  From sheets of pink and creamy tinted paper, cut the requisite number of hearts—two for each invitation—and form into envelopes by pasting a pink heart and a creamy tinted one together along the edges, except at the large end, which must be left open to hold the written invitation. On a slightly smaller heart of thinner paper, write the following doggerel: "From half-past six to half-past nine, I pray you to be guest of mine. With Valentine, their patron Saint, Sure all good lovers are acquaint; So in his honor kindly spend A pleasant evening with a friend." Slip this in the envelope formed by the two hearts, having first glued to the indentation at the larger end of the small heart a loop of baby ribbon by which to pull it out. On the white side of the envelope write the name and address; on the pink side, an older sister may draw cunning little Cupids, or hearts transfixed with little arrows. Cut from pink paper as many hearts as there are to be boys, but no two of these hearts must be of the same size; cut from gilt paper the same number of hearts, one for each girl, matching in size those cut from the pink paper. When the guests arrive, give each boy a pink and each girl a gilt heart. When a boy finds the girl who holds a gilt heart matching in size his pink one, they are partners for the evening. In this search all formality will have worn off. Cupid's Darts will pass a jolly half hour. Make a large heart of several layers of pink tissue paper, and fill it loosely with bonbons; encase this in a slightly larger heart of open-meshed bobinet; hang on the wall on one side of the room by two loops sewed to the large, upper part of the heart. Provide a toy bow and arrow, and let each child in turn shoot at the heart. The arrows will remain sticking in the lace and paper, and the one whose arrow comes nearest the centre receives the first prize—a heart-shaped box of candy. Also provide small heart-shaped boxes filled with candies for each child to take home. For refreshments, make sandwiches from heart-shaped pieces of bread cut with a cake cutter; bake the cakes in heart-shaped tins, and have the ices frozen in the same design. As red and pink are the proper colors for decoration on this day, it will be a pretty idea to have the lemonade colored pink with fruit juice. Pretty favors can be made from crepe tissue-paper. Flowers, bonbon boxes, handkerchief-cases, and many another trifle, will please the young folks, more especially if they are the work of their little hostess's own hands. |
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