Evening star., 1942-12-30


male frame by Hart Schaffner e.
Marx, started when I was child
and custom forced me to dress for
Halloween.
sometimes feel that the growth
of the Ku Klux Klan in the South
was chiefly due to the Southern
habit of wrapping children up in
sheets on Allhallow eve and send
ing them forth in bands to play at
terrorizing the neighborhood. Many
of the children never lost their love
for being hooded in percale and un-
bleached muslin, and, upon grow
ing up, joined the Klan to not only
get sheet to drape themselves in.
but a pillow slip to pull over their
heads as we'll.
Personally. I hated playing at
ghosts. Not that I didn't. I
wandered over half the towns Of
Georgia, giving off falsetto squeaks,
running into trees and lampposts.
banging my shins against fences,
and generally acting like an ado
lescent without the gift OF seeing
through a sheet, which I couldn't.
Mister Five-by-Five.
When I outgrew sheets and Hal
loween masquerade, I advanced to
what is known as the "tacky" party.
My teen-age period was filled with
these events, at which the idea is
to look just as addressed as pos
sible. I did fairly we'll at these
my trophy room today is filled with
prizes I won-because my taste
never has been too good, and at the
time I was attending "tacky" parties
my wardrobe consisted almost en-
tirely Of cut-on-the bias hand-me-
downs
As I grew in stature to become
what am today-Mister Five-by-
f1ve-1 started attending the regu-
lar, or grownup, costume party.
You know the ones I mean-the
ones where every one is either
Pierrot or Pierrette, a gypsy or a
Spaniard, a hobo or a farmer, a
little Dutch girl or a kid.
This is just the kind I must at
tend on New Year eve. There will
be masking, of course, with every
one trying to pretend he can't recog-
nlze his next door neighbors.
Fortunately, the masking doesn't
last long because no one has ever
perfected an itch-proof mask or one
that didn't fall down over the eyes
and nose, shutting off vision or COM
pletely and seriously threatening
the important process of breathing.
Same Winners Always.
First prize for the best costume
always gees to the same couple
the couple that takes costume par
ties seriously and rents expensive
get-ups. Everyone resents the prize
winners. They start getting SNUG.
and wondering what the prize will
be as soon as they come in the
door and get look at the home
made costumes with which they have
to compete. A standard prize WIN
ner is the Romeo and Juliet couple.
They have no trouble beating the
average amateur outfit which was
stitched up on the sewing machine
on the day of the party. Once I
had the pleasure of seeing Romeo
and Juliet couple get beaten. They
lost to Cyrano de Bergerac and an
Aunt Jemima. The two couples,
dear friends before that, have been
very cool ever since.
haven't made up my mind az
to what I'll wear to the party on
New Year eve. If I can work I'D a
dreamy look in my eyes I'm going
to carry quart of milk In my hand
and go as Henry Wallace. If can't
do that may just dress up as a
typical jerk and 60 as James C.
Petrillo. No, on second thought,
not even to win first prize would 7
go as James c. Petrillo.
The chances are I'll Just wind nv
self all up in red tape and 20 as
Washington, D. C.
distributed by McNausht Syndicate, 1nc)