Nutshell boats was a pretty game. The tiny craft, made of English walnut
shells, with paper sails, had been prepared beforehand, and the guests
wrote their names on the sails, then loaded each boat with a cargo of a
wish written on a slip of paper.

The boats were then set afloat in a tub of water, and by gently blowing
on them their owners endeavored to make them go ashore, or rather to the
side of the tub. As one hit the wood it was taken out, and the owner
joyfully announced that his or her wish would come true, but many of
them stayed stubbornly in mid-ocean and refused to land. The unfortunate
owners condoled with each other on their hard fate.

The merry games being over, all went to the dining-room for the feast
that was spread there.

The children were paired off, and, while Mrs. Fulton played stirring
strains on the piano, they marched around the rooms, and so out to the
dining-room.

The elaborately decorated table called forth shouts of joy, and soon all
were seated in chairs round the room, enjoying the good things.

On the table were jack-o'-lanterns made not only of pumpkins, but of
squashes, turnips, and even of big red or green apples.

Candles were burning in all of these, and standing about the table were
queer little gnomes and witches, made of nuts, or of dried prunes.
These little figures were souvenirs, and were distributed to all the
guests. The ice-cream was in the form of little yellow pumpkins, and
proved to taste quite as good as it looked. There were also more
substantial viands, such as nut sandwiches, apple salad, pumpkin pie,
and grape jelly. Everything had some reference to Hallowe'en or to
Harvest Home, and the children were not too young to appreciate this.

Supper was just about over when Mr. Maynard came after his children.

"Oh, Father," cried Marjorie, "you said you wouldn't come till nine
o'clock!"

"But it's quarter-past nine now, my daughter."

"It _can't_ be!" exclaimed Midge, greatly surprised; and everybody said,
"Is it, really?"

"But we must have one merry round game before we part," said Mrs.
Fulton, and, though several parents had arrived to take their little
ones home, they all agreed to wait ten minutes more.

So they had a rollicking game of "Going to Jerusalem," and then the
party was over.

Marjorie said good-night politely to Mrs. Fulton and the other grown-ups
who had entertained them, making her pretty little bobbing courtesy, as
she had been taug