June is here with her sunshine and flowers. The London season is in full swing and garden parties are the order of the day. At one I attended this week in the picturesque North London suburb of Highgate young ladies largely adopted the fashion of wearing. shirred white muslin hats, which pretty head-gear ornamented with bows of flowered ribbon lent quite shepherdess appearance to the fair wearers. Another garden party was held on the roof of a square tint-topped house not far from the scholarly old building known as the British Museum. The regular garden of the house is a tiny space and most unpromising, since its high walls shut out the sun in Old Sol's most friendly attempts to vain admission to the scraggy flower beds where only ferns cin be coaxed to grow. The hostess of the little domicile determined to overcome obstacles and hold her garden parties on the roof in true Oriental fashion. A high tent is erected from a centre pole to the sides. From thix contre and about the sides hang pots of growing vines, and fancy-coloured jars hold all sorts of phuts in full bloom. On the floor, or roof itself, are cool Chinese mats, and fancy garden chairs. At one side a huge musical box is on a table brought for the day from the drawing room, and playing softly a half hour on being wound up. Tea, ices, cakes, and the usual light refreshments are served from a corner table, while the chatter of delighted guests fills the air with a pleasing buzz not uninteresting to the people in the neighbourhood, who berake themselves to their upper rooms, in order to have an eye on this aerial reception, The daughter of the house is arranging a birthday supper to a lady guest this month on this same roof, to be lighted with Chinese lanterns on the ocean sion. Fireworks are to be let off at intervals and the guests invited are all happy to boast their natal month as June. The guardian angel of the month, Muriel, is to
ing over the scene. Ench guest is to be be poned in egy with gauze wings, hover-
or cat's-eye, both being gems of presented with a tiny seal or ring of agate month. 'The guest of honour is to be presented with an emerald brooch, this gem being the one chosen for the month by the early Romans and Jews, Honeysuekles, the flower of the month, will form not' only the floral decorations. of the table, but the fair young hostess has embroidered fine linen table centres with this decoration which are to be presented to the guest of the evening after the supper. The bits of dainty linen will help stock her bridal chest of house-linen as a gift on her marriage next month. Birthday gatherings on this plan are unique and graceful additions to summer amusements.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.