PICTON.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIII, Issue XXII, 1 December 1894, Page 524

PICTON.

(Held Oeer.) Dear Bee, n ° vrm “5 r 7 ’ The weather on the Prince of Wales Birthday was perfect queen’s weather, and most of our folk went out a gipsying. The Rotorua made AN EXCURSION TRIP from Wellington, bringing friends to many here, who crowded the wharf on the arrival of the steamer. Some of the excursionists proceeded to Blenheim by train, others sought the shade or manuka trees and discoursed luncheon, while the rest were marched off to the homes of their friends. The Tennis Club gave A CAPITAL BIRTHDAY BALL in the Public Hall, which. I am sorry to say. was not nearly so well attended as it might have been, though no doubt the long day’s outing quite accounted for the absence of the general public. For a week before the event came off several energetic lady members of the club had been working most enthusiastically under the direction of Miss Mary Seymour, collecting moss, lycopodium, gig’s. and tree ferns for the decorations. Almost every day a party went out, managing the boat and the tree-felling themselves, and their names deserve to live in the annals of tennis. They were the Misses Mary, Kitty, and Isabel Seymour. Ethel Greensill, and Nora Allen. I havo no space to describe the decorations and supper-table, which were splendid. The dresses were a mixture of plain and fancy. All the fancy dresses were much admired. Miss Kitty Seymour went as Fishwife : Miss Alice Scott, Welsh Peasant; Miss Nora Allen, Gretchen; Miss Amy Moss, as Grace Darling, had a perfect costume. with lantern, lifebelt, rope etc., complete ; Miss I. Seymour, Tambourine Girl; Miss Ethel Greensill made a sweet little BoBeep; Miss Eva Fell, a Grecian Maiden in white and gold; Miss Thompson. Colleen Bawn. Very few gentlemen ventured to wear anything but the orthodox claw-hammer costume, though Mr Seale as a Clown was facile princeps in that line i Mr W. Baillie was also a Clown, but he was dubbed the * Dumb u-lown; Mr W. Western, Footballer; Mr W. Card, Fireman- The other gentlemen present were Messrs H. C. Seymour, Rutherford, Fox. Temple, Fenwick. Greensill, Duncan, Macready. Mating, Richardson, Howard, E. Conolly, Western. Kane, Hawker (two), Philpotts. Pasley. White, T. Baillie, Hodson. Fisk (three), James, etc. Miss Mary Seymour wore a lovely dress of the palest shade of green silk covered with silver gauze; Miss Marion Speed, black lace, with a bodice beautifully embroiderd in the Indian style in colours and gold; Mrs Fenwick, a handsome black lace gown made with sleeves of heliotrope-pink silk veiled with black lace, and a bow to match in her hair; Mrs McNab, black silk; Mrs Fell, black broche; Mrs H. C. Seymour, black lace, heliotrope silk sleeves ; Mrs Rutherford, black silk trimmed with pale blue silk, and Watteau tram of pale blue silk ; Mrs Allen, black, and white lace ; Mrs Richardson (Meadow Bank), heliotrope silk with bodice of a darker shade covered with pile gauze; Miss Hay. red silk covered with white net; Miss Gill, striped silk of two shades of red : Miss Biddle, a Sretty dress of blue veiling, with sleeves, etc., of a dark shade of luc velvet: Miss Fisk, black skirt and pink bodice; and her sister In white muslin; Miss Carey (Blenheim), yellow veiling; Miss Mildred Fell, white veiling; Miss Blakiston (Blenheim) looked very nice in pink erfepon with deep berthe frills of the same material; Miss Mime Philpotts also looked nice in pink ertpon; Miss Sophie Philpotts, in black lace; and Miss Kenny, in green shot silk trimmed with black lace, also looked well, and her bouquet of rosebuds was charming; Mrs Howard wore black; and Miss Howard, pink: whilst a tiny maiden from the Koromiko district—Miss Hawker -danced like a fairy, in white, all the evening. Notwithstanding the sparse attendance-due to many of the picnic parties not returning till a late hour—the dance was a most enjoyable one. being kept going till nearly 3 a.m., Mr Arthur Foden presiding W During Dr. and Mrs Millington and the Misses Linton camped out at Laughing Bob’sßay. The party had a very iolly time of it. Visitors were as plentiful as need be, and the •billy’ seldom idle. The party went out on Thursday evening.

returning on Sunday evening.

Jean.