Plan one autumn leaf dance in which each girl receives a wreath of autumn leaves from her partner.  For refreshments have orange or raspberry ice with vanilla ice-cream, and serve it on plates covered with leaf-shaped paper doilies.

A HARVEST HOME PARTY

A “RED EAR” party is what they called it in the invitations.  It was the opening party of the year in the high school and the seniors planned it.

The cards they sent out said: 

  Oh, this time o’ the year
  You’ll recall the red ear
  (It will never go out o’ date);
  So the members of “twenty”
  Have planned fun a-plenty
  At a regular Harvest Home fete—­
    You’re invited!

The school hall was delightfully decorated emphasizing the autumn colors.  Bright tawny leaves banked the platform where the orchestra sat, and along the side walls globes of red and orange balloons glowed among the soft tans and browns of cornstalks.  From the ceiling, myriads of red and orange paper lanterns swayed brilliantly.

The dance programs were “red ears” cut from cardboard, and tiny red pencils dangled from them.  Some of the names of the dances to excite curiosity were: 

  The Corn Stalk
  The Scarecrow Skitter
  Farmerettes Fancy
  Popcorn Waltz
  Orchard One-step
  Pumpkin Pie Walk
  Red Ear Dance
  Harvest Home Revue

The Corn Stalk was in the nature of a grand march—­everybody “stalking stiffly” round and round in time to the music, which ended in a rollicking one-step.

Then followed the Scarecrow Skitter.  A dilapidated old cornfield character in all the crudity of flapping black was brought in and established in the center of the floor.  In his shabby hat fluttered a handful of rusty crow feathers, and the feature of the dance was for each boy to secure one of them in passing for his partner.  The poor old fellow was nearly torn to bits in the process.

The Farmerettes Fancy was another name for “ladies choice.”  All the girls were given tiny toy rakes, hoes, spades, or other farm implements which they used as favors in choosing partners.

For the Popcorn Waltz, the favors were popcorn chains for the boys to hang around their partners’ necks.  There was a temptation to devour these adornments as well as to use them for decorative purposes, and on the whole they were a source of much fun.

The orchestra at intervals in this dance made use of some contrivance which sounded like corn popping briskly over the fire.

A shower of snowy white confetti from the balcony still further emphasized the popcorn idea.

In the Orchard One-step the boys were asked to pick peaches.  The girls stood behind a high screen and thrust their right hands above it.  The boys reached up, touched the “peaches” they chose and thereupon the girls thus designated one-stepped away with their partners.