YOUNG FOLKS' CORNER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1107, 19 May 1893, Page 15

YOUNG FOLKS' CORNER.

MABELLE'S OBSERVATION PARTY. ' I wonder what there will be this time,' said May Buchan confidentially to her great friend Lucy Heath as they walked home from school together. ' Yes, so do I; Mabelle always has such lovely parties, and there is sure to be some* thing fresh,' answered Lucy. When the eventful evening arrived, seventeen young ladies, including Mabelle's three cousins, who were staying in the house, sat round the big drawing-room at the Manor. ' Well, now, Mabelle, I think you may as well make a little speech, and explain to the company what sort of party you have invited them to.' i

' Oh, father clear, I couldn't really. You do it for me,' said Mabelle coaxingly. ' Lazy little puss. Well, as it's your birthday, I suppose you think you can order your poor old father about as you please. H'm. Ladies and gentlemen, I have tho honour to invite you to assist at an Observation Party.' Here everybody looked at each other in surprise. An Observation Party, what could that mean ? . b

' I see some of you looking slightly puzzled,' continued Mr Douglas,' ' so I will at once explain to you what is to be done in the way of ' Observation.' In the room yonder ' —pointing to the door—' is a table ; upon that table are arranged fifty miscellaneous objects ; and, each lady will be admitted to that room in turn for the space of three minutes and a half precisely—the time to boil an egg. When she comes out she will be given a piece of paper and a pencil, and she will then proceed to write down the names of as many of the objects as she can remember. I need hardly mention that this is a game in which all help is strictly forbidden, and I will close my remarks by saying that there are two prizes, a first and a second, for the two competitors who send in the best lists.' ' And here are the prizes,' added Mabelle joyously; ' don't you want to see them ?' And as the girls, greatly excited at the idea of prizes, crowded round, Mabelle exhibited with pride a beautiful little gold bangle and a set of Tennyson's Poems in a pretty leather case.

' Oh, how lovely !' sighed Jessie Eutherford; 'I do wish I had a good memory.' ' Mabelle, are you going to play too ?' asked May Buchan. ' Oh, no, that would not be fair, because I and Miss Hastings arranged all the things; I am going to turn the hour-glass and time you —only three minutes and a half allowed you know, to look at the objects in—and father says he will stand at the door and turn you out, and not let you have a last look.' ' Oh, what fun! And are we to begin at once?'

' Yes: but first everybody must draw a number,' said Mabelle, bustling about full of importance ; ' then you will know when it is your turn to go in. . I think two people had better go together; then it won't take so much time.'

After an'interval of a few minutes a bell rang, and Mr Douglas's head appeared through the half-opened door of the mysterious chamber.

' Numbers one and two will kindly step this way,' he called out; and May Buchan and one of Mabelle's cousins immediately rose and went towards him, May observing with Sfe laugh, 'I know everything will go out of my head directly.'

It really seerned no time before they were back again; whereupop they were instantly seized by Miss- Hastings, ivho gaye thepj each a pencil, and a long slip of paper divided into fifty small compartments. ' Go over there, away from everybody else,' said she as solemnly as if it were competitive examination..' and write your lists. I shall call for them in ten minutes.'

At last all the papers were collected, and then Mr Douglas, Miss Hastings, and Mabelle solemnly retired, while the rest of the party tried to amuse themselves with a very languid game of ' How, When and Where.' ' Ladies and gentlemen,' said Mr Douglas, ' I will read you a list of the objects which were actually on view, merely remarking that some of the competitors were kind enough to put down in their lists certain things that they imagined they saw, but which wer« really not there. I am sorry we were not able to allow any marks for imagination. Mabelle, give me the list; I hope'l can read your writing.' Mr Douglas hiving read the list continued:- 'Some of the competitors re-membered-ten oMk objects, a few from twenty-five to thirty, and two ladies ' —here he made an impressive pause—' had such good memories that they managed to reach the grand total of thirty-six and thirty-nine respectively. Mabelle, I leave the rest to you, my dear.' Then Mabelle, blushing a little, said in a distinct voice:

' The fjrst prize belongs to Miss Josephine Le Quesne, and the second t° Mis,s Freda Daniel.'

There was a great deal of clapping after this, and Mabelle came, forward and clasped the gold bangle round' Josephine's wrist, and with a bright smile of congratulation handed the ' Tennyson' to the delighted Freda. And then the girls began to chatter and compare notes, and tell each other how nearly every* thing went out of their heads as soon aa they began to write ; and how odd that was. But they all agreed that the Observation Party was very nice, and something quite new, and that they would very much like to have another, —Abridged from Little Folks,