The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-05-02
Hares and Easter Eggs.

came the notion that THE harcs lay the
Easter eggs" Queer hares they must tie,
indeed, but German children believe it
As devoutly as they do that the Christ
kind" brings their Christmas presents, or
rs our own little ones do in Santa Claus.
No one knows exactly whence came this
myth Many think il relic OF heather
worship; but writer named Christoph
Won Scbmid, in an interesting story for
children, suggests this much prettieE orr
gin;
Many hundred years ego, good and
noble lady, Duchess R)siiinda Won Lin
denburg, at time when cruel war was
devastating the land, was obliged to ti7
from her beautiful home in Germany, &C
companied only 10y her two children and
one old II AN servant.
They found refuge in small mining
village in the mountains, where the sim
pie but coutepted and happy inhabitants
did what they could for their comfort,
and placed the best of all they had at the
disposal of the wanderers. Nevertheless,
their fare Was miserable; no meat was
ever to be found, seldom fish, and not
even an egg this last for the very good
reason that there was not a single hen in
the village! These useful domestic
fowls, now so common everywhere, were
originally brought from the East, and had
net yet found their way to this secluded
place The people had not even heard Of
such strange BIRDS This troubled the
kind duchess, who well kne vathc great
help they are in housekeeping, and she
determined that the women who bad
been so kind to her should no longer be
without them.
Accordingly, the next time she sent
forth her faithful old servant to try and
gather news of his master and of the pro
gress of the war, she commissioned him
TO bring back with him coop full of
fowls. This he did, to the great surprise
of the simple natives, and the village
children were greatly excited a few weeks
later at the appearance Of brood Of
young chickens. They were so pretty
aud bright, were covered with such a soft
down, we're So open-eyed, and could run
about after their mother to pick up food the
very first day, and were altogether such
contrast to the blind, bald, untiedged,
helpless, ugly little birds they sometimes
saw in nests in the hedges, that they
their admiration.
The good lady now saved up eggs Tor
some time, then invited all the house
wives of the village to feast when she
set before them eggs cooked IL variety
OF ways. She then tsught them how to
prepare them for themselves, and, dis
tributing Aumber OF fowl, among them,
sent the danes home grateful and happy.
When Easter approached, she Wns AIN
Ious TO arrange some pleasure for the
village children, but had nothing to give
them, mot even an apple or a nut, only
some eggs; but that, she concluded was,
sftor all, An appropriate otfenr z, las an
egg is the first gift Of the seviving
spring And then it occurred 10 her To
boil them with MOSES and roots that
would give them variety Of brilliant
colors, las the EARTH said she, "has Just
laid aside her white mantle, and deco
rated herself with many colors; for the
dear God makes the fruit and berries not
only good 10 eat, but also pleasant to
look upon, and the children's pleasure
would be all the greater.
Accordingly, on E,ster Sunday, after
the church service, all the little
ones OF about the age OF her
own met together in a garden; and,
when their kind hostess had talked to
them awhile, she led them into q small
aeighboring wood. There she told them
to make nests of moss, and advised each
TO mark well his or her own. All then
returned to the garden, where feast of
milk soup with eggs and egg cakes had
been prepared. Afterward they went
back to the wood, and found to their
great Joy in each nest five beautiful col
ored eggs, and on one of these a short
rhyme was written.
The surprise and delight of the little
ones when they discovered nest of the
gaily colored treasures, was very great,
and one of them exclaimed.
How wonderful the hens must be that
san lay such pretty eggs! How should
hke tn see them IVY
''Oh no hens could lay such beautiful
eggs" answered little girl. Il think 1t
must have been the little hare that sprang
out of the juniper bush when wanted to
build my nest there"
Then all the children laughed together,
and said, ''The hares lay the colored eggs.
Yes, yes the dear little hares lay the
beautiful eggsl" And they repeated it
ull they began To believe 1t.