Pass baskets of flowers to the ladies. Enough bunches have been
prepared and laid in the baskets for each one of the ladies. On a tray
are bunches of leaves and vines; pass these to the men.
The leaves will match the flowers, as a bunch of pansies will have a
corresponding bunch of pansy leaves, a bunch of lilies of the valley
its bunch of lily leaves, etc., etc. Where roses are used, a bud
matching the rose may be put with the leaves, or better, the ribbon
tying a bunch of rose leaves, might match the rose it is supposed to
go with. Of course, the pansy-leaf man will hunt out the lady with
pansies; and the lily-leaf man, the maid with the lilies.
Take bristol-board and cut it in small pieces, the size and shape of
large rose petals. Tint these pink with a bit of yellow on the narrow
end, where the petal is supposed to have left the rose. Write in gilt
paint on each of them a word, any noun, verb, adjective, etc. Then
bend and twist in the fingers until they look like veritable Katherine
Mermet or La France petals. Have enough so that each girl invited may
have one.
Take more bristol-board and make deep red petals; on these write with
gilt paint a part of speech, noun, verb, adverb, etc. Make enough to
supply each man.
These at the time of entertainment should be passed just before you
wish the partners chosen. Then the man whose petal reads _adverb_ will
seek among the pink-petaled girls until he finds an adverb.
Of course, in a large company there will be several nouns and several
adverbs. But the noun man will of course offer his arm to the first
pink noun he finds. Be sure to have the petals match. If you must have
five red petals reading _verb_, be sure to have an equal number of pink
verb petals, e. g. pink petals reading _play_, _dance_, _sing_, _run_,
_talk_.
Have two baskets, one knotted with pink ribbon and the other with red.
These baskets should each contain paper hearts, about three inches
long, and wide in proportion. The hearts may be suspended by means of
narrow pink satin ribbons, and each heart is slightly decorated with
water-color paints. In the same basket no two hearts are alike, but
their duplicates are found in the other basket. When the duplicates are
found, partners are decided.
* * * * *
Have two bags of walnuts. One is to be passed to the girls, the other
to the boys. To each walnut a tiny slip of paper has been glued,
on which half of a familiar quotation is written. One half of the
quotations are in the girls’ bag, the other half in the boys.’ The
girls’ bag is passed first. When the boy is able to complete his
quotation, he discovers his partner.
* * * * *
When an equal number of boys and girls are present, for example, ten
each, mark ten slips of paper according to the numerals, 1, 2, and so
on. Then throw them into a bag and jostle them together. After which
pass to the girls. They should each draw one paper.
When the girls have drawn, offer slips of paper in the same manner to
the boys, who will draw likewise. Corresponding numbers are partners.