February, 1911 
shape would have answered. ‘The handles of the measures 
were twisted off with a pair of pliers, and then two pieces 
of stiff brass wire were bent to the shape shown in the detail 
view in the accompanying engraving. The ends of the 
wires were inserted in holes punched in opposite sides of 
the buckets. The weight of the brass wire was sufficient to 
tip the light tin measures when the buckets were lowered 
into the well, so that they would fill readily. A piece of 
twine was coiled around the drum, and attached to each 
bucket. The twine was fastened midway of its length with 
a tack, and it was so wound that as one bucket came up 
to the top of the well, the other one was lowered into the 
pail below. 
The crépe paper with which the barrel was covered was 
stretched to show no wrinkles, despite the fact that the 
barrel bulged at the center. To do this, care was exercised 
to press out the paper at the center, so that it would round 
out to proper form. Crépe paper as ordinarily sold is not 
wide enough to cover the barrel in a single breadth, but 
with a little care to match the bricks printed on it, two 
breadths were used and the joint between the two breadths 
was unnoticeable. The head of the barrel was thickly 
covered with cotton and tufts of cotton were placed at all 
points where snow would be liable to collect in real life. 
The roof of the well was also covered with cotton, and glass 
icicles were hung from the eaves. Glass icicles are sold in 
various sizes, as Christmas tree ornaments. ‘They are us- 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 57 
ually made of twisted glass with an eye at the upper end 
which may be hooked upon a braid or pin. The cotton 
snow was drawn down over the eaves to cover the braids 
and at the same time to give the roof a very life-like 
appearance, 
As the company at this party was quite a large one, a 
large number of lemonade cups were provided, and these 
were hung on screw eyes screwed into the roof of the well. 
Each screw eye bore a tag, on which was written the name 
of the person who was to use this particular cup. Each 
individual could help himself as often as he pleased, but 
was requested to return his cup to the hook which bore his 
name. 
No doubt many handicraftsmen could improve on 
the construction shown in the drawing. If desired a 
conical roof can be constructed, giving the well a quaint 
Oriental appearance. Such a roof should be made of 
a large sheet of heavy cardboard slit with a single cut 
running from the center radially to the periphery. The 
cut edges must then be lapped one over the other, suff- 
ciently to bulge the center and form a rather flat conical 
peak. In this position the cardboard should be glued, after 
which it may be treated in various ways either by covering 
with crépe paper, by painting to represent shingles or by 
thatching with straw. Decorated with corn stalks the 
thatch-roofed well would be most appropriate for a hal- 
lowe’en party. 
Quaint Dessert Dishes 
By Percy Collins 
31LL mothers know full well the difficulties 
which attend preparation for a children’s 
party. Not the least of these is the prob- 
lem of what shall be provided for the 
little ones to eat. The dishes must, of 
course, be attractive. They must consti- 
tute a “treat”: In other words they must 
be quite different from those which the children are accus- 
But they must on no 
tomed to see upon the nursery table. 
account be rich or unwhole- 
some. 
Fo meet all these re- 
quirements is by no means 
easy, and often the profes- 
sional cook is quite at a 
loss. Much, however, may 
be accomplished by means 
of a little scheming, with 
the most simple materials, 
and the children themselves 
(much to their delight!) 
may be encouraged to take 
part in the preparations. 
The photographs repro- 
duced on these pages show 
some quaint dessert dishes 
which were prepared spe- 
cially for the amusement of 
a party of youngsters; but 
it is a noteworthy fact that 
the “grown-ups” took their full share of the fun when the 
dishes came to the table. These dishes are, in most cases, 
quite easy to make up; and the shouts of delighted laughter 
which will greet their appearance at table amply compen- 
Fig. 1—A cottage of sponge cake with icing sugar and whipped cream 
sate one for the small expenditure of time and of patience 
involved. 
Take, for example, the quaint little snow-covered cottage 
shown in the accompanying picture. It is a good instance 
of what a child’s party dish should be, for it is at once 
wholesome to eat and attractive to the eye. The importance 
of the latter quality, by the way, should never be lost sight 
of in the preparation of children’s dishes. Even simple, 
every-day fare will prove attractive when presented in a 
novel guise—adorned, per- 
haps, with a little colored 
sugar or syrup. Thus the 
snow-clad cottage is actu- 
ally built up by means of 
slices of sponge-cake—the 
door being a slab of some 
darker confection, such as 
chocolate cake or ginger- 
bread. Over all, to repre- 
sent the snow, a little whip- 
ped cream is poured, while 
a little jam may be added 
to give color and flavor. 
Such a dish will give an 
infinity of pleasure to the 
little ones, while they may 
partake of it without run- 
ning the risk of unpleasant 
after effects. 
Fruit may be arranged 
in such a manner, that, in the eyes of children at all events, 
it becomes vested with a marvelous importance and interest. 
To the child mind, two bananas served upon a plate are 
just what they appear to be and nothing more. But let the 
