A Birthday In The Family

Southland Times, Issue 21581, 19 December 1931, Page 18

A Birthday In The Family

What a bustle, and a scurry! It is my young sister’s birthday and everybody is in the greatest glee. My sister was absolutely showered in presents of all shapes and sizes. Boxes of dainty handkerchiefs, all kinds of chocolates, balls, books to read, paints and every other birthday present imaginable. WTiile my sister was looking through her presents, we were all busy in the kitchen preparing the diner. Mother was busy making the plum pudding while I was busy peeling the potatoes. When the dinner was ready we all sat down in high spirits, but we were soon alarmed by little Jack saying he nearly swallowed a threepence in the pudding an dwhy did Mother put them in it ? However we had great fun looking for them and brother Jack was soon as happy as any of us. After we finished our dinner, I washed the dishes while my other sister dried them. In the afternoon there was going to be a birthday party and twenty girls were invited so we were busy preparing for it. When they all came we had a great time playing games etc. I think the most exciting games we played were "forfeits” and Christmas candles. Christmas candles is played like this: each player is blindfolded in turn and placed one foot away from the candle and then takes three steps forward and stands with his back to the candle. He is then turned round three times and told to go to where he supposes the candle to be and blow it out. The players usually go in the wrong direction and it causes much laughter when they try to blow it out.

There was great excitement when we all sat down to tea and- you could hardly hear yourself speak for “Pass the cakes please,” “‘Would you mind passing the sandwiches?” “Would you please pass the sugar?” and so on.

We were all talking away- around the table when suddenly, as a girl was drinking her tea, another girl bumped her arm and there was a smash and the cup crashed to the floor. Tea was everywhere; on the carpet, the girl’s dress and the tablecloth.

Mother hearing a noise, rushed in and this is the sight that met her eyes: a crowd of frightened solemn faces round the table, tea on the carpet, tablecloth and on the girl’s dress and last but not least a cup lying on the floor smashed into about a hundred little pieces. She at once told us to wipe it off the girl’s dress before it stained in very badly and to dean up all the mess we had made.

After we cleaned it up we had some more games and were very- happy in spite of the accident which had occurred and we went to bed that night and dreamed of the lovely time we had had during that day.

—Cousin Daisy Dunlop (12), Schoolhouse, Niagara.