1548 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Boys and Girls 
By Edward M. Tuttle 
This is Our Page, which we love so much. We can learn from it many 
interesting things and new ideas. 
Write a Storey About This Picture 
Memory Verse 
The goldenrod is yellow, 
The corn is turning brown; 
The trees in apple orchards 
With fruit are bending down. 
ij: :5t s)c >]: 
By all these lovely tokens 
September days are here. 
With Summer’s best of weather, 
And Autumn’s best of cheer. 
HELEN HUNT JACKSON. 
This is a beautiful time of year. I 
know that every boy and girl is enjoying 
each day to the full. The nights are cool, 
but not cold; the days arc warm, but 
not hot. On every hand we see the treas¬ 
ures that Nature has given for the sea¬ 
son’s work—the full shocks in the corn¬ 
field with yellow pumpkins in between; 
the orchards with their load of fruit, red 
and gold and green ; the barns full of 
hay and grain, and all the other crops that 
are being gathered in at this harvest time. 
Your walks to and from school these 
days should be full of interest if you use 
your eyes and ears. I have sometimes 
played the game with boys and girls when 
we have walked together of standing still 
for a minute or two and listening a*> hard 
as we could. Then we would tell each 
other what we had heard. You will be 
surprised if you do this. The same plan 
can be used for looking in some given di¬ 
rection and seeing all you can. Too often 
we do not half use our senses, and we 
miss so much. I want all of you who 
read Our I’age to be wideawake and keen 
to everything that goes on about you. 
Then you will find life richer and happier 
through all the years ahead. Won't you 
write and tell me of your school walks, 
or of a listening or a looolring game? 
Now I have something very interesting 
to tell you. 'It is about 
A Hallowe’en Party 
Perhaps you will think it a bit early, 
but you must remember that by the time 
you receive Our Page next month it will 
be almost Hallowe’en. And if a party is 
to be a success, it must be planned a good 
While ahead. 
This party really happened, a year 
ago, here at my home. The guests were 
a dozen young folks of the neighborhood, 
companions of my 15-year-old sister. We 
all had such a good time that I think you 
will like to know what wc did. Perhaps 
you will be giving a Hallowe’en party 
some year. You would not want to copy 
this party exactly, but it may give you 
some ideas. The best parties are those 
that fit the time and place, and that are 
full of activity for everybody. 
It is hard to get a party started. The 
guests usually come a few at a time, and 
it may be half an hour between the first 
arrival and the last. Something is need¬ 
ed to entertain the first comers. It must 
also be something that others can join as 
they arrive. We chose bobbing for apples. 
We have a large laundry. The floor 
was scrubbed and a big wood tub set in 
the center. Near it were placed a couple 
of strips of carpet to make kneeling down 
easier. The tub was about three-quarters 
full of water, and in the water floated 12 
big red apples. Each apple had a small 
slit in one side, but only three had had 
bright new dimes pushed into the slits 
and out of sight. Plenty of towels were 
on hand to dry wet faces and hair. As 
soon as four or five guests had come the 
bobbing began, and there was no lack of 
fun as each boy and girl took a turn at 
it. I do not need to tell you any more. 
If you have bobbed for apples, then you 
know; if not. then you will know when 
you do. But by the time everyone had 
had a turn at the tub all the guests had 
come, and the party was in full swing. 
I should have said before that the 
guests were greeted down the road by a 
big. grinning jack o’ lantern| Then at 
the door stood the Ghost, made of sticks 
and a sheet, with a jack o’ lantern for a 
head. In its arms it held some bright- 
colored paper caps, one kind for the boys, 
another for the girls. There was also a 
row of apples swinging at different heights 
from a curtain pole in a wide doorway, 
at which anyone could take a try with his 
teeth at any time. 
After the apple-bobbing had ended and 
faces were dried, the next thing was a 
peanut hunt. We had taken 100 peanuts 
and placed them in every nook and cranny 
of two rooms. They were not put in 
cupboards or drawers, or where anything 
had to be moved to find them, and this 
was carefully explained before the game 
started. But they were not all easy to 
find even so. The rules of the game were 
as follows: At a table sat an older per¬ 
son with a pencil and a paper containing 
the names of all the guests. When the 
game started the object was to bring in 
the peanuts. Only one peanut could be 
brought at a time. Each person finding 
a peanut was to fall in line and pass the 
table, lay down the peanut and call his 
name. Then the record-keeper made a 
check on the paper after that name. 
Prizes were given to the one who brought 
the most peanuts, and to the one who 
found the last peanut. It all happened 
faster than I have told it. For the first 
few minutes the record-keeper had his 
hands full, and there was a steady lino 
waiting, each person with a peanut. But 
soon it was harder to find the peanuts. 
All would be hunting, and only now and 
then one would rush up with another nut. 
It took quite a while to find the last nut, 
but there was no lack of interest. For 
this game you could use any small objects 
if peanuts were not handy, such as hick- 
orynuts. chestnuts, beaus and the like. 
All of the prizes given at this party 
were the simplest kind of things—choc¬ 
olate bars, stick candy, pencils, erasers 
and so on. A prize is a reward, and the 
honor is in winning it, not in its value. 
There was great chattetring and catch¬ 
ing of breath after the peanut hunt, but 
soon all were ready to move into the 
kitchen. This is a regular farm kitchen, 
big and roomy. At one side, against the 
wall, was a stack of cornstalks, surround¬ 
ed by a lot of golden pumpkins. I will 
tell you about them a little later. The 
center of the floor was bare and clean. 
Here everyone sat down in a big crowd. 
Then came the apple-paring game. Each 
person was handed a big apple and a 
knife, with a warning not to do anything 
with them until the word, was given. A 
great bowl was placed in the center, and 
a pail for parings. It was explained that 
we needed some apple sauce the next day 
and would like to have the party prepare 
the apples. The objects of the game were 
to pare the apples quickly and well, keep¬ 
ing the peeling in one piece; then to quar¬ 
ter and core the apples and put the quar¬ 
ters in the bowl. At the word they were 
off and the results were very surprising. 
Anyone who wished could toss the apple 
peel over his shoulder, as the old Hal¬ 
lowe’en custom is. Prizes were given for 
the best and quickest work. 
This game was soon over, and the re¬ 
mains were cleared away. Next came 
the corn-hushing. The corn stack was 
taken down. It was made up of small 
bundles, each containing 10 stalks, one 
bundle for each guest. The bundles were 
tied in three places, and were not to be 
touched until the signal. The floor was 
well crowded by the time each boy and 
girl had a bundle ready for work. This 
game was played as follows: The object 
was to untie the bundles, husk all the 
corn from them, put the corn in a basket 
provided for the purpose, and retie the 
bundles. It was also explained that each 
bundle should husk out four other objects 
besides the ears. The truth was that in 
making these bundles beforehand, a pencil, 
a lollypop, a peppermint stick, and a 
penny chocolate roll had been concealed 
and tied to the stalks in each bundle. 
This was one of the busiest games of the 
evening. It made a picture with the floor 
full of boys and girls rustling the corn¬ 
stalks, and it smelled like a harvest field. 
Prizes were given to the boy aud to the 
girl who finished first, but it was a good 
while before some got through, and a few 
never did find all the treasures. 
October 2, 1920 
East of the events was a jaclc-o'-lantern 
contest. We had a lot of pumpkins last 
Fall for stock-feeding. A dozen of these 
had been chosen, as nearly of one size as 
possible, and they were now distributed 
to the guests, with knives for those who 
did not have jackknives. The boys and 
girls were told to go ahead and make the 
best lanterns they knew how. This was 
quite a job, but they set to work with a 
will. Some had never made a jack o’ 
lantern before. As fast as the lanterns 
wore finished they were provided with a 
short piece of candle, and at the end all 
were lighted for exhibit aud judging. 
They made a fine show. 
Then everybody had to wash up. The 
invitations had stated that old clothes 
were to be worn to this party. Dress-up 
parties may look pretty, but they lack 
the good times possible when we do not 
have to think of our clothes. 
There was a pretty supper table, with 
bright Hallowe’en decorations that had 
been prepared in the dining room while 
the party was busy in the kitchen. All 
were glad to sit down and eat the light, 
wholesome food provided. There was con¬ 
stant chatter and laughter. This party 
did not have any wallflowers, and no 
party should have them if it is rightly 
planned. The host or hostess should 
make sure that every single guest has a 
happy time. 
Eater we sang some songs together aud 
then said goodnight. Such a party as 
this is long remembered. It takes time 
and effort to plan for it and to get every¬ 
thing ready, but that is the only kind of 
Ellen and Her Flock 
party that is worth while. Groups of 
boys and girls, or older folks, either, 
should never come together without some¬ 
thing interesting or worth while to do. 
I hope that many of you will go to Hal¬ 
lowe’en parties this year that will be full 
of happy fun. Some of you will be giv¬ 
ing the parties. That is better still. 
There is no place like a farm at Hal¬ 
lowe’en. 
In this column you will see a picture of 
a little girl feeding a flock of chickens, 
as so many of you do every night and 
morning. She wrote me a letter, and 
this is 
What She Said 
I always read the Boys’ aud Girls’ page 
in The Rural New-Yorker. I am very- 
interested in.it. So I thought 1 would 
join in and write a few lines to you. We 
have a hen we call Grannie. We mean 
grandma. We call her that because she 
is so old. But still, after all, she has 
three chicks. Their names are White- 
face, Whitebreast and Gold locks. I call 
her that because her feathers look as : f 
they were gilded. She is so pretty ! We 
have 14 chicks altogether. We have two 
cats. Their names are Minnie and Mikie. 
We also have two horses, Billy and Nelly. 
We have a cow. too. Her name is 
Bessy. I like it on the farm. I have a 
few tomato and pea plants. I was nine 
years old Tuesday. .Tuue 20. Enclosed 
is a picture of myself feeding some of our 
chickens. ellex g. 
New Jersey. 
I was gbul to have the picture, Ellen, 
and you will see it is helping out Our 
Page this month. Such a lot of you boys 
and girls tell about your poultry. It is 
fine to take care of a flock, and you find. 
I know, that the better care you take, 
the more eggs there are in the basket. 
Here is another good letter and some 
suggestions about it. Can you 
Fig ure Them Out 
I like to read The Rural New- 
Yorker very well. Every month I look 
for the Boys* and Girls’ page. I have 
two little pigs which I am raising; one 
A Young Fanner and Ills Potato Crop 
