CHAPTER XXIII.

A BOYS’ STAG-PARTY

The only difference between the bald-headed, bearded boy and his younger brother in knickerbockers is that the latter is fond of fun and owns up to it, while the former is fond of fun and conceals the fact behind a solemn countenance and a severe and dignified frown.

But when the

Old Boys

attend a stag-party the solemn faces and frowns are not there; they leave them with their overcoats in the hall.

When sending

Invitations to a Boys’ Stag-Party,

it should be suggested that the guests come in their old clothes, and not be late for the target-shooting. You must have some blow-guns and a target ready for them to use when they arrive.

Make the Target

of a large sheet of Manila paper. Outline the rings by placing the paper on the floor, driving a tack in the centre of the paper, and then using a piece of string with a loop at one end and a very short pencil at the other end, place the loop over the tack and fasten the pencil to the string. In this way make a number of circles, and number them from one to ten or fifteen, according to the number of guests you have invited to your stag-party.

When the target is finished lay it aside, and busy yourselves making darts for the blow-guns. Take a number of

Carpet Tacks

and some bright-colored worsted; tie the worsted string to the tack until the latter is covered, all but its point, then push all the ends of the strings back to the head of the tack and cut them off evenly, leaving them about a quarter of an inch long.

When one of these darts is shot through the blow-gun it will stick into anything it hits, unless the target be of stone or metal.

When the darts are all made lay them aside, with the blow-guns and the target, and go to the market and secure a basketful of an assortment of

All the Large Vegetables

you can find--big turnips, the largest sweet potatoes, small squashes, field-beets, and compact cabbages. Some of the vegetables in this list may be out of season, but there will always be some that are in season.

Cut the top of each turnip, beet, potato, and squash, leaving a slanting or beveled edge to the lid (Fig. 280); then hollow out the vegetable until you have space enough to hold a fair-sized paper of candy. Put the candy in oiled paper, place it in the hollow vegetable and fit the lid on the top, where it can be secured by using wooden toothpicks as tacks (Fig. 281). If this work has been done with any sort of care, no one, not in the secret, will suspect that it is not a common vegetable.

The Cabbage Bonbon Box

is made in the same manner, only in this case you must carefully peel off the first covering of leaves from the head of cabbage and then cut a hole for the bonbons, as in Fig. 282. After the candy is in place the leaves removed from the cabbage must be carefully replaced, and fastened on with toothpicks, which are concealed by the surrounding leaves (Fig. 283).

When you have made one of these novel bonbon boxes for each guest, you can begin to make

The Big Pie or Pudding

which is to grace the centre of the table. Buy a number of cheap toys, such as little china dolls (both black and white), whistles, rattles, etc., and to each one you attach a card with some comic verse or sentence written on it; then you roll the toy up in a number of pieces of soft paper until the bundle assumes a ball-like form. The outside wrapper of each bundle should be of the brightest-colored tissue-paper which can be found. After securely binding the bundles with twine attach a bright piece of tape or silk ribbon to each, as in Fig. 284.

When all the

Knick-knacks and Jokes

are bundled up, and the ribbons attached, place them in a large earthen dish or wooden bread-bowl, and arrange them so that the ribbon to each parcel hangs outside. Then fill the bowl with bran and pat into a rounded surface, as shown in Fig. 285.

The Ribbons Must be Loosely Knotted

at the sides, to keep them from harm, after which the surface of the “fake” cake is covered with a layer of wheat flour, to represent frosting, and the flour is ornamented with raisins, as in the illustration, while the top is decorated with a few sprigs of green or the ornaments from the top of a real cake, and the “fake” cake is then ready to serve.

Don’t Disappoint the Boys.

While both the boys in knickerbockers and the boys in long-tailed coats like fun, neither the old nor the young boys enjoy being disappointed. You must, therefore, have some real pie, cake, and good things to serve, besides the make-believe cake, so as to keep all the guests good-humored.

The Shooting.

When all the lads have assembled and the target is in place, give one prepared tack and the blow-gun to one boy, and let him have a shot at the target, and keep account of the number he comes nearest to with the dart.

When all the boys have had their turn at firing a shot, and

The Numbers are All Recorded,

show them a list, with a penalty opposite each number; for instance, number one must wear two feathers in his hair; number two must have his face decorated with black circles; number three, face decorated with black stripes; number four, hair powdered white, with flour; number five, half face black, etc. Then tell them the list was made out by the Mad March Hare.

When All the Boys are Properly Decorated,

with blackened or whitened faces, coats wrong side out, etc., let them march to the table in the order of their numbers, and take the numbered seat which corresponds with the number they struck on the target. When the boys are seated the maid should bring in

Great Trays, Heaped with Raw Garden-Stuff.

This will cause a shout of surprise and disappointment; but after some lad has laboriously cut a great turnip in half, and discovered the concealed sweets, the fun will begin anew.

After this first course of vegetables

The Regular Spread May Be Served,

and when all have finished you must rise and say that you hope that your guests have still kept a little of their appetites for a piece of March Hare pie. Then you don a big white apron, thrust a table-knife in your belt, so as to look like a cook, and bring in

The Great “Fake” Cake

(Fig. 285). Place the cake in the centre of the table, with the ribbons carefully undone and one end stretched to each plate.

At a Given Signal

each guest gives a sharp pull upon his line, and out pop all the brightly-colored parcels, while the bran and flour fly, as if an explosion had occurred.

The success of this last act depends entirely upon the host. He must caution each boy not to gather in any of the slack of his ribbon, but only take a firm hold of the end and wait until the word is given to pull.

After the excitement and fun of demolishing the “fake” cake, then comes the fun of unrolling the bundles and reading the jokes attached to each trinket.