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THERE are no end of delightful things to do at an Easter party, and every game may be in keeping with the season.

The game of

Egg Tennis

Fig. 26.—Carefully bore a hole in each end of the shell.

is particularly pretty. As you play this new Easter game, showers of color will fill the air, sometimes descending in sparkling bits of orange, again reds, then greens or blues, yellows or purples, with all their beautiful tints. Quivering and shimmering, down the colored rain will fall, lightly covering your hair, clothing, and surrounding objects, while you stand, racket in hand, watching the result of your stroke. Your companions, seeing your success, will be eager to try their skill, also, with one of the pretty magic eggs. These colored showers do not even look wet, and they will not injure the most delicate of fabrics, for they are composed of countless bits of bright tissue paper.

The Number of Eggs

Fig. 27.—Fold the paper like this

needed for the game depends upon the number of players. There should be three eggs provided for every two players. In case the first player succeeds in breaking two eggs in succession, the third egg will not be used during the game, but may do duty at another time in another game. Should the first player fail in breaking the second egg, then all three eggs will be required.

Fig. 28.—Cut the paper in fringe like this.

How to Prepare the Eggs

Select eggs as nearly of a size as possible; take one egg at a time and with a very coarse needle carefully bore a hole in each end by pressing the point of the needle against the shell and then turning the needle around and around until a little hole appears. Be very careful when boring not to press the needle with too great a force, as there is danger in so doing of cracking the shell and rendering it useless. When both holes are made, increase the hole on the large end of the egg until it is about as large around as the head of a common hat-pin (Fig. 26), then place the small end to your lips and blow out the contents.

Playing the New Easter Game of Egg Tennis

After the Shells Are Emptied

leave one white and color all the others, making each shell of a different color. When this is done, allow the inside of the shells to become thoroughly dry; then fill them with pieces of tissue paper cut in small squares a quarter of an inch or less in size. These can be quickly made by folding the tissue paper like Fig. 27 and cutting it into strips of fringe (Fig. 28); then cutting off the ends of the fringe little by little (Fig. 29). Fill the red egg-shell with bits of red paper, the yellow shell with yellow paper, and so on, making

Fig. 29.—Cut off the ends of the fringe.

The Shower of Paper

in each egg-shell correspond to the color of the shell. Fill the white shell with squares of white tissue paper, and when the shell breaks in mid-air, the shower will resemble the dainty petals of cherry blossoms as they fall when shaken from the trees by a light breeze. The effect is very pretty, calling to mind the Feast of Cherry Blossoms in Japan, when the girls and boys accompany their elders to see the cherry trees in full bloom.

Fig. 30.—Gilt paper disk.

Cut Gilt Paper Disks

two inches in diameter (Fig. 30); fold each disk through the centre (Fig. 31), then fold again crosswise through the middle of the first fold (Fig. 32). Fold once more (Fig. 33), and, following the dotted lines on Fig. 33, cut the points as shown in Fig. 34 and you will have the eight-pointed star (Fig. 35). While the point is still folded with a sharp pair of scissors clip off the point (A, Fig. 34). This makes the hole in the centre of the star (B, Fig. 35). Through the hole in each star thread the two ends of a strong string. Cover the under side of the star with paste, separate the two ends of the string and hold them down on each side of the egg (Fig. 36), then draw the star down on to the shell over the strings, and press tightly in place until the paste holds (Fig. 37). Clip off the ends of the string that extend below the star.

Fig. 31.—Fold the disk through the centre

Fig. 32.—Fold the disk a second time

Fig. 33.—Fold once more.

Fig. 34.—Cut out the point.