Ice-cream in cantaloupes with a chocolate mouse nibbling at the rind followed, to be eaten with those most delicious of all cookies—­home-made “hermits.”

MOTHER’S BIRTHDAY TEA

A pleasant way for a daughter to entertain for her mother is to give a little informal afternoon tea, asking the mother’s friends and their daughters and thus making it a kind of mother and daughter affair.

Send out the invitations on your calling card, writing your mother’s name at the top.  If your mother likes surprises, arrange the party to be one if possible, but if she is like most mothers she will prefer to know what’s going on and so be prepared.

The rooms should be decorated with flowers of the season.  The country girl will find it easy in spring, summer, or fall.

During the afternoon a little program of previously arranged “mother” songs, lullabies and readings by some of the guests may agreeably interrupt the chat.

Tea, sandwiches and little cakes may be served in the dining-room from a festive birthday table.  The centerpiece may be a bowl of pink roses—­to match in number the years of the guest of honor.  Candles from under rose-colored paper or silk shades may light the room, and if desired each guest may be presented with a miniature band-box covered with rose-sprigged paper or chintz—­filled with wee pink and white candies.

A PUSSY CAT PARTY

When Billy’s mother decided to give him a birthday party, she pounced upon the pussy cat plan, partly because pussy-willows are still flourishing in April, but mostly because she knew that kittens and cats are favorites with nine and ten year olds.

The invitations were folded kitty-cornered and inside of each appeared a fat fuzzy little gray puss taken from a real pussy-willow branch.  “Puss” had pen and ink ears, whiskers and tail, and likewise a tiny red-painted fence post upon which to sit.

The first game was a good romp at “Puss-in-the-Corner.”  That was followed by the foolish but funny “Poor Pussy.”

While the children were still in a circle for that, Billy’s mother explained a new game.  It was called “Kitty Kitty” and was carried out on the lines of “Spin the Platter.”  In every child’s ear Billy whispered the name of some sort of cat, as for instance, tiger, “yaller,” green-eyes, double-toes, maltese, Angora, black and white, gray.

He then occupied the center of the circle and spun a tin pieplate.  As he did so he called out one of the names he had assigned and counted rapidly out loud up to ten.  Thus, “Green-eyes, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.”

The child who had been given the name “green-eyes” was supposed to jump up and snatch the pie tin before Billy had finished counting to ten.  If “green-eyes” failed, then he had to take Billy’s place.  Billy, too, of course, had a pussy cat label.