Collect the materials, either with or without the Juniors’ help, beginning some time in advance. When the time comes to have the “ball,” the more mystery the better.

Place a large basket or clothes-hamper in the middle of the room. This is the “mysterious basket” part, and each Junior is then told to help himself to his “ball,” one of the many bundles wrapped up to look as nearly like balls as possible, all the way from the size of a baseball to that of a basket-ball.

Have ready plenty of scissors, paste, glue, needles, thread, and the celluloid thimbles that can be bought for a cent or two apiece. As each “ball” is opened, it proves to hold the materials for making a small Christmas gift or article for a fair to be given by the Juniors, or for a Junior fancy-work booth at a “grown-up” fair.

Many simple and inexpensive articles, both pretty and useful, can be made by children of Junior age, both girls and boys. If a piece of work which is all sewing happens to be drawn by a boy, so much the more fun. The Junior superintendent acts as “umpire,” answering questions and explaining the rules of the game. A thimble worn on the thumb is “foul,” even if the fingers do seem to be all thumbs, which is often far from being the case.

Here is a partial list of articles which might be made:

1. Stamp-box, of heavy water-color paper, ready cut out. The one who draws this bundle will have an easy task; merely to fold the box into shape, paste the flaps on the inside, decorate the cover with a two-cent stamp, and tie it in place with a ribbon.

2. Chamois spectacle-cleaner, cut in any fancy shape; two pieces buttonhole-stitched around the edge with colored silk, and caught together with fancy ribbon.

3. Pocket pincushion made of two pieces of stiff cardboard covered first with a thin layer of cotton batting, then with wide fancy ribbon; sewed together around the edge and filled with several kinds and sizes of pins.

4. Chinese pen-wiper made of two nutshells glued together to make a head; a pigtail of braided horsehair; a Chinese costume of red cloth with several flannel leaves under the loose, short coat; ink features for the face; and, if one likes, Chinese hieroglyphics in ink decorating the costume.

5. Match-scratcher. Cardboard foundation, with a strip of blue paper pasted across the top to represent sky; a strip of green paper of the same width, pasted across the bottom for grass; a larger strip of red paper between, marked off with ink to represent a brick wall; a cat made of emery paper seated on the grass facing the wall.

6. Recipe-holder, of two teapots or teakettles cut from celluloid, tied together with ribbon and decorated with water-colors in lettering or other design.

7. Blotter, calendar, and pen-wiper combined. A dozen pieces of colored blotting-paper tied together with a ribbon; the outer one with a picture and a small calendar pad pasted on; or there may be a cover made of white cardboard decorated with gold or silver paper bells, or with flowers or leaves carefully and separately cut from Japanese tissue-paper napkins and pasted on. A tiny pen-wiper made of several circles of chamois is to be tied in one corner.

8. Cover for a kodak album, made of rough, heavy tan or brown writing-paper with a target in the centre. The target is made by pasting four paper circles of contrasting colors, one over the other, each smaller than the last, the smallest one in the centre being the bull’s-eye; and printing, each side of the target, in gold or white, the words “Snap-Shots.”

9. Court-plaster case of water-color paper, tied together with ribbon, the cover decorated with a picture, the leaves of court-plaster.

10. Shaving-paper “snowballs.” These are very pretty, and are made of many circles of white tissue-paper caught together in the same way as a ball pen-wiper, and furnished with a hanging loop of red ribbon.

11. Pen-wipers of several thicknesses of felt, cut out leaf-shape or flower shape, and held together with a bow and ends of ribbon.

12. Junior “comfort-powders.” Tie a cheery Bible verse or other pleasant message in a piece of fringed tissue-paper; then tie fifty-two of these in a bunch, one for each week in the year. Or the Juniors might combine in this, and make the powders daily ones.

Other articles, as simple or more elaborate, will be thought of in abundance; pretty ironing-holders, hair-receivers, dusters and duster-bags, sweeping-caps, lamp-mats, dinner cards, whisk-broom-holders, etc. The work, if well prepared in advance, could probably be done by the Juniors in an hour at the longest; some of it in much less. Rewards should be given, not for the most rapid work, but for that most neatly done. The “umpire” may enlist the aid of one or more of her friends in preparing the work, giving instructions, and assigning rewards, especially if there are many of the small workers; and the Juniors may be allowed to exchange tasks if thought desirable.

After the work is done, and while the committee is deciding as to its merits, the “ball-team” may indulge in refreshments in the appropriate globular form of doughnuts, oranges, or pop-corn balls; after which the afternoon may close with the award of the gifts and a stirring game of real basket-ball; or, if it is in the evening, or too late in the season for this out-of-door sport, try a game of “Little Queen Fluff” instead. “Little Queen Fluff” is a ball of cotton covered with colored crape paper. Place the chairs two feet apart in a line across the centre of the room; arrange the Juniors one opposite each chair, against the wall on both sides of the room; give one of these balls and a palm-leaf fan to each; and let them see which can most successfully send his own particular “Little Queen Fluff” through her castle underneath the centre of the chair, to the opposite side of the room. The side which gets all its balls across the room first, fanning them by way of the “castle” underneath the centre of the chair, wins the game.