A NOVEL WAY OF ENTERTAINING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3241, 10 June 1911, Page 4

A NOVEL WAY OF ENTERTAINING.

A BUTTERFLY TEA

“You wear a worried look,” I.said to my hostess, upon my arrival ..at her charming country house'. “And SO' would you!” she retorted, “if there were a number of people you owed invitations to and vou could not think of a new amusement to wile away the time!”

“Oil! so that is what is worrying yon —well, I am lust the right person to hep you'. Why not have the very latest thing out—A Butterfly Tea.?” “How is it managed?” she asked eagerly. “Very simple,”'l replied. “In fact, it is. the most inexpensive of entertainments. All that is required are sheets of notepaper and several pencils' and 'boxes of coloured chalks, price one nenny each. Now sit down, dear, and send out. your invitations to a Butterfly Tea, and I will help you when your guests arrive.” Everybody seemed to accept, and on the afternoon in question my hostess and I had arranged several small tables in the drawing-room, upon which sheets of notepaper were handy with pencils and coloured chalks. Half an hour was allowed, during which time each guest, after drawing a butterfly on a sheet of notepaper provided, and colouring it as fancy dictated, finished by cutting it out and pinning it on to a large screen, with a number attached. The screen, .being a handsome one, had a dark tablecloth pirfned over it, so that the process of pinning should not-injure it. The hostess had a private list of her guests’ names, with a number against each —and a duplicate number was written on each sheet of notepaper, so that the competitor • had merely to cut off the number and pin it directly under his own butterfly. A fascinating array of dainty butterflies was to he seen at the close of the competition—many being quite works of A judging committee of some elderly people decided which were the three best; the first prize winner being a man who had collected the real thing in his youth to a large extent. His wonderful copy of a handsome peacock butterfly, and lie had managed to get a splendid effect with the coloured chalks. The other two prizes were. taken by ladies for a n “admiral” and “sulphur respectively. The judges, thonglit the sizo-of some was rather uusual—but all were “very good.” At any rate, it served to amuse and interest everyone, and the sweet little filigree silver brooches won by the lady competitors served as souvenirs cf a unique and haopv entertainment.