THE PARTY CIRCUS
RUTH and Bettina led "the parade," the band at its head, to the cheerful
sunroom, where the table had been set. At sight of the "party" spread
before them, the young musicians and the others gave a sudden shriek of
delight.
"It's a circus!" explained Ralph to curly-headed Margery, who was adding
her own piping voice to the general din.
A small American flag floated from a flag pole in the center of the
table, and around it were arranged paper circus tents and circus wagons
of the five and ten cent store variety. Animal crackers were all about,
and the animal sandwiches and animal cakes in flat baskets looked almost
too real to be eaten.
Smooth boards on supports represented circus seats, and on these the
children soon clambered, eager to eat as children always are.
The paper napkins, decorated with animals, were folded before the places
to represent tents. The salad faces, which Ralph called "clowns," leered
up from the plates.
But the joy was not to be all in seeing. There was a favor for each
child to carry away, the favors from the table being claimed by matching
the numbers on each one with a corresponding number on the pieces of
candy passed at the close of the meal.
The refreshments consisted of:
Clown Salad Animal Sandwiches
Picnic Lemonade
Brick Ice Cream Fancy Cakes
Candies
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Sandwiches= (Forty)
3 loaves bread
1/2 lb. butter
1-1/2 C-ham, minced or ground fine
3 hard-cooked eggs
3 T-chopped pickles
2/3 C-salad dressing
1/3 t-salt
Chop the ham, eggs and pickles very fine. Add the salt and salad
dressing. Cut the bread very thin and match the pieces in pairs. Spread
one of a pair with the ham mixture and spread the other side with butter
which has been mixed and softened with a wooden spoon. Place the two
pieces of bread together and press firmly. Moisten the cooky cutter with
water and cut evenly the desired shape.
=Clown Salad= (Twelve portions)
12 rounds of sliced pineapple
12 T-salad dressing
24 filberts
2 canned pimentos
12 pieces of lettuce
Wash the lettuce carefully. Roll and cut into fine shreds. Arrange a
portion on each serving plate. Place a slice of pineapple on each
portion and very carefully place the salad dressing on it so that it
just covers the circle of pineapple. Arrange two filberts on top to
represent eyes, and cut the pimento in a strip to represent the mouth.
Cut small triangular pieces of pimento to represent the nose. Arrange
these as features on the pineapple and serve at once.
=Fancy Cakes= (Eighteen cakes)
1/2 C-butter
1 C-sugar
8 egg-yolks
1/2 C-milk
1-3/4 C-flour
2 t-baking powder
2 t-lemon extract
Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Beat the egg-yolks until
very thick, and add to the first mixture. Mix and sift together the
flour and baking-powder and add the milk alternately with the flour
mixture, beating well. Beat two minutes after mixing. Add the extract.
Pour to the thickness of one inch into flat pans lined with buttered
paper. Bake twelve minutes in a moderate oven. Remove from the fire and
when cool, cut into shapes with fancy animal cutters. The individual
cakes may be iced if desired.