Who's dat by de winder-sill? Gittin' sort o' skeery; Feets is feelin' kind o' chill, Eyes is sort o' teary. 'Most as nervous as a coon When de dawgs is barkin', Er a widder when some spoon Comes along a-sparkin'. Whass dat creepin' up de road, Quiet like a ferret, Hoppin' sof'ly as a toad? Maybe hit's a sperrit! Lordy! hope dey ain't no ghos' Come to tell me howdy. I ain't got no use for those Fantoms damp an' cloudy. Whass dat standin' by de fence Wid its eyes a-yearnin', Drivin' out mah common-sense Wid its glances burnin'? Don't dass skeercely go to bed Wid dem spookses roun' me. Ain't no res' fo' dis yere head When dem folks surroun' me. Whass dat groanin' soun' I hear Off dar by de gyardin? Lordy! Lordy! Lordy dear, Grant dis sinner pardon! I won't nebber--I declar' Ef it ain't my Sammy! Sambo, what yo' doin' dar? Yo' can't skeer yo' mammy! CARLYLE SMITH _in Harper's Weekly, Oct. 29, 1910_. HALLOWE'EN Pixie, kobold, elf, and sprite All are on their rounds to-night,-- In the wan moon's silver ray Thrives their helter-skelter play. Fond of cellar, barn, or stack True unto the almanac, They present to credulous eyes Strange hobgoblin mysteries. Cabbage-stumps--straws wet with dew-- Apple-skins, and chestnuts too, And a mirror for some lass Show what wonders come to pass. Doors they move, and gates they hide Mischiefs that on moonbeams ride Are their deeds,--and, by their spells, Love records its oracles. Don't we all, of long ago By the ruddy fireplace glow, In the kitchen and the hall, Those queer, coof-like pranks recall? Eery shadows were they then-- But to-night they come again; Were we once more but sixteen Precious would be Hallowe'en. JOEL BENTON _in Harper's Weekly, Oct. 31, 1896_. [Illustration: NO HALLOWE'EN WITHOUT A JACK-O'-LANTERN.] HALLOWE'EN A gypsy flame is on the hearth, Sign of this carnival of mirth. Through the dun fields and from the glade Flash merry folk in masquerade-- It is the witching Hallowe'en. Pale tapers glimmer in the sky, The dead and dying leaves go by; Dimly across the faded green Strange shadows, stranger shades, are seen-- It is the mystic Hallowe'en. Soft gusts of love and memory Beat at the heart reproachfully; The lights that burn for those who die Were flickering low, let them flare high-- It is the haunting Hallowe'en. A. F. MURRAY _in Harper's Weekly, Oct. 30, 1909._ Magazine References to Hallowe'en Entertainments CHARADES: Charades, menu, tests. H. Bazar, 32:894. CHILDREN'S PARTIES: