter
or thirty-tive cents, and above all don't
give it away to SO and SO that there's
going to be party tonight"
Conversation such as this probably
was passed around with the pie at
some dozen or more houses, and for
the rest of the afternoon you were
giggling behind the victims BACK
and nudging one another when you
got together in a spelling bee, OF call
ing back and forth at recess:
Il know something won't tell,
Three little darkies IN peanut
shell" ~. -,
There was a store down town that
was just the place to buy cups anu
saucers. 1t was presided over by an
old woman who knew just ABOUT wnat
to offer you, and you usually got quite
an ornate affair for two blts. once
somebody brought mustache cup,
but the recipient never batteo an eye
lash. he knew his father had mus
tache that was a regular oio soup
strainer. a..... 81.
Well. somehow supper was downed,
and the ordeal of getting necks AMI
cars cleaned commenced. You usu
aIlv took the two girls that lived
a crosa the street, or they took you. 1t
all depended on who got dressed first.
Won never could see why 1t was SO
necessary to have the backs OF your
ears scraped red and raw, when ono
of these sisters was noted for her
nroyerbfally SCOT streaked face. But
ANYWAY. all soapy and shiny you
started out. The victim" usually
had been beguiled across the street
an Won we're all gathered in the parlof
bovs on one side and girls on the
other. waiting the denouement.
when the honor guest arrived, ne
was greeted with boisterous shouS3
On your part if you were boy, ana
shrtll giggles if you were girl. osu-
aIlv too, he received a number OF
sound thumps about the back, from
tho hoys who insisted in giving him
one TO grow on" The girls were bit
moro considerate, and offered tne3F
greetings in mumbled words.
For a long time it looked as II the
,ca would never break. Some times IT
was Jerusalem, and some times II was
boston. each with one less chair than
there were occupants. that broke up
tho reserve, so that when lotto was
nronosed it was not hard to find part
ners Clap in and clap out was popu-
lar sometimes, but postoftice was usu-
aIly quite as popular. These all paled
before the tailless donkey stunt. a
donkey was drawn on canvass and
mt I'M in a doorway or against the
vail. Then you were given paper
tail, and blindfolded, were set to the
task of pinning the tail where 1t be-
1onged. . -s.
practical jokers in the crowd They
usually stepped in front of one with
the pin, and allowed the tail to be
pinned on their backs or arms amidst
the smokers of the rest of the audi
ence. which was not blindfolded.
though the blindfolded per-
son knew who it was that was such
a jokester, and more than once. the
h ubble Of his humor was pricked by
a we'll directed pin point.
After this came the magic lantern.
smelling of oil and smoking. but cast
ing there on the screen such marvel